The Final End Results: An Overview of the "Upfronts"

We've explored why shows get canceled and how ratings affect shows in part one. In part two, we discussed how shows are born. This final section discusses the new season (that started in mid-September) and the "Upfronts" that took place this past spring. "Upfronts" are the preseason announcement of the upcoming season. There were some surprising renewals, unexpected cancellations and a new batch of shows to take their place. Some shows were downgraded and moved to midseason. There was a total of 52 shows that were canceled this year, less than the past two years. The last shows to have a shot are the summer shows. One by one, we'll explore why these shows were canceled or placed in midseason, and what are their replacements.

NBC's Ruffled Peacock Feathers

On May 15th, NBC canceled eleven TV shows. Fourteen shows were renewed and three returning shows were placed as midseason replacements. They picked up six new shows, along with five new shows designated as midseason replacements.

The following freshmen shows are considered dead:

"Andy Barker PI" had trouble from the get-go. NBC lost faith in the show and cut the season order from six to four episodes. Due to bad ratings, it was yanked from the schedule and then placed on Saturday night, which is considered a "dead" night, to burn off the rest.

"The Black Donnellys" was a bit too controversial, especially one extremely violent episode that never aired. It didn't make it due to poor ratings and was pulled off the air. The remaining shows were put online to use up the thirteen episode order.

"Kidnapped" was one of last fall's casualties for NBC. Halfway through the season, it got the hook, due to bad ratings. Although there will be a DVD of the show, including the unaired episodes, so the fans of the show will be available to see how it concluded.

"The Real Wedding Crashers" took a beating in the ratings. There was no honeymoon for this show, since it didn't finish the run, due to weak ratings. The rest of the episodes were burned off in the summer.

"Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" had a rough run. It started with very good ratings that badly declined. Earlier this year after Christmas break the ratings plunged. It was scheduled to go on hiatus, but was pulled one week earlier than planned. They've burned off the remaining episodes this summer and closed down the studio.

"Twenty Good Years" didn't have enough steam to run its course. It had fair ratings, but it wasn't good enough, and it was pulled after four episodes.

These rookie shows had shocking cancellations:

"Grease: You're the One That I want" was meant for one season. If ratings had been better they may have used the premise for other plays. Bad ratings caused this to be not the one that they want again.

"Identity" was a surprise hit during its trial period in December and had garnered a position as a midseason replacement show. The ratings were okay, but then NBC the show itself had a case of mistaken identity and didn't renew it.

"Raines" started off well during its run of seven episodes. Apparently, the ratings sinking as it went on were the kiss of death.

"Thank God You're Here" also started with good ratings, but then declined after seven episodes. God couldn't help them and therefore the show was canceled.

This veteran show was a cancellation shocker:

"Crossing Jordan" had been a big hit but ran into trouble due to an early midseason schedule change. This change led to mixed ratings and unfortunately it was canceled after six years with no cases to cross over. According to TVseriesfinale.com, there's now a virtual seventh season of "Crossing Jordan", due to a 10/4 article, see this link for more: www.tvseriesfinale.com/2007/10/crossing_jordan_fans_continue_drama_online.php. The series finale had some sense of closure, but left many questions unanswered. Now fans of the show had created a website to wrap up the series properly. It has photos, the script and music soundbites.

This veteran show was resurrected from the dead:

"The Apprentice" was originally canceled when Donald Trump quit the show this spring, though the last season was rushed for one hour. There was some debate that it might shipped to another network, but it will be back as there was one more season left in the contract. This time, it will be a thirteen week midseason replacement show with celebrities playing for charity. It may very be the final season for the "Apprentice"?

NBC's Successful Rookie Shows

These shows made the grade with flying colors: "Sunday Night Football/Football Night in America", "Heroes", "30 Rock", "1 vs. 100", and "Friday Night Lights."

This summer's latest hit, "The Singing Bee", had stellar ratings. Due to its popularity this thirty minute show was given several one-hour shows. Its popularity which guaranteed NBC a fall slot. It has been put on Tuesday nights and bumped "1 vs. 100" to midseason status.

NBC's Schedule Changes

The following shows have been moved to either a new time or day. "30 Rock" and "Scrubs" switched their time periods from 8:30 to 9 P.M. on Thursday nights. "The Biggest Loser's" fourth season, which started on September 15th, has the Tuesday 8 P.M., since "Dateline NBC" has been moved to Saturdays. "Friday Night Lights" had been moved to Friday nights at 9 P.M., switching time slots with "Las Vegas", which now is on at 10 P.M. "Law and Order" and "Medium" have been moved to Sunday nights, where "Law and Order" will be on at 9 P.M., and "Medium" at 10 P.M., at midseason.

NBC's New Flock

NBC has four new programs. "Journeyman" will have the Monday 10 P.M. slot." "Chuck" will take the former "L&O: Criminal Intent" season for the fall season at 9 P.M. on Tuesday nights. "Bionic Woman" and "Life" will have the Wednesday 9-11 P.M. slot,

NBC's Midseason Replacements

NBC has several shows scheduled for the midseason. Friday night will see the return of "1 vs. 100" at 8 P.M. "Law and Order" will be, for the first time in its eighteen-year run, a midseason show. "Medium" for the second time is a midseason replacement. Although "Law and Order: Criminal Intent" has been renewed, USA Network has the first run. Viewers can watch it there first or wait for NBC's turn in midseason, Thursday nights at 10 P.M. on USA. "Lipstick Jungle", "Heroes: Origins", "World Moves", "Baby Borrowers" and "The It Crowd" are all freshmen midseason replacement shows.

ABC 's Grey Areas

On May 16th, ABC canceled twelve TV shows and also renewed twelve shows. They have only three shows scheduled to be midseason replacements. One show from the summer batch is up in the air. They've picked up eight totally new shows, and four brand new midseason shows.

These rookie shows are already considered dead:

"Big Day" never got to their honeymoon. It was an episode short of hitting the magic thirteenth one when it was dropped. It started out well, but it couldn't maintain its audience.

"Day Break" had a great start, but the ratings plummeted and caused it to be pulled. It was later available to be viewed online.

"The Great American Dream Vote" was a nightmare and only two episodes out of five ordered aired.

"Help Me Help You" couldn't be helped. It lasted nine episodes, with four left on the shelf.

"In Case of Emergency" had trouble through its run; it also didn't reach the 13th episode. There was no one to help this show out.

The "Knights of Prosperity" weren't noble enough to rob go on to their next victim, Ray Romano, but lasted long enough during their nine episodes to rob Mick Jagger. ABC burned off the rest in July and then re-canceled it.

"The Nine" had their own crisis to handle. After seven episodes, it was yanked and then returned this August to burn the rest of the episodes. It was then canceled again after only two weeks. ABC posted the rest of the episodes online until the fall season started.

"Show Me the Money" ran out of dough and it lasted for five episodes. Recently, the Game Show Network obtained the rights to air the full seven episodes, including the two unaired shows.

"Six Degrees" had a good start, before it was put on hiatus. When it came back with revamped scripts, it lasted only two episodes and disappeared.

These veteran shows had cancellation shockers:

"Extreme Makeover's" returned from its hiatus, but was short lived when after only three episodes it was canceled. After its makeover it won't be back again after its four year run..

"George Lopez" was a shocker when it was canceled. It was a highly popular show, there is a feeling that it might be due to the show not being filmed "in-house." George Lopez was quite ticked about it. After six years, there were no laughs about its demise.

"What About Brian" lasted only two seasons. The second year's ratings weren't as great as the first season's six episodes, so there will not be a chance to ask Brian questions about his life.

ABC's Newest Hits

Last year's freshmen rookie shows were true winners for the alphabet network: "Brothers and Sisters", "Men in Trees", "Rules of Engagement" and "Ugly Betty". All those shows returned this year.

After the run of "Dancing with the Stars" and "The Bachelor", the following shows will be midseason replacements:"Notes from the Underbelly" and "October Road." "Notes from the Underbelly" will be on at 9:30 P.M., as "October Road" will follow it at 10 P.M. in November.

ABC's Schedule Changes

"The Bachelor" is on Monday nights at 10 P.M. "Dancing with the Stars: The Result Show" now air on Tuesday nights at 9 P.M. "Men in Trees" have been moved back to Friday nights at a new time - 8:00 P.M. It has re-switched time slots with 20/20, which now air at 10 P.M.

ABC's Fresh Shots

"Samantha Who" has the 8:30 P.M. slot in this fall, and after "Dancing with the Stars" finishes, it will have the 9 P.M. slot. Tuesday nights will have "Cavemen" at 8 P.M. on followed by "Carpoolers" at 8:30 P.M. and "Cashmere Mafia" at 9 P.M. on Tuesday nights.

"Pushing Daisies", "Private Practice" and "Dirty Sexy Money" is the new ABC Wednesday lineup from 8:00 to 11:OO P.M. "Big Shots" took the Thursday night 10 P.M. slot. "Women's Murder Club" took the 9 P.M. slot on Friday nights.

The choices for midseason replacement are "Eli Stone", "Oprah's Big Give", and "Miss/Guided". "Lost" is once again, for the third year, a midseason show. "Primetime Live" also returns as a midseason show. "Supernanny" not only had a summer season but will return midseason. "According to Jim" has been picked up for another season for thirteen episodes and will be back next year. It is rumored that this might be its last.

CBS's Missed Marks

On May 17th, CBS had canceled eight shows in all. They've renewed sixteen shows and have placed two veteran shows in midseason. They've picked up four new shows and have one new show designated as midseason replacement.

These rookie shows were considered dead:

"Armed and Dangerous" didn't rob any stellar ratings in its run. After a few episodes, it was pulled. Earlier this year, VH1 had picked it up to run the entire series, just like it did with "Love Monkey" awhile back.

"The Class," after an early time change shuffle, failed the grade. Its ratings were between average and under average and so it was canned.

"Smith" also didn't steal enough good ratings to get away with a full season. It was one of the first casualties for the CBS network last fall. It lasted only three episodes. Later on in the fall season the rest of the seven episodes aired online. It's now available at Itunes.

"3 Lbs." didn't have enough weight, it didn't take a brain surgeon to figure it was a bomb. It already had shot its preseason order of thirteen episodes, but it lasted only three episodes before it got dropped.

"Waterfront" was a rare circumstance, it never aired. Sadly, it was in production, when they've got the "heave-ho" and hit the deck.

This show had a unusual resurrection:

"Jericho" was canceled due to plunging ratings after a split season. A lot of fans were shocked to hear the news and sent emails to CBS. Fans sent boxloads of nuts to the CBS network to express their opinion of CBS's decision. Now word had it that after tons of campaigning letters, emails and box loads of nuts, CBS quickly renewed the show for a midseason order of seven episodes. If it fairs well, then it may be possible to have a third.

These veteran shows got surprising cancellations:

"Close to Home" lasted two seasons, but it won't be able to defend any more people. It was reportedly rumored to be in trouble for months, which turned out to be true.

"King of Queens" left the throne after nine years on the air. The cancellation was a surprise to their fans because the show was doing fairly well and also that the show canceled itself, not the network. It was their decision to end the series and go out on their terms rather than have it canceled after a long run.

CBS's Bulleye

"Rules of Engagement" was the only rookie show to make the grade for another year.

CBS's Schedule Changes

"Without a Trace" is the only show with a schedule change, that returned to Thursday nights, after one year on Sunday nights. Its time is at 10 P.M.

CBS's Newest Hopes

"The Big Bang Theory" took"The Class"'s slot at 8:30 P.M. on Monday nights. "Cane" filled the void for the Tuesday night 10 P.M. "dead" spot. A reality show, "Kid Nation" have the 8 P.M. time slot on Wednesday nights. "Moonlight" is now airing on Friday night at 9 P.M.

Midseason will see "Swingtown" a new show coming to the schedule. "The New Adventures of Old Christine" are returning for the new season.

CBS's First Axe

"Viva Laughlin", a musical drama about a casino, had to cash it its chips, after two episodes; it was canceled after one episode, when it aired in Australia. "The Amazing Race" is taking its place.

CW's Roaring Misses

On May 18th, the CW canceled six shows. They renewed seven shows including WWW Smackdown and two returning shows were placed in midseason status. They've picked up six new shows and have two new shows placed on midseason status.

One rookie show was already considered dead:

"Runaway" lasted three episodes and was immediately dropped from the schedule. Their identities have been discovered and were found wanting.

These veteran shows had the seasons ended:

"Gilmore Girls" ended their seven season run after talks of a half season didn't pass muster.

"Reba" ended their six season run. They had a reprieve last year and received an order for thirteen episodes because of previous stellar ratings. But the final season, only a half season, had horrible ratings.

"Seventh Heaven" ended their sermons after eleven years. When the two channels merged they were supposed to be canceled at the time. But they received a reprieve and gave them a final season to tie up loose ends and give their fans a proper ending. Now there's no saving grace and the show is done.

When "Veronica Mars" was canceled by CW it was a shock to everyone. Last year, a campaign by fans saved it for a third season, but this year's campaign failed to save it. Even a fast forward program called a "FBI" episode did well, but not well enough for a season. There was talk of a mini-series or a TV movie to wrap the program up for the fans, but that was nixed. It's officially dead. It might become a feature film or even a DC comic in the future.

This veteran show was also surprising in its cancellation:

"All of Us" lasted three seasons but was dropped by the new network. Apparently there weren't enough of us to help it last.

CW's Smashing Hits

These shows got the green light to come back for a second season: "The Game" and "Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll."

CW's Schedule Changes

"Beauty and the Geek" was the only returning show to move its slot. It's now on Tuesday nights at 8 P.M.

CW's Brave New Shots

"Aliens in America" filled the void at the Monday night 8:30 P.M. slot. The "Reapers" took the Tuesday night 9 P.M. slot, which "Veronica Mars" vacated. "Gossip Girl" took the realm for Wednesday nights at 9 P.M. "CW Now", "Online Nation" and "Life is Wild" are placed on the Sunday night lineup from 7-9 P.M.

For midseason, "Crowned: The Mother of all Pageants", "Eight Days a Week" and the "Farmer Wants a Wife" are the newest programs to join the line-up. "One Tree Hill" and "Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll" are the only returning shows in the midseason replacement lineup.

CW's First Flop

"Online Nation", a show directed to CW's young audience about the newest video games, due to super low ratings, was disconnected after a few airings.

Fox's Missed Aims

Fox was the last network to announce their "Upfronts" on May 18th, this spring. The Fox network canceled eleven shows and renewed thirteen shows. They also have two shows that will return, but are not yet on the fall schedule. They have ordered new six shows for fall and three for midseason. Their schedule is complicated as they are having two seasons next year, while other networks are having one, during which they plan to alternate shows and time slots.

These freshman shows are already dead:

"Drive" had much promoted hype, but ran out of gas. It was pulled, after four episodes, when the last two episodes of the original thirteen episode order, aired on the 4th of July. Seven shows will never see the light of day as there were in production when it was canceled.

"Happy Hour" ran out of drinks and laughs after four episodes. Since they already had thirteen episodes were completed they might show up on DVD.

"Justice" started out well, but due to schedule changes, it was found guilty of being a failure after twelve of the thirteen episodes aired.

"The Rich List" wasn't rich enough to survive ratings and was yanked from the air after one episode.

"Standoff" started out well, but a six month hiatus killed it. There's no negotiation for it to return. Fox has started to burn off the remaining episodes that were already made during its hiatus.

"Vanished" was first casualty last fall after nine episodes. It became a disappearing act after a schedule change. It also aired at one point at midnight, which is very unusual. The rest of the episodes aired online.

"The Wedding Bells" didn't chime for this Fox show after five episodes. Production shut down and two shows were left unaired.

"The Winner" lost its race after a very short midseason order of six episodes, as it had very poor ratings.

These veteran shows were canceled:

"The Loop" was last year's smash midseason show for Fox. It was cut short, after two seasons, when Fox recently started to burn off the shows.

"The O.C." was canceled after four seasons, due to low ratings. It received a cancellation order, and had to rush a series finale.

"The War at Home", a family sitcom, that their war end after two seasons.

Fox's Perfect Winners

These two freshman shows survived season to make it to season two: " 'Til Death" and "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" The latter was a monster hit for FOX last spring. In addition, a hit this past summer, "Don't Forget the Lyrics" was quickly added to the fall schedule. "New Amsterdam" has been placed on midseason status.

Fox's Schedule Changes

Fox has a very complicated 2008 schedule. This isn't the first time this has happened. A few years ago, they had four cycles: August, November, January and March. This year they plan two cycles for their midseason replacements: one in January and the other in spring.

The programming schedule for veteran show remains constant. "Prison Break" stayed at the 8 P.M. spot on Monday nights in the spring. Renewed for two more seasons, "24" stayed at the 9 P.M. Monday night slot. "Til Death" now has the Wednesday night 8:30 P.M. slot for the January season and the 9:30 P.M. slot for the spring season. "American Idol" remained on Tuesday nights at 8 P.M. and Wednesday nights at 9 P.M.

The following veterans have had their time slots changed depending on the season. "Bones" had moved to the Tuesday night 8 P.M. slot for fall and the Friday night 8 P.M. slot for spring. "American Dad" had shifted time slots on Sunday nights from 7:30 P.M. in the fall to 9:30 P.M. in the spring. "Family Guy" had shifted time slots from 8:30 P.M. in the fall to 9 P.M. in spring. "King of the Hill" time slot went from 7 P.M. in the fall to 8:30 P.M. in the spring.

Fox's Newest Winners

"K-Ville" airs on Monday nights on 9 P.M. for the fall quarter and 8 P.M. for the spring season. "Don't Forget the Lyrics" airs on Tuesday nights at 8 P.M., until "American Idol" takes over in 2008; then it'll be on Friday nights at 9 P.M. for the rest of the season. "Back to You" took center stage on Wednesday nights at 8 P.M. throughout the 2007-2008 TV season, while the "Return of Jezebel James" will be on at 8:30 P.M. on the same night in the spring quarter. "Kitchen Nightmares" now airs on Wednesday nights at 9 P.M. for the fall quarter.

Fox's Midseason Shows

"Canterbury's Law" will take its place at the same time slot for the entire 2008 quarter. "The Search for the Next Great American Band" will be on Friday nights at 8 P.M. for the fall season in mid-October. Finally, the "Sarah Connor Chronicles" will be the last new show to air in January on Sunday nights at 9 P.M.

"The Rules for Starting Over" will air sometime next year.

Fox's First Casualty

"Nashville", a show about hopeful country singers, lasted only two episodes, before it was obvious it was not headed to the top of the charts.

Now you know what the networks have planned for this season. Will they make it or not? A lot of shows will be dumped and only a few will survive. Sometimes it's survival of the best and sometimes its survival of the luckiest. One thing is sure, the schedule in this week's television section will be far different come next spring. How many of our own personal favorites make it, only time will tell.

Source: TVSeriesfinale.com, thefutoncritic.com