# First canceled series of the TV season! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 23, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-canceled-series-of-the-tv-season/323075 "2005-09-23T16:24:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2005, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-canceled-series-of-the-tv-season/323075/21 "2005-09-23T22:23:33Z")
> [@Push You Down](#): > > There’s a formula to it. It doesn’t matter if “Worlds Blankiest Blank” gets less ratings than “Head Cases” did… It would probably cost about 1/5th less than it did to produce “Head Cases”. So therefore Fox is going to go on the cheap. It’s a crappy formula. > > Obviously I am no expert but it seems to me that networks should program with their competitors in mind. Don’t put a show that you have high hopes for or have invested a lot of money in against a guranteed ratings winner. Don’t put Head Cases against Lost. Put some of your lame sitcoms on that way the folks who like lame sitcoms can have something to watch while Lost is on. The first cancelled show of the season should have been **Threshold**. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-canceled-series-of-the-tv-season/323075/22 "2005-09-23T22:36:01Z")
It’s NOT The War At Home? Proof that only good shows buy it at Fox. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2005, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-canceled-series-of-the-tv-season/323075/23 "2005-09-23T22:46:19Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Any action that encourages Chris O’Donnell to quit acting is OK in my back. Chris O’Donnell started acting? Did I miss a memo? I guess FOX had to cancel the show to open a spot on the schedule for the return of _Stacked_? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-canceled-series-of-the-tv-season/323075/24 "2005-09-23T23:45:34Z")
Damn. _Head Cases_ was funny. Nice last lines to be broadcast: > [@](#): > > “We’re partners. Forever.” > > “Forever?” > > “Hand me that Papaya.” It was starting to get more interesting, too – what with the contrasting paralegals coming onboard. Fox has at least a dozen shows that have very little going for them – at least less going for them than _Head Cases_. (_The War At Home_ should have been cancelled as soon as the crack ran out at the first development meeting.) Why so quick to axe the _promising_ stuff? _Nanny 911_ and _Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy_ get the slot? Please, rub a little more fecal matter into the wound. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-canceled-series-of-the-tv-season/323075/25 "2005-09-24T00:04:06Z")
> [@Push You Down](#): > > Obviously I am no expert but it seems to me that networks should program with their competitors in mind. Don’t put a show that you have high hopes for or have invested a lot of money in against a guranteed ratings winner. Don’t put Head Cases against Lost. Put some of your lame sitcoms on that way the folks who like lame sitcoms can have something to watch while Lost is on. The thing is, they often don’t necessarily know what they’ll be up against. _Lost_ changed its time slot from last year. So has _The West Wing, Arrested Development, Malcolm in the Middle, The King of Queens, 2 1/2 Men, Boston Legal, America’s Top Model, George Lopez, Veronica Mars, One Tree Hill, Alias, Smallville, Everwood, Yes Dear_ and _The Bernie Mac Show_, among others. So just because they know what used to play in that time slot doesn’t mean it hasn’t changed. And once they pick a slot for a show, they can’t adjust it without throwing everything on their schedule out of whack. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-canceled-series-of-the-tv-season/323075/26 "2005-09-24T00:54:59Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > The thing is, they often don’t necessarily know what they’ll be up against. _Lost_ changed its time slot from last year. So has _The West Wing, Arrested Development, Malcolm in the Middle, The King of Queens, 2 1/2 Men, Boston Legal, America’s Top Model, George Lopez, Veronica Mars, One Tree Hill, Alias, Smallville, Everwood, Yes Dear_ and _The Bernie Mac Show_, among others. So just because they know what used to play in that time slot doesn’t mean it hasn’t changed. And once they pick a slot for a show, they can’t adjust it without throwing everything on their schedule out of whack. Um… Lost didn’t change it’s timeslot. It was on at 9:00 PM on Wednesdays. During the summer, they showed the reruns at 10:00 but the original episodes were always at 9:00. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-canceled-series-of-the-tv-season/323075/27 "2005-09-24T01:01:34Z")
> [@Push You Down](#): > > There’s a formula to it. It doesn’t matter if “Worlds Blankiest Blank” gets less ratings than “Head Cases” did… It would probably cost about 1/5th less than it did to produce “Head Cases”. So therefore Fox is going to go on the cheap. It’s a crappy formula. This is the only explanation I can think of for how reality tv got so popular. A couple asshole executives were sitting around trying to figure out how to cut costs and one of them said, “I know! Let’s have a tv show _and not pay the actors!_” ---
**Author:** ![Valerieblaise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@Valerieblaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valerieblaise)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-canceled-series-of-the-tv-season/323075/28 "2005-09-24T01:13:43Z")
> [@Odinoneeye](#): > > Um… Lost didn’t change it’s timeslot. It was on at 9:00 PM on Wednesdays. During the summer, they showed the reruns at 10:00 but the original episodes were always at 9:00. Actually, last season it was on at 8 pm Eastern/7 Central. Over the summer it was 10/9, and now it’s at 9/8. Last season it was followed by “Alias” and then “Eyes.” ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-canceled-series-of-the-tv-season/323075/29 "2005-09-24T14:49:14Z")
I wonder how long NBC will let Joey continue? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-canceled-series-of-the-tv-season/323075.md?page=1)