[TLC] took the highly unusual step of placing “Jon & Kate Plus 8” — one of cable’s highest-rated shows this year — on hiatus for more than a month. In an interview on Tuesday, TLC’s president, Eileen O’Neill, said the decision was made by TLC. [...]
Next Monday’s episode will be a clip show of the family’s happier times. When new episodes resume — the expected premiere date is Aug. 3
via NYTimes.com.
Well, while this makes almost no sense from a business perspective, and I’m sure the execs at TLC are pissing themselves that they have to do this, I’m pretty sure they have to from a creative perspective. The show is not shot in real time. The scenes of the house stuff was probably filmed a while back, while the one-on-one interviews were more recent. They need to dump all the footage of them together that they had and now shoot all the splitting up stuff.
Unless I’m totally wrong and they’ve actually been split up for months, but managed to hide it from the press (other than the vacation Kate took with the kids sans Jon, which I only know about thanks to the reading material my sister-in-law leaves in the bathroom.)
I guess it’s going to come back retitled as Jon & Kate plus child support.
TLC better be prepared for shutting the series down very soon. There’s likely going to be a judge ruling on at least temporary custody who may see the series as both Jon’s & Kate’s vehicle for engaging in open warfare on each other and order a halt to the show so they can’t do that and harm the kids any further.
This show has become a circus and has basically committed suicide! It’s not about the kids anymore. Too bad Anna Nicole Smith died, she would have made an excellent guest appearance with Kate.
After American Chopper, maybe Dog the Bounty Hunter or Bruno could have also did a show………
Hiatus….Yeah right
This show has been terminated, They” not be back!
~Lanie~
Ah, they probably have to cancel it. TLC will probably have to pick up My Name Is Earl to take it’s place.
@Lanie
Are you that naive to think that they will not bring back a show that just hit it’s highest rating ever.
It will be back. That I can guarantee.
There may be legitimate legal reasons TLC needs to back out now. For instance, the divorce hits the courts, TLC doesn’t need to see its staff dragged in for child custody witness testimony. Their danger grows exponentially if, somehow, child labor laws or child endangerment rumors gain steam in the rumor mill.
Given the ratings drop in the most recent episode, TLC might be getting out at just the right time now – before the show falls to absolute ratings loser territory. Yet if Jon and Kate somehow miraculously save their marriage and family, TLC can use the “hiatus” status to jump right back in, filming the feel-good story of the year
.
clarification – most recent pre-breakup episode had the ratings drop.
Clutz, there’s no way to avoid staff getting dragged into court as it is. Everyone and their mother knows that TLC has had camera crew with the family the majority of the time for the past few years, and no judge or lawyer would forget that just because the show isn’t currently being filmed right this second. And I guarantee you that it is being filmed right this second. They just need time to get the post-split footage and to edit it together and then put on the air.
Also, it’s important to note that 2.9 mil was still a pretty good showing for the show when you consider its previous season ratings. Not amazing, but certainly not bottom-falling-off bad.
I’m so done with this non reality reality show. I pray that Jon & Kate would just go off and take care of their personal problems without the whole world having access too. Kate needs to let the money go. Shame on her!
@Bernie
Yes I do beleive that J&K +8 are done!
This is going to turn very nasty and not in a scripted “Trailer Park” way, a real nasty bitter divorce that is a too huge a liability to TLC.
TLC won’t risk it.
~Lanie~
Risk what? Millions in ad revenue from huge ratings? So what if some of their advertisers get pissy. There are more than enough advertisers available for that sort of show who would be glad to pay a premium for the number of eyeballs they would get if this really does turn nasty.
I’m with Julia, TLC will do everything in its power to keep the show going until the ratings indicate otherwise.
Cool, a site where you can actually disagree with an owner/moderator and not get banned! Guess it is a wait and see, but why the Hiatus?
~Lanie~
Lanie, I think Julia covered probably the main reasons for the hiatus earlier. Now that real life has caught up to “tape delayed” show life, they can’t really show all the footage shot of the happy (at least somewhat) family that they have in the can, it would just not work. They’ve got to shoot entirely new “breaking up” shows that track the reality.
As for disagreeing with me, join the club!