If you read Brad's take on The Hollywood Reporter list of endangered TV shows, you might be surprised that the 'experts' have some weak rated shows coming back for another season. THR puts 'Community' in the safe category, giving it a 90% chance of renewal. It also put 'Chuck' in the 90% category.
Joe Adalian wrote about bubble shows on The Wrap, and he has 'Chuck' slam-dunking another renewal out of NBC. The surprises on his list was a death blow for 'Gary Unmarried' and 'Rules of Engagement.'
Really? That's not a certainty considering that 'Rules' hasn't even aired yet. It did well in the ratings last spring, enough to be a midseason renewal. And 'Gary' has performed on par with 'The New Adventures of Old Christine,' which has a good shot at being renewed.
This is what's going on with shows potentially on the brink:ABC: Last year's reprieve for 'Better Off Ted' was the end of the line for Ted and friends. The net won't go one more season, and 'Scrubs' is also a goner. The new Wednesday sitcoms just made those two seem out of step ratings-wise. Too bad for 'Ted,' but that's TV for you.
'V' and 'FlashForward' were not the breakouts as expected. Don't be surprised if 'FF' remains and 'V' gets booted. 'The Deep End' will sink into the west forever. 'The Forgotten' has no chance, and we already know 'Ugly Betty' is ending. Sunday night's shows are solid, and those Wednesday sitcoms are reason for Steve McPherson to beam.
CBS: A lot of good problems for CBS because no show is completely sunk, but tough decisions need to be made. 'Numb3rs' will come to an end and so will 'Cold Case,' making room for new hour dramas like 'Hawaii Five-0' which we've been hearing a lot about this week and that 'Criminal Minds' spinoff with Forest Whitaker. 'Cold Case' is this year's 'Without A Trace' -- there's still life in it, but CBS has more good stuff (presumably) in the pipeline.
We know 'Amazing Race' and 'Survivor' are returning, as are the 'CSI's,' the 'NCIS's' and 'The Mentalist' and 'The Good Wife.' Fridays will remain the same... with a new show added to the mix, like the returning 'Flashpoint.' The comedies are the question marks, as mentioned above. 'Accidentally on Purpose' might get a mercy renewal, but it will be at the expense of ending 'Christine,' 'Gary' or 'Rules.' 'Christine' could be over after a solid five year run. On the other hand, it could be this year's 'Worst Week' which means, buh-bye!
Fox: In the same way the network gave 'Prison Break' a few years to run, 'Fringe' will get some room to evolve. It's shown more promise than 'Dollhouse' did. The ratings took a bath on Thursday, but it's a culty show and if '24' doesn't return, 'Fringe' could flip to Mondays. 'Past Life' is doomed, but 'Human Target' has performed well enough to be back. As for '24,' the jump to movies is the next step for Jack. It'll be eight and out. One more season for '24' might be one too many.
Fox's comedies, outside of animation, are dead ducks. Goodbye ''Til Death' and 'Brothers,' who really cares? The best news for Fox is the buzz and decent ratings for dramedy, 'Glee.' That was a major victory for the net.
NBC: So many holes thanks to the Leno debacle is good news for shows like 'Mercy' and 'Chuck.' 'Heroes,' on the other hand, has lost all its cool factor. No network spin can rescue it. It's over. Call it a day! 'Trauma' has been on and off the dead list. It's not likely to be back, but both 'Law & Orders' will make it to next season. As for the comedies, 'Community' is weak ratings wise, but so is 'Parks & Recreation.' If one has to go to make way for new product, it'll be 'Community.' Still to be determined is 'Parenthood,' which has aired yet. NBC needs a massive cardiac jolt so don't be shocked to see nice shows like 'Community' and 'Mercy' dumped. It's not fair, but that's TV.
CW: 'Smallville' and 'Supernatural' are good for another go-round, and 'Life Unexpected' has done enough to charm the critics, so it's probably back. The 'Melrose Place' remake, however, is not getting a second chance. It's done.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-15-2010 @ 4:14PM
meeno01 said...
not community! if that show is canceled, ill be dissapointed. maybe they could give troy and abed a spinoff of some kind.
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2-15-2010 @ 4:23PM
Yossarian said...
If you put your dirty lil hands on Fringe or Community i will...something something zombie apocalypse.
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2-15-2010 @ 4:28PM
Synclaire said...
PLEASE keep Christine and Gary and dump Rules of engagement of one has to go. I tried to watch rules but it's an awful boring and unfunny show.
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2-15-2010 @ 4:38PM
finetuneit said...
Where do you get your info? Because there is no confirmation that Melrose Place will be cancelled yet you state it like it's a certainty. Perez Hilton reported that it might be cancelled and everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon. The show is certainly in danger but the producers and The CW have said that no decision on the show's fate will be made until after the remaining 6 new episodes air. Reporting like yours (and so many others) is negative and causes viewers to believe the show has already been cancelled (therefore they don't bother to watch the new eps when they air). Melrose Place isn't dead yet! And it shouldn't be because if people actually gave the show a chance, they'd realise it's the best guilty pleasure on TV. Much better than the ridiculous crime dramas, reality shows and dramedies!
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2-15-2010 @ 4:36PM
Richard said...
Fringe, Human Target, Community (of course, NBC doesn't know when it has a good show.) are all worth keeping. I like Flash Forward also. I'm glad to hear Flashpoint is returning! The best thing from Canada since Corner Gas!
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2-15-2010 @ 5:14PM
0megapart!cle said...
I hope Heroes comes back for at least a couple episodes. The season finale was pretty spectacular, IMO, and it set up what could be just a fantastic final season. Heroes quality has been very hit or miss, especially at the end of each season, but again, I absolutely love the way they ended the last season, and even more what they have set up for the final season. Come on, NBC, you have a lot of slots to fill, and you've kept a lot of shows on far past their prime (ER, L&O;, L&O;:CI, etc.) Heroes absolutely deserves to tie up its storyline.
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2-15-2010 @ 5:22PM
Sir Yuck-Yuck said...
glad MediuM is safe on Fridays on CBS :)
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2-15-2010 @ 6:09PM
Chip Douglas said...
I think V is worth keeping as long as they move it to 9:00 and rework the show to make it a little more scifi complex. Not so sitcom simple.
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2-15-2010 @ 7:19PM
Darren said...
Gary Unmarried has to stay, Rules of Engagement isn't that bad, Christine has gone down hill big time. Also they need to give Melrose place a little more time as well.
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2-15-2010 @ 8:14PM
JennyL said...
I think we need to hope for the "Brannon Braga daily double" and have 24 and Flash Forward bite the dust.
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2-15-2010 @ 10:06PM
Ian said...
I think that the Heroes franchise can be saved, with a move to SyFy with a new, cheaper cast.
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2-15-2010 @ 10:24PM
Tacocartguy said...
NBC has its strongest Thursday lineup in years; it would be absolutely shameful for them to dismantle it.
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2-16-2010 @ 1:10AM
Stigmata said...
Community has potential to be a cult hit. It also probaby quite popular with the college scene, as well as 18-49 demo, so theres a good chance it will stay, NBC execs are starting to get smarter, they can see the potential.
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2-16-2010 @ 4:33PM
Diane said...
Mercy is the only good show on NBC, otherwise, they are
Nothing But Crap
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2-16-2010 @ 7:37PM
Shannon said...
Hope FlashForward, Mercy & Life Unexpected will be back!
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2-17-2010 @ 10:56AM
jennifer said...
NBC gets rid of all their good shows. The problem is, TV isn't like it used to be years ago, when there were only a few channels to watch that had shows. Of course the ratings would be high for one of the others. NOW, there's so many channels and great shows to choose from, that the ratings are going to be spread all over the place. Does that mean it's a bad show? No. It just means there's alot of them out there, and these networks have to get used to that. Quit getting rid of all the shows worth while watching!!!!
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