So, we’re about a month into a new television season and, frankly, things are looking okay. Save for the cancellation of CW’s The Beautiful Life: TBL (which was produced by Ashton Kutcher, so you knew it was going to be canned), most of the new and returning shows are doing okay (except for Dollhouse, which is really an entity unto itself). We’ve even had some full season pickups come out. In fact, I’ve heard Glee has been renewed for the next five decades!
However, this only pertains to CBS, ABC, FOX, CW, the Spice Network, and most of the other global television networks. NBC, on the other hand, is going in reverse. Instead of giving full season orders to their new programs, they’re actually pulling a FOX and canceling shows before they premiere. Case in point: Southland. After drawing solid numbers in the former ER slot last season, and being renewed for this season, the network has decided to cancel the John Wells-produced program even before it aired its first cold open. Instead, they’ve decided to air episodes of Dateline in its place.
Idiots!
Here’s network television, struggling to do something relevant in the ever-growing field of cable programming and high-quality web series, and NBC is trying to put an end to it all by pulling a stunt like this. They can really say that Dateline is pulling in higher numbers than a show that hasn’t even aired? Does Jeff Zucker, head muckity at UNBC, hop into his souped-up DeLorean to see what the results will be?
This is just another example on how NBC really doesn’t give a crap about television anymore. Well, about programming a network. Getting the money from the shows it now airs… well, that’s a different story. Sure, The Jay Leno Show could be sinking and dragging everything down around it in the process, but the pricey network executives don’t care because the advertisers are still buying time and the money tree is still producing twenty-dollar-bills.
However, that will not last forever. Especially if viewers really start leaving the network in droves. No matter what Zucker and the other NBC execs say, ratings still drive revenue. And, when you’re down to just seven hours of scripted programming, there’s a chance that you’ll be losing the audience that you built for so many years. At that point, the whole theory that ratings don’t matter falls on deaf ears.
I hope that Wells and his team find a new home for Southland. Perhaps on A&E, AMC, or TNT. When that happens they can begin to pummel NBC and garner the critical awards while executives at their former network try to blame someone for letting go of the show in the first place. It is a day I wait for with high anticipation.
Clacked by Richard Keller 
on Oct 11, 2009 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
HAHA You also said “Pulled a Fox”, I said the same thing elsewhere.
Really dumb move, I mean it’s not like NBC has anything better, they cancel ER and replace it with 5 hospital shows. They ask the creators of Southland to redo the show for the second season and they do and NBC cancels it anyways. Just really stupid.
Ever get the feeling that NBC is damaging its “brand” on purpose to make it more appealing to be bought out/sold?
These types of actions (budget cuts, canceling good shows, Leno), screams of classic business practice of having quality go down, diluting the value of the company then surprise! the business has been bought out or done a merger.
There have been rumors for about a year that Comcast is looking into buying NBC.
Go here for more information on Southland and how you can help the show find a new home.
https://community.livejournal.com/southland_tv/
Dateline only costs like $0.12/episode … that is why NBC likes it
NBC is just shooting themselves in the foot by axing a really good show even before it hits the airwaves. 6 episodes are filmed and ready to be aired. What is wrong with NBC? Dateline? Seriously? SVU is the only reason I watch NBC, Southland would have been the other, now I many just watch SVU on Hulu and not watch NBC at all. Hoping another network, cable or otherwise picks up Southland.
A&E already turned it down, but AMC or TNT would be a much better fit anyway. It’s a crying shame when a show of this quality has to look for a new home; I know I’ll follow it to whatever network picks it up.
I would boycott NBC, but Southland was the only thing I was interested in watching anyway…
I’m boycotting NBC. I watchED Trauma, Mercy, SVO, Dateline, Leno (sometimes). I don’t watch NBC at all anymore and make sure NBC knows it. I post to them on Twitter when I’m not watching shows. lol!
Obviously the stripping of Leno across the week at 10 decreases the slots available to air other shows on the network, but Southland was a somewhat optimistic renewal last season anyway. Yes, it debuted at a 3.2 in the 18-49 demo and was picked up for 13 episodes this season after a few airings, but after that it trended sharply down and by it’s last airing it was below 2.0.
I think another factor here is that the renewal and schedule were Ben Silverman decisions and he is now gone and the new regime (i.e. Jeff Gaspin) just may not have been enamored of the show and decided to cut his losses early after seeing the shows produced thus far.
I think the point is if 6 episodes are made at least air a few of them, it’s not like NBC has a lot of shows to fit in. See what those few episodes get ratings wise. Hell I think fans of the show would even be glad if the episodes air at all so air it Fridays at 9pm!
As NBC ceases to have shows that people watch, their name pops off the radar of what people are willing to consider watching. With a crowded set of listings, people instinctively limit themselves to a subset of channels.
I think all NBC shows are suffering from this effect now and it seems to be part of a vicious spiral. With Heroes and the L&O franchise down the tubes and nothing new like Southland to come up and refresh the lineup… NBC is just plain screwed.
I didn’t understand why the show was renewed in the first place.
I guess I’m glad now they didn’t pull this with “Life”. I mean who would’ve thought that “just” being canceled or better not renewed was a graceful way to leave the airwaves compared to what could’ve happened?
But I said it then and I’ll say it again now: Southland wasn’t worth the renewal. And honestly I don’t get why people don’t mention the change in NBC’s program management and that it “could” have been because of that guy not working there anymore that the show got a renewal in the first place…
It shouldn’t have been renewed, but it was. So the actors on the show didn’t look for work in the new fall programing, and now they are out of a job.
I’d understand if you pity the caterers because they most likely have a problem paying rent but feeling sorry for actors. Yeah. Right.
Besides, what’s the difference between getting canceled after two to four aired episodes (“Drive” comes to mind) and getting the now? They most likely have a couple of episodes in the can already and got paid for that, they didn’t get their back nine order – big deal.
They made more money than a couple of thousand actors/waiters in the LA area.
Worst television news for me of the week, after I’d been eagerly anticipating this show all summer, and it seems its been a bolt from the blue for the cast and production staff, who were being told at last month’s network premiere parties how much NBC was behind the show.
I’ve tried all of NBC’s new shows. If it wasn’t for The Office, I could sever all ties with them right now.
On the bright side, all of these EPIC FAILS on NBC means Chuck might be coming back sooner. At least then there would be something on NBC I watch because right now I don’t watch a single show on that network. I dumped Heroes after 3 episodes this year, so I say make way for Chuck and give it a full 22 episodes. Better yet, move it to SyFy so it might not get pulled before it airs.
Yeah, rumor has it Chuck will bow this month, but what if NBC just puts it in the Southland slot Fridays at 9 after a few Datelines air? They’ll point to the low ratings, cancel it, and not even give us 13 episodes. Even if it survives, I think 22 would be a pipe dream.
It’s official. TNT picks up Southland
https://news.turner.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=4777
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/business/media/02tnt.html