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Fall Finale Madness

December 01, 2006

On Monday night, you'll see the last episode of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" -- until it comes back sometime after the holidays. This has been happening a lot lately, and to some of the top rated shows on TV. "Jericho," Lost," even "Heroes" are all going on extended break. What's up with that?

There’s been a lot of talk on the brilliantbutcancelled Community Board about something the networks seem to have invented this year. You may have noticed that a few of your favorite shows have been airing what is being called a “Fall Finale.”

Here’s the deal: November sweeps is over and viewing traffic plummets. (People are shopping and going to holiday parties... so they aren't watching a lot of TV.)

So the networks put their best episodes forward at the end of November and then everyone goes on vacation. This generally happens every year, a week or two before the holidays get under way, for several reasons.

1.) The networks have holiday programming they play to adjust to the shifting holiday schedules of it’s viewers.
2.) The networks don’t want viewers to get behind on their viewing, and you don’t want you to miss important bits of your favorite shows. While you’re traveling, shopping, and stuffing yourself full of cookies, you don’t have to worry that you’re missing what’s happening to the cheerleader on “Heroes.”

This has happened for years, it’s just that this year, most networks have realized they can stretch the time that shows are on break. Why this year? Two words: Streaming Video.

The technological advances seen in just the last few months have helped networks to stream all sorts of original content on their websites. And so a show can safely go off the television airwaves, live for a period of time on the website, and safely come back.

So, if you’re jonesing for your favorite show, check it out online. Chances are the network your show belongs to has been posting a whole host of entertaining content you’ve not yet seen. It’ll give you something to look forward to this holiday season, instead of the usual re-runs of “A Christmas Story” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

CBS Cancels "3 Lbs"

November 30, 2006

In one of the fastest cancellations we’ve seen on the DeathWatch so far, CBS has pulled the “brain surgeons disagree about a lot of things” drama from the air after only three showings. That’s a pound a week!

The show seemed to have been doomed from the beginning. Its debut grabbed a pitiful 2.9 rating. CBS had high hopes for the second episode, which came in at a 2.7. By Tuesday, the ratings had dropped to a 2.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

Even the critics had it out for this show. The Time’s Allesandra Staley had this to say:

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Remote Roundup: “Big Day”

November 28, 2006

The best way to describe “Big Day,” (debuting tonight on ABC) is the way that we’ve been referring to it around here: “It’s like ‘24’ except it’s about a wedding and there are no spies or bombs.”

Even ABC can’t resist describing it this way on their website. The show stars Marla Sokoloff (ABC's "The Practice") and Wendie Malick ("Just Shoot Me"), as well as a few other other notable “good-to-see-s/he’s-still-working” actors. And as previously explained, it takes place at a young couple’s disastrous wedding. We wish there was anything else to say about it.

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ABC Puts “The Nine” to Bed

November 27, 2006

For a show that built its premise around the repercussions of a 52-hour hostage crisis in a bank, "The Nine" didn’t generate much intrigue. The tagline for the show was the question: “What happened in there?” The answer turned out to be, “Who cares?”

Over the holiday weekend, when most had stuffed themselves full of turkey and stopped paying attention, ABC quietly announced that it was placing the critically-acclaimed but poorly-reviewed drama "on hiatus." Here at the DeathWatch, this translates to “coma.”

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