Life, one of the best shows on TV you weren't watching, was canceled yesterday by NBC. Yet another of that network's best, most inventive shows is axed so they can put another hour of mediocre "reality" type programming on.
I've checked a few entertainment sites that have commented on the loss of Life. On each, there are dozens to hundreds of positive comments about that show. What should worry NBC is the fact that the vast majority of people say that Life was the last show on that network they watched; by canceling it, NBC has done the opposite of what they wanted to do -- they have lost viewers.
The other thing I note, and have been noting on a lot of entertainment sites, is the fact that there is a very strong anti-reality programming backlash brewing. People are getting fed up with the Survivors, Dancers, Idols, and the rest and are seeking good, quality dramas wherever they can find them. Yet another reason why the off-networks like TNT, Spike, and FX are gaining viewers as fast as the main networks lose them-- they are producing those quality hours that the networks don't feel the public wants anymore.
Life was one of my top three shows. It consistently got between a 5 and a 6.5 rating in season 2. It will be interesting to see if the replacement show(s) can top those numbers. Since, so far, every show that has dipped to or below 6 has been axed by NBC and replaced by something that has done the same or worse, I seriously doubt it. Also, an interesting thing to note is that when it was on at its original time slot (10pm) it averaged an 8 rating and when it moved to 9pm (against some heavy-hitters) it dropped to just below a 6 average rating. How many blogs, emails, and phone calls do I have to do before the networks understand that changing the time and/or day of a show is an effective way to kill it? You rarely pick up viewers doing so; most shows lose about 20 to 35 percent per switch, no matter how highly rated the show was at its original time slot.
Oh well... Burn Notice and Leverage are only about a month or so away from restarting for the summer. If NBC doesn't want me, another network will!
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Life is an excellent show, but for a niche audience, which seems to be the justification for axing shows. However, in my world, all those "reality" shows are the limited audience fare, shows that I have never watched and will never watch because they promote everything that I believe is wrong in society, beginning with the concept that we all deserve to be famous just for being on TV. Bah.
ReplyDeleteSo, my hope is that one of the off-networks will pick up Life and let it continue. It is an excellent series and will have good company once it departs from the network drivel.
I found this blog while searching for the Costco comment (lower), and saw your entry on Life. I totally agree with your comments. Here's my take on it though... you have this awesome cast that probably won't have any trouble migrating to different projects, and the creative team was probably unsure of where to take the show next which made the network less confident. To me, it's the Arrested Development problem... actors itching to do something else and a network that is trying to gauge future ratings very conservatively. Here's what I don't get though... for such a tremendously fun-to-watch cast, how come no Emmy noms? Crazy stuff.
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