James Hibberd reports that NBC has cancelled the returning Lipstick Jungle and the newcomer, My Own Worst Enemy.
Mere days ago I talked trash about NBC for promoting My Own Worst Enemy as “Christian Slater in the role everyone is talking about” and dubbing it the “new hit show”. Then I ragged on NBC again the next morning when the woeful numbers for Enemy came out.
Lipstick Jungle is no surprise at all. Effectively in that case, moving it to Fridays was the same as saying, “when your shows are through, so are you”, but My Own Worst Enemy surprises me a bit. NBC was obviously very enamored with the show and promoted it fairly heavily.
While MOWE doesn’t look so awful in our Renew/Cancel Index, it’s one of those deals where a combination of events was in play. One, NBC has pretty woeful numbers, and MOWE did better in its early airings and has steadily dropped. The same could be said for its lead in, Heroes, but Heroes still at least pulls numbers in the demographics.
No word yet on whether the shows will be yanked from the schedule or merely play out the existing episodes.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
But, but what about Christian Slater “in the role everyone is talking about. The new hit ‘My Own Worst Enemy’.”?
You mean network marketing isn’t always true? My worldview is coming apart!
November 12th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
From the same link, I also found out MADTv has been canceled, lol!
November 12th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
I hope NBC burns off the rest of Lipstick Jungle, i enjoy that show, and it’s not as bad as everyone thinks.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117995764.html?categoryid=14&cs=1
That is another source for ya.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
thanks Nick, but sometimes I trust Variety less than…a blog. That article states MOWE last aired on 10/27 and the numbers for that night, but, in fact it last aired 11/10 w/numbers worse than the 10/27 outing.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Although I think the biggest news for NBC is the casting of 2 incredibly hot and funny women on SNL. In fact they may be the hottest women to ever got on the show.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Robert, perhaps she didn’t have this weeks numbers… still it’s another source. Two sources equals a right or something.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
I think it’s safe to say that Variety has better access to Nielsen data than we do. And I trust Hibberd 100%. He wouldn’t report it if it wasn’t verified and confirmed by the network.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Robert, I think Hibberd and Littleton are both trustworthy. I bet Littleton rushed the update. Thus the old info.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
And the end is near for Prison Break
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i85a08b80d9eabe09d144c69c15574339
November 12th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Man everybody is cleaning house. Why dump Prison Break now? Let them just shoot the last six episodes and tie it all off.
btw, any news on what NBC might air in place of MOWE? Do they have a new show? Or will they just burn off the episodes? Have to wonder if NBC isn’t making plans right now for how they’re going to combat House/24 come the Spring. I think they know FOX stands to beat them on Mondays with that combo.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
I’d love to know what NBC thinks will do better in MOWE’s timeslot. I would’ve at least kept it around and evaluated my options later. Cancelling that and renewing Kath and Kim when it’s dropped similarly is idiotic.
November 12th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
FrankJ, they still have those 6 episodes. These extra 2 hours are to “end,” the series on. To tie it all up.
November 12th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
MOWE was probably more expensive to produce than Kath & Kim. I just don’t see what NBC expected from MOWE when Heroes dropped so much. Hang on to 90-100% of the audience? Unless it’s a CBS procedural (and even those may get much smaller retention rates at 10pm as do WAT and EH), forget about it.
10pm shows simply do worse than 9pm shows. They are particularly vulnerable to increased DVR penetration because many people are catching up with their 8pm and 9pm shows at that hour. And of course fewer people watch TV at 10pm in general. Yes, MOWE’s numbers were pathetic, but is any replacement really going to do better? ABC can cancel Eli Stone, but with According to Jim as a lead-in, do they really think anything they put on Tuesdays at 10 is really going to do better?
As market segmentation and DVR penetration continue, we are approaching a point when MOWE’s numbers will be seen as average. Half of top-10 shows in America no longer exceed 15 million viewers for crying out loud. Broadcast networks are in for rude awakening.
November 12th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
MOWE just sounds like one of those shows where the whole show just revolves around the shock that he has another side; i think with a name like that people thought it was going to be so crap they just didn’t bother to watch. The Philantropist will replace the show on NBC’s mid-season; NBC seem to be going for drama on mondays this year (abeit Chuck is more of a comedy).
November 12th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
I just finished viewing the most recent repisode I recorded, come to the NBC web site for spoiler links mentioned at the end of the show and learn that NBC in its infinite wisdom has cancelled it. This is just idiotic! A clever premise, action, suspense, a good cast and great acting by Christian Slater …. why can’t NBC give the show a chance? The almighty numbers game and the omnipotent Nielsen ratings are a reason the old, big 3 stations have been losing viewers to other cable networks. Perhaps we’ll be lucky and one of those other networks will pick up My Own Worst Enemy!
November 12th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
And it also astonishes me that Life gets a full season order after failing miserably on two different days. It seems like NBC is drawing names out of a hat when it comes to determining what they’re keeping around. Beggars can’t be choosers, but they sure do hold onto their worst performing shows.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Oh, and I guess I can throw Knight Rider in as well as it’s doing far worse against absolutely no competition at all. Yeah, that’s three shows I’d cancel before this one. Another great call brought to you by the people at the No Brains Company!
I hope you’re right Susan, but I bet it won’t be long before someone comes and shoots your idea down saying nobody will touch the show. There’s a small chance, but a chance nonetheless!
November 12th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Oh, I loved LIpstick Jungle. No one was murdered, burned up, mutilated etc.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Vader, I don’t think NBC is drawing names out of a hat yet. Lipstick Jungle was strictly by the numbers. MOWE was also likely strictly by the numbers based on Monday’s performance. Life did do better last Wednesday, but based on literally a couple of data points, Life did trump MOWE. It seems like NBC is currently enamored with the notion of “crime night Wednesdays”, but it seems like only yesterday it was enamored with MOWE.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Another strike MOWE might have had against it was unfulfilled high expectations, similar to Bionic Woman last year. Lots of hype (and Olympic promotion), mediocre performance trending downwards, and see ya. Still, to yank it mid-year is a surprise.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Damn. I actually liked Lipstick Jungle a lot more than I thought I would. I viewed it for the fist time mid-season last year only because I am a Brooke Shields fan from way back when she did Suddenly Susan — and also because all the episodes were available online from the beginning at that time. Not sure why all the networks don’t just do that permanently for all their shows.
Anyway, gawd knows I am nothing like any of the characters in this series, and just from the description it didn’t sound like anything I would like, but once I started watching, I really got hooked. Damn. Damn. Damn. I had no idea it was in such trouble. Why? Is it really that costly to make? Was it really doing that badly?
I wonder if everybody was like me and just viewed LJ online only. NBC has really got to get with it in restructuring how it decides its cancellations. You would think LJ could be a money maker in the long run if they take online viewing into account. Anyway, I think it is a quality show with quality writing and acting. Too bad.
November 13th, 2008 at 1:19 am
I LOVED MOWE!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, I am so bummed! Christian Slater is such an awesome actor too. I would think it’s too soon to cancel it but what can you do?
November 13th, 2008 at 4:23 am
Well MOWE vs Life is pretty easy to answer- MOWE has big name which equals expensive talent. Life does not- and it is shot in LA and the NBC Universal studios in Burbank. I am guessing Life costs about half or even less what MOWE does to make and that the network owns the show outright retaining greater profit points than on the other show. For what to run in its place? Didn’t they order extra episodes of Medium? It starte out in the Monday late time slot- and could be a good fit returning to it.
As for Fox ordering more Prison Break- didn’t they can the Cherry Hill series? The networks are all looking at their big shows and working on how to get more episodes and less repeats to make up for how much was lost in last years writers strike. Also- with Dollhouse iffy they may be looking to make sure they can fill some holes in their schedule.
I thought Prison Break was supposed to end this year regardless- that the producers always arced it out as a 4 year run.
November 13th, 2008 at 4:39 am
Last year it was the next-best-thing-since-sliced-bread “Bionic Woman”. This year MOWE. Maybe the Peacock needs to spend a little less on mass promotion and more on hiring writers that can write a script to actually live up to the hype.
November 13th, 2008 at 5:21 am
“I thought Prison Break was supposed to end this year regardless- that the producers always arced it out as a 4 year run.”
From what I read its two episodes or a two hour movie. Yet to be decided. Whatever it is PB is coming to an end. It really needs to, and this is coming from someone who enjoys the show. If its about this Company playing their evil games with Brothers Burrows and their ‘con friends.’
Maybe this obesstion with 100+ episodes will change for broadcast network TV. Sure cable may be different but maybe the networks could learn from them and maybe teach the viewers something about quality over quantity. Lots of Sci-Fi TV from the 1960’s and even the 70’s still have shelf live even if they did not make it over the mark.
November 13th, 2008 at 5:39 am
I don’t get it. Keep BS like Kath&Kim and cancel MOWE even though numbers are pretty much the same. Do network execs have some sort of skill to always choose things that deserve it the least?
November 13th, 2008 at 6:29 am
I watch both Lipstick Jungle and MOWE and I really like them. I have watched the first season of LJ and when they moved it to Friday nights, I know it was coming becuase they ended the first season not knowing if they would start the second season. As for MOWE I really like that one. it is a mix of 007 and Mission Impossible… I will MISS both of these shows. NBC needs to give thier shows a chance to break out! I was a advicate Jerico fan as well!!! No more NBC shows for me once ER is off!
November 13th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Alde, Kath & Kim is probably much less expensive (half hour show vs hour show) plus it isn’t losing massive amounts of viewers in the demo from its lead in.
November 13th, 2008 at 6:50 am
I’m hoping there’s a chance NBC will let MOWE complete it’s 13 episodes and shoot a conclusion to the series instead of just yanking it off the air.
November 13th, 2008 at 6:53 am
I watched both shows and I really looked forward to Lipstick Jungle every week and was really getting into MOWE. Why bother watch network tv at all? They drop shows like hot potatoes every year. Do they even know that most people dvr the shows because they can’t watch it when it airs. Knight Rider sucks but I tried getting into and couldn’t yet it might get picked up? I don’t get it…
November 13th, 2008 at 6:54 am
“The role everyone’s talking sh*t about.”
November 13th, 2008 at 6:58 am
Yeah Carol, I hear you. Even though I like checking into blogs such like this to see the numbers, there’s never an ease for me with shows I like on network TV. There’s a constant sense of fear that they might end up disappearing. There’s very rarely such fear when watching basic cable/premium cable shows. For instance, Sci-Fi’s Sanctuary just got
picked up for second season, no questions asked.
November 13th, 2008 at 7:18 am
I love Lipstick Jungle!!! I can’t wait to see what is going to happen next. I want Nico and Kirby to actually make it work. I want Victory and Joe to get married. I want to see Wendy have more interaction with her children. It was really getting good. I have always watched NBC but now. I am going to buy the DVDs so I can watch it again. I hate that it was moved to Friday. I feel like something is now missing on Wednesday nights. Bring it back!!!!
November 13th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Good. I hate that c**t Brooke Shields.
November 13th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Anger management.
November 13th, 2008 at 7:49 am
I have to imagine this is fiscally driven. MOWE looks like and feels like an expensive show. The ratings, as noted will likely be deemed average looking back on it as we have more dvr penetration and more cable options, just do not support the money going out the door per episode. I liked Slater, but the show was only ok. Can’t someone find a way to involve him in a good ensemble show…..
November 13th, 2008 at 8:02 am
Alde, cable networks act on ratings too, Santuary has settled into being an average SciFi performer, and networks don’t cancel their average shows.
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/11/07/cable-show-ratings-for-mad-men-star-wars-clone-wars-sons-of-anarchy-its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-ghost-hunter-sanctuary-and-more/7776
November 13th, 2008 at 8:04 am
I think what may have been the final nail wasn’t even the numbers for MOWE, but the Monday night numbers in general. If Heroes was doing excellent numbers I would imagine MOWE would have been getting a bit of a bump. Nothing stellar, but enough to justify the cost and let the show breathe for a bit and try to grow an audience. In fact I think the only reason Chuck and Heroes have the numbers they have is because of those shows dedicated core audiences. There are no new viewers on NBC Monday nights. That’s why I’m really hoping the retooled Heroes and the Super Bowl promotion for Chuck does some good.
November 13th, 2008 at 8:06 am
You stay classy, 123. I don’t care about Brooke Shields one way or the other, but you could express yourself a little more politely.
November 13th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Not surprised about Lipstick Jungle, but MOWE is a little bit of a shock. I haven’t watched the show, but last I checked it was in the “renewal likely” area on the renew/cancel index. I don’t know why they’re keeping Life alive and dumping MOWE.
November 13th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Well Bill, you know what I mean. Ratings matter sure, but it is not the *only* thing that does, for them. Critical acclaim/awards also play a considerably high-profile role. For instance, Showtime picked Dexter up for *2* additional seasons even though (and I’m just guessing here as I don’t know ratings for earlier seasons) the ratings are pretty low this year. And not to speak about AMC and their excellent Mad Men…
November 13th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Ratings matter more than critical acclaim Alde, though perhaps that is less so with premimum cable like Showtime. But, Dexter is still one of Showtime’s highest rated show, and Mad Men *is* AMC’s highest rated show.
November 13th, 2008 at 8:38 am
About MOWE, personally I started to watch it because of Slater. Big screen actors gone TV have always intrigued me to a point. And so far I’ve liked what I’ve seen. Slater pulls off 2 completely different personas very well. And as has been suggested, show has great fast movie-like feel to it (which, allegedly could be something that drives a lot of viewers away).
It could’ve had much potential. All that goes un-used now. Sad.
November 13th, 2008 at 8:40 am
I still will be shocked to see PB cancelled before they get to 100 episodes.
The syndication money is just too big to ignore, as well as you have to have something to replace it with.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Since NBC has been made of ratings SUCK this season, I’d have thought they might keep MOWE at least through the spring. Even if it is taking a dive in the ratings. They need every little bit they can get. Unless they have a mid-season replacement they think will do better?
And MOWE has expensive little special effects and dismal turneout for the hype.
No surprise about Prison Break though. They’ve run that story line as far as it can go.
Be prepared for a flurry of mid-season replacements in the spring, I guess.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:51 am
I am sad for Christian Slater in his first TV series attempt. Given the ratings, the cancellation of MOWE is not a surprise. Given the NBC network’s current ratings position, though, I do find this decision a tad hasty.
I would expect as many SNL Primetime specials as NBC can possibly produce come Spring – the election may be over, but there’s plenty more politics in play through the new administration’s first year or so.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Bill, another thing I’d like to add is I don’t think the show was pitched properly. The ads they ran did not make me want to watch the show, but I read a review and caught the first three episodes on hulu which I enjoyed. Is promoting something two months before its premiere really effective? Maybe for movies, but I don’t see it for TV shows (Fringe being another good example). Even if you liked the ads, I don’t think tons of people would be able to remember when it came on because of such early promos.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Vader, I agree with you. Nothing about the promos made me think, “I need to check that out.” As for effectiveness of early promotion, I think the big story all the way around based on the numbers is how little impact (apparently none at all) all the NBC promotion while millions and millions were watching the Olympics had. Based on the numbers, no halo effect at all.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:00 am
WHAT?!?!
November 13th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Guys, I hate to break it to you, but this is bad news. MOWE would be that show you ended up loving eventually, causing you to say to yourself, “Why the hell wasn’t I watching this before?”
It’s a shame. I thought it sounded incredibly stupid, too, and I waited weeks to watch it on DVR. Then I did, and I couldn’t believe it but it was good. Then it got better. Unlike idiotic fringey shows that make everything about some stupid scientific premise or spy mythology bullshit, or even some lame group of super powered morons, this show used all that junk to tell actual stories. Well acted stories, with some solid characters. Like Buffy, which was obviously a much better show, MOWE was a methaphor driven show. The mythology side of things was a total non factor. Turned out the buy in on this show was very small if you actually watched it.
If . . .
If only NBC hadn’t dumped it behind Heroes, premiered it late, and then preempted it once before anyone had a chance to sample it. It’s now nearly Thanksgiving and MOWE just aired only it’s fourth episode!! NBC is run by brainless avatars. The No Brains Company. Starting shows at the end of October is not smart, especially when the show you are putting it behind has been bleeding viewers since mid-Sept, and has really been bleeding viewers for two years.
It’s a shame, because what makes a hit is a good show + solid management + work by the network to get people’s eyeballs. That work isn’t simply to run bullshit adds calling it a hit and leaving it at that. It’s about putting shows in decent timeslots (which these days means only 8 or 9 pm) with proper lead ins. Otherwise, it’s all luck, unless, of course, you want to run procedurals 24 hours a day. And getting the “good show” portion of that formula is the toughest part. If you luck out and end up with an actual good show, you should then go to the wall for it before ever letting it die. Move it, pair it with a better show, run it more consistently.
What you don’t do is air only four shows before Turkey Day and then throw your hands up in the air. That’s idiotic. Said it before, say it again, shows with far worse ratings, comparitively speaking, have been made into hits in years past by patient networks that new how to work a schedule. And nets are willing to try and make shows into hits going forward, then nets are going the way of the dodo. One instant hit a year spread over four networks is not the way to keep a business model alive.
Audiences have become splintered, yes, but networks have become incredibly lazy.
And I will bet you anything in the world that whatever NBC replaces it with will not get any better ratings. And that’s key, because these nets do not seem to ever ask themselves, “Do I have anything that will get better numbers?”
No, they don’t ask because they believe in the just throw crap out there and hope something finally sticks. Problem is, the stick ratio has been sinking like a stone the past few years.
First network to wake up and realize this isn’t 1988 wins.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Schmokey, that’s one of the best comments we’ve had in a long time. Plus, I LOL’d several times.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:25 am
People can bash CBS all they want, but that Network does a decent job with giving shows a chance and in picking up the right pilots and nurturing them. I hear a lot of attacks lately about “procedurals,” but if just making a “procedural,” was all it took to guarantee decent ratings then that is ALL we would see for the most part. The facts are that even a “procedural,” can be made poorly.
CBS has move some comedies around and did a good job of placing new shows in the best available time slots. Some shows just don’t cut it. “The Ex List,” didn’t cut it. “The Mentalist,” did. “The Eleventh Hour,” might.
I’ve hear rumor of CBS moving “Eleventh Hour,” to Friday’s Ex-List spot for one night to give it a dry test run. That kind of talk isn’t stupid. The fact that a Network considers it is good (because it might actually work there).
NBC on the other hand… is nearly the exact opposite. Talk about a Network with no clue what they are doing or how to do it… and NBC immediately pops into my head. NBC is just run by complete idiots.
I watched 3 episodes of MOWE last night because a friend shared your opinion. It’s not a bad show. In fact for NBC I’d say the show is quality wise in their top 4 or 5 easily. With the success of JASON BOURNE why on earth air it on Monday Nights at 10/9?
They move LIFE around and won’t let it die, when I’d be willing to bet that MOWE could pull better numbers on Wednesday at 9/8. Then again they picked up a full season of KNIGHT RIDER and right now that looks like the worst decision of the year.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Sometimes the frustration comes out, Bill. Sometimes the grammer gets left behind, too, I get so pissed and type so fast. What’s really odd is that MOWE is not that great of a show. But in this landscape, it’s frickin’ Hill Street Blues. I’m down to about 3 shows that I actually want to watch each week, one of which isn’t even on the air at the moment. Then there are a few shows I watch but don’t really want to watch, if you know what I mean. I watch them because there is literally nothing else on.
So now one of the shows I actually enjoyed and looked forward to is gone, and I think gone needlessly, and so it all sort of came out of a vent in my head in that post.
I just really think that with a better understanding of how and when to schedule, this show could have been, if not a hit, then at least a solid performer. Ben Silverman must really not know what he’s doing at all.
What I am saying? Of course he doesn’t. Witness Knight Rider. That’s probably the next show he’ll hype moronically.
“Tune in to hear Val Kilmer in the performance everyone is talking about!!!!!!”
November 13th, 2008 at 11:31 am
Very interesting points, Schmokey! You’d think NBC would have learned their lesson with the Nielsen-bomb-turned-megahit known as “Seinfeld.” It took 3 or 4 seasons to allow that gem to grow from nothing to a cultural icon. It still garners great ratings in syndicated repeats!
To put it bluntly, NBC acted like CBS on this one. “Scripted drama? Isn’t cracking the 10-million-viewer mark? DUMP IT!” That’s CBS mantra, and sadly NBC is following suit.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Nick C, I am tired of procedurals, I admit, but I don’t have an inherent problem with the format. I just meant that procedurals are easier to make work because they are less taxing on an audience, and because old people love them, and old people are the lion’s share of network audiences these days.
But procedurals are limited because they all tell the same story over and over and over again. They can be good, but they are almost impossible to make original. And when that is all there is left on television, then they will be really bad. I like chicken a lot, but I can’t eat it at every meal every day for the rest of my life.
Between them and reality TV, eventually network television will become a destination solely for the aged, the infirm, and the mentally deficient.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Clutz, that may be a fair analysis but it’s not accurate. Clearly NBC has set the bar at 5 million, not 10 million or Knight Rider and Life would already be off the schedule. On Monday, MOWE barely cleared 4 million. I definitely agree with many of Schmokey’s points that led to that result.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:40 am
As for KNIGHT RIDER, word is that they’re about to reach a deal with THE HOFF and the guy who voiced the original KITT to come back… and I hear BACK. Not as guests but to come back.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:44 am
“the guy” (original voice of K.I.T.T) is William Daniels who had some fame on St. Elsewhere back in the day, and then later was the teacher (Mr. Feeny) on Boy Meets World, plus tons of other stuff, I’m sure.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:46 am
That sounds like a good poll question. (or PTI Toss-Up question)
Bigger addition to help save Knight Rider:
1. The Hoff
2. The original voice of K.I.T.T. (William Daniels)
November 13th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Yeah the word is the “retooling,” for KR depends heavily on their ability to sign those two. I mentioned THE HOFF a week or so ago rumor somewhere on here. The William Daniels (thanks Robert) rumor is strong as well. Supposedly we wouldn’t ever SEE the original KITT but somehow he’d be communicating with THE HOFF via his watch. I’m sure that would be a gimmick until a special episode where Dad and old KITT come to the rescue of son and new KITT.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Bill, why would anyone want to save Knight Rider?
November 13th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Schmokey, because their original numbers weren’t “bad,” and show the potential for something more.
November 13th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I’m willing to bet that The Philantrophist won’t do any better in MOWE’s slot, whenever it might premiere (though, from the sounds of it, it may be a procedural-like show (guy helping people), anyway, so who knows).
November 13th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Robert, my numbers were askew as I was comparing NBC to CBS. CBS, IMHO, is very rash to dump anything that doesn’t clear 10 million viewers right out of the gate. NBC is showing the same rash-ness with MOWE; however, their ratings bar is set at about half where CBS would set it.
I expect that Life and KR may be showing more “buzz?” So those two will stick around through spring.
On a side note, didn’t MOWE premiere on a Wednesday or something like that? I watched the premiere. I liked it. When I attempted to tune in again – the show was gone! I don’t recall if that was due to pre-emption or a move to Mondays. I never remembered to tune in again(not a Heroes fan any more).
November 13th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Just so you guys are aware of how difficult TV is on people,,,
The cast and crew of MOWE were slapped with this news. They were not told prior to this being disclosed to the public. Couple hundred hard working folks, blindsided.
WTG NBC, Ben did you know?
November 13th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
OK, now I know Dirtysexyj is full of it. MOWE people knew on Tuesday morning. Who do you think leaked it to the media?
November 13th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Maybe the execs knew. Hey I will do some more interviews of departing crew and let you know what %$ actually were told the show was DOA.
CS took care of this crew, made certain they were treated very well. It did suprise me that the two crew members I gave my condolances 2 said THEY WERE NOT TOLD PRIOR TO THE NEWS BEING PUBLIC.
BTW Nick,
I emailed our exec , he said the FAKE , BOGUS, FAIL, schedule you and Travis YANAN cling to as fact is absolute BULL ***t.
Funny you say the news leaked yet many people, Gorman, Seidman, Krasnaw, doomyer, green were all suprised by the quick plug pull..
We are supposed to find out Tuesday about our show and you and others have already disclosed our cancellation , amazing
November 13th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
supposed cancellation , (edit)
We are going to get a Back 9 to yours and others dismay
November 13th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
dirtysexyj, are you talking about My Own Worst Enemy with “were all suprised by the quick plug pull..”? If so, yep, I was surprised it got the hook now. If not, what show were you talking about?
November 13th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
dirtysexyj, first a leak to THR, Variety, Futon Critic, etc. doesn’t mean something can’t be a surprise. It was a surprise to the people at MOWE on Tuesday morning, but they did know before the media.
I have no idea who Travis is, but the schedule is real. Which means you’re not. No executive would call that schedule fake, because they know it’s real. What kind of fan obsesses so much that they make believe they are part of the crew? Then think they interviewed members of an entirely different crew?
Also that Travis blog isn’t where the schedule was leaked. It was FUTON CRITIC.
DSM may get picked up. We know ABC doesn’t want to cancel all three shows.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Travis Yanan (not real name) is a poster on another ratings site DirtySexyJanitor litters on a regular basis. He works for (or with) an advertising agency, as I recall. Why he’s being brought up on another site that he has nothing do with and the people here are expected to automatically know he is, I have no idea.
And thanks for the laugh that the cast and crew of “My Own Worst Enemy” were “blindsided” by the news. Hilarious. I’m pretty sure anyone on that crew with an IQ in the double digits knew the end was near after the ratings for Monday’s episode came in.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Riff, by that logic Knight Rider and Life cancellation news should be coming in any second. Oh, but what’s this…NBC has given them both full season orders! Why? Who the hell knows? I can guarantee you they wouldn’t have to reboot the entire show in the latter half of the season like they would with Knight Rider. All I’m asking for is consistency. Lipstick Jungle put up numbers with an odor reminiscent to a rotting fish for way longer and even gave it a new timeslot to finish out its episodes. With My Own Worst Enemy, NBC aired it four times (over 5 weeks) and acted like it’s the only show they have that performs poorly in the ratings. Apparently, someone at NBC has a grudge Christian Slater or Jason Smilovic (why he keeps coming back to NBC is beyond me). It’s a good thing they have so many ratings monsters (AMERICAN GLADIATORS!!!) coming back in the spring. Oh wait, they don’t!
November 13th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Attention folks:
I work on a studio lot called PARAMOUNT. It is home to Kath and Kim, MOWE, Privledged, Dr. Phil,DSM, Nip Tuck, Everybody Hates Riff , oops err I mean Chris. Worst Week, Doctors, True Jackson, My Boys, ET, Bad Robot, There are many divisions but I work in TV, 90 hours per week.
Once again, this is real life, people just lost thier jobs, the question really did not have to be asked. It was clear from a multitude of crew members they were not made aware of cancellation prior to NBC announcing it to the general public.
After NICK C questioned me , I went back out , jumped in my DIRTY SEXY GOLF CART and headed to the set of MOWE on NY STREET. when I say the cast and crew was blindsided that is an UNDERSTATEMENT. If you like I can have the cast and crew of that show flood this blog with exactly how it went down. Why did I mention it???
Why is it so difficult to alert your crew that the show will not continue? In our case (Dirty Sexy Money) it is equivlant to being held under water, let up for a gasp of air then right back under, the breath is getting shorter and shorter between dunks.
After a 5 month strike most of the IATSE crew members are just catching up. Ratings are down and NBC is the most difficult Net to understand. While I am happy for my Kath and Kim neighbors, it makes no sense Life gets Life , Kit gets Life and Kath and Kim get Life but MOWE dies without proper notice.
The articles , rumors, even opinions here are hurting people. We all read the leaked ABC schedule and essentially lost hope. Many of you chose to ignore the human aspect of television production and fail to recognize the potential harm posting a show has been cancelled when no official announcement has been made.
In the case of MOWE, nobody really said it would be or was cancelled , the cast and crew AWOKE to the news. Riff and Nick, Cling to your insensitive style someday you will walk in the shoe my foot currently occupies.
November 14th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
DirtySexyJ, keep telling us your stories! They’re so amusing!
MOWE had a meeting Tuesday morning where everyone was notified. The press didn’t start leaking that news until later. So you’re full of it. Thank you, move on.
Vader, when KNIGHT RIDER was renewed the numbers were healthy. Since renewal the show has nose dived. LIFE on the other hand had better numbers than KNIGHT RIDER. So the idea is FIX KNIGHT RIDER (since you already ordered the episodes) and perhaps LIFE can continue to retain viewership.
MOWE was screwed that is for sure, but the numbers were worth cancellation. Right now KNIGHT RIDER numbers are worth cancellation. They have a plan though for KNIGHT RIDER. They’ve dropped 3 regulars and are in negotiations with 2 others to join and “save,” the show.
November 14th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
The folks I spoke to were Wardrobe , hair and makeup as well as the key grip and bb electric. They all claimed being UNAWARE of cancellation. Perhaps you and your elitist executive buddies had a meeting on how to hide the fact the show was cancelled to get the working crew to finish the last episode???
Bottom line is I speak to real live folks not fantasy blogger boys.
To the MOWE cast and crew.
We will miss you guys!! Good luck picking up a new show
November 14th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Vader,
Same reason I noted in another thread here. “My Own Worst Enemy” costs a lot of money. “Knight Rider” and “Life” do not. (”Knight Rider” costs next to nothing.) “Knight Rider” did maintain its premiere audience up until “Dancing with the Stars” and the CMA Awards pummeled the hell out of it. (As Nick noted, it was picked up before “Stars” and the CMA Awards pummeled the hell out of it.) “Life” built on its lead-in this week. “Worst Enemy” did neither of those things. And it cost a lot of money.
November 14th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
How do you know the costs of the shows? All you’re doing is speculating by effects you’re seeing. Knight Rider has dropped for no apparent reason (if you think people are leaving for DWTS, you are joking). Life gets a pass because of a poor leadin? It was performing like garbage on Friday and is still performing like garbage on Wednesday. If it looks and smells like garbage, it’s garbage. There is no competition at all of similar genres on Wednesdays unless you want to count CSI:NY. Law and Order airs then and outperforms both shows.
November 14th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Vader, KR is cheaper because FORD pays so much money for product placement. KITT has so far transformed into a Ford car, truck, suv, van, etc. The ultra cool sports cars were FORD GTs, and all bad guys appear to drive GM vehicles (which get wasted).
I think LIFE did better than LSJ on Wednesdays. I know LIFE did better than MOWE on Monday night. The last LIFE episode on Monday night had 5.7M viewers and a 2.3 in the 18-49 while MOWE had 4.25M viewers and was a 1.8 in the demo.
I’m struggling to figure out why LIFE got picked up. I know why KR was picked up. At the time the ratings weren’t bad. It was finished 3rd and ahead of ABC.
Lets see how KR does next week against PUSHING DAISIES. If it beats PD again then you can blame the bad ratings on DWTS and the CMA. That doesn’t look good though for when AMERICAN IDOL comes back.
November 14th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Dirtysexyj, you’re lying. Look it’s nice that you’re a janitor over at the lot. That’s nice. No one here believes that NBC didn’t notify MOWE about cancellation. They stopped production! They didn’t just go “hey did you see the TV? We’re cancelled! OK everyone stop making episodes! We’re done! TV and internet said so!”
The show’s production was halted, they were notified early Tuesday BEFORE reports hit the net and networks.
I also don’t believe anyone in wardrobe, etc. would tell a janitor anything.
November 14th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Vader, I’m not saying that Life is getting great ratings, but it is against Criminal Minds, which is serious competition in a similar genre.
November 14th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
I LOVE Lipstick Jungle, and I hardly like anything on television. It’s not as good as Sex & the City was, but it’s good, and Brooke Shields is great. I think she has matured as an actress and she rarely hits a false note. Hope everyone involved in the show isn’t discouraged. It’s clear from the comments here that many people are fans of LJ, so please, NBC, what would it take to get you to reconsider? I promise to urge people to watch … even on Fridays. I get … but don’t get … why NBC saves the worst shows, or ones with cult followings (I find The Office unwatchable, WISH I could stand 30 Rock, and omigod, I used to run screaming from Scrubs) and scraps shows with fervent followings that haven’t caught fire yet. I still haven’t gotten over American Dreams.
November 14th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Vibe, the three other NBC shows you mentioned have all performed well in the demos. (Well, 30 Rock didn’t prior to this season, but it won tons of awards for both of its previous seasons. And it still did better than what Lipstick Jungle does/did.)
November 14th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Julia, don’t forget that 30 ROCK also was a top 5 show in the over $100k income category. That actually matters.
November 15th, 2008 at 3:41 am
Vader,
Why are you taking it out on me? I didn’t cancel the show. I’m a huge fan of Mike O’Malley, and watched it just for him. His father, Tony, even sent me a few emails some years ago. But that’s the business. I’m sure Mike can tell you that himself. NBC canned his self-titled show in half as many episodes as they did this. He got over it, moved on, and was rewarded with a hit that ran 6 years.
As for how much the shows cost, I have it on reasonable authority. Along with the Nielsen island “Crusoe,” it was one of the lowest-cost freshman dramas. “Knight Rider” has a no-name cast commanding no-name salaries. (Less than no-name now that they’ve gotten rid of the one demi-name, Bruce Davison.) “My Own Worst Enemy” had a handsomely paid star. Gary Scott Thompson green screens everything. Smilovic doesn’t do TV cheap. That’s why his shows all die quick and other low-rated shows don’t. That, and because NBC grossly overestimates how well they’ll do when setting the ad rates for them. Both shows are partially deficited by car company product placement. (”Worst Enemy” had General Motors.)
“Life” did do better than “Worst Enemy” (Monday 10:00) and “Lipstick Jungle” (Friday 10:00). That is why it got picked up and not them. Of course, it’s doing worse than Smilovic’s “Moronic Woman” (Wednesday 9:00) — even after half that show’s audience deserted it. But, again, Smilovic doesn’t do TV cheap.
Do you remember NBC’s disastrous and legendary Fall ‘83 lineup? 9 new shows. All failed big-time. Which was the one that got dumped first? The one that cost the most money, “Bay City Blues.” Which was a very good show that got very good reviews. Meanwhile, the thoroughly dull drama “The Yellow Rose” and the absolutely unwatchable sitcom “We Got It Made,” which were slaughtered by the critics, got picked up for the season. That, too, was the business.
November 16th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I really REALLY like Lipstick Jungle and have watched it faithfully from the beginning. I don’t know what kind of ratings it’s garnered but moving it to Friday night seems like a death sentence. How come every time a well-written show with great characters that doesn’t involve reality show idiots, cops, lawyers or forensics doesn’t survive? In my opinion, LJ should be moved Sunday night and given a fair shot to develop a following. It really is a great show.
November 16th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
I cant believe it!!
finally an original idea, there are no desperate housewives and no crime scene investigators. Im disgusted! and disappointed!
I gave up on network Tv along time ago but renewed my hope of intelligent TV and charming and new characters.
It really is a different kind of show and Im going to miss it a lot.
November 16th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Riff, but WE GOT IT MADE, had a hot maid with no maid experience who for some reason seemed to always be in one form of undress or another.
November 17th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Yeah, it also had Joyce DeWitt as a man.
I suffered through more episodes of that clunker than I care to remember (when it was situated in between “Mama’s Family” and “Cheers”) and to this day, I still contend that it was Fred Silverman’s payback to NBC for firing him. Even the tacky opening credits — with the actors popping out of irons and dryers, all backed by computer graphics that weren’t even good by 1983 standards — were unwatchable. Just an awful show. And so of course it was a hit when it was on Thursday. Everyone should thank the ghost of Brandon Tartikoff for dumping it on Saturday, where it croaked.
The guy who co-created it had not done anything in years, and the other co-creator (who was his wife, as I recall) had NEVER done anything. It showed.
November 20th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
We almost never watch TV but MOWE sounded interesting and my husband and I are hooked. I can’t believe they are terminating the ONE show we actually watch! Is there not enough sex in it to sell?
November 27th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Dear Sirs:
I hear you are going to cancel My own worse enemy!?! Are you crazy!?! This show is fabulous. I look forward to seeing it every week.
I realize some people have not discovered this show yet, but come on; how much reality crap do we have to endure?
Please reconsider. Thank you.
December 7th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
The cancelling of My Own Worst Enemy is an example of why I rarely watch network programming any more. So many of my favorite shows have been cancelled that I’ve more or less given up on the mainline channels. Quite frankly, I just don’t get the popularity of “reality” shows and the newer sitcoms just can’t compete with the old classics like Get Smart and the Addams Family.
December 10th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
You know this is always the case. Everytime I love a show it dies. They canceled Journeyman now MOWE, Stargate Atlantis and, Cruseo. I’m so sick of this. I loved my Monday night, Chuck then Heroes then MOWE. Great TV! Now they took it away from me. When will the networks stop?
December 21st, 2008 at 6:04 pm
there is nothing but crap on tv anymore, shows that make you imagine and think, like my own worst enemy are quickly yanked off, intead junk like mamma’s boy will be put on, . i guess the saying is true for people who watch crap like this…” SIMPLE THINGS FOR SIMPLE MINDS”
December 21st, 2008 at 6:12 pm
What I find surprising is that two big name DVDs that were just released The Mummy and Wanted both contained ads for MOWE nearly a month after the cancel notice, which makes me suspect they may renew. Plossibly in a new time slot
December 21st, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Dex, more likely that the DVD production run happened before the cancellation. Far more likely. MOWE is done, the people working on it have been told, the mid season schedule is out, MOWE isn’t on it, etc…
December 22nd, 2008 at 11:01 pm
I am so pissed off over the cancellation of MOWE that I cannot even believe it. Who are these people any way. What do they do for a living? Do they sit around and watch My Mame is Earl or better yet American Dad? How about the Office. I would like to find out who votes out these things because I am never asked my opinion. I enjoy watching GOOD showes after dinner and all the chores are done. Every time I find one I get into it and it gets cancelled. That is so not fair.
I would like to know what i can do. Anything??? You can keep your stupid shows and leave the good ones alone. I hope MOWE will come back on a different network. My husband and I both liked this show. Thank you very much for taking that away. We need some new judges.
January 4th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
I can’t believe that everytime a good show comes on it is cancelled. In my opinion this was the best show I have seen in years. Christian Slater is one hell of an actor. This show will be missed by many.
January 6th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Has it occurred to anybody that NBC really doesn’t know how to measure an audience? All this talk of ratings and no one has any clue as to how many viewers are exclussively web-watchers! This is the same network that canceled Star Trek in 1966!
January 6th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
cynthia — it’s a nice fantasy for you, but it simply isn’t so. The truth is, NBC is much more accurately able to measure it’s online viewing than its television viewing. Unfortunately for Lipstick Jungle, it’s online viewing was not off the charts, and the networks really haven’t figured out how to make any money off of the shows online. Though the show does seem to wind up averaging ~40,000 downloads on iTunes, that’s only $80,000 per episode of revenue even before NBC splits with Apple. They make more than that in one 30 second spot of television — even for Lipstick Jungle!
You can see more about the online viewing and downloads via NBC’s TAMi report:
http://nbcumv.com/special/Tami23Dec08.pdf
January 6th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Cynthia, NBC is actually the only network that releases any info on web-watchers. The news isn’t good. Sorry.
January 6th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
And for once I’m too slow.
January 12th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I can’t believe they are cancelling MOWE.Last year they cancelled JourneyMan
which was on Monday night. Does not that tell them anything. Instead of
cancelling how about moving nights. You can’t put a new show on at the same
time of a long running show like CSI Miami and expect it to do good. Just
change nights and bring back Journey Man.
January 15th, 2009 at 6:06 am
This is exactly why reality shows get higher ratings. They don’t cancel them in the middle of the show. MOWE was the first show from NBC that I’ve liked for such a long time I sometimes wished I could remove the channel from my remote. It’s just in the way. Again, NBC chooses quantity over quality. That’s why they don’t have a steady and reliable audience. They didn’t even give MOWE a chance to be whatever it was going to be. I didn’t watch CSI when it first came out. Or Law and Order. But see how successful they’ve become? Time is the real factor in deciding if a show has the potential to make it and NBC dropped the ball, AGAIN, by not letting MOWE at least finish out the season. I’m going back to my boycott.
January 17th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
What BS this is. This show was really good(MOWE), great acting, suspense, action, even some emotinal issues for the women to deal with. They keep Kath and Kim cause of Molly Shannon and Lorne Michaels are tight from SNL, and I’ve tried watching that show, but besides it being utterly stupid, it makes no sense. I can understand about wanting to put a sitcom on, but at least make it funny.. MOWE, Journeyman, why are all these good shows being dumped after 1 season.. MOWE IMO, lived up to the hype. NBC blows
January 18th, 2009 at 5:15 am
They keep Kath and Kim cause of Molly Shannon and Lorne Michaels are tight from SNL
No, they keep Kath & Kim because it retains most of its lead-in and a half hour comedy is much cheaper to produce than a show like MOWE.