I just read that The Drew Carey Show just finished taping its final episode. Like many of you, I was shocked to hear this. Who knew that they were still making episodes of this show?
Seriously, while this show did decline a long ways, I can remember moments when it was funny. Apparently in 2001 the network signed a contract committing them to buying three more years of the show. A bad decision given that the show was already going downhill by that point. So for the last year or two, they’ve basically ignored the new episodes being turned in, giving them no advertising and airing them as filler whenever there was an empty hole in the schedule. Reportedly they plan on running the last few episodes during the summer.
The producers say it hasn’t been a completely bad arrangment. They’ve been getting paid good money and say that because of the network indifference they’ve felt free to try some unusual ideas.
I also thought it had disappeared already. In appreciation, I’d like to say that the DC Show provided for me my all-time funniest sitcom scene (well, Top 10, at least)…the one where Kate whips Oswald into letting her sing with their band.
After butchering “A Taste of Honey”, the band stops playing…
Kate: Whassa matter, boys? Can’t keep up?
Louis: It’s our instruments. They’re out of tune.
Drew (to Oswald): Horribly, hideously out of tune.
Oswald (to Drew): But they mean well…
I used to watch the show all the time…and after I while, I just stopped. I don’t know if it got repetative or if they just moved the time slots to places that ran againest something I wanted to watch more or I just didn’t bother to go searching for it.
Count me in as another “They’re still showing that?!”
I watched it probably 4-5 years ago and thought it was pretty funny and then completely lost interest in it.
If forced to guess, I’d say they haven’t actually aired an episode in months – since the only thing I watch on ABC any more is figure-skating, though, and the season is over, I’d have no way of knowing wheterh it’s been airing or not.
Yet another one saying “Huh? I thought it was already cancelled!”
I stopped watching around the time when Winfred-Lauder was no more (never did find out how it went from a dept. store to a dot.com biz). I guess that was when the show officially “jumped the shark”. It just wasn’t that funny anymore.
You left out the funniest part:
Kate: Well tune 'em up!
Oswald: We can’t.
Louis: We’re out of…
Drew: Tuning wax.
Oswald: So we have to go to a…
Drew: Tunesmith.
Not only did I not know the Drew Carey show was still in production, I’d begun to think that ABC itself was just a rumor. I dunno why, but I haven’t watched anything on that network in ages.
Saw this on the AP this morning and then saw Nemo covered it.
The director of the finale, Sam Simon, says all the executives involved with the signing (extending the show 3 year) are long gone and the show became like an orphan.
Carey says he has nothing “bad to say about A-B-C” and he says he “never will.” BTW, Drew reportedly was being paid 600 to 750-thousand bucks per episode.
For that kind of dough (or, “D’oh”–the Simpsons voices reached an agreement with Fox over the weekend) I wouldn’t have anything bad to say about ABC either.
After the final taping Carey gave each of the cast and crew a satellite radio and a photo collage as a gift.
Too bad this show doesn’t seem to have any legs in reruns. With all those new episodes out there they’d be in syndication heaven.
I liked the show, but I heard about the cancellation a long time ago and figured it was done by now. I couldn’t really keep up with it, but it’s still fun in reruns.
Actually, I read in the paper this morning that the DC show still does pretty well in syndication, and that (ironically) ABC still sees that as a way to recoup their $3 mil per show that they paid for the last few seasons.
I loved The Drew Carey Show. It was very original compared to most other shows on television, and they weren’t afraid to experiment. I believe that’s why the show lasted nine seasons. Imagine how much better it would have done if ABC had actually respected it.
ABC moved the show all over the schedule. Although it spent most of its time on Wednesday night (when it was one of ABC’s only hit sitcoms), I believe its also spent time on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. And, even on Wednesdays, ABC kept moving its timeslot.
Drew Carey himself is a nice enough guy not to voice any displeasure with ABC, who did pay him well. And, seeing how ABC basically ignored the show, the writers didn’t have to worry about suits interfering in the creative process. That said, I’m sure Carey is interested in moving on.
And I’m glad Christa Miller (“Kate”) found a great show like Scrubs to work on. I hope the rest of the cast find some good, satisfying work, on television or elsewhere. I’d like to see Drew Carey in a non-Disney, live-action, big-screen musical. Preferably with an original screenplay (no adaptions). And he could co-star with Jason Alexander.
