Your picks for the first TV cancellations?
 

Okay - I'll admit it. I watch way too much TV. But hell - I've been unemployed for almost a year now, and need some kind of escapist activity a few hours a day; and I quit drinking and doing drugs. So TV it is.

Anyway, I'm pretty disappointed in the new Fall TV shows. There are some good ones (FlashForward & Modern Family come to mind), but I can't remember a season with so many bad shows premiering.

So what are your predictions for the first show(s) to get the Network Axe?

My first pick is the Jay Leno Show - not so much because it's bad (and I don't think it is), but because it's essentially competing against a dozen other shows in its timeslot. This isn't late night; I don't think most of us want the same show on every night in primetime. I give NBC credit for trying a risky experiment, though.
Actually, Jay has two things in its favor - as far as the bottom line, it's an inexpensive show to put on the air; and to replace it would take five hour-long shows (just give us back Life when you look for a replacement for one of the nights, OK, NBC?)

And as successful as Jenna Elfman may have been as Dharma, I've yet to laugh at a single line of Accidently on Purpose. The lines seem forced, the storyline is shortsighted, and the supporting cast unimpressive.

Also, I think we're tired of medical shows with over the top characters and heartstring-pulling plots. I predict an early flatline for Trauma and Mercy.

There are quite few more I can think of, but if I mention them all, I'd be hogging the whole thread. Besides - what do I know?

What do you think? Agree? Disagree?

Jay would have to be an epic failure to get canceled. I think he stays.

Leno is pulling more share than Conan, he's staying.

Half of the lame new sitcoms. I don't know which ones; throw darts at a programming schedule.

I'm sure NBC hopes you're right. Even with a whopping $30M salary, his show costs NBC about $2M per week to air, compared to $15M/week for 5 one-hour dramas.

Another "We make more; you get less" gift to America from Big Business.

I think the novelty will wear off and his ratings will start to drop as each night viewers return to their Law & Order and CSI shows.

Hawthorne on TNT. Even though I haven't watched it yet (or will ever watch it), I'm having a hard time imagining a medical drama about a nurse. It's no where near as cool as DOCTORS!

Nekkid nurses I'd watch...

I heard somewhere (I think it was the TV writer on Bill Simmons' podcast this week) that Leno is doomed if his ratings start to affect the ratings of the affiliates and their 11:00 p.m. news operations. I've already heard that the NBC affiliate here in Baltimore has already dropped to #2 since Leno took over 10:00 p.m., and if affiliates start refusing to show Leno at all it won't matter how cheap it is to produce.

I'll pick "The forgotten" to be an early cancellation.

It's too depressing, in my opinion.

I made it through about 5 minutes of Parks and Rec. I'd say no.

I agree. I tried watching two episodes. I just don't find that and The Office funny.

I'll also add Hank and The Good Wife.
I don't like any of Hank's characters, and the premise of The Good Wife is too much like any other lawyer show for my taste.

I watched the first two episodes of The Good Wife, and I like it. Other lawyer shows are intense and in your face, and this one seems to be more laid back drama. The side stories seem interesting, and the actors are good especially with the guy who was Rory's boyfriend on Gilmore Girls. I like him in this part. I'll keep watching to see where they take this, and if the writers really know what they are doing, it could make it.

I agree with earlier posts about Accidentally on Purpose and Trauma. Trauma had too much gore for me. I know...the title gave it away. I should have known. I turned away during the neck scene on the helicopter.

The only other new shows I haven't canned yet are Flashforward and The Forgotten. The jury is still out.

Trauma, Eastwick, Mercy, the forgotten.. I wish the Jay Leno show would get cancelled. It's taking up a perfectly good time slot. I really think they'll move it back an hour, Kill off Fallon and Carson and have Jay and Conan again. At least that's what happens in my dreams.

I'm only watching 2 new shows this year and 1 is on cable.

There's still hope for mid-season premieres though! V, and Human Target both look good. Day One synopsis looked interesting but haven't seen a trailer..

Does the Cleveland Show count?

that'll be my pick

We have officially dumped The Forgotten.

I too have removed the forgotten from my DVR's schedule. I blame the lack of capitalization.

Darn... I actually enjoy The Forgotten.

I just watched the first three episodes of Modern Family. Man, I hope they don't cancel it. I'm not a big sitcom fan but this is one of the best I've seen in a while.

I didn't watch Modern Family because it seemed too sitcomy. I may check it out now.

I agree that the writing on Modern Family is hilarious - my problem with it is the format. Just like The Office & Parks and Rec, I don't care for that "fake documentary" style of filming. Maybe I'm just too resistant to change, but leave the 4th wall up.

IMHO I think HANK should be called STANK. No way after seeing Kelsey Grammar be Mr. Yuppie Rich Smartass Snob, now a normal guy trying to save a dime and surrive unemployed. It's below most of our gag level....and the "3 Rivers" Medical thing. Yuck. The editing is so, SO bad, that I'd do a better job!

Same for Jenna Elfman's new one "Accidently On purpose" = P.U.
Get the abortion dumb ass. Now.
And worse, she shows her cleavage a lot. That will not save that boring sinking ship, folks. The writing sucks bigtime & there's no way that any one in their right mind could/would care about any of those "characters".

This year is bleak. Glad I have Netflix!

I have to give props on the bad editing comment. I casually watched an episode of 3 rivers with the wife and had to leave halfway in because the editing was horrendous. Made me ashamed that there are people with the same title as me, making more than me, but can't do the job as well as me. uugh.

I saw a trailer last night with Ray Romano about 3 guys that are past midlife and are living differently or something. All I could think was "BOMB". What middle age man watches a soap opera about other middle aged men??

I also don't think Accidentally on Purpose is going to last long. I semi liked it ..., it can grow on me. But I view it as something to occupy me if I need to kill 20 mins cause I can't sleep. Secret girlfriend is also a VERY stupid show I foresee a LONG future in because comedy central is endorsing it.

I need a new family show. Something like Full House or Family Matters, something I can watch with my folks. We get along if we aren't talking and if the TV is off we are going to talk and I will yell at them.

I Tivo'ed a recent episode of Modern Family, and we watched it this weekend. It was pretty funny. I was laughing out loud, which is an unknown when I watch TV. It now has a season pass.
Still watching Flashforward. It's getting better.

Please let it be Leno... please.

What a steaming pile of feces. We actually get Leno's new show here 24 hours later. I've watched a few episodes and it just isn't funny, or interesting. Hopefully NBC's new corporate masters, Comcast, will see this show for the garbage it is and kill it.

Leno is dirt cheap and full of product placements. Plus, there's nothing to replace him. I think that he will last the whole season.

We're stuck with Leno for at least 2 years, possibly as many as 5. His ratings haven't cratered, and the lead-ins are still good. He's not drawing particularly well in the prime demographic, but he's better than 3 nights last year, so it's a bit of a victory that way.

Accidentally on Purpose is my guess. It's unwatchable.

Leno will stay as long as he wants.

I have a feeling Reese's predictions will come true though.. we'll see Conan back to Late Late night and Leno back in his old time slot.

Mercy. I couldn't even get through the pilot. They tried sooooooo hard to be Greys Anatomy and failed. Eastwick will probably also get canceled. I've been watching it, and it's not terrible, but it's not great. It's just that show you might watch if nothing else is on, or if you're waiting for a better show to come on 10 minutes later.

I don't see how NBC could move Leno out of the 10pm hour. They eliminated all of the shows during that hour 5 days a week to put Leno in. Now, they have nothing in the can to replace Leno. They also have no room in their schedule to develop shows for that hour. If and when they decide to move Leno, they will take a major hit in ad revenue.

In the long run, I think Leno will be the death of NBC.

I think that Leno is a symptom of the continuing decline of NBC rather than the future cause of its demise.

For awhile:
They haven't supported new shows.
They haven't given shows time to build new audiences.
They haven't figured out franchise television like other networks (Law & Order-this, Law & Order-that, NCIS-Here, NCIS-There, CSI-Here, CSI-There, etc.)
They haven't chosen the Fox strategy (cheapo television plus a few expensive shows).

They haven't done anything since Friends, West Wing, etc. went off of the air.

(Feeling like a threadjacker, maybe there should be a Leno/NBC sucks thread.)

Uh...they are Law & Order's network...

Yikes! My bad!

I still don't think that NBC has the franchise potential that some other networks have.

I agree that it's part of the decline of NBC but think it marks the last straw.

Giving up that 10pm block to a stripped talk show may be an inexpensive way to produce TV but I will be surprised if it can maintain the ratings. NBC has removed all chance of scheduling challenging and potentially award-winning programming that cannot run in the 8 or 9 slots.

The truth is, Free to Air channels are earning less these days. A lot less. The networks are desperate to find a new model for revenue but can't. Leno's show is the equivalent of a corporation downsizing its staff to make their profits look better. Yes, your profits look good in the short term but your productivity takes a hit in the long term and you end up having to hire more staff. If Leno is a stop-gap for hard times... OK. If it's a long term solution they should really try again.

Cancel syfy. The whole network. RIP

I'm not usually one to bump my own thread, but I've read that Southland and Trauma have been canceled by NBC.
Hank is in limbo at ABC- they're trying to decide whether to fix it or drop it.

BTW - TNT has picked up Southland.

Update on Leno...

My dreams have come true! Not only do they move him back, they cut it down to half an hour!

The deal hasn't been completed but NBC has suggested that they will have The Jay Leno Show at 11:35 followed by The Tonight Show with Conan at 12:05, followed by The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon at 1:05. No word on the running time of Late Night or of the show that comes after Fallon.

Clearly they aren't willing to dump Leno... I've caught a few episodes of The Jay Leno Show (it airs the next day here on Universal) and it's quite awful.

The good news is that NBC will be returning to real programming right after the Olympics. I suspect that it will take them until next fall for their schedule to shake the weirdness of all of this... Five hours a week is a lot of prime time real estate to replace at one time.

So Leno didn't kill NBC, but it didn't do NBC any favours. (then again, there's still time).