I heaved a sigh of relief when I heard NBC had ordered three more shows, but now it seems that may not matter. I had such high hopes for this show. I am a huge fan of Sorkin, and it was wonderful to see Matthew Perry leaving Chandler behind and spreading his wings.
Oh well. I know the show pretty much got bitch-slapped around here, but I enjoyed it and I had hoped it would get its legs.
Here’s to hoping NBC and Sorkin can work out their differences.
You have my sympathy. I’ve enjoyed shows that were cancelled, and I’ve never understood why the networks don’t first try a different time slot. If episodes have been filmed, let’s see 'em.
Seven million viewers? Sounds like a pretty big number to me. Does that count people who TiVo the show?
Well that sucks. I watch three actual television shows and that’s one of them (and Lost is getting boring). I can’t stand that cheesy, predictable Heroes show, but my girlfriend makes me watch it with her, and it’s on right before. There’s no surprise it’s a hit; it’s the Da Vinci Code for TV. And of course there’s a ratings drop, they’re completely different audiences.
Nope. I’m one of those who tape it and watch it later, mainly because I get up at 5am and can’t stay up until 11p watching TV.
Link. It’s a lot of industry mumbo-jumbo, but basically, the networks are not accepting the results because they say they are not accurate.
Sadly, this is true.
I want to like it. I try to like it. But it keeps disappointing me. When Matt and Danny aren’t on screen everything breaks down. And even they couldn’t help the bad, bad writing in the last episode.
2.No, any time shifting of a program voids the ratings gain for it. This is why TBS started airing “Midnight Money Madness” - a LIVE call in show, you have to watch it, as it happens, for it to be any value to you.
This is one of those shows that I enjoy, but in which I am not terribly invested.
Its cancellation doesn’t really phase me one way or another. I’ll just have an extra hour to read. I’ve been trying to cut back on my viewing time anyway.
Downside? I really like Matthew Perry.
Keep in mind–it hasn’t been cancelled yet, and the “announcement” came from Fox, a rival network with a dog in this fight. This is the kind of show they’d bounce around to different timeslots and such before they totally deep-sixed it.
But networks often shift shows around, trying to spread the wealth (Frasier moved from Thursdays to Tuesdays) or find a new home in hopes of getting better ratings. I remember Cheers took awhile to get an audience, but Tartikoff was convinced it would be a hit. It seems now if you aren’t a blockbuster straight from the gate, you’ll be killed before you reach the first turn.
I love Heroes, by the way. It’s delightful in a suspend-your-beliefs-for-an-hour-will-ya type of way.
I wonder if people expected too much of Sorkin. He delivered on West Wing, he delivered on Sports Night, maybe the bar was set too high?
He also delivered on *A Few Good Men * and The American President. They got us to tune in on the strength of his name more than anything else. He’s no fluke. But the man seems to be phoning this one in.
Or they move them in full knowledge that the show will wither and die in its new timeslot but they can’t just have dead air.
I wonder if that’s what they’re doing with Law and Order, moving it to Fridays?
Actually, that link is talking about the new program to try and gauge ratings for TV commercials, not actual shows.
They’re trying to get ratings for commercials that are aired in shows that are taped and viewed later.
I’m not surprised. Most of the shows I like are canceled. I’ve enjoyed this one and enjoyed Sport Night. I do like Matthew Perry, so I hope he continues to have a career.
Oh well, in the end I suppose it won’t really change the quality of my life much.
Well at the end of the last one they said it would be back in two weeks so I suppose they didn’t want to rerun 2 of 4 shows. I’m not sure.
The order for three more shows is probably a combination of contractual obligations and a desire to pad out the eventual DVD sales. The show itself is probably going to be cancelled; it’s not getting critical or popular support. Its best hope at this point is that the network might decide to run some episodes in a dead season to fill airtime when other shows are doing reruns and the show’s popularity might revive. But that’s a slim hope.
So, are they replacing it with a show about the U.N., or a real-time reality show based on smacking couples in the face with lurid details from their pasts?
They’re going to replace it with a spinoff about Ed Asner buggering Amanda Peet for a solid hour.
What, you think that’s more repulsive than the first half-dozen episodes?
I never would have thought that the OTHER show about a fictional sketch comedy would be the one to last longer.