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« Roush Dispatch
New Season Fallout: Changes Everywhere
Didn’t take long for the first shoes to drop this season, did it? Let’s analyze the moves network by network.
CBS
We start here because CBS has wielded the cancellation ax first, dropping the Sopranos-lite caper Smith immediately from the otherwise successful Tuesday lineup. Strike one for this season’s new wave of serialized dramas. Crime-drama repeats (what else?) will occupy its slot starting this Tuesday.
I’m not terribly surprised. Though there was some buzz for the show and its very expensive (I heard $6 million at least) pilot, plus its starry cast (someone sign Simon Baker up for another show now!), Smith always struck me as an empty version of a Sopranos or a Shield, to name two distinguished shows with criminals as protagonists. The characters on Smith just felt hollow to me, giving us little reason to care or to root for or against them.
CBS’ other big move was a no-brainer: switching the time periods for Monday comedies The Class and How I Met Your Mother, so that the more established Mother now airs first. It should have been that way from the start. The Class is not star-driven or particularly concept-driven, and it will take some time, some nurturing and possibly some creative tinkering to get this promising ensemble comedy on its feet. By nesting it between Mother and the night’s anchor, Two and a Half Men, CBS ensures The Class will at least get a fair shot within a strong comedy block.
NBC
Kidnapped is moving to Saturdays, starting Oct. 21. Strike two for the serialized mystery-drama. The show is now expected to wrap its story in 13 episodes (three have aired so far), and if so, NBC deserves some sort of kudos for living up to its promise to critics this summer that if a show like this didn’t open and catch on, it would still be able to achieve some closure and the audience wouldn’t be left hanging. Moving Kidnapped to Saturday is the equivalent of putting it out to pasture, but I can’t think of a better use of this empty night of programming. Low risk, low gain, but at least Kidnapped’s small audience is being looked after. For now.
Fox
No cancellations yet (not even for the unwatchable Happy Hour), but there are significant moves for Justice (from Wednesday to Mondays after Prison Break, starting October 23) and for Vanished (banished to Fridays starting Oct. 27, where it will live up to its title). This is a good move for Justice, a stylish but so far overly formulaic legal procedural. It could be strong counterprogramming against the only other drama in the time period, NBC’s breakout Heroes, which just got picked up for a full season. As for Vanished, even killing off the robotic Gale Harold isn’t going to be enough to save this increasingly ludicrous conspiracy thriller. Sadly, the producers appear to have no intention of simplifying this story or moving it toward a fast resolution. So chances are excellent that whatever fans the show still has will be left in the lurch whenever the boom falls. Strike three for the serialized thriller.
The other move is no surprise, with Standoff and House switching places when they return from the baseball hiatus on Oct. 31. Fox never intended House to air in the earlier time period beyond September, and now it will be back where it belongs. This strands Standoff in the unenviable position (as the wonderful Friday Night Lights just learned) of facing the Dancing with the Stars juggernaut and the mainstream smash NCIS. Good luck with that.
The CW
Some pretty radical instant schedule surgery, as the new Frankenstein network cobbled together from the WB’s and UPN’s aging components pulls a switcheroo, moving Sunday’s comedies to Monday (starting this week) and moving Monday’s dramas, including the venerable 7th Heaven, to Sundays as of Oct. 15. This means the former UPN block of African-American sitcoms, now including Everybody Hates Chris, will be back on Monday, facing CBS’ more popular sitcom lineup.
The shocker this season has been how underwhelming the numbers for 7th Heaven have been. Which makes me think last season’s strong showing was in part due to the much-publicized fact that it was the final season, heightening interest in the Camden clan. Once the CW reversed the WB’s call and resurrected the show, it seems a percentage of the fan base has decided to move on. (Can’t blame them.) I’m already getting e-mails from Heaven fans complaining that this move puts the show up against another family favorite, ABC’s blockbuster Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Tough luck, Camdens. Perhaps you should have thought about retiring gracefully. As for the DOA Runaway: There’s no reason to think it will do any better in this tough Sunday time slot opposite Desperate Housewives than where it bombed instantly on Mondays. Strike four for... oh, why bother?
ABC
As of this moment, no cancellations yet, but how long can Six Degrees survive on Thursdays, dropping as precipitously as it does from the Grey’s Anatomy lead-in? (Plus: What a lousy and pointless show, despite some fine actors.)
The major move announced by ABC this week: postponing the launch of the whimsical caper comedy The Knights of Prosperity from later this month to sometime in the mid-season, probably early ’07. Seems ABC was distracted by launching so many new shows this month, with the focus on Ugly Betty, The Nine and Brothers & Sisters and little left over for its half-hour comedies. Ted Danson’s uneven Help Me Help You is ailing in the post-Dancing time slot for now, and it will be joined on Nov. 28 by the strained farce Big Day, a filmed comedy whose entire first season takes place during a hectic wedding day. I’ll be shocked if they make it down the aisle. ABC has gone a little crazy in its zeal for offbeat single-camera comedies this season. Even Knights, the most agreeable of the lot, is probably going to be a slow build at best. But at least ABC is trying to break out of its mold of mediocrity, epitomized by the waiting-in-the-wings According to Jim.
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Oct 6, 2006 3:17 PM
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With every new television season comes high hopes and deep disappointments. And after years of experiencing this, one would think that TV fans would learn to cope with early cancellations but in fact it stings as bad now as it did the first time, oh how I miss Freaks & Geeks. We all must accept TV for what it is and remember that there are more than plenty of quality shows still airing.
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Oct 6, 2006 7:13 PM
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I hope Ming-Na at least gets more screen time now that Gale Harold has...uh...Vanished. And I certainly hope The Nine lasts the entire season.
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Oct 6, 2006 11:59 PM
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Matt Roush, I noticed that the only actor you singled out for derision was Gale Harold. Why is that? I wonder if you watched the first 7 eps of Vanished or not. \
There are many examples of screamingly bad acting in some of the shows you discussed and yet you only took a snipe at Gale. Is it the 'party line' or do you feel compelled to only be bitchy about him?
Just curious...
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Oct 7, 2006 3:17 PM
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I agree with the previous poster -- why is no other actor singled out and called an unflattering name?
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Oct 7, 2006 7:33 PM
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The shocker this season has been how underwhelming the numbers for 7th Heaven have been.
Shocker? Many were predicting this back when the renewal was announced. It was a terrible decision, from a business and creative standpoint. Viewership has nowhere to go but down. It's in its 11th season and the storylines were already showing it the last couple seasons. It was brought back with major production cuts. And how many of the original cast are left? I know you know all of this. I just still can't get over wondering why anyone (network, creator, actors, fans) thought it was a good idea to bring it back.
As for Runaway, I might actually try it out now.
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Oct 7, 2006 10:28 PM
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Actually, I wasn't making of Mr. Harold but the situation he was in. And Ming-Na was my favorite performer on the show (the fact that I'm Asian-American might have something to do with it). I'm sorry if I've offended any Gale fans with what I said. Please accept my apologies.
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Oct 7, 2006 10:33 PM
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Oh no, I was talking to Matt Roush, the writer of the article! I love Ming-na too but I think she has not been given a chance here.
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Oct 8, 2006 1:45 AM
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Sigh. All right, I'll weigh back in. I'm not really in the Gale Harold-bashing business (I never minded him on Queer as Folk, and I plan to see him soon in the off-Broadway revival of Suddenly Last Summer, though the real draw there is Carla Gugino and Blythe Danner. But I digress.) The reason he deserves to be singled out in the above article is because while the show itself hasn't yet been canceled, what other show has gone to the lenghts of executing its leading man this early in the season? None I can think of. It wasn't all the actor's fault, clearly. Not even a George Clooney could have done much with this cardboard role. But Harold looked like he wasn't even trying. Better luck next role.
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Oct 8, 2006 2:50 PM
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Thanks for actually answering! We'll agree to disagree on the merits of the acting but if I were to list how poorly the rest of the cast have done (I do like Rebecca Gayheart as bitch reporter gal)...I felt that since you are normally evenhanded in your critcism that it was glaring Gale was singled out but I do agree it was not his fault as he is not the writer nor showrunner.
I do hope you enjoy SLS, I am very jealous!
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Oct 8, 2006 9:48 PM
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I had no idea Gale Harold had such a fan-base... frankly I never heard of the guy until Vanished and never caught an episode of QAF. The Ausiello Report posted his "exit interview" and people flew into a rage, and now a small aside becomes a debate here... I have nothing against the guy, but I thought "robotic" was the perfect word for him on this show. It was a combination of the writing, production, and his performance, so not entirely his fault, but he certainly wasn't vying for an Emmy either. I'm sure he'll be fine in another role somewhere else, but in the meantime we should focus our pity on the wonderful Edie Cibrian (God, how I miss Invasion) who has to jump right from the Titanic to another sinking ship. And leave poor Matt alone, we all just need to submit ourselves to the fact that he's right about everything (even if we defy him by watching Jericho anyway).
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Oct 9, 2006 10:16 AM
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I agree with you, Nick. I never heard of the guy; in fact, I've been watching in spite of him. I would actually prefer it on Fridays, as Monday is way too full of other options. Same with Kidnapped on Saturdays - - I usually didn't get around to watching my taping until the weekend anyway...
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Oct 9, 2006 11:16 AM
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The only thing I watched on the WB was 7th Heaven and didn't realize that the show got picked back up until I stumbled upon it on accident. Frankly that should have went out last season but I bet not every knows it returned.
But 11 season is 1 too many.
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Oct 9, 2006 2:24 PM
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Thank you for answering! Though our opinions may differ on things, fans do appreciate your honest response. Enjoy the play.
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Oct 9, 2006 2:45 PM
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To Nick
This is an open forum and I am sure 'poor Matt' is more than able to look after himself, hence he actually bothered to answer my point which I very much give him credit for.
I won't bother to defend Gale's acting here but I will just say that a character who is supposed to be suffering post traumatic stress disorder might not be the cheeriest of people.
I've never seen Eddie Cibrian in anything and did not gain much of an impression since he was shirtless and making out within a minute of being onscreen am not overly wowed by his acting skills either but by all means go ahead and focus your pity on Eddie and enjoy the rest of the show.
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Oct 9, 2006 2:49 PM
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