Welcome to another Question of the Day. Today's question comes from Luke who asks.
"What network has disappointed you the most in regards to your favourite show(s)?"
This one is quite easy for me.
It's FOX for cancelling Firefly. They have also cancelled some other promising shows.
- John Doe
- Drive
- Tru Calling
- The Lone Gunman
So what about you? What is the Network that has upset you the most either with cancelling your favourite shows or mishandling them.
Sound off in the comments.
You can see previous Questions of the Day here.
Totally Firefly!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe CW - for its mishandling and nonpromotion of Supernatural.
ReplyDeleteThe CW for not promoting SPN enough.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely Fox. They've cancelled some great shows. Remember Family Guy? They actually cancelled it twice, yet the fans proved they wanted more. Can you get any dumber than that?
ReplyDeleteSyFy with, well, nearly everything. Although neither show was perfect, Caprica and Stargate Universe certainly got frakked around with. And this "new direction" they've taken with an over-abudance of wrestling and terrible reality programmes have really wained my hope for the future of the channel.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, FOX with Firefly... that show never had the chance to really grow.
I have been a viewer of the FOX network from the time of Tracy Ullman. Unfortunately, this network continues to put on excellent shows but lacks the faith to allow them to fly. Firefly, TTSCC, the Good Guys, Dollhouse, etc. Soon we will probably have to have a moment of silence for Fringe and Human Target as they are not the cash cow that shows like the Simpsons or American Idol are. Truly sad.
ReplyDeleteThe drama section of NBC.
ReplyDeleteThey've mismanaged Chuck, told Heroes to set up for Origins (which ultimately led to the last episodes of season 2 to be shelved) only to not air it, Medium was let go to early - Parenthood is going the save way, I know its a dramadey but still.
ABC is the best network for this though :)
FOX all the way. I mean really, you have a show that did a 3.0 in the demo and over 9 million viewers but then put it on Thursday where it has to compete with Grey's anatomy which gets like viewers in the double digits and high 3 and 4's in the demos. Fringe then got lower ratings in the 2's and viewers in the 6 million and now they keep on Thursday...do I need to go on?
ReplyDeleteNBC for doing such a screw up job promoting chuck and ratings tanking every Tuesday. I wish they'd get a grip on making up their minds on renewing as well. Last minute decisions don't sit well with fans mark my words on that.
ReplyDeleteThe CW for their schedule changes of the sixth season of Supernatural and their lack of promotion for it.
ReplyDeleteFox for Terminator and John Doe and well pretty much any Friday show that ran at 9:00. They took shows with really interesting concepts and put them in a known death slot.
ReplyDeleteTo those who think SPN never gave Supernatural enough credit, I agree. OTOH they never canceled it and somehow it has managed to hold on and make it to the 2nd most watched scripted show on the CW last week. It is sad to think where it might be if it had been given some promotion, but it is still around, so I can't complain.
Obviously Fox. Arrested Development, John Doe, Firefly, and now Fringe on fridays.
ReplyDeleteThe CW for not promoting Supernatural not enough
ReplyDeleteYup, definitely Fox for me too.
ReplyDeletefox
ReplyDeleteanything but not the cw, they did none schedule change in 6 years sure, but:they keep my favourite show supernat. on the air( while on any other network it wouldnt have a chance/or would have to deal with more network interference), they thankfully never did anything to spnl like they did to gossip girl(one season they took that off the air from begin dec till march) since the 1 attempt in season 3 they dont meddle with the storylineanymore, so still love the cw( and more promotion would also mean more pressure on the ratings which i doubt could change much)
I'm thinking 2-4 years back when several of my favorites which had decent ratings were moved across several different timeslots; only to be canceled when the ratings started to drop.
ReplyDeleteCAN CW promote anything? Seiously, the only promotion I recall for any show was the OMFG spots for Gossip Girl.
ReplyDeleteThe CW for not caring about Smallville, and making budget cuts.
ReplyDeleteABC for canceling FLASHFORWARD :(
ReplyDeleteFOX, CERTAINLY. JOHN DOE, INDEED! Also POINT PLEASANT, FIREFLY, New Amsterdam, Tru Calling, and SO many other amazing shows!
ReplyDeleteA VERY VERY close second is ABC for their cancellation of DEFYING GRAVITY ALONE. GRR ABC. Thanks for killing my FAVOURITE show before it even had a CHANCE of getting going!
Exactly. Everything they do annoys me :L
ReplyDeleteThe CW: The cancellation of Veronica Mars is unforgivable.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, with numbers like season 2 and 3's numbers, you should be glad that they haven't cancelled it yet.
ReplyDeleteFox with John Doe (I think that Chris Chance will follow the same path :( ) and Dark Angel.
ReplyDeleteABC with V (season 1 4 episodes, 4 month break, changing timeslot. Season 2 : NOF as lead-in, NCIS LA at 9pm, 3 episodes cut, season 2 new episodes not until january 2011)
WB with Angel, this show deserved a sixth season!
Blaming FOX for cancelling Arrested Development, are you kidding?
ReplyDeleteThe show had 3 wonderful seasons and has a cult status (+ the cancellation of the show provided great material in the 3rd season, actually). I love it, and I'm absolutely certain no other network would have dared to air a incredibly original comedy like this for three years.
That is why ultimately I don't blame FOX for cancelling AD (one of my favourites comedies of all times) : the ratings sucked from the very beginning, and yet we got 3 seasons of humor with no limits, the show did not changed its tone one bit and stayed on the same awesome path throughout its run : I rest my case.
The only thing I would blame FOX for is Firefly. Airing the pilot after all the other episodes, what the heck? But still, I can't imagine a sci-fi show like Firefly on ABC or even on CBS (it'd give a heart attack to their core audience).
At least, FOX dares to put science-fiction on the air, and ultimately the audience doesn't go for it, they can't do anything about that. I don't expect them to put Fringe on monday nights or right after American Idol now : it's a television network, they've got a business to make, and that kind of move would not make sense : sci-fi is not popular and not watched (enough), period. I'm thankful to see Fringe on Fridays, with lowest expectations, a time slot removal hugely promoted for a struggling show is a great thing, If Fringe had aired on another network (I can't imagine that), it would have gotten cancelled.
fox. I liked both Dollhouse and Firefly
ReplyDeletebut I also hate the wrestling on Scify
I'm not disappointed in any network, actually.
ReplyDeleteI mean, CBS is mostly crap but that's not a surprise, I'm not disappointed in them because I never expected them to come up with solid dramas (I know, there's the exception The Good Wife, I haven't watched it yet but still, that is only one show).
I'm not disappointed in ABC either. They go for the housewives, and thus as I guy I'm bored with all their soapy/'filled with family values' dramas, even in those you don't expect in the first place (V, with Elisabeth Mitchell's character bitching about her son at least 6-7 times per episode).
Well, at least CBS and ABC have their comedies they can be unashamed of : Craig Ferguson's late night show, The Big Bang Theory and maybe HIMYM for CBS ; Modern Family, The Middle and probably Mr Sunshine for ABC. That's some good comedy.
I'm not disappointed in NBC. Sure I would have appreciated a 2nd season of Persons Unknown (even if the writers should have been smart enough to not make a cliffhanger like this given how the show was produced and what the content was) or another ending for My Own Worst Enemy (I can't think of a worst '''ending''' actually, just when it starts to get interesting).
But you can't be disappointed in the network itself : the ratings were awfully bad but it's a television network, not a charity organisation. Their comedy lineup may not have huge ratings but it's creatively brilliant, especially Community and Parks and Recreation. The Office, 30 Rock and even Outsourced are really fun to watch too. Chuck, even if the show is no longer what it used to be, is still one of my favourite shows on networks.
I'm not disappointed in the WB either. Angel's ending is perfect.
ABC cancelled FlashForward, I was a huge fan, but after the first season, they cancelled ... Fans were expecting a second season, there were still suspense to me, and some questions were still without any answer ... Really a pity >.<
ReplyDeleteOne syllable... 3 letters... FOX!
ReplyDeleteFirefly of course... but also
John Doe, Dark Angel, Family Guy(brought it back), Undeclared, The Tick New Amsterdam, Drive, Wonderfalls, Arrested Development, Tru Calling... I may be forgetting some too!
totally agree with you, just posted a comment about that lol
ReplyDeleteI was such a fan ! don't you think there are still questions without any answer and facts without any explaination >.< And the suspense of course ! Really a pity that they've cancelled
Honestly, while I do not forget about their hair trigger cancellations... I don't hold it against the network at all. If they start a new series next year, I will likely watch it. To me it makes absolutely no sense to hold a grudge against a network, it only deprives me of shows I may like in the future. I am not n control of what a network decides to air, cancel or extend... I can only watch and enjoy while a show is on the air.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I will huff and puff for a few days if they cancel Human Target and Fringe this year.....
I don't hold a grudge against any network. E.g. If the CW had cancelled 'Supernatural', I would have been sad and angry but not disappointed. 'Supernatural' is the only show on the CW that I watch so if they would cancel it, the CW would stop to exist until they produce something which interests me.
ReplyDeleteNBC for Friday Night Lights. How can a show that good have such little promotion and bad viewer ratings
ReplyDeletefirst thing that comes to mind is fox... for prolonging the x-files when mulder left! it should have ended, there's no x-files without mulder and the outcome was terrible, imo! and for cancelling futurama, which i loved!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletealso nbc for cancelling life, which i think was very entertaining and had potential.
i don't watch a lot of shows & I live abroad so my opinion prob. won't matter much .. but I'm disappointed mostly by the CW (no surprise!) for canceling Life Unexpected =( ..
ReplyDeleteABC is beginning to go down the CW route for me.. but nothing else!
Fox for Firefly and Terminator:TSCC.
ReplyDeleteAnd CBS for Moonlight.
Also even though the show has managed to pull through I have to give The CW grief for rarely ever promoting it.
FOX is definitely the worst offender. They always do genre shows like Firefly or The Sarah Connor Chronicles and then they either don't give them a chance or fail to promote them. They also fail at understanding that shows like these are cult hits, they're never going to draw massive crime procedural type numbers. They should just stop piloting sci fi shows and leave them to smaller networks like the CW or cable channels like Sy Fy which can afford to have cult hits.
ReplyDeleteI love Supernatural but I kinda disagree with people saying the CW has mishandled it. What? It's been on for 6 seasons and it's their highest rated program, so by CW standards it's quite successful. And again, it's a genre show. It's simply not capable of getting gigantic 8-10 million watchers a night type numbers no matter what the CW does to promote it. I do agree that in general the CW seems to promo it's "rich white kids with problems" dramas more than their genre shows, even though SPN and Smallville are basically carrying the network. But honestly even if they threw all their promo towards those two shows, I doubt there'd be a dramatic increase in viewer numbers. SPN is an arc heavy show, six seasons in. Not many people want to suddenly jump into a show with six seasons of story to catch up on.
How could I forget FNL they drove that show in the ground >:(
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing about FOX is that if they had foresight or information from the future that some of their cancelled shows would be future cult classics... I doubt it would have made them hesitate before cancelling the shows.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right about the perceived lack of promotion honestly NOT affecting Supernatural or Smallville numbers very much. I watch both (Smallvill off and on fo the past 10 years) and I think both are good shows for what they are. Both shows have a limited niche appeal and are so far along into their lifespan that it just makes sense to not spend as much on them as on their new shows.
Agreed completely! Obviously, FOX wins this hands down simply for doing things like, I don't know, airing episodes of a new show out of order? I mean really, that's just irresponsible. It's like they wanted Firefly to fail.
ReplyDeleteWhile I didn't want to include ABC in this list (due to LOST)... I have to agree that Defying Gravity was treated ridiculously badly. It was one of the most incredible shows I have ever had the pleasure of watching.
Somewhat agreed.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with your argument is that cancellation isn't just about a show airing to poor ratings.
If you look at Firefly, the network chose to air episodes out of order. The Pilot (probably the strongest two hour pilot I have ever seen) aired AFTER the show had aired. Yes, poor ratings make it the network's responsibility to cancel things, but that doesn't stop the network from A) neglecting to promote their shows properly or B) messing with the airing of the show (long hiatuses, out of order episodes, swapping time periods, etc).
Also, to address Angel's ending, you didn't feel that it was flung together at the last minute? Sure, it was a good ending, but, in listening to things that Joss Whedon had to say, much of what they set up near the end of season 5 made the cancellation a surprise. Illyria was supposed to stick around and have some sort of strange love triangle with Wesley/Fred. Illyria showed up more than halfway through the final season. While it was good, it wasn't expected and definitely still had legs to walk on.
Fox for grossly mishandling Fringe.
ReplyDeleteNBC for never having faith in Chuck.
CW slightly for Supernatural, I'm a fan of both SPN and Fringe but come on...you don't have to complain about 1 week of a wait for the 2nd half of the season while Fringe is dwindling in the ratings on Fridays.
CW for screwing up one tree hill and turning it into melodramatic nightmare, and barely watchable, ABC for doing something to desperate housewives which makes it boring FOX for so many things, CBS for ruining procedurals. and Finally NBC for messing up and ruining so many great scripted shows, the number one mistake KINGS.
ReplyDeleteFOX hands down. I don't really hold grudges but I'll go with "What network treats its shows and/or viewers the worst?" FOX started as a network which would give any show a chance and nurture it. Now it's known for its cancellation policies, Idol, and constant rejiggering of its schedules, often to the detriment of its scripted programming.
ReplyDeleteBefore these shows had a chance, FOX canceled:
- Firefly
- New Amsterdam
- John Doe
- Drive
Mishandling of:
- Human Target
- Fringe
- Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles
- Dollhouse
Downhill spiral of:
- Bones
- House
And for letting reality shows dominate its already limited programming hour schedules.
Unfortunately, with Sutherland's new show and "Terra Nova", I'm not sure FOX will find any room on its schedule for "Human Target" or "Fringe". :'( But I too will huff and puff.
ReplyDeleteNo kidding. I would have hoped that the management at SyFy (and NBC) would have thought its viewers had more intelligence than to fall for the "extreme" wrestling lamo excuse.
ReplyDeleteEver since SyFy changed its name from SciFi, it's veered away from science fiction as its predominant programming. Sure you've got "Eureka", which is light science fiction. But "Warehouse 13", "Sanctuary", "Haven" and the like are more fantasy.
The CW - screwing things up since its inception. Could there be a worse network?
ReplyDeleteBeyond promoting the wrong shows, the CW does make some horrible programming decisions. I'm sorry for your continued pain over VM. They screwed me with Everwood too.
ReplyDeleteNever even thought of networks that won't let shows die. You're right. In as much as people complain about Fox ending shows too quickly, they really did a disservice to X-Files fans for not ending it soon enough.
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention Arrested Development. Shameful...
ReplyDeleteCBS and their total screw yp with Criminal Minds. 'Fixing' a show that doesn't need healing and 'shaking' a cast that's finally together isn't a key to success. CBS has never appreciated Criminal Minds and the show has succeeded anyways, but now they're driving it to the ground. Yeah, I'm bitter, but CM used to be my #1 show and now as Paget leaves (most likely for good) and with Simon Mirren and possibly Ed Bernero moving on as well... It's a sinking ship. :(
ReplyDeleteABC for not renewing Better Off Ted and The Middleman i will hate them forever
ReplyDeleteCant decide between ABC for cancelling Sports Night (Sorkin-written, pure wit and comedy, If you havent seen it, go watch now) and FOX for Arrested Development (possibly one of the funniest shows of all time).
ReplyDeleteOne Word.......FOX.........They are the most disrespectful Network i have ever seen.......Their Track Record is absolutely Appalling....Have they learned from their mistakes?......Answer....HELL NO!!!
ReplyDeleteRunner up: This one's easy too.......CW....Actually, these are just absolute 'Morons'.....It's 'their' Network, Yet they display 'Blatant' favouritism with their 'own' shows, when they should want them all to suceed, considering THEY ARE ON THEIR NETWORK.....That's called cutting off your own nose to spite your face syndrome.....At this point i can only LMFAO at their STUPIDITY :D
ABC for not renewing Better Off Ted and The Middleman i will hate them forever
ReplyDelete