Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
One that just came to mind as Im watching the marathon is "Dead Like Me". I dont remember the exact story but it came down to Bob Greenblatt (head of Showtime at the time) cancelling it simply because he didnt like it.
Dead Like Me was a great show. I loved the series. The single shot movie they did a few years after cancellation wasn't very good though.
Michelle Ryan (who starred) took the cancellation really hard and went back to her native England figuring that was her last shot at making it on US television. Recently she had a decent arc on "Covert Affairs" during its last season (or second to last) so maybe she is taking another run at it.
The mid 80s CBS daytime game show BODY LANGUAGE. CBS had the show scheduled for NOON unfortunately that was the same time many CBS stations had aired local news. Result..not too many people had watched Body Language.
And then there is the change of higher up management. CBS replaced their long time programmer with Fred Silverman.... and he started the "rural purge". The man who played Mr Haney on Green Acres (which was one of the ones cancelled) said CBS killed every show that had a tree.
Petticoat Junction was cancelled in 1970, and it had lower ratings because of Bea Benederet's death. Soon after they took off Green Acres, Beverly HIllbillies, Mayberry RFD, Hee Haw and Lassie.
It was felt that these programs were pure escapism, and didn't deal with the realities of the day. Yeah -- sort of. IN reality, these shows appealed to older viewers... and older viewers meant just what it means today.
BUT -- these programs are still on the air SOMEWHERE... so there is an audience. And hubby and I love to watch Hee Haw on RFDTV.
Michelle Ryan (who starred) took the cancellation really hard and went back to her native England figuring that was her last shot at making it on US television.
Yep. I knew that. Which is too bad. I thought she was great in the role. She was also great in JEKYLL, a limited series on BBC.
The failure of Bionic Woman had nothing to do with Ryan or the rest of the cast. It was bungling network interference that killed it.
One big difference between television today and the way it was when I was growing up in the 1970s and 1980s is that the audience is so fragmented these days. More shows have a cult following now than back then. A show can have ratings and shares in the single digits nowadays and still be considered a hit. A series could have ratings and shares in the double digits in the 70s and 80s and still be considered a flop. (Yes, I know the population of the U.S. has increased since those times). But now the only shows that may score a double-digit rating would be something like the Super Bowl.
What "bungling network interference"? The show received mostly negative critical reviews and a writer's strike interrupted production of it.
The creators filmed a GREAT pilot. But then the focus groups and the network got involved, mandated a bunch of changes, completely changed at least 1 key character, and then the blander created-by-committee version was released. It still was far superior to the old TV show, but it lacked the punch of the creators' first pilot.
Just as one example: Jaimie's sister in the original pilot was blind, and there was a lot more character interaction and drama between them. It deepened Jaimie's motivation for bionics as well. But the network said, "All this emotion and drama is boring. We want more chick fu!"
But the show actually had great ratings. The Writer's Guild strike killed it more than anything. In the havoc of that, the network ceased production and let the show die on the vine.
If you look up "bungling network" in the dictionary, I think there is actually a picture of the NBC logo.
One big difference between television today and the way it was when I was growing up in the 1970s and 1980s is that the audience is so fragmented these days.
Yup. Back when we were growing up, there were basically 3 networks and your local affiliates. Now, even basic cable gives you 150 channels. Throw in the rise of the Internet and you see why Nielsen ratings ought to finally go the way of the dinosaur.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
