Arrested Development episode order reduced. Sign of pending cancellation? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Booray · 02-10-2005, 11:33 AM

From http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr..._id=1000791397:

Quote:

Fox shakes up Sundays for 'Dad'

Fox Broadcasting Co. plans to shuffle its Sunday comedy lineup in May to make room for the addition of "American Dad" on May 1. As part of the schedule change, the network has opted to reduce the episode order on "Arrested Development," but the specifics still are being worked out. As of May 1, "American Dad" will slide into "Arrested's" 8:30 p.m. slot behind "The Simpsons." For the first three weeks of the month, "Dad" will be followed at 9 p.m. by another original "Simpsons" episode. (Staff report)

From other stuff I've read, getting an episode order reduced is usually a first sign of a show with a cancellation looming on the horizon.

From http://www.defamer.com/hollywood/tv/...rds-032711.php:

Quote:

David Cross made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night to promote Arrested Development. After he and Kimmel ticked off all of the awards the show has won, Cross revealed that he “found out on the internet” that production of the show had been shut down. He then speculated about what kind of animated/reality/midget/Who’s Your Daddy? hybrid project would replace his show::

"I hope Fox puts in its place, like, you know, America’s Cutest Retards. What’s left for them to do? We got midgets trying to pull an elephant. What’s left? We’ve got orphans trying to figure out who their dads are…come on. Let’s go with retards. OK? Let’s do it"

If you’re planning on directing angry phone calls to Fox’s Gail Berman about Arrested Development’s fate, wait until tomorrow. We have a feeling she’ll be tied up today scouring assisted-living communities for the talent that will stock the network’s surefire midseason hit.

I know Cross is often sarcastic so I'm not sure how much faith I put in what he says (and the fact that he would learn about this on the internet), but coupled with the episode reduction and the bad Nielsen ratings that I keep hearing Arrested Development is still getting, it doesn't look great.

I think fall tv lineups are announced in late May, so I would imagine that the decision to renew or not would take place a decent amount of time before then.

I know it's all speculation and the show almost got cancelled after last season and still ended up sticking around, but I figured I'd post about what I'd read on other boards, including the Arrested Development official site discussion board.

Hopefully, they would consider moving the show to FX (another Fox company) along the likes of Nip/Tuck and The Shield. I don't think ratings have to be quite as good to survive on basic cable and all the fans of Arrested Development might add up to be enough viewership to keep the show on TV.

02-10-2005, 11:43 AM

I've only caught it once, and i liked it, but David Cross is way too funny to be stuck writing for broadcast TV. When is HBO going to give him another show?

sapiens · 02-10-2005, 11:47 AM

It would be unfortunate if it was cancelled. It's my favorite television show. (One of the few television shows I watch regularly).

Booray · 02-10-2005, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thinktank

I've only caught it once, and i liked it, but David Cross is way too funny to be stuck writing for broadcast TV. When is HBO going to give him another show?

I don't think he's even doing any writing on the show. He definitely needs to do something else on HBO or Showtime (or any other station where there's little to no restraint on what you can do). Mr. Show was great and his standup special was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

Lockjaw · 02-10-2005, 12:10 PM

If Fox cancels this show they are idiots. The show they are moving into the slot is by a guy who's first project(Family Guy) they dumped because it wasn't getting enough ratings but it was the best thing on their network. If they do get the axe I hope they move it to some other channel or better yet some other network picks the show up. That show is hillarious I just think a lot of people haven't given it a chance because if you watch it for the first time it's a little quirky but after you get into it you see the greatness. Actually now that I think about it I would probably stick it some place during the week it would clean up on a week night I think like Thursday.

Bobaphat · 02-10-2005, 12:11 PM

One of the only smart, funny and well written shows on TV today. I will be upset if this falls by the wayside for some more of the generic reality garbage that permeates our tv line-ups in this day and age. I really miss good quality sitcoms and its not cool to have this one taken away before its time.

Dingo2879 · 02-10-2005, 03:25 PM

This shocks me. Arrested Development is the best half hour comedy on TV. It received an Emmy for best comedy just last year. I would be surprised if another network did not snatch up this show. With a strong lead-in this show could gain the audience it deserves.

frankgrimes · 02-10-2005, 08:15 PM

Very well written, funny show. If they stick with it they've got a potential Seinfeld on their hands. Give it a chance to gather an audience, you idiots!

ChasingAmy · 02-10-2005, 09:23 PM

Wouldn't surprise me if Fox cancelled another show that is doing well... :P

It would be very unfortunate though that is my new favorite show since it came out last year!

Booray · 02-11-2005, 05:37 AM

From http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,15904,00.html:

Quote:

Endangered "Development"?

by Joal Ryan
Feb 10, 2005, 3:05 PM PT

Arrested Development has a batch of Emmys, a devoted following and, now, an early spring vacation.

The award-winning but ratings-challenged Fox comedy series wraps its season a month early, sitting out the May sweeps (as it did last year) and, at the network's behest, producing fewer than the usual 22 episodes.

Bad signs or no, TV's messed-up Bluth clan have not been handed their walking papers. Yet. Fox has three more months to mull the series' fate before the new fall schedule is announced in May.

"We at Fox love Arrested Development and we look forward to having the Bluth family back on Fox in the future--hopefully for many years," Fox Broadcasting entertainment president Gail Berman said in a statement Thursday.

The comedy remains in production with about two more episodes yet to be filmed. There would be even more episodes to shoot, but Fox cut the order, the Hollywood Reporter said Wednesday.

The move came after Fox opted to slide American Dad into Arrested Development's 8:30 p.m., Sunday slot, starting May 1.

Appearing on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live early Thursday, comic David Cross--Arrested's sexually ambiguous Tobias--said that he hoped Fox would come up with something original, if not P.C., to sub for his show, "like, you know, America's Cutest Retards."

American Dad, the new animated comedy from the creator of Family Guy, scored with 15.2 million in a sneak preview following Sunday's Super Bowl.

Arrested Development, which has bounced around in various timeslots on Sunday night, is averaging 6.1 million viewers this season. It's down there with struggling Fox comedies Malcolm in the Middle (6.2 million) and That '70s Show (6.4 million--and already expected back for next season).

Low ratings are part of Arrested Development lore. When it won the Emmy in September for Outstanding Comedy Series, executive producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's pet project became the least-watched broadcast network show ever to claim that prize--and that was when it was drawing 6.2 million viewers a week.

If the laugh track-free show has struggled to convince groups of greater than six million to tune in en masse, it has found garnering critical praise a breeze. Stated the New York Times last November: "Arrested Development really is very funny."

The show won five Emmys in all last year, and a Golden Globe last month for Jason Bateman, who stars as Michael, the Bluth family's token sane person.

As of Thursday afternoon, the inevitable "Save Arrested Development" petition was online, and going strong with more than 1,700 names attached.

Now if only a few million more viewers would attach themselves to the cause...

guthmund · 02-12-2005, 01:04 AM

That's too sad.

I think it's utter crap that 'American Dad' was given the slot as I think Arrested Development is the better show.

Fox has a had a horrible history keeping around good shows and Arrested will probably end up canceled. To add insult to injury, American Dad (I didn't laugh once watching the premiere) will probably end up replace it permanantly.

Lockjaw · 02-13-2005, 08:03 PM

It'll get axed as well and they'll replace it with a rip off of something from ABC.

Kostya · 02-13-2005, 08:30 PM

They showed a few of the episodes in Australia, late as hell, but I stayed up to watch them because they were actually good.

Then one day it just disappeared...

jonjon42 · 02-15-2005, 07:13 PM

love arrested development, but I have a nagging feeling it is going to go the way of Family Guy.

RoboBlaster · 02-15-2005, 07:37 PM

I maintain that Arrested Development is the funniest and smartest TV show on the air right now. If they cancel it, I will lose all faith in the medium of television.

spongy · 02-15-2005, 07:55 PM

The fact that they used a Charklie Brown visual gag that turned into a motif one show should buy them at least two more seasons.

blitz.fenix · 02-16-2005, 11:23 AM

I hope they replace Arrested Development with the return of Family Guy. I've watched the show several times and it just tries too hard. Comparing this show to Seinfeld?!!? Don't get me started. I realise I am the only one here saying that they don't like the show but maybe there are just more people like me out there that don't care for it.

Booray · 02-16-2005, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spongy

The fact that they used a Charklie Brown visual gag that turned into a motif one show should buy them at least two more seasons.

I think that was probably the funniest thing this season. Funny stuff

Val_1 · 02-17-2005, 05:30 PM

I wouldn't be surprised if it was cancelled. It's too good of a show. Fox has cancelled so many good shows (Family Guy, Firefly, etc). Fox execs are a bunch of morons.

ratbastid · 02-24-2005, 03:46 PM

I hope Arrested Development stays for a long, long time. I was deeply underwhelmed with American Dad. It felt like Family Guy with a slightly tweaked concept and shallowed-out characters.

kid astronaut · 02-24-2005, 05:04 PM

great great show, probably the only one on tv right now that i have an actual interest in (besides futurama and home movies re-runs.)

i can see why it doesn't get viewers though, it builds so much on past things that it would be difficult to start watching midway through. i actually don't have a TV so catching 1 or 2 episodes a season is as much as i could get, and i'm reluctant to do that because i don't want to give away things from past episodes that i haven't seen yet.

hopefully, the DVDs will sell really well.

thatoneguy · 02-24-2005, 05:18 PM

Wow, I hadn't read this anywhere, but apparently it's a bit of old news... I really enjoy the show, hopefully they won't end up cancelling it, although doing what they did never seems to end well. I think David Cross is hilarious, and the show in general is great. OH well, since when do networks keep the GOOD shows? I'm sure they'll cancel it and replace it with some lame reality show.

crossova · 02-28-2005, 01:15 PM

i like this show. i hope it isnt cancelled.

userasdf1234 · 03-15-2005, 10:53 AM

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but this is the first i've heard of this and had to respond. If arrested development gets cancelled, i'm gonna be mad. That has to be one of the best tv shows today. I saw the preview of American Dad when it did air on fox (after superbowl i thinK) and it is no substitute for Arrested Development. If it does get taken off the air i hope they keep on making the dvds.

Booray · 03-15-2005, 05:01 PM

Did anyone catch that new Fox show "The Sketch Show" (apparently Kelsey Grammer's pet project)? It was friggin AWFUL. The most predictable retread lame gags I think I've EVER seen on a sketch show (I watched probably the first 10 minutes and had to turn it off). The fact that FOX greenlights something like this while they reduce episode orders on Arrested Development just pisses me off.

Lockjaw · 03-15-2005, 09:11 PM

That show looked so crappy I didn't even bother.

Last week's show was hillarious though. The Abu Gharib "spoof" wonderful setup.
Hmmm FX could potentially pick it up maybe perhaps?

userasdf1234 · 03-16-2005, 06:00 PM

I love Arrested Development because everything ties in together. The Abu Gharib "spoof" was funny as hell. I also like the episode where they find George Bluth senior in the Saddam bunker.

Releating to the Kelsey Grammer's show, i thought it was trash. Most of the sketches were less than a minute too. I hope that gets taken away.

02-10-2005, 12:11 PM	#6 (permalink)
Bobaphat whoopity doo Location: Seattle	One of the only smart, funny and well written shows on TV today. I will be upset if this falls by the wayside for some more of the generic reality garbage that permeates our tv line-ups in this day and age. I really miss good quality sitcoms and its not cool to have this one taken away before its time. __________________ --size matters not-- yoda

02-10-2005, 09:23 PM	#9 (permalink)
ChasingAmy Single :) FFA Location: Prince George, British Columbia	Wouldn't surprise me if Fox cancelled another show that is doing well... :P It would be very unfortunate though that is my new favorite show since it came out last year! __________________ Don't you know about the bird?

02-12-2005, 01:04 AM	#11 (permalink)
guthmund big damn hero	That's too sad. I think it's utter crap that 'American Dad' was given the slot as I think Arrested Development is the better show. Fox has a had a horrible history keeping around good shows and Arrested will probably end up canceled. To add insult to injury, American Dad (I didn't laugh once watching the premiere) will probably end up replace it permanantly. __________________ No signature. None. Seriously.

02-15-2005, 07:13 PM	#14 (permalink)
jonjon42 Psycho Location: inside my own mind	love arrested development, but I have a nagging feeling it is going to go the way of Family Guy. __________________ A damn dirty hippie without the dirty part....

02-15-2005, 07:55 PM	#16 (permalink)
spongy Psycho	The fact that they used a Charklie Brown visual gag that turned into a motif one show should buy them at least two more seasons. __________________ The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed. Stephen King

02-10-2005, 11:43 AM	#2 (permalink)
thinktank Guest	I've only caught it once, and i liked it, but David Cross is way too funny to be stuck writing for broadcast TV. When is HBO going to give him another show?

02-10-2005, 11:47 AM	#3 (permalink)
sapiens Junkie Location: Some place windy	It would be unfortunate if it was cancelled. It's my favorite television show. (One of the few television shows I watch regularly).

02-10-2005, 12:10 PM	#5 (permalink)
Lockjaw Junkie	If Fox cancels this show they are idiots. The show they are moving into the slot is by a guy who's first project(Family Guy) they dumped because it wasn't getting enough ratings but it was the best thing on their network. If they do get the axe I hope they move it to some other channel or better yet some other network picks the show up. That show is hillarious I just think a lot of people haven't given it a chance because if you watch it for the first time it's a little quirky but after you get into it you see the greatness. Actually now that I think about it I would probably stick it some place during the week it would clean up on a week night I think like Thursday.

02-10-2005, 03:25 PM	#7 (permalink)
Dingo2879 Crazy Location: Lisle, IL	This shocks me. Arrested Development is the best half hour comedy on TV. It received an Emmy for best comedy just last year. I would be surprised if another network did not snatch up this show. With a strong lead-in this show could gain the audience it deserves.

02-10-2005, 08:15 PM	#8 (permalink)
frankgrimes Psycho	Very well written, funny show. If they stick with it they've got a potential Seinfeld on their hands. Give it a chance to gather an audience, you idiots!

02-13-2005, 08:03 PM	#12 (permalink)
Lockjaw Junkie	It'll get axed as well and they'll replace it with a rip off of something from ABC.

02-13-2005, 08:30 PM	#13 (permalink)
Kostya Little known... Location: Brisbane, Australia	They showed a few of the episodes in Australia, late as hell, but I stayed up to watch them because they were actually good. Then one day it just disappeared...

02-15-2005, 07:37 PM	#15 (permalink)
RoboBlaster Psycho Location: Ouuuterrrr Spaaaaacccceeee	I maintain that Arrested Development is the funniest and smartest TV show on the air right now. If they cancel it, I will lose all faith in the medium of television.

02-16-2005, 11:23 AM	#17 (permalink)
blitz.fenix Insane Location: Toronto	I hope they replace Arrested Development with the return of Family Guy. I've watched the show several times and it just tries too hard. Comparing this show to Seinfeld?!!? Don't get me started. I realise I am the only one here saying that they don't like the show but maybe there are just more people like me out there that don't care for it.

02-17-2005, 05:30 PM	#19 (permalink)
Val_1 Addict Location: In a State of Denial	I wouldn't be surprised if it was cancelled. It's too good of a show. Fox has cancelled so many good shows (Family Guy, Firefly, etc). Fox execs are a bunch of morons. __________________ I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. -Frank Sinatra

02-24-2005, 03:46 PM	#20 (permalink)
ratbastid Darth Papa Location: Yonder	I hope Arrested Development stays for a long, long time. I was deeply underwhelmed with American Dad. It felt like Family Guy with a slightly tweaked concept and shallowed-out characters.

02-24-2005, 05:04 PM	#21 (permalink)
kid astronaut Tilted Location: Portland, OR	great great show, probably the only one on tv right now that i have an actual interest in (besides futurama and home movies re-runs.) i can see why it doesn't get viewers though, it builds so much on past things that it would be difficult to start watching midway through. i actually don't have a TV so catching 1 or 2 episodes a season is as much as i could get, and i'm reluctant to do that because i don't want to give away things from past episodes that i haven't seen yet. hopefully, the DVDs will sell really well.

02-24-2005, 05:18 PM	#22 (permalink)
thatoneguy Crazy Location: Omaha, NE	Wow, I hadn't read this anywhere, but apparently it's a bit of old news... I really enjoy the show, hopefully they won't end up cancelling it, although doing what they did never seems to end well. I think David Cross is hilarious, and the show in general is great. OH well, since when do networks keep the GOOD shows? I'm sure they'll cancel it and replace it with some lame reality show.

02-28-2005, 01:15 PM	#23 (permalink)
crossova Psycho Location: new york	i like this show. i hope it isnt cancelled.

03-15-2005, 10:53 AM	#24 (permalink)
userasdf1234 Tilted	Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but this is the first i've heard of this and had to respond. If arrested development gets cancelled, i'm gonna be mad. That has to be one of the best tv shows today. I saw the preview of American Dad when it did air on fox (after superbowl i thinK) and it is no substitute for Arrested Development. If it does get taken off the air i hope they keep on making the dvds.

03-15-2005, 05:01 PM	#25 (permalink)
Booray Stumbling to the end Location: Atlanta, GA	Did anyone catch that new Fox show "The Sketch Show" (apparently Kelsey Grammer's pet project)? It was friggin AWFUL. The most predictable retread lame gags I think I've EVER seen on a sketch show (I watched probably the first 10 minutes and had to turn it off). The fact that FOX greenlights something like this while they reduce episode orders on Arrested Development just pisses me off. __________________ Persuaded, paraded, inebriated, and down Still aware of everything life carries on without

03-15-2005, 09:11 PM	#26 (permalink)
Lockjaw Junkie	That show looked so crappy I didn't even bother. Last week's show was hillarious though. The Abu Gharib "spoof" wonderful setup. Hmmm FX could potentially pick it up maybe perhaps?

03-16-2005, 06:00 PM	#27 (permalink)
userasdf1234 Tilted	I love Arrested Development because everything ties in together. The Abu Gharib "spoof" was funny as hell. I also like the episode where they find George Bluth senior in the Saddam bunker. Releating to the Kelsey Grammer's show, i thought it was trash. Most of the sketches were less than a minute too. I hope that gets taken away.