What will be cancelled first? (TV thread)

[JasonEvans]

I ant this to have its own home, so plenty of folks see it, but it can be merged into the Fall TV thread in a little bit.

The Fall TV season has officially begun this week so I am soliciting guesses as to what TV show will be removed from the air first. Only shows on the 4 major networks count. If a show gets shelved so that its remaining episodes can be shown Saturdays at 10pm on USA Network or Bravo, that counts as being cancelled. If there is some dispute as to whether a show has been cancelled or merely put on temporary hiatus, we can all discuss it and come to a conclusion.

I think it only fair that everyone put in their guesses by Monday night, so you have a few days to consider your choices.

Here are the new shows on TV so far --

Sunday -
10pm - ABC - 666 Park Avenue

Monday -
830pm - CBS - Partners
9pm - Fox - Mob Doctor
10pm - NBC - Revolution

Tuesday -
830pm - Fox - Ben & Kate
9pm - NBC - Go On
930pm - NBC - New Normal
930pm - Fox - Mindy Project
10pm - CBS - Vegas

Wednesday -
8pm - NBC - Animal Practice
830pm - NBC - Guys with Kids
830pm - ABC - Neighbors
10pm - NBC - Chicago Fire
10pm - ABC - Nashville

Thursday -
8pm - ABC - Last Resort
10pm - CBS - Elementary

Friday -
9pm - CBS - Made in Jersey

-Jason "did I get all of that right? Did I miss any shows? I am obviously not counting mid-season replacement shows" Evans

[Duvall]

Is there really demand for yet another thread on this board that obsesses over the commercial aspects of mass culture to the exclusion of artistic considerations?

[JasonEvans]

Is there really demand for yet another thread on this board that obsesses over the commercial aspects of mass culture to the exclusion of artistic considerations?

Yup! Don't like it? Don't read it.

-Jason

[BD80]

Is there really demand for yet another thread on this board that obsesses over the commercial aspects of mass culture to the exclusion of artistic considerations?

Sure beats another thread predicting starting line-ups and minutes for players - and yes I do ignore those (but the "debate" flairs up in dozens of other threads)

[duke74]

Watched "Elementary" last night. To this non-expert, it was clever with interesting characters..especially since most viewers would be comparing to the traditional character roles....Chinese-American born Watson, for example....

[brevity]

Surprisingly, nothing sticks out at me as the obvious goner.

I think FOX stays put. They seem to have hit on something with the Tuesday night female-centric 2-hour comedy block, which appears at first glance to be more seamless than anything the other networks are doing. I don't have long-term hopes for The Mob Doctor, which I think is miscast in a few places, and has an unsustainable double-life premise. However, William Forsythe is B-list coolness, and the first episode does something so awesome that I had to give it a chance.

I'm inclined not to pick an NBC show because they are so desperate for scripted TV success that they'll give their new inexpensive (read: half-hour) shows some free rein. And their one risk, Revolution, is doing better than expected. This leaves Chicago Fire as the most vulnerable, but maybe people who miss Third Watch will keep it alive.

This leaves ABC and CBS, which are successful enough that they can make a bold cut or two. CBS has completely diluted their Monday night comedy product, and Partners would appear to be the most likely casualty. I'm not sure what to make of Made in Jersey, but it should incubate nicely in that risk-free Friday night slot. ABC has a couple of expensive risks (Last Resort, 666 Park Avenue) that look hit-or-miss. And while I haven't seen The Neighbors, it could settle in to that 8:30 slot. Maybe. The alien concept doesn't bother me as much as the baggy-eyed male lead that, in Jami Gertz terms, makes Mark Addy look like an Adonis.

So, if I had to guess, I'd say that most of the new shows will survive into 2013 (Mayan prediction memes notwithstanding). Based on Jason's list, these are the ones most likely to die before then:

1. Partners (CBS)
2. Last Resort (ABC)
3. Chicago Fire (NBC)
4. The Mob Doctor (FOX)
5. The Neighbors (ABC)

Jason's mention of midseason replacement shows is interesting. A network (say, NBC) is more likely to ditch a poor performing show (say, Guys with Kids) if it has something else on deck. But I don't know what's out there.

[bjornolf]

Watched "Elementary" last night. To this non-expert, it was clever with interesting characters..especially since most viewers would be comparing to the traditional character roles....Chinese-American born Watson, for example....

Is Lucy Liu any good in it? In the radio commercial, she strikes me as playing the same thing she always does... attractive woman who always smells something disgusting but doesn't want to mention it... kind of like Kristen Stewart but grossed out instead of dead inside.

[hurleyfor3]

Is there really demand for yet another thread on this board that obsesses over the commercial aspects of mass culture to the exclusion of artistic considerations?

If you've got a better idea, why not start a thread about it.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I ant this to have its own home, so plenty of folks see it, but it can be merged into the Fall TV thread in a little bit.
I hate it when you merge threads into unreadably long threads. You never know when something new is discussed that might be interesting (if you're not already reading that thread because it's too long. Like the 201X recruiting threads.) But you already know my opinion on this...

[throatybeard]

If you've got a better idea, why not start a thread about it.

Because said thread would devolve into discussions of box office numbers or ratings. Duvall is right.

[cf-62]

Is there really demand for yet another thread on this board that obsesses over the commercial aspects of mass culture to the exclusion of artistic considerations?

And we wonder why people think Dukies are arrogant

[Edouble]

Is there really demand for yet another thread on this board that obsesses over the commercial aspects of mass culture to the exclusion of artistic considerations?

Artistic considerations aren't applicable where the discussion of television shows are concerned, unless you want to talk about Twin Peaks.

[darthur]

Artistic considerations aren't applicable where the discussion of television shows are concerned, unless you want to talk about Twin Peaks.

And here I thought The Wire was a television show...

[bjornolf]

And we wonder why people think Dukies are arrogant

Nan's campaign against "anti-intellectualism" didn't help either.

[Lord Ash]

Okay, gotta go with...

Guys with kids
Partners
Last Resort



Now, this is all from what I hear about them, as I won't watch any of these three shows.

The correct answer SHOULD be "The Office" in the same way that cavalry troopers used to put a horse out of its misery when it went down, but unfortunately that won't happen:)

[BD80]

Artistic considerations aren't applicable where the discussion of television shows are concerned, unless you want to talk about Twin Peaks.

Modern Family is worthy of discussion in its entirety, not just for Sofía Vergara.

[sporthenry]

Okay, gotta go with...

Guys with kids
Partners
Last Resort



Now, this is all from what I hear about them, as I won't watch any of these three shows.

The correct answer SHOULD be "The Office" in the same way that cavalry troopers used to put a horse out of its misery when it went down, but unfortunately that won't happen:)

I actually enjoyed Guys With Kids perhaps most episodes will be similar bit I think it survives. Partners is an interesting one because it gets HIMYM as a lead in and is buoyed with decent comedies behind it. Pilot wasn't great but numbers will be fine. It'll be interesting to see if CBS kills it to try out another comedy in the spring.
My vote is for Made in Jersey heard terrible things and don't think people want Legally Blonde on a weekly basis with Partners being a close second just because of its spot.

[bjornolf]

Modern Family is worthy of discussion in its entirety, not just for Sofía Vergara.

Okay, Phil, that'll be enough.

[cf-62]

Partners. What a terribly boring show.

[JasonEvans]

The correct answer is The Mob Doctor, which is getting abysmal ratings through its first two episodes -- less than 4 million people are watching and the demographics are bad too.

At least that is my guess.

-Jason

[bjornolf]

The correct answer is The Mob Doctor, which is getting abysmal ratings through its first two episodes -- less than 4 million people are watching and the demographics are bad too.

At least that is my guess.

-Jason

There goes another show I like.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

The correct answer is The Mob Doctor, which is getting abysmal ratings through its first two episodes -- less than 4 million people are watching and the demographics are bad too.

At least that is my guess.

-Jason

I watched the first episode. The doc is real purty, but I didn't think much of the plot. But I'll watch (well, record) at least one more episode just to confirm both opinions 1 :cool:

[mkirsh]

I'm voting for 666 Park. Happened to turn it on for a few minutes and thought it was pretty terrible, John Locke notwithstanding. Not that familiar with the others, but if they are worse than this then I consider myself fortunate for missing them.

[cf-62]

Okay, gotta go with...

Guys with kids
Partners
Last Resort



Now, this is all from what I hear about them, as I won't watch any of these three shows.

The correct answer SHOULD be "The Office" in the same way that cavalry troopers used to put a horse out of its misery when it went down, but unfortunately that won't happen:)

So last night, I finally got to sit and watch Last Resort end-to-end. Holy cow!!!! What a show! I don't know if they'll be able to sustain the story lines for a season, let alone the lifetime of the show, but it was quite fun and exciting.

I know it was the highest rated new drama, so I believe it will get picked up for the season. If you didn't watch it yet, I suggest you do so. It's quite good.

[JasonEvans]

NBC has already picked up Go On, Revolution, and New Normal for the full season (http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-201210021659reedbusivarietynvr1118060181-20121002,0,4899689.story)-- 20+ episodes of each of them. Revolution, by the way, was the #15 show in all of TV last week in the 18-49 demo, a stunning accomplishment for a brand new 10pm drama. It is the highest rated new show of the season. Elementary is #2.

By the way, whether folks here like it or not, Last Resort is in some trouble. It only got a 2.2 rating in the 18-49 demo in its debut. That is not a good number, especially for a new show that does not have a loyal audience yet. We need to see how it does this week, but it could be in trouble.

666 Park Ave only scored a 2.1 in the demo, which is ever worse. I think it too will be short-lived.

-Jason "need to check the ratings on Mob Doctor... it is on life support" Evans

[94duke]

Made in Jersey looks terrible. I admit, that i did NOT even try it. A friend of mine watched and told me not to bother.
Rating were bad, too.

The drama opened to 7.7 million viewers and a very slight 1.1 rating among adults 18-49
http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/09/29/made-in-jersey-ratings/

[BD80]

Made in Jersey looks terrible. ... A friend of mine watched and told me not to bother. ...

She said "fahgeddabahditt?"

[sporthenry]

Made in Jersey looks terrible. I admit, that i did NOT even try it. A friend of mine watched and told me not to bother.
Rating were bad, too.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/09/29/made-in-jersey-ratings/

I'd say the favorite definitely has to be Mod Doctor. The only thing going for it is Fox probably has a longer leash than CBS. Still holding out hope (since I picked it) that Made in Jersey gets the hook. CBS is usually quicker with their hook and the fact that it splits up two successful CBS Friday shows in CSI and Blue Bloods might make CBS look faster so they don't lose people for either show.

[camion]

My favorite in this competition is "The Neighbors". I recorded it last night and intended to watch it, but decided that I hadn't recovered sufficiently from the previous week's show so I just erased it.

One report on this week's ratings:
New comedy "The Neighbors" at 8:30 was down 38 percent from its series debut last week -- when it ran in a different time slot and had the benefit of a "Modern Family" lead-in -- posting a 2.0/6 and receiving 6.6 million total viewers.

The only thing that might keep it alive is the lead in from Modern family.

[JasonEvans]

The only thing that might keep it alive is the lead in from Modern family.

Have a big leadin can also be a curse as the network values that time slot tremendously and will not let an under performing program erode their momentum. If you want more info on this phenomenon, I suggest you speak to Dabney Coleman about Madman of the People and Buffalo Bill ;)

-Jason "Madman of the People was the #12 show on TV... and it got cancelled after less than a full season... being sandwiched between Seinfeld and ER will do that sometimes" Evans

[JasonEvans]

By the way, whether folks here like it or not, Last Resort is in some trouble. It only got a 2.2 rating in the 18-49 demo in its debut. That is not a good number, especially for a new show that does not have a loyal audience yet. We need to see how it does this week, but it could be in trouble.

Last night's Last Resort slipped 20% from last week's modest premiere to a poor 1.8 rating in the 18-49 demo. This show may be in some trouble, though I think critical praise has been fairly decent so ABC may want to give it some time. Still, looks like this show has a fairly slim chance of making it to a second season. Of course, it would be nice to the audience if ABC could let the producers know in time for them to wrap the show up in a meaningful way... but that almost never happens in TV land.

-Jason "TV would be such a great medium for the season-long drama/mystery show... but no one does it that way" Evans

[Reisen]

My favorite in this competition is "The Neighbors". I recorded it last night and intended to watch it, but decided that I hadn't recovered sufficiently from the previous week's show so I just erased it.

One report on this week's ratings:
New comedy "The Neighbors" at 8:30 was down 38 percent from its series debut last week -- when it ran in a different time slot and had the benefit of a "Modern Family" lead-in -- posting a 2.0/6 and receiving 6.6 million total viewers.

The only thing that might keep it alive is the lead in from Modern family.

Right there with you. I made it through maybe 8 minutes of the pilot, and I'll give about anything a chance...

[JasonEvans]

666 Park Avenue steps up into contention!

It pulled a poor 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic last night at 10pm. That was a steep drop from the 2.2 rating it got in its premiere a week ago. Even worse, 666 pulled in 5.08 million total viewers, so it is not even all that popular with old folks who fall outside the important 18-49 demo. Last week it debuted with 6.97 million total viewers, so this was almost a 30% drop. The only shows that had fewer than 5.08 million viewers on Sunday were Bob's Burgers and The Cleveland Show, both of which are animated comedies that do fairly well with the important 18-49 demo.

The real problem here is that ABC's Once Upon and Time and Revenge get fairly decent Sunday night ratings and 666 Park is just not holding their audiences at all. Revenge had 8.27 million viewers last night and got a 2.6 rating in the demo. 666 Park shed about 40% of Revenge's audience.

Still early, but I think 666 Park and Mob Doctor have to be two strong contenders right now. Mob Doctor's ratings are just horrid, but Fox is going to have baseball playoffs on Monday nights for the next few weeks, I think, so that may give Mob Doctor a reprieve long enough for it to not be the first cancelled show of the season.

Others --
Made in Jersey is getting bad ratings but I think it is safe for now because it airs on Friday, where network expectations are very low. It is scoring poor numbers in the 18-49 demo, but old folks are tuning in a bit so it may stick around. On Friday, networks can afford to be patient.

Partners had 5.7 million viewers this past week and a 2.1 rating in the demo. Wanna know why those numbers are awful? Because it is sandwiched between HIMYM (8.1 mil/3.3 rating) and 2 Broke Girls (9.2 mil/3.5 rating). When ratings go up-down-up for 3 shows, the one in the middle is in trouble.

NBC's biggest cancellation possibility is Animal Practice. It got a 1.3 rating in the demo and just 4.56 million viewers this past week. But it is in a brutal time slot against X-Factor and Survivor, so expectations have to be low. Also, it is not like the show had a huge slip from its premiere week, when it got a 1.4 rating/5.1 mil viewers. It is not like NBC's lineup is full of superstars so the network may give this sucker some time. Plus, NBC is so pleased with the ratings for Go On and Revolution, it may allow them to show some patience with other freshman shows.

-Jason "I know I voted for Mob Doctor, but now I am regretting not voting for 666 Park... maybe Terry O'Quinn/John Locke can join the cast of Revolution like all the other former Lost actors ;) " Evans

[JasonEvans]

Fox just picked up a full season order for Ben & Kate and The Mindy Project. So, if you thought either of those were contenders to be cancelled, think again. Revolution, Go On, and The New Normal got similar full season commitments from NBC last week.

-Jason

[Duvall]

Is Lucy Liu any good in it?

She's pretty good, but the show really suffers from being Yet Another Procedural. There are already plenty of tv mysteries with an offbeat deductive genius and his sidekick, there really isn't much a reason to have another one.

[pfrduke]

We have a winner (http://www.hitfix.com/news/cbs-yanks-made-in-jersey-for-undercover-boss).

[Olympic Fan]

She's pretty good, but the show really suffers from being Yet Another Procedural. There are already plenty of tv mysteries with an offbeat deductive genius and his sidekick, there really isn't much a reason to have another one.

Actually, it's the only new show this season that I like.

Yeah, it's pretty much the same police procedural with a gimmick ... a modern Holmes and Watson. But so far it's been well written and the characters are likeable. I'll keep watching until the writing declines ... or they cancel it.

[Duvall]

We have a winner (http://www.hitfix.com/news/cbs-yanks-made-in-jersey-for-undercover-boss).

Do we? It's still possible that some luckless show may get pulled after one episode. Still, there's your clubhouse leader.

[brevity]

We have a winner (http://www.hitfix.com/news/cbs-yanks-made-in-jersey-for-undercover-boss).

Wow, I was way off. I watched (and sort of liked) Made in Jersey, but its second episode bore almost no resemblance to the first episode. Cast tinkering. We'll never know what it was going to eventually look like. Janet Montgomery was somewhat entertaining in Human Target, and likeable enough here. Maybe CBS will try something else with her; they certainly tried over and over with Simon Baker and Alex O'Loughlin.

That Friday lineup makes no sense anyway. Why put a lightly-toned legal show between an unwatchable CSI spinoff and a thinly-veiled (but watchable) Republican cop drama? Another unscripted reality show makes even less sense there.

Oh well. I can direct more misguided attention to The Mob Doctor when/if it returns after baseball, even if the awesome thing they did in the first episode (killing off the most annoying character, played by one of Hollywood's most annoying actors (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001650/)) was undone (by not actually killing him).


Do we? It's still possible that some luckless show may get pulled after one episode. Still, there's your clubhouse leader.

We do. Jason's original question ("what TV show will be removed from the air first") focused on chronology, not lifespan. So even if Chicago Fire debuts tonight and gets yanked tomorrow, Made in Jersey is the winner. Unless Jason meant something else...

[JasonEvans]

We do. Jason's original question ("what TV show will be removed from the air first") focused on chronology, not lifespan. So even if Chicago Fire debuts tonight and gets yanked tomorrow, Made in Jersey is the winner. Unless Jason meant something else...

Yup, we have a winner, errr loser, and it is Made in Jersey. Color me surprised as Friday is typically a ratings wasteland anyway. The fact that CBS had Undercover Boss just waiting to fill the spot was the reason this move was made. I am betting that ABC and Fox are looking around trying to figure out what to put in place of 666 Park and Mob Doctor, but until they come up with an answer, those shows will be allowed to live. I doubt either show will be getting an order for additional episodes though (probably an initial order of 6 or maybe 10).

-Jason "should we keep this thread going, to track how other new shows are doing?" Evans

[pfrduke]

-Jason "should we keep this thread going, to track how other new shows are doing?" Evans

I'm always up for celebrating futility and failure, so sure. ;)

[throatybeard]

-Jason "TV would be such a great medium for the season-long drama/mystery show... but no one does it that way" Evans

Um, have you missed The Wire, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Mad Men, Dexter, Breaking Bad, Treme?

I agree that the crap major networks often cut good shows, like The Black Donnellys. But a sea change took place after about 2000 on the pay channels and cable channels. TV is no longer solely the refuge of crap.

[bjornolf]

Um, have you missed The Wire, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Mad Men, Dexter, Breaking Bad, Treme?

I agree that the crap major networks often cut good shows, like The Black Donnellys. But a sea change took place after about 2000 on the pay channels and cable channels. TV is no longer solely the refuge of crap.

Oh man I miss the black donnelleys.

[1 24 90]

Add Animal Practice to the list.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/10/18/animal-practice-cancelled/

[brevity]

Add Animal Practice to the list.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/10/18/animal-practice-cancelled/

Bad week at the Swisher household. I only feel sorry for her, though.

Bumping up the thread for 2 reasons. First: Arrow, Vegas, and Elementary were picked up for the full season.

Second...


Jason's original question ("what TV show will be removed from the air first") focused on chronology, not lifespan.

We may need a ruling here, after all. Made in Jersey was cancelled on October 10. I recently read that NBC ditched its midseason Dane Cook comedy Next Caller, with 4 episodes in the (trash) can, but it looks like that happened October 12. More interesting is what's going on with NBC's pungent Munster offering Mockingbird Lane. They've decided to broadcast the $10 million pilot episode this Friday as a stand-alone special after cancelling it as a series sometime between October 1 (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/bryan-fuller-munsters-remake-mockingbird-lane-nbc-375552) and October 10 (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nbc-air-munsters-reboot-378089). But even that isn't certain; this TVLine article (http://tvline.com/2012/10/10/mockinbird-lane-halloween-special/) suggests that NBC may raise it from the dead depending on how the special does in the ratings.

[throatybeard]

Hopefully most of the new junk has been cancelled already. Frankly, I'm embarrassed that I am DVRing S2 of Revenge. I do this solely because of Madeline Stowe.

[brevity]

So, if I had to guess, I'd say that most of the new shows will survive into 2013 (Mayan prediction memes notwithstanding). Based on Jason's list, these are the ones most likely to die before then:

1. Partners (CBS)
2. Last Resort (ABC)
3. Chicago Fire (NBC)
4. The Mob Doctor (FOX)
5. The Neighbors (ABC)

The TV industry had slightly more faith in its product than I did. Today CBS cancelled Partners, and ABC cancelled Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue.

http://tvline.com/2012/11/16/cbs-cancel-partners/
http://tvline.com/2012/11/16/last-resort-666-park-avenue-cancelled/

[jay]

Well, this is interesting. Made in Jersey, the awful legal serial drama on CBS, not only has the distinction of being the first show of the season to be cancelled, but now the only cancelled show to apparently receive a network resurrection order.

Link (http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Made-Jersey-Resurrected-Least-Two-Saturday-Night-Episodes-48983.html)

[throatybeard]

666 Park Avenue is cancelled? Thank goodness. Now I don't have to see commercials for it during Revenge, a show that also insults the intelligence of every thinking American, but at least boasts Madeline Stowe in the cast. I watch Revenge, though I'm ashamed to admit it. But Stowe!