Sorry Moonlight fans. I know many of you will be devastated. But Variety and others are reporting that it's official, Moonlight has been cancelled. My take, as I've said earlier is that this show was "right on" the bubble, and I wouldn't have thought CBS crazy for picking it back up, but nor would I have thought them insane to cancel it either. While it performed well in its return the last few weeks, and remarkably held most of its viewers after a long hiatus in original episodes, it wasn't a great performer in the 18-49 demographic (not that anything on broadcast is on Friday nights) and it always had fewer viewers than its lead-in Ghost Whisperer and it's lead-out, Numb3rs.
Realistically, I can't fault CBS for at least trying to find a show that will do as well as GW and Numb3rs for the 9pm slot. I do feel bad for the fans, but I also can understand why CBS would want to try something else.
Still, I do understand for the very fervent fan base, this is a really bad day for you. Hang in there!
Update 7:00PM PDT: Deadline Hollywood is reporting there is a slight chance of a maybe, possibly could be, but just a chance that MRC who will now program Sunday night's for the CW will take Moonlight for Sunday night. Update, 9PM PDT: Slight, indeed, TVWeek has the preliminary CW/MRC Sunday Night and it doesn't include Moonlight.
Ouch! I think some people are gonna raise a little hell!
You know, it’s a shame that CBS picked up Jericho after canceling it due to fan intervention. If Jericho had gone on to be a hit in season 2, it would have set a good precedent, but instead it failed, which means any network will be very reluctant to listen to fan drives again. It also gave fans false hope. I think it’s much better to just accept that it’s over and move on. Wasting time and money on a lost cause is pointless.
That’s why I ABSOLUTELY HATE american TV networks. All of them. They don’t care that there is already audience for Moonlight outside US. That we love the show. Any hope that another channel would pick it up, give it better time slot and make the show’s fans not only in america happy? I really hate this…
(((
At this time, we are going to look at encouraging WB to market the show to another network. The Tribe is nothing if not tenacious, and we’re going to give up.
If you want to participate in this effort, feel free to give me a call at (562) 256-0910.
I am sure this will also be the dominant topic of conversation at MoonlightCon on Memorial Day Weekend here in Los Angeles.
Leeser
MoonlightLine.com
I agree with you, but reluctant? There is ZERO chance they will consider it at all. No other network likely will either, because all the networks are youth obsessed.
It’s not crazy that ABC picked up Scrubs for example because it did great with 18-34 year olds. Otherwise this is the same trajectory as Jericho. No matter how cheap the cost to produce, it will be too expensive for the likes of the SciFi channel. It is a shame though that a show with almost 8 million viewers on a Friday will likely find no home at all. : (
Katarzyna,
They would care if the international market was lucrative financially. International markets aren’t $0.00, but most of the money is made here at home.
Leeser please e-mail the info on MoonlightCon…
This is just devastating news and it is really shocking! We have been looking at a really good chance for renewal and now this. Moonlight has been consistently winning its time slot, which is also known as the death slot. I have a feeling they will not get another show that will consistently perform this well in that slot. I am completely disappointed in CBS’ judgement and utterly frustrated over how they give us hope with all the positive indications for a pick up and then just yank the rug out from under us. As Leeser says, we will keep fighting for Moonlight. Moonlight fans are fierce and dedicated to this show.
We’re buying DVDs with TV shows. Let’s wait when “Moonlight” will be released on DVD all around the world and then we can talk about $ 0.00 I still can’t believe CBS is THAT STUPID…
Katarzyna, everything is relative, and relatively it works like this: Jericho amassed more than $0.00 in DVD sales, but nowhere near as much as say, Two and a Half Men or CSI. Jericho never made the weekly top DVD sales lists. And Jericho also was very popular over sees. CBS’ objective is to make as much money as it can. You may disagree that cancelling Moonlight is a better path to that, and you may be ultimately be proved right, but international dollars was not a big enough factor to consider and I doubt it is really considered in the mix for ANY of the shows because the preponderance of money is made *here*.
Robert, I am a huge fan of yours. You know the numbers and the game, but have a sensitivity toward fans that other lack. This is sad news for us Moonlight fans, but I believe the talented folks from Moonlight will go on to other outlets. I will be watching and hoping for better numbers next time.
Let’s send the show off this Friday with the best ratings ever! Wouldn’t I just laugh if it beat GW and Numbers this Friday. Now there is a happy thought.
Katarzyna, in addition to what Robert has said, this show is through WB. The studio makes most of the money off DVD sales and syndication overseas. CBS has very little to gain from that, even if it sold more DVDs than any other CBS program. (Though if that were the case, WB would definitely find a new home for it.)
But American TV networks want us all around the world to watch their productions. They should respect us. That’s all. I guess I’m going to ignore anything “made in USA” on my TV, ’cause this show really made it to my heart and I’m just MAD at these morons…
I’m telling ya just start sending them containers of fake blood, will work better than the peanuts or w/e they sent for jericho
Moonlight has been getting quite a bit of good publicity as of late and it’s not know to have a loyal & rapid fan base. I’m surprised CBS didn’t give the show another season to perform, and are unconcerned of the backlash canceling might create. With cable & satellite service being the norm these days, the programming & network choices are enormous. It would seem if you have a even decent audience share you’d stick with it and see if it could grow ?
I’m such a big fan! No other show like it!! Really going to miss it!
You know, I feel as though every season, one of my favorite shows gets axed because of numbers. First of all, I don’t know how fair it is to give a mostly serial show only 4 episodes to prove itself. It’s quite difficult to arc any sort of significant or gripping story line in 4 episodes (and while they did, it wasn’t nearly as good as where they had left off before the strike). I’m a big fan of TV and I’m running very low on quality shows to look forward to every week (thank goodness LOST isn’t going anywhere!)
Although it is evident that networks are all about making money, what about NBC renewing Friday Night Lights? I’m a fan of the show and it definitely is “family” programming and it’s been renewed again and again (even if this time it was with DirecTV, it’s still surprising). Is Zucker trying to prove something and make a point or just making a bad decision?
bad week for the immortals with New Amsterdam also biting the big one
damn it cbs, i was a really big fan of this show
I officially give up on television. Has anybody read any good books lately.