What about MST3K? Comedy Central hated it, from what I gather-they didn’t like the format, didn’t like the show, and were always trying to screw it over, even though viewers loved it. So they cancelled it. Fortunately, the show was then picked up by Sci-Fi.
And then later on, Sci-Fi got a new program director who didn’t like the show, so she did the dicking around with time-slot thing so that the ratings would go down and she could justify cancelling it. They tried again to find a new market, but this time, since it was season 10, they weren’t as eager as before, and just let it go.
A more recent but similar case would be “Jane Quinn, Medicine Woman.” The show had pretty good ratings when it got yanked because the demographic group it was pitched toward were older, more settled, and spent less frivolously.
[shameless plug]The excellent new film Good Night and Good Luck deals in part with the fact that Edward R. Murrow’s show was yanked off the air because he took on ‘indelicate subject matter’ and the network brass would rather have aired fluffly, non-controversial entertainment shows.[/shameless plug]
p.s. I didn’t bother with a spoiler box for that because it’s a matter of public record. I don’t imagine anyone who will go see the flick will be that surprised by the ending.
The show was moved only once. And that was after two years in a great time slot. The ratings were horribe. And the first couple of seasons, the series was well promoted. The pre-emptions didn’t help, but I think it’s safe to say the series was cancelled because not enough people liked it.
I haven’t seen an episode of the show since I was a kid but I remember the sole reason it got good ratings (since it certainly wasn’t a critically-praised show) was because it inhabited the prime 8:30 Saturday night time slot between ratings-powerhouses “All in the Family” and “Mary Tyler Moore”. Yet, even with this in its favor, the ratings for “BLB” still lagged behind those of the other CBS shows on that evening so that there was a “valley” in the network’s Saturday night line-up. Seeing the show was a weak link that would likely quickly sink in the ratings if put anywhere else (and–as mentioned–would continue arousing controversy for its “stereotyped” characters), CBS cancelled “BLB” and put the struggling but critically acclaimed sitcom “MASH” in its place thereby creating what many think is the best single night of network programming in American TV history.
I didnt think it even got that far, wasnt it at the first commercial break?
though it is possible that is just where I turned it off, hell I cant even remember what it was about any more, just that it was the most unfunny show I can remember seeing.
Crusade, a babylon 5 spinoff, was basically killed by meddling executives at TNT.
They subjected it to a lot of the problems that firefly saw - rewritten pilot, shown out of order, other problems.
The creator of the show is/was a usenet regular, and pretty much documented the whole story as it occured. Basically, TNT wanted more sex and violence, and a lot of creative control over the story. The creative staff didn’t budge much. The network then showed the episodes out of order, and preempted some (I think) and cancelled halfway through the airing of the first batch of episodes…
He had a heart attack like after the 2nd season (there were four seasons total IIRC.) And then they introduced his on again off again “side kick” Mickey who was also ex-CIA. This character took up much of the slack for an entire season while Woodward recovered. But I’m pretty sure after that 3rd season Woodward was good to go and in great shape and spirits for season 4, and then the series was cancelled abruptly after the season 4 ending. What’s telling is there’s truly no conclusion at all at the end of season 4. If Woodward had decided to throw in the towel then the producers of the show would’ve worked in some sort of concluding episode, at least IMO.
No cite, but I remember hearing that The Critic got decent ratings on Fox, but got cancelled after one season because the new head of programming (not the executive who picked up the show after ABC dropped it) simply didn’t like the show.
Most recently the WB’s Seventh Heaven has been canceled after this season. It’s rating were actually very good but the production costs got too high because the cast was so big.