Agent Carter, ABCThis one hurt a lot of fans. Agent Carter had a strong following, unfortunately, when it comes down to it, networks look to ratings. The numbers weren’t there for ABC to renew the series for a third season.
There”s always a possibility of Peggy Carter making an appearance again, possibly in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as that’s where she got her start (Captain America; The First Avenger).
Even though Agent Carter is returning, actress Hayley Atwell will be. She has signed on for a new series “Conviction” which debuts this fall for the network.
Castle, ABCThis cancellation was in the making. The popular drama, which featured Nathan Fillion (Firefly) in the title role, was caught up in a little controversy at season’s end. Co-stars Stana Katic and Tamala Jones were released by ABC ultimately affecting the dynamic of the series going into its ninth season. Though some of the cast had reported as to having their contracts extended through the 2016-2017 season, the blowup from Katic’s departure and the ensuing backlash made the network rethink their position. Alas, they opted to pass on future episodes.
The Family, ABCMidseason debuts are difficult to attract and retain viewers. Generally, people are inclined to watch season/series premieres in the fall. When you don’t air your pilot episode until March, you have to work extremely hard at grabbing viewers attention and making them want to commit.
This is where ABC’s The Family faltered. Though the disappearance thriller offered some potential, and something different than what was currently on, it just didn’t connect with viewers.
Galavant, ABCThe series had a favorable first season for ABC. The musical comedy pulled respectable numbers and was ultimately picked up for another. But then things changes within the network that, along with viewership dropping, led to the series not being picked up this fall.
Paul Lee, an executive with the network who oversaw programming, stepped down earlier this year. It was Lee who pushed for second seasons of questionable shows, like Agent Carter and Galavant, but faced with a second season which saw ratings decline and a new head of programming in charge, there was no one fighting for the little guy so to speak. Farewell, Galavant.
The Muppets, ABCThe poor Muppets. The show which was a nationwide sensation in the late 70s and early 80s, and has appeared numerous times in film, just didn’t resonate with fans the way the network was hoping.
The vaudeville, song-and-dance show, which featured guest appearances and cameos by celebrities, started off with a strong premiere and slowly declined in viewers. ABC attempted to retool the show, which sparked mixed reactions from fans, did nothing to help their falling numbers. Don’t be surprised if sometime in the not-so-distant future the Muppets return to TV.
Nashville, ABCNashville has never been a huge ratings generator on ABC, but the fact it lasted four seasons shows it was a steady performer for the network and had a decent following.
Stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere both received high marks and respect for their performances on the show; so much so that the series received 23 awards nominations, winning two. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to keep the series according to ABC. Fortunately, the network looks to be shopping the series elsewhere. We shall wait and see.
Crowded, NBCFrom the creator of TV Land’s Hot in Cleveland and Lifetime’s The Client List, Crowded looked to have potential. The show was headlined by Patrick Warburton and Carrie Preston and focused on their temporarily peaceful home being taken over by their adult daughters and Warburton’s father (Stacy Keach) and stepmother.
The thing that is truly upsetting is that Warburton had to decline an offer to reprise his role as The Tick for an upcoming Amazon original series due to scheduling conflict. In hindsight, I’m sure Warburton wishes he either took The Tick job or had clairvoyance enough to see his ABC comedy would be short-lived. Sadly, again due to ratings, the series was cut short of its full season run.
Game of Silence, NBCNBC’s Game of Silence was a drama based on the Turkish series of the same translated name, itself based on a true story of three children who spent years in prison for stealing a dessert. This American version had those same children now living as adults.
When two of them threaten to expose the third, who is in a much more powerful position than they are, what is going to happen and how will it end? We’ll never know. Though currently still on the air, NBC’s cancellation announcement came while the series had four remaining episodes to air.
Heartbeat, NBCDebuting just under two months ago, Heartbeat stars Melissa George as a heart-transplant surgeon at a research hospital where progress is a frequent occurrence, and they do things like give stem cell treatments to car accident victims who talk backwards.
Heartbeat just never gained any traction or support, and regrettably a lot of people had never heard of it. Not a good sign. The series lasted only eight episodes.
The Mysteries of Laura, NBCPoor Debra Messing. Many fans have been pulling to get the Will & Grace star back to the small screen. NBC had greenlit The Mysteries of Laura in fall of 2014 and it had all the elements to a good ten years on the air, due to Debra Messing’s star appeal and to the police procedural aspect to the mildly comedic family drama.
The Mysteries of Laura was the target of quite a bit of negative criticism in its two seasons. While it did draw big numbers for the network, season two dipped considerably from the previous year. Oddly enough, the season two finale (which would up being the series finale) was watched my more viewers that season one’s finale. Hmm. Not sure what to make of that.
Telenovela, NBCCreated by Steel Magnolias writer Robert Harling and Cougar Town writer/producers Jessica Goldstein and Chriss Pietrosh, Telenovela was featured Eva Longoria’s return to television as the non-Spanish star of a Spanish soap opera produced in Miami.
The comedy had that “show-within-a-show” structure that didn’t involve either a talk show or a sketch series as others have in the past. Unfortunately, Telenovela just didn’t attract viewers and it got the ax.
Undateable, NBCUndateable was a midseason debut for NBC back in 2014 and began its run with low ratings and so-so reviews. Fortunately, it faired better that other comedies debuting at the time and saw life in a second season.
The second season got moved to Tuesday nights, which paid off for NBC. The ratings and word of mouth increased and the overwhelming success of a live episode inspired the creative team to make the show live each week. The goal for this change in format was so that the cast could interact with fans via social media as the show was airing. Sadly, NBC put Season 3 on Friday nights, which has been generally accepted as the potential nail in the coffin. Undateable was suddenly unwatchable. Ratings plummeted and the network announced they weren’t moving forward with the show.
CSI: Cyber, CBSCBS is home to some of televisions most successful and watched dramas on television today. And while CSI: Cyber did not have poor ratings when compared to most of the shows we’ve mentioned as getting the boot, compared to other shows on the CBS, it just didn’t cut the mustard.
Though fairly different in its premise from other CSI shows, it just couldn’t maintain a strong audience. The network had hoped by attaching Ted Danson’s name to the project it would see great potential in viewership. They lost that bet.
Rush Hour, CBSAdapting a successful action/comedy film franchise to the small screen would appear like a draw for viewers. Unfortunately, what CBS hadn’t counted on was the fact those films were mega-hits due to its two leading stars: the martial arts stuntman Jackie Chan and the loud, intense, in-your-face comedy stylings of Chris Tucker. This was something the CBS series couldn’t replicate.
Actors Jon Foo and Justin Hires didn’t have the same chemistry or dynamic of the Chan/Tucker films. With ratings of less than 5 million viewers per episode didn’t meet the network’s expectations and was let go after one season.
Bordertown, FoxThe Fox network, the only network with solid and lasting primetime cartoon shows (The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad), put forth the series Bordertown in hopes of seeing similar success. Could this be the next Bob’s Burgers?
Nope. Bordertown was not that program. After seeing low ratings throughout the season, Bordertown was cancelled. Perhaps Fox will try again in the next season or two. One is bound to stick.
Cooper Barrett’s Guide To Surviving Life, FoxCooper Barrett’s Guide To Surviving Life arrived on television amidst the midseason on Fox. The network decided to air the series as part of their Sunday night lineup, sandwiched between longtime favorites The Simpsons and Family Guy. Sadly, but rightfully so, the show just didn’t fit in with the other shows on airing that night and viewers changed the channel. So the network decided rather than attempt to switch the series to a different night, they’d cut their losses and let Cooper Barrett go after one, make that a half, season.
Grandfathered, FoxWill John Stamos ever rise to fame again? I mean the fame, success, and respect he had while a cast member of Full House. Lord knows he tries.
Early predictions saw great promise for Grandfathered, a story featuring Stamos working with young kids again. And while it did have somewhat of a following, it never truly made headway for the network and their schedule and was ultimately cancelled. But fret not Stamos fans. Fuller House season two has been picked up by Netflix, so there’s a chance we could see the return of Uncle Jesse.
The Grinder, FoxFox’s Tuesday night block had all the makings of a strong outing by the network. Adding the new series The Grinder alongside other popular Fox shows such as New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine seemed to have the makings for success. But it came down to the ratings of people watching live (rather than DVR) and it couldn’t hold its own.
While The Grinder started off to fairly decent numbers last fall, those live numbers dropped throughout the year. Come season’s end, The Grinder was only pulling around a .6 rating in Live + Same day, which just doesn’t cut it with any network. The Grinder will not be returning in the fall.
Minority Report, FoxAnother popular movie turned tv series. Need I say more?
Fox banked on Godzilla screenwriter Max Borenstein to create a series based on Steven Spielberg’s 2002 sci-fi action hit Minority Report which took place a decade later.
The show dragged and viewers weren’t willing to put in the time or the effort to sit through the majority of the show just in hopes of seeing the sweet science fiction components of the show. The show about predicting future crimes before they happen surely could have used a taste of its own medicine and saw that this wasn’t going to go anywhere.
Second Chance, FoxSecond Chance was a modernization of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein tale. It focused on a former sheriff who finds a new lease on life when his youth is restored, complete with super-strength that wasn’t there the first time around.
The show originally was titled The Frankenstein Code when at the last minute it was first picked up as an option for the network. The title then changed to Lookinglass before ultimately winding up with the name Second Chance. With the delays the series encountered, and the bouncing around to different weeknights, it had all the signs of a show on its way out the door.
Containment, The CWThe CW has done fairly well in recent years. The network announced earlier this year that it was renewing 11 of its programs. That’s quite a feat. Shows such as Arrow, The Flash, Jane The Virgin and Supernatural (along with other) will all return for the 2016-2017 season.
But with all of those renewals, that tends to leave few options and time slots for other shows. this doesn’t leave a ton of open slots in the schedule. The midseason series Containment just couldn’t manage to secure one of those spots.
