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NBC Cancels "Southland". Jay Leno to Blame?
In a piece of hugely depressing news, Southland creator John Wells announced yesterday that NBC has canceled the cop drama before it even had a chance to air its second season. Via The Hollywood Reporter Wells said:
The Hollywood Reporter speculates that part of the blame falls on The Jay Leno Show now occupying all of the 10 PM timeslots during the week when more gritty programming tended to air. THR reports that while many higher ups at NBC supported the show, after watching the first episodes from the second season, they decided that the content was too dark for broadcast television and pulled the plug. For gay viewers, this marks the loss of one of the more intriguing and well-rounded gay characters on television. Officer John Cooper, played by Michael Cudlitz (pictured above right with Ben McKenzie), was an out gay cop, only the second to ever be portrayed on network television. He was a gruff, no nonsense character and was truly something new. It's sad we might not get to see more of him, but seems emblematic of a network that has apparently lost its way. Ironically, last season NBC also axed another promising gay character when it canceled Kings due to low-ratings.
The decision may come back to haunt NBC as Leno's show continues to slide in the ratings and the network's lack of a clear vision, or even a backbone, may soon reduce the Peacock Network to a plucked chicken. UPDATE: Apparently Michael Cudlitz was already upset with the network over how they were — or weren't — promoting the show.
Submitted by on Thu, 2009-10-08 19:22. |
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Common consensus
Common consensus I'm reading elsewhere is that it's a perfect fit for FX in tone, but FX has a full development schedule.
I tend to agree it would fit well on FX or TNT. I just don't know if they have room and money. USA seems unlikely, their fare is generally lighter, and it's in the NBC Universal family. The THR report makes it fairly clear the producers are pissed.
I'm going to miss John Cooper if they don't find a new home. I've been a big supporter of the character since the beginning.
unbelievable!
Network
The networks...
The networks just want to fill their slates with talk and reality. Actual scripted shows are falling increasingly out of favor.
However, Leno is not a substitute for me, and I don't watch him on any night of the week. So really all this does is mean that I won't be watching NBC.
Save Southland
Leno's ratings
Leno's ratings are sagging, but apparently NBC is hoping that the Letterman scandal will provide a boost. In reality, I don't know that anchoring too many nights with the same thing is the way to save the network in the long-run. Not only does OD'ing on talk weaken their lineup overall, but I don't think it will hold the DVR crowd either. Nor will people be big downloaders of talk, to say nothing of virtually no market for DVD sales.
If their fear is that programming like Southland is too "dark" then they really are doomed to go down in flames in the face of the cable networks. Standup comedy and celebrity guests are not going to pull viewers away from more exciting fare.
But I guess NBC is looking only at the short-term and talk and reality are cheap, and thus easier to profit from, even if in the long-term it causes them to hemorrage viewers.
Not sure how Letterman scandal will help Leno
For one thing, Leno and Letterman are no longer in direct time slot competition. Conan O'Brien would be the beneficiary but only if Letterman actually goes off the air. As things stand, it's Letterman's ratings that have improved due to the scandal as folks wonder what he might say from night to night.
I mentioned in another thread that I had watched one episode of the new Leno show and that was enough. It's really no different from the old Leno show other than Jay having a new hair style and a new set. NBC seems to believe that there's a large tv audience clamoring for a talk show in the 10 pm slot 5 nights a week. I'd like to see the marketing data from the focus group that helped NBC suits come to that wacko conclusion.
If only NBC had the balls to admit their lame strategy back in the summer before other networks had set their schedules for the fall. When they axed Medium, CBS was more than happy to pick it up. Fingers crossed that Southland will have a similar fate but nixing the series just prior to its scheduled season premiere makes it extremely difficult to shop to other networks.
The irony of NBC's talk show strategy is that a large number of prospective guests on shows like Letterman, Conan, Leno etc., comes from tv shows. And networks like to promote their own shows, hence we tend to see NPH on Letterman, Tina Fey on Conan. With fewer and fewer scripted shows airing on NBC, Leno, Conan and Jimmy Fallon will end up promoting competing networks' shows more than their own, 'cuz I just don't see anyone avidly tuning in for interviews of Dateline correspondents and reality show contestants.
NBC is in a death spiral of its own creation. When it eventually expires with a whimper, who will be left to shed a tear?
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I didn't get that either. How will the Letterman scandal help Leno?
The working theory
The working theory appears to be that audiences crave talk shows in general, just as they are believed to crave reality shows. In this regard, one can develop the belief that if people are turned off by another talk show host, even in a different time slot, they will still crave a talk show as part of their viewing schedule and make the necessary adjustments to fit at least one in. It's the same reason the success of some leading reality TV shows have resulted in mass-saturation of reality shows across the channel spread.
It doesn't need to be logical. The networks have been behaving self-destructively for a while now. Obviously many people may over-saturate. In addition to nighttime talk you also have to immensely popular world of daytime.
If Ellen, Oprah and The View are reeling in celebrity guests during the day it remains to be seen if the pool of available interesting guests will be large enough to work a circuit of network talk shows spanning both day and night hours. Even if, for example, Letterman were to somehow be chased off the air in disgrace (unlikely) it wouldn't open up the market much.
Additionally, cable can obviously compete here as well. John Stewart and Stephen Colbert are both a lot funnier than Conan, Letterman and Leno and also draw viewers in this crowded overlap market.
So I personally think NBC is being extremely stupid. Rather than trying to stand out they're trying to blend in. But it's not clear that this is a path to success, or even survival. In all the years I've watched TV I mainly watched NBC for sitcoms primarily and dramas secondarily. I never watched them for talk or news. So obviously a Leno-heavy schedule isn't going to lure me in now. And I suspect the same is true of a lot of people.
WHAT!!!!!!!!!!
I am pissed. The peacock network finally gets a decent drama with serious material and they dump it. Its fine to say that Southland would do better on cable, but I don't have cable. I was really looking forward to this show. It was good. (Sooooo much better than "Trauma".) They cancelled it for a stupid reason. Jay Leno can be on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Southland can take a Thursday night spot. Jay Leno is going to run out of guest soon anyway with boycotts for CBS, ABC, and FOX actors. UGH.
Dear network that gave me Will & Grace...
Typical NBC...
I like the rest of John Wells' quote here (from August):
It really is a shame that NBC would take crap shows over quality writing. I do hope that Southland finds another home on another network.
NBC is asshole of a day!!!
Southland
I am sad for the people who worked on or just enjoyed watching Southland. But I also can't help but wonder if the elimination of another gay-popular direct timeslot competitor may help Ugly Betty survive.
There's more consideration than just straight ratings in Leno's survival. It's cheaper, so can survive on lower ratings. And I remember a lot of insider commentators declaring when the idea was announced that the real deciding factor would be how it delivered viewers to the late night talk shows. I haven't heard any follow-up on that.
Still, I agree that I wish it would be replaced with 5 shows, at least some of which I might enjoy. But even if it gets cancelled, instead of going back to pricier dramas, it may be replaced with game shows, reality shows, or weekly talk shows in a different format. It's hard to say.
Leno
From what I've read the initial results aren't promising. Ratings at 10PM are down, ratings for the local news at NBC-owned stations are down and The Tonight Show's ratings are also down.
If the numbers for the local news carries over to affiliates, that could be very dangerous since that would tempt affiliates to move Leno out of prime time (most likely, airing the news at 10PM followed by Leno then Conan). For affiliates, the local news is a major source of revenue and losing viewers there won't be accepted for much longer than required. Sure, NBC will likely play hardball with any affiliates look to move it but the cautionary story of KRON-4 (the former Bay Area affiliate that lost its affiliation after a lengthy, adversarial relationship) loses its sting with results like this, where being an NBC affiliate has smaller rewards.
And Leno hasn't been on long enough to say if this has affected bookings for the rest of the late night lineup.
Most believe
Well speaking personally...
Well that's just awful
It was a really interesting show, and the cast is teriffic.
Full dIsclosure: I know the show's creator, Ann Biederman. She's a true original and One Fabulous Babe!
My goodness, everybody send letters!
So let me get this straight...
So... If something were to happen to the lovely Mr. Leno... a "misfortune" of some kind... we would get this fantastic show back? Well, I guess I'll just have to...
Oh, who am I kidding? I do not even have the resources to get into America, let alone do anything there.
Still, I am CHEESED.
It seems like NBC are
It seems like NBC are actively trying to suck at this point.
And it does seem almost spiteful to wait this long to axe it, leaving them in a bind about shopping it to a new network. If it gets picked up, we probably won't see it until midseason.
I'd recommend writing actual letters and phoning, instead of emails. Email is far to easy to ignore.
All I can say is UGH. Are
All I can say is UGH.
Are they going to air any episodes or is it just going to go kaput if someone doesn't pick it back up?
When they announced that
When they announced that Southland was going to be on at 9:00, I thought that was a bit odd. That's very much a 10:00 show. But, I was hoping they were going to make it work. Although not a huge surprise, this is very disappointing! I can't believe good shows like this are being cancelled, so they can keep showing that mess of a Jay Leno show, that NO ONE is watching!!! Bad move NBC.
"Open up your mind and then open up your heart. And you will see that you and me aren't very far apart." - Blessid Union of Souls
Best Way to let NBC know they suck?
Go to NYC and hold protest signs at "Today" show
Ratings rules don't apply
The ratings for Jay would have to PLUMMET to the great depths before NBC would consider cancelling this show. It would be profitable with Dollhouse-like ratings. I wouldn't count on that time slot opening up any time in the near future. It's unfortunate, but....
I'm bummed about Southland.
DVD sales vs Leno's sinking ship.
Funny you should mention the DVD sales because I was thinking that might be all that saves Heroes til the end of the season. I mean knowing they can make money off the DVD's and syndication helps keep a show that is on the fence alive.
I thought the idea of Jay Leno in the last hour of prime time was not worthy of the hype. I mean really if you were going to watch it then wouldn't you have waited an hour and a half later? I think the only thing that has kept his rating from hitting rock bottom is the momentum from having Kayne on the first night and the fact that it has been loaded with stars since.
I had read that they were hoping to catch some of Letterman's viewers. I think that they are over estimating the impact of the David Letterman scandal. Yes, when women were polled they said they were going to stop watching but are women going to tune into Leno instead? I don't think so and more importantly - they seem to forget- THEY MOVED LENO UP AN HOUR AND A HALF - so they aren't on at the same time.
I also think it is interesting, as a social scientist, that they didn't ask these same women if they were regular viewers of the Letterman show. I don't think asking soccer moms outside of Fresh Market is giving you an accurate reflection of Letterman's audience and that means that the poll is worthless except to get a sound bite.
I'm with you on the DVD sales though. They are going to regret losing Southland and Medium.
As it stands the only scripted shows NBC has are the Law and Orders (which seem likely to move to USA), Parks and Recreation, Community, Mercy, Trauma, Heroes, and the Office. According to TV by the Numbers only The Office, Community, and Heroes are safe from being cancelled.
On the bright side it seems a new season of The Apprentice is in the works. LOL
Well, they also cancelled "Earl" and lost "Scrubs" to ABC
Sounds like someone in programming has no idea what they're doing, or they're so penny-wise pound-foolish right now kissing Leno's tush that they're not even thinking logically. (The only thing that saved "Friday Night Lights" was the deal with Direct TV.) "Real" shows like "My Name is Earl" "FNL" "Scrubs" and "Southland" are more expensive to produce than Leno's blabfest, but they also make the network and producers money on the back end via syndication and DVD sales. These shows could've theoretically been running for the next 20-30 years, continually generating revenue.
But IMHO, the corporate owners at GE are only interested in immediate monies, which means no time to build an audience anymore. They want huge shares and overnight smashes to fatten the bottom line, and patience is a thing of the past. ("Seinfeld" flailed along for almost 2 years before it took off, and "Friends" needed a good six months to catch on. "Cheers" was almost cancelled during its first season, until it was shored up by "The Cosby Show" and "Family Ties.")
Tina Fey's grim joke at the Emmys about the end of network TV is starting to look like a prophecy--it's a bloody miracle "30 Rock" is still on the air, all things considered. And if you look at the ratings, almost every drama on network TV is now a crime show or procedural. Family dramas such as "Brothers and Sisters," like adult romances/dramas at the movies, are in very, very short supply. And the dumbing down of America continues.
Why would anyone want Southland on FX?
Jay Leno is the Death Knell of NBC
NBC was already dying but their scheduling of Jay Leno every weekday night at 10 has proven to be a stupid move. Even their most successful drama, Law and Order: SVU has suffered in its new time slot.
If I were a serious actor, I would try not to be on an NBC show. I am so looking forward to seeing Lauren Graham back on TV in Parenthood but the show seems doomed because it's on NBC.
Help fight the good fight
The fans are angry and we are banding together to let NBC know that enough is enough.
Join us and voice your frustrations over Southland's cancellation www.Twitter.com/SaveSouthLAnd or @SaveSouthLAnd
Other links:
Twitition: http://twitition.com/n3tvb
Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/nbcsouthland
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=171360942974&ref=ts
Please join the fight and let NBC know that they have gone too far!
Peacock, we are done professionally.
It's almost funny: I'd boycott NBC, but they just cancelled the only show I had any interest in watching on their network.
I sincerely hope someone picks up Southland. I miss Cooper something awful. :(
Why doesn't anybody tell the truth?
Virtually everybody who has ever worked in network television will say the real problem is that Jeff Zucker is one of the dumbest, most creatively retarded executives to ride the Peter Principle to riches and more riches. Once he and his buddy Jay Leno decided this was the most brilliant move in the history of television, he couldn't back away. Just take a look at his insane idea to put on one of the most annoying people in TV, Conan O'Brian, to replace one of the most beloved. And look at what he has allowed Bravo to become. NBC - Universal has become nothing more than a platform for promoting their other unfunny TV shows and cut-rate movies. I have never even found 'The Office' funny. The 'Southland' cancellation was expected months ago. They used to ask me to participate on a panel of 'industry experts' every week. That's gone by the wayside too. I guess they got sick of people telling them how bad the shows are. And don't even get me started on yet another franchise, 'SNL,' they have now ruined. Just another reason to watch quality television on AMC, NatGeo, and FX.
Boycott?
Well, I would boycott NBC if I watched any of their other shows.
Southland
Where is Ross the Intern anyway?
With Ben Silverman now gone it is Zuckerman's time to finally fail. He should have stayed at TODAY.
That's all I am saying...
INSIDEGUY
NBC is getting from bad to worst...NBC is "NO BRAINS CHANNEL"
All the people who watch Jay at 11.30 pm are being forced to watch Connan. They will just turn off their TV when they see Connan. The people who watch Jay are either busy or asleep at 10 pm when he have his show. The people who watch their favorite 10 pm show will turn off their TV or change channel when they see Jay.
NBC - "No Brains Channel" don't you see what is going on? People are of habit and we watch Jay for 10 plus years at 11.30 pm...now we just turn off our lights..and go to sleep.
They do not need to spend millions trying to figure that out...just common sense..DUH!!!