(no subject)

[shadowkat]

I don't know if anyone reading this cares about these things any longer, but here's the TV Cancellation Olympic Status report that I got from Brilliant But Cancelled this morning.

1. Twenty Good Years is in a coma, in other words it is close to being cancelled and has stopped production.

2. The following shows have been picked up for a full order - in other words, the network has asked for 22 episodes and they are *not* going to be cancelled: Heroes, Jericho, Ugly Betty, Brothers & Sisters, Shark and The Game. Rejoice if you are a fan of them.

3. Vanished, Six Degrees, and 30 Rock are in trouble. Vanished may well be the next to go, it's been moved to Fridays and the producers have been asked to wrap up their series in 13 episodes to be safe.
The other two are getting bad reviews, horrid buzz, and dismal ratings.

4. These shows have gotten a reprieve or a show of good faith: Studio 60 (NBC ordered 3 more episodes of a show that costs $3 million an episode to make. Think about that for a minute. 3 million an episode.), The Class (CBS ordered four more scripts), and Men in Trees (ABC ordered four more scripts). This means these shows are safe for now.

Comments

[cjlasky.livejournal.com]

I don't know what NBC is going to do either. If Studio 60 didn't cost $3 million per episode to produce, there wouldn't be rumors about cancellation. (After all, NBC stuck with The Office despite terrible ratings during their first season.) NBC would switch S60 to Wednesday or (eventually) Sunday night, and let the show build on an already loyal following. But with the current financial crisis at NBC/Universal, can they afford to keep this show alive? Same goes for Friday Night Lights--will they give the series enough time to grow, or make the purely fiscal decision to shut it down before too much money flies out the door?

This is one of those "art vs. commerce" decisions that makes me glad I don't work in television.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

My gut says both Studio 60 and Friday Night Lights will probably not make it past this year, if they last that long. FNL may have a better chance - I think it's less expensive. Doesn't really appeal to me, so haven't been tracking it and have no clue how well it is doing ratings wise. It's also not the sort of show you can just leap into the middle of, very serialized. So if the audience wasn't there on day one? Unlikely for it to pick up new viewers. Studio 60 has the same problem - people I know who didn't see the first episodes are a bit lost and having troubles getting into it now.

Say what you will about reality shows and procedurals - you can jump into them at any time without getting lost. Easy to pick up. Not so, with the serial dramas.

I think Studio 60 may be the most expensive show on right now that Smith disappeared.
Smith used to be. So with NBC about to announce lay-offs...how long do we really think Studio 60 has? Shame. But that's entertainment.