By John J. Joex
Seven shows got the axe this past season so I will take this opportunity to look at the reasons why for each of the unlucky ones by network.
ABC:
Eastwick – This show started off last fall somewhat uneven. It couldn’t quite figure out whether it wanted to be a comedy or a supernatural-tinged drama and its cast did not seem to gel at first. In addition, the central male lead (Paul Gross), who was supposed to portray this sinister, charismatic character integral to the show, just failed to register on screen. The show started to come together after a few episodes, but the damage was already done. ABC could have promoted it a little better, perhaps giving it a few special airings after Desperate Housewives whose audience this would have appealed to. But the network apparently lost faith in the show quickly. And it did have a decent lead-in from Cougar Town that it failed to take advantage of, so it can’t blame the timeslot for its demise. Ultimately, it got yanked with several episodes left unaired. A fan campaign tried to save the show, but never generated much attention so count this one as the future answer to the Trivial Pursuit question: “What was the title of the third failed attempt to create a television series based on The Witches of Eastwick?”
Chances of Being Saved: That boat already sailed.
FlashForward – You can’t blame the network for this one. You have to point the finger right at the show-runners. This show was anointed as the “next Lost” last Fall and received plenty of promotion from ABC. The creative team should have taken that and run with it, and early on it looked like that head a pretty promising story to work with. But then it meandered and at times got completely off course as it delivered mundane procedural plots along with downright boring soap opera diversions. The ratings, which started out strong, headed south quickly. Of course it did not help that ABC put the series on extended hiatus at mid-season, but they did heavily promote it upon its return and even rushed out a DVD set for part one of the show’s first season. But viewers had lost interest by that point even though the show had some behind the scenes shake-ups that actually helped get it back on course storywise. That wasn’t enough to bring the audience back, though, and ABC decided to cut their losses. And I haven’t heard much in the way of a fan campaign trying to save it so it’s unlikely we will ever find out what happened after the second blackout that occurred with the finale’s cliffhanger ending.
Chances of Being Saved: Slim to none.
CBS:
Ghost Whisperer – Yeah, CBS cancelled this one, but it had a pretty healthy run going five seasons and 107 episodes. Could it have continued longer? The diehard fans think so. But CBS, notorious for showing little tolerance for Science Fiction and Fantasy shows, grew impatient with GH’s declining ratings this season (despite the fact that it regularly won its Friday night timeslot) and decided to show it the door. ABC, whose production company co-produced this one, showed some interest in picking it up, but eventually decided to pass on it. I would say that Ghost Whisperer has a decent chance of returning from time to time with a few television movies because its premise easily lends itself to that format, so fans looking for some resolution can at least hope for that.
Chances of Being Saved: Slim to none.
Next: Dollhouse, Past Life, Heroes, and Legend of the Seeker
