James Hibberd reports that producers of all three shows have been informed that their series will not get full season pickups. This jibes with all of our numeric sensibilities, and we've been seeing it in the making for weeks. But rumors were rampant that Eli Stone or Dirty Sexy Money could be kept. It's possible that's true, but that continued ratings erosion this week killed off any chance of that. We'd presumed Pushing Daisies dead all along.
The networks held off on using the word "cancellation" but that's typically the case. Hibberd seems to think since the shows are still on the schedules the networks want to leave a little wiggle room about it in the event that they order more shows. I believe it far more likely, especially given this week's low numbers for all three shows that the network is avoiding the "c" word only because it doesn't want to hear flack from advertisers who don't want to advertise on shows that have been CANCELLED.
We may need a new category of as close to cancelled as you can possibly get -- so close, that it's the same thing as being cancelled.
Personally, while I'm sad for both fans of these shows and the producers and everyone involved with working on them, I'm happy it shook out like this. If they'd have kept Eli Stone, for example, we'd have seen 10,000 "how could they cancel Dirty Sexy Money and keep Eli Stone! WTF!?" I'm glad we won't have to deal with that...
Again, there is no comment on the quality of any of the shows here, but from a numbers perspective, they weren't on the bubble, they were well below the cancellation line. All three shows performed well under ABC's average, and even before this week's lousy numbers are factored in, they were ABC's three worst performing scripted shows among 18-49 year olds.
Update: Hibberd also reports that Life on Mars will air after LOST at 10pm on Wednesdays as was earlier thought, starting January 28, but I'm not sure yet whether that means a full season pickup for the show. The latest on Life on Mars is that four new episodes were ordered, and that it will go on hiatus from December 11-January 28 when it returns airing after LOST.
Watch with Kristin has Pushing Daisies executive producer Bryan Fuller's take on the news.
I’m really shocked got the balls to cancel three shows at the same time.
well they may still air all the episodes, so they could be on the schedule into January. ABC has a lot of stuff on the bench, so coupled with the low numbers, I’m not surprised.
Hmm, interesting. My sympathy goes out to the fans of those shows, especially the die-hard ones.
So are they keeping Life on Mars or are they still undecided on that Robert?
Vader, no word on Life on Mars yet.
More changes:
ABC books ‘Scrubs’ and ‘Mars’ for midseason
On the heels of its decision not to order more episodes of three key dramas, ABC is announcing two key midseason scheduling decisions.
The network is booking “Scrubs” for a one-hour premiere on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 9 p.m.
Episodes will run back-to-back for two weeks, then “Scrubs” will settle into a 9:30 p.m. time period. The network hasn’t announced what will air as a 9 p.m. lead in, though one likely option is the new Mike Judge animated comedy “The Goode Family.”
ABC has slated “Life on Mars” to run after “Lost” on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. staring Jan. 28.
http://www.thrfeed.com/2008/11/abc-books-scrub.html
About time.
I’m hearing LOM still has life in it. We should know a lot more with how well it does tonight. I’d heard they were leaning to canceling ES so none of this is a surprise. Well at least not to me.
Kristin from E! is confirming the story: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b69940_abcs_bloody_thursday_pushing_daisies.html
I watch all three but would only call myself a fan of Eli Stone. I probably would have dropped Pushing Daisies after this season if it had been renewed and was on the fence about sticking with Dirty Sexy Money. So, for me at least, I am only going to miss Eli Stone.
How about a “WTF are they keeping Life on Mars for”?! I would much prefer to watch Ned bake some pie.
Yeah, WTF keep a show that averages 3.67 million 18-49 year olds (though admittedly, it’s been falling since the premiere) when you can keep a show that averages only 2.68 million (and falling). Who would make such a choice. I mean, it’s crazy. Oh, wait — that actually makes a lot of sense.
Nevermind.
^Life on Mars gets better ratings than any of these shows, and it’s a new show that ABC fought hard to get. I doubt they’ll give up on it easily.
Yes and I can see LOM getting some nice Emmy nominations.
Got to love Kristin’s reporting. Insiders told her EXCLUSIVELY! Yet Hibberd reported it before her and incidentally TV BY THE NUMBERS beat them all. Exclusive must mean something different to her.
Bye bye daisies, will always love you.
But we fans are not gonna give up. We will at least get a direct to dvd movie that wraps up the show.
I feel sorry for all the fans of those 3 shows.
ABC is such a downhill network in everybodys eyes right now.
I thought they had a heart but they are cold and heartless enough to cancel all 3 at once without giving them chances.
CURSE YOU ABC!
Anil, go buy the DVD set for Season 1. They need about 150,000 more units sold to justify a DVD movie and about 2,350,000 for a real movie.
Nick, Ausiello has that same odd definition of “exclusive”. I’m sure TV Guide and half the other entertainment gossip magazines/sites/shows do too.
I won’t be hard on Kristin (though I wish she wasn’t of a mind to rally the fans at times, I still love her). It’s possible Fuller or someone else at PD did talk to her exclusively, leaving a lot of other people to talk to Hibberd. I’d say Hibberd broke the story, because even w/your tip we didn’t have the Eli Stone news…
Anil, no offense man, but I don’t see it that way at all. ABC brought all three shows back. They just happened to be the worst three performing scripted shows on ABC. I don’t think ABC is cold and heartless for making the decision to move on with all three. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck for the fans and everyone involved — it surely does. But it’s not cold and heartless.