May is the month the five major broadcast networks unveil their programming decisions for next season. For fans of certainties like the Law & Order franchise, Lost and The Mentalist, these upfront presentations will only reinforce assertions of invincibility. But for fans of Life, Castle and Reaper, this means an end to hopeful uncertainty. To add to all that anxiety, but prevent it from recurring next season, here are some signs that a show won't last.
It airs on Friday: When a network premieres a show, or worse, moves a show to Fridays, that signals the beginning of the end. Even though this is a commonly known law of TV, it still doesn't prevent me from occasionally being sucked in anyway, especially when the show is quirky and doomed as was Joan of Arcadia. But many predicted and decided cancellations this season air on Friday nights, like Dollhouse on FOX, Lipstick Jungle on NBC and Everybody Hates Chris on the CW.
It airs at 10 p.m. on ABC: The Unusuals needs to really prove itself on Wednesdays and hope luck is on its side in order to beat this curse. Three shows this season have been canceled in this time slot: Life on Mars, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone and Boston Legal ended its impressive run at this time. Last season, Big Shots and October Road fell victim to poor numbers at 10 p.m.
It's based on a successful foreign show: The Office aside, I don't understand why American producers think they have what it takes to make imported premises better. I chalk it up to ego, which has produced a steady stream of failures, notably Life on Mars, Kath and Kim and probably Eleventh Hour this season. Coupling, Life is Wild and Viva Laughlin are older examples. Congratulations to Antiques Roadshow for being another exception to this rule.
I've also found my own personal tastes to be a clear indication for a show's survival: if I like it, the ax falls. I'm not trying to be egocentric, I'm just sharing a painful observation. So my apologies to other Pushing Daisies and Easy Money fans; it's my fault these series didn't survive. However, the same can't be said for My Own Worst Enemy - that's on Christian Slater.
- Stephanie Hummel is a senior studying journalism. Dissuade her from watching (and thereby saving) your show at sh213005@ohiou.edu.
3 Culture
Stephanie Hummel
