First came Fox's "Lone Star," two low-rated episodes and out. Next was ABC's " My Generation," poorly reviewed, poorly received, and gone. The cavalcade of failed new shows that followed was both disappointing and utterly unsurprising.
In an industry propped up by hits, the programming landscape is typically dominated by misses. Roughly 80% of all new shows fail; about a third of this year's freshman crop won't even make it past January. Figures like these have driven many to question network television's costly model, but none to actually alter it. And so it goes, another season of turkeys, as we've affectionately dubbed the shows that have already gotten the ax or are dangerously close to it.
Following a 2009 season filled with first-year standouts like "Glee" and "Modern Family," this year's incoming class was widely viewed as a letdown from the outset. The offerings were too dull, too narrow, and too unimaginative, and the expectations were lowered accordingly. To date, there aren't any newcomers among the 10 shows earning the highest ratings this season, according to The Nielsen Company.
"Lone Star" was in many ways the exception. Heading into the fall, the series about a Texas oil conman leading dual lives had all the trappings of a hit: a soapy premise, a breakout star, heavy marketing, and a plum spot behind Fox's "House." TV Guide called the show "this fall's best and most original drama"; The Boston Globe heralded it as the "strongest TV newcomer"; and The New York Times said it was "gratifyingly complex and beautifully told."
But viewers didn't tune in. On premiere night, the drama nabbed only 4.1 million viewers and a 1.3 rating among the all-important 18- to 49-year-old set, figures so abysmal even a top cable network couldn't crow about them. Some blamed the show's unforgivable plot lines about cons and adultery; others faulted its hard-to-define premise and hardly explanatory title. Despite an aggressive "Please Don't Kill My TV Show!" campaign by creator Kyle Killen, the show fared even worse in week two, leaving Fox little choice but to pull the plug.
Similarly short-lived series like ABC's "My Generation" or NBC's "Outlaw" didn't have the benefit of critical praise on their side. The former was called "trite," "forced," and "insufferable"; the latter drew adjectives like "mediocre," "improbable," and "clumsy." "My Generation" was canceled after two little-watched episodes; the remaining shows are running online. The end of "Outlaw" was announced after four episodes, the rest to be burned off on the TV wasteland known as Saturday night.
Still, other newcomers are simply limping along. Among them: NBC's "The Event," which has seen fan interest and ratings tumble over the past couple of months. Coming out of the gate strong with more than 11 million viewers in September, the high-concept series billed as " meets ''Lost' " 24" has been hemorrhaging viewers ever since. Recent episodes have averaged fewer than 6 million viewers, and the network recently announced plans to pull the series for three months beginning in December.
Brad Adgate, director of research at Horizon Media, remains hopeful, noting that the networks have a slew of midseason shows coming early next year, including Fox's "The Chicago Code" and NBC's "Harry's Law" and "The Cape." He likens their potential to that of last season's "Undercover Boss," a midseason series that broke out big on CBS earlier this year.
