Welcome to the IGN TV Show Obituary, formerly known as the "Endangered Series" list. With all of the broadcast networks having announced their fall lineups (and thus making their final renewal and cancellation decisions) this past week at the Upfronts, it's time to put another endangered list to bed... Well, almost. You'll see there is a third page to this story still, as one single show remains that still could go either way.
Fall TV: A Roundup Of The New Series Announcements
Below are all the shows that did not survive the 2012-2013 TV season, for many different reasons. Some shows only aired a couple of episodes before being yanked from the air, some lost a hard fought battle as a true "bubble" show that almost got renewed, while others had more respectful, "natural" deaths, as the writers planned a true final season and ended the story on their own terms.
Note that our focus here is specifically on network series, so cable shows (which don't operate under the same September-May TV season cycle) are not included.
Animal Practice
Not even the monkey could save them. Despite a lot of promotion, NBC’s big veterinarian hospital comedy quickly was cancelled after just a few episodes.
Ben and Kate
Good reviews and buzz unfortunately didn’t translate into good ratings for this sister/brother comedy series, and Ben and Kate was yanked off the air midseason.
Body of Proof
This ABC series got a last minute renewal in 2012, returning with a big revamp. Initial numbers were very low, but the show began to grow as the season continued. It looked possible ABC might renew it, but the network ordering so many new series ended up putting an end to this series. There is some interest in Body of Proof from cable channels, but it's yet to be seen if that will come to fruition.
The Cleveland Show
While FOX has invested deeply in Seth MacFarlane and his animated series, The Cleveland Show had the shortest run of any of his series - though it still ran a respectful four seasons. FOX never officially announced the show had ended, but it was pretty clear it wasn't going to be back next season when they ceased production last year, given the long lead time animation needs. With MacFarlane still making two series and a lot of money for FOX though, don't be surprised to see Cleveland Brown again. Peter Griffin, do you miss your old buddy? He might want to move back to your neck of the woods... There's even the chance of more episodes down the line, considering MacFarlane still is producing animated series at FOX and, in theory, they could start Cleveland back up again at some point.
CSI: New York
In 2012, CBS said goodbye to CSI: Miami, acknowledging that, at last, the once juggernaut franchise was beginning to enter its twilight and declining in numbers. While the original CSI is returning, this year saw the end of the road for the New York series.
Cult
CW continues to struggle to make an impact with most of their new series, and the early numbers for their ambitious/complicated/confusing series within a series Cult had it quickly moved to Friday - before being yanked entirely a few weeks later.
Deception
NBC’s Revenge-style soapy thriller was not able to find an audience or gain any sort of notable, passionate fandom that would give the network any reason to renew it.
Do No Harm
NBC had a true embarrassment on their hands with Do No Harm, which had the infamous “honor” of breaking the record for the lowest rated series debut in the history of the big four networks, outside of summer. Two episodes and it was done.
Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23
The Bitch had her fans, but the numbers had been bad for the ABC series, which also had some rather bizarre airing patterns, airing on multiple nights and including unaired episodes from Season 1 mixed in with no explanation. ABC finally pulled it from the schedule, leaving the also-struggling Happy Endings to fend for itself.
Emily Owens, M.D.
As The CW leans more towards genre series, Emily Owens was an immediate non-starter in terms of buzz. While it aired its complete thirteen-episode run, that was it for the young doctor.
Family Tools
It was never a great sign for this comedy that it was debuting so late in the season, and it's mostly ignored debut on ABC pretty much signaled it was the burn off most expected it to be.
Fringe
No matter what, you have to commend Fringe for going out on its own terms. A rare success story when it comes to hard sci-fi on network TV, Fringe was given a final, thirteen-episode season by FOX, proving the current regime at the network could indeed be much more accommodating to low-rated, beloved genre series.
Golden Boy
A recent addition to CBS's lineup, Golden Boy was considered successful enough initially to replace Vegas on Tuesdays. But it had some notable drops and with few slots available on CBS, it was done.
Go On
Early in the TV season, Go On looked to be NBC’s first genuine hit comedy in quite awhile, but then the numbers began to fall… and fall. And it only got worse when The Voice went on hiatus, taking away a powerhouse lead-in. There was some thought NBC still might give the show another chance next season, but ultimately, they pulled the plug.
Gossip Girl
While its years as the show everyone was talking about were far in the past, Gossip Girl still was given one last season to wrap up its storylines and reveal the true identity of its title character (no matter the mixed reaction) last fall.
Guys With Kids
NBC’s one new multi-camera comedy this past year, Guys with Kids got a full season order, but that seemed a time-filler more than anything. It had no ratings and no buzz and its cancellation was no surprise.
Happy Endings
We freaking love Happy Endings, but sadly, the show continued to struggle to find the larger audience it so richly deserves. After a lot of random different timeslots this season, ABC cancelled it - though there is a sliver of hope, as Sony is shopping it to other outlets, including USA.
How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)
ABC's most recent attempt to find a show that can hold onto Modern Family's great lead in numbers, ABC's strangely-titled Sarah Chalke comedy had a decent debut, but fell in subsequent weeks.
Last Resort
Ah, this one still hurts. We loved this show here at IGN, but Last Resort just couldn’t find a big enough audience in its tough timeslot. The one consolation was ABC at least not pulling the show immediately, and actually allowing the creators to make a finale – albeit a hastily constructed one.
Made in Jersey
Every year, some poor TV series has the non-honor of being the first new show cancelled. This year, it was Made in Jersey, which was far too below par for CBS to keep on the schedule.
Malibu Country
ABC's attempt at a new TGIF style traditional sitcom block on Friday nights didn't end up getting the desired numbers. While Last Man Standing managed a renewal again, Reba McIntyre's sitcom was one and done.
The Mob Doctor
Given how poor the ratings for The Mob Doctor were, the amazing thing is it actually aired its entire initial thirteen-episode order, until FOX finally had their midseason series (specifically The Following) ready to replace it.
The New Normal
While Go On was even bigger, this was NBC’s other fairly strong (well, relatively) new comedy in the early fall, with the benefit of the buzzed about Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story) as a producer. But like Go On, it’s numbers dropped dramatically as the season continued.
90210
90210’s numbers were incredibly low, even by The CW’s standards. The network ultimately pulled the plug, announcing the end early enough that the producers could craft a proper series finale.
The Office
After nine years, NBC and the producers decided it was time to end the story of a Scranton paper company. We may (and do) argue the show went a few years longer than it should have, quality-wise, but still, that is quite a run…
Private Practice
The Grey’s Anatomy spinoff couldn’t keep its ratings momentum going, leading to a shortened thirteen-episode final season.
666 Park Avenue
Like Last Resort, ABC made the rare move of allowing 666 Park Avenue’s producers to give the show a finale. But unlike Last Resort, they decided the show was performing too weakly to keep on the air through all thirteen episodes. It’s expected the final four episodes will be seen sometime this summer.
Ready For Love
Many questioned why NBC was giving the best lead in they have, The Voice, to this reality series, which felt half-baked from the start. When Ready for Love quickly proved what a waste it was of prime real estate, losing a massive portion of its huge lead in, it was pulled after a handful of airings.
1600 Penn
NBC gave a big push to this midseason comedy, but it quickly completely collapsed, wasting what is still the best timeslot for a new comedy NBC had left – airing right after The Office.
Smash
Smash was a sad story for NBC. It debuted with so much hype and positive reviews for the pilot, only to see the numbers rapidly dwindle and the good reviews quickly turn negative as the show progressed. Season 2’s big overhaul (including changing the showrunner and several cast members) didn’t help at all, with a ton of the Season 1 audience not coming back. Soon, banishment to Saturday followed, and then the inevitable cancellation.
Red Widow
ABC has been unable to find a show to cap off their Sunday night lineup. Red Widow was another show struggling in the Sunday, 10pm timeslot and had one brief season to show for it.
Rules of Engagement
Look, Rules of Engagement made it seven seasons. No matter what, it won. Perpetually kept on the bench until something new failed, CBS used Rules as a space-filler, but it always managed to do well enough to come back. However, with enough episodes for syndication and the cast's contracts all up, CBS decided it was time to move on.
30 Rock
Tina Fey brought her look behind-the-scenes at an SNL-type sketch comedy show to a close this year, after a low-rated but beloved seven year run. We'll miss you, TGS crew!
Touch
The Kiefer Sutherland series returned midseason with major plot, location and cast overhauls, but got incredibly low ratings on Fridays – notably lower than Fringe was getting at the end, despite that show having lost viewers each season it was on. Clearly, audiences just didn't connect to a show about us all being connected.
Up All Night
Oh man, this show… It was incredibly surreal watching NBC re-tool Up All Night more than once and then make the incredible decision to change the format of the show from single camera to multi-camera. But then the show’s creator left. And Christina Applegate left. And the episode order for the revamp dropped from five to one. And Will Arnett joined a new pilot. And finally, with that one re-re-revamped episode never filmed, at last, NBC let Up All Night go…
Vegas
Given their high overall ratings, CBS has tough standards, and unfortunately, Vegas didn't meet them. While the series got a full season order, it was eventually moved to Fridays and when it didn't meet expectations there, ended after one season.
Whitney
While it got a second season, Whitney just sort of existed - not as big a disaster as several other series had been for them, but certainly not a hit nor a beloved series. After two seasons, NBC decided it was time to move on.
Zero Hour
ABC’s continued failure to launch a new success on Thursdays at 8pm continued with Zero Hour, which had a notably low debut. After three horribly-rated episodes, ABC yanked the show from the air.
So what's replacing all of these shows? Check out our roundup of all the big announcements from the past week for the new TV season. Continue to Page 2 for the shows that have been renewed and will be back next season.
Source : ign[dot]com
No comments:
Post a Comment