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October 13, 2006
We're interested in what you have to say about ABC's "Ugly Betty." This show started out on the Deathwatch at number 2. It's premiere was the highest rated show of the fall season. (10.6 -- 16 million viewers!)
The show currently sits at number 6, with cancellation odds of 20:1. Viewers have remained silent on the import-rejiggered-for-American-audiences. But critics are raving. Last night's episode did a solid 9.3 rating and came in second behind "Survivor: Cook Island."
We're officially opening up the floor to comments. What do you think about "Ugly Betty?"
We asked.You answered. Viewer take on NBC's "30 Rock" was pretty strong. And, we hate to say it because we love the building and our bosses (and our parent company and our jobs), but you guys really didn't like it.
Some excerpts:
Jack: "Sucked -- isn't Baldwin overdue for leaving the Country?"
TVTed: "Was this show supposed to be funny? It wasn't."
Shannon: "So many great people. Such a sucky show. How does that happen?
Cray: "If episode number 2 isn't any better, 30 Rock will be on an E-ticket ride to the top on deathwatch. It was one of the worst shows I've seen of late."
In fact, out of all the comments, only two were positive. And even then, there were caveats.
Erica: "I definitly think Alec Baldwin was the shining star in the show, however Tracy Morgan was a close second. I thought tough that Tina Fey's acting was less then stellar."
Our take: We work in 30 Rock, right down the hall from Saturday Night Live, and so it's fun to watch a fictional show that takes place on (a set made to look like) the floor that we work on. We worry that this might be the main problem with "30 Rock." It's hard to care about a workplace drama/comedy. Especially when it all feels like an extended SNL sketch.
We're big Tina Fey fans and definitely want her to succeed, and we laughed out loud several times at Tracy Morgan's "straight up mentally ill" character. Plus, we applaud any show that refuses the use a laugh track.
But, maybe it's a little too close to home (er, office) for us to judge.
October 12, 2006
The Tina Fey/Alec Baldwin comedy premiered last night. So, what did you think of "30 Rock?"
We're talking about it here -- and not just because NBC is our parent company or that we work at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. And that's all we'll share for now, because we're more interested in what you have to say.
As far as the stats are concerned -- "30 Rock" was at Number 17 on the DeathWatch last night. After it's premiere, it dropped to number 16 and scored a 5.5 in the ratings. Everyone was clobbered by "Dancing with the Stars" last night -- but "30 Rock" was also beaten by the apocalypse drama "Jericho" (which DeathWatch has ranked at number 7).
First impressions? You tell us!
October 11, 2006
BBCancelled: Comatose. And before that, "Happy Hour" was number one in the Deathwatch sweepstakes to be killed first. But did it deserve to die so soon? Yes.
"Happy Hour," the new FOX sitcom, has a rare distinction. It possesses the most obnoxious laugh track ever. It’s as if the producers sat in the editing room and goosed each line with laughter. And it’s not just ordinary laughter: They skipped over the “polite titter” and “gentle ha-ha” buttons on the machine and went straight for the guffaw.
It’s the sitcom equivalent of the online abbreviation “LOL,” appearing after each and every line.
There’s nothing new here (besides the abuse of the laugh track). Nice guy Henry Beckman (John Sloan) loses his entire life in one morning: His girlfriend, Heather (Brooke D’Orsay) breaks up with him, causing him to lose his apartment with her and his job with her uncle. He moves in with a sleazy, alcohol-obsessed roommate, Larry (Lex Medlin), in the same building and ends up taking a job with Larry’s friend, the “been around the block a few times” Amanda (Beth Lacke), whom he also sleeps with. Rounding out this group of totally unlikable characters is the uptight couple who visits from time to time, the shrewish Tina and her fiancé, wimpy Brad. (Every bad sitcom has a shrew and a wimp as a couple, right?)
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After yesterday's giddy and rapid DeathWatch movement, there was plenty of excitement and speculation over what might happen today. Would "The Class" finally move into the number one soon-to-be-cancelled spot? Would "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" crash into the top ten? What's the next big mover?
And then nothing. No movement.
Last night was a bevy of old standards, with "Dancing with the Stars" and "Law and Order: SVU" leading the night. We sat here all day waiting for even a hint of cancellation. And nothing.
With only two more shows to premiere (tonight NBC will premiere "20 Good Years" and the much anticipated "30 Rock"), the Fall season seems to have hit it's stride. Still hated: "Men In Trees" and "Help Me Help You." Clear winners: "Heroes" and "Shark," which are both burning up reviewer keyboards.
So, we thought we'd take advantage of a slow news day to ask the DeathWatchers -- which returning shows this season deserve to get the axe? Are you as big a fan of "Nip/Tuck" as we are? Are you getting tired of the CSI franchise? And, is it sacrilege to say "Lost" needs to start answering some questions?
Leave a comment, and we'll discuss tomorrow. Until then, keep voting!
October 10, 2006
We at the DeathWatch decided it was time to watch the first three episodes of “The Class.” So we did. Back-to-back. With pizza.
Our review: It is a far cry from “really good” or “must see” television, but it is watchable if you’re not in the mood for anything too “thinky.” “The Class” is an ensemble comedy with a large mythology and intricate story line, two things that often require a lot of work. Despite the fact that the writers are interested only in the laughs, we actually decided that it might survive a while.
And then …
By this morning, “The Class” had dropped to number three on the DeathWatch. As the day went on, it found its way to number two. The odds of cancellation now rest at 7:1, and at the rate it’s dropping, it will likely overtake “Men in Trees” by morning as the number one soon-to-be-cancelled show.
“The Class” scored a 3.9 in its timeslot last night, which is a 37% increase over last week’s ratings. CBS is clearly interested in keeping “The Class” around. They’ve switched it to 8:30pm, and lined up a lead in from the sophomore comedy “How I Met Your Mother.”
TVWeek.com is calling CBS the winner for Monday night. CSI: Miami tied NBC’s “Heroes” for the number one spot, with both shows earning a 5.9 rating. We’ve been watching “Heroes” closely, as it sits at the very bottom of our cancellation list, with odds at 472:1. Some are calling it the best new show of the season.
“Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” fell three places to number 15 overnight on the DeathWatch. This marks the first time that “Studio 60” has been placed out of the bottom five. Viewers seem to be losing faith in the show, while it’s ratings have improved slightly (It premiered at a 5.0, last week it scored a 3.5, this week a 3.8).
We’re holding our breath for tomorrow night’s premieres of both “30 Rock” and “20 Good Years” – both of which have been doing well on the DeathWatch. Do viewers have faith in these shows? Or is it just that they haven’t aired?
Dear DeathWatchers:
There have been some questions on the message boards, so we thought we'd take a moment to clarify:
To date, four iPods have been awarded. We'll post a list of all winners here at the site at the end of the contest, as laid out in the rules.
We like to think the fun is in playing -- but we also realize it'd be nice to have an iPod (wish we could play). So an iPod is awarded every week, whether a show is cancelled or not. If nothing is cancelled that week, everybody who voted is eligible for the drawing.
Remember -- you can change your vote as many times as you want to during the week. But only your last vote counts.
Thanks for playing!
October 09, 2006
An exciting Monday for TV watchers.
Going into the weekend, DeathWatchers had written in to tell us that “Justice” was pulled from its Wednesday night spot, and were wondering if it had been cancelled.
TVWeek.com is reporting that actually, Fox pulled “Justice” to make room for their new game show “The Rich List” wherein contestants … really, who cares?
“Justice” sits at number 8 on the DeathWatch (odds are 29:1). Fox will now show it on Monday nights at 9pm.
Meanwhile, the much-bemoaned “Vanished” has been bumped from that same Monday night spot and moved to … oh dear, Friday nights. This is the DeathWatch equivalent of being moved into intensive care. A lot of shows go to Friday night to die. Perhaps Fox is planning an end to the possibly-ironically-named show.
“The Class” on CBS took another dip to land at number four on the Deathwatch this morning. CBS believes in “The Class,” and is trying to protect it, but there's no getting away from those sadly disappointing ratings.
Meanwhile, DeathWatch "first to go" pick -- “Men in Trees” came in third for the hour on Friday night. It scored a 2.1 rating, and finished behind both "Dateline NBC" and “Close to Home” on CBS. The ratings for the Anne Heche dramedy have begun to reflect the DeathWatch odds (3:1).
So when will it go?
Our office gossip here at BBCancelled.com is all about an article at Broadcasting and Cable, which had some interesting tidbits about “Friday Night Lights.”
Over the past week, the small-town football drama climbed to number 15 on the Deathwatch. It made its way up from number 13 last Monday. NBC has faith in “Lights,” with plans to show the first three episodes during their “Sunday Night Football” hiatus. (Odds of cancellation 99:1)
We’ve gotten a lot of interesting comments on the community board this weekend, that you can check out here.
Keep watching, keep voting, keep trying to win a video iPod! Four have been won! Will you be next?
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