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By Steven Lloyd Wilson | Posted Under Trade News | Comments (44)

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Both “V” and “FlashForward” are now on extended hiatus until March and are expected to undergo retooling in order to try to claw back some ratings numbers. Frustrated by sinking numbers, ABC has put its foot down and cut its orders by one episode for each show.

Wow, real scorched earth policy there guys. If you go out for lunch, and the waiter dumps the flambé on your head before lighting it on fire, do you send him a very stern note when you wake up in the burn unit, along with an appropriate fifteen percent gratuity? I guess you do at ABC. What’s Joss got to do to get a show on this network?

I know that we heap criticism on the networks for not giving slow starting shows enough time to build an audience, so this might seem to be slightly hypocritical criticism, but really this is exactly the wrong approach to take. Giving a show time only counts if it’s time that the show is actually on the air. Retooling, waiting and seeing, juggling creative staff, these moves are leading to one place: the shows come back in four months and see an even steeper drop in ratings. The three-fourths of the population that don’t troll through TV news blogs think “I thought that was canceled” and then keep flipping channels. Those who do pay attention to TV news but don’t already watch “V” and “FastForward” won’t bother to watch because they’ll assume that the shows must really suck if ABC yanked them for all that time. And the sorry bastards who love the two shows will be incensed at having to wait through that ludicrous gap in addition to their white hot anger at the network screwing with something they liked just fine the way it was.

This latest bit of news just reinforces the doubt that anyone upstairs at ABC knows what they’re doing. If the shows manage to come back strong, ABC’s going to want that extra episode to air. If they don’t, they’ll probably end up yanking the shows from the air half-unaired anyway. All this bit of news does is reinforce to viewers who pay attention that these shows aren’t worth bothering to check out when they come back.









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Comments

Giving a show time only counts if it’s time that the show is actually on the air.

Yeah, you'd think that anyone with two brain cells to rub together would be able to understand that; but I guess network execs are a brain cell short.

What’s Joss got to do to get a show on this network?

Well, this is the network that gave Alias and LOST a chance. But I'd rather see Joss get on HBO or Showtime, or even USA or AMC (who's following Breaking Bad? Is it not teh awesome?!)

Posted by: Jerce at December 9, 2009 9:26 AM

Why is ABC putting them on hiatus? What's the point of spending millions of dollars in advertising them if you yank them after 3-4 episodes and then tell everyone "Come back in March"?

Posted by: Fredo at December 9, 2009 9:36 AM

I do not get the whole extended hiatus thing. It seems like a retarded way for an entertainment industry to treat it's audience.
No more V or FF til March? If I were a fan, I'd be royally hacked off about that.

And yeah, cutting one episode seems a bit limp.

Posted by: tarn at December 9, 2009 9:40 AM

I'm convinced the problem is that the networks have no idea how to operate in what should be a post-Nielsen's environment. With DVR, Hulu, DVD, etc, there is simply no way to accurately measure ratings given the current method. Hit shows used to come in at the 15-18 share mark weekly. Now a smash hit is lucky to bring in a 5 share. it's a different world and the networks haev not figured out how to navigate it.

And broadcasting in "pods" is one of the dumbest ideas a network has had in some kind. 4 eps is the amount of time it should take to get a series clicking. Putting a show on hiatus after that is just dumb. More and more I'm convinced that these execs don't watch television so they have no idea what works in terms of garnering audience attention and loyalty.

Posted by: TylerDFC at December 9, 2009 9:51 AM

Kinda surprising. I fully expect V to get treated badly and canceled unceremoniously, but FF is ABC's post-Lost cash cow/ratings grabber. I fully expect it to make it to second season no matter how bad the ratings are.

In fact, when it comes back in March, watch it get slapped in front of the island show.

Posted by: Captain Splendid at December 9, 2009 9:57 AM

This is so ludicrous and pointless, it must be an inside game between executives and show runners.

"If you don't show a lizard eating a live mouse in (insert time frame here), we're cutting your episodes by one until you do!"

"If you don't get Elizabeth Mitchell naked under my desk in (insert time frame here), we're cutting your episodes by one until you do!"

Posted by: Cindy at December 9, 2009 10:06 AM

"And the sorry bastards who love the two shows"


We call them "suckas"

Posted by: BarbadoSlim at December 9, 2009 10:28 AM

They should actually cut their losses and merge the shows into one giant suckfest. Call it it Vast Vorward and come to find out that the whole world blacked out due to some shenanigans by the Visiting alien lizards in spankably hot human space suits....

Posted by: Colostomy Baggins at December 9, 2009 10:59 AM

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Posted by: Gnaius at December 9, 2009 11:03 AM

I look at it this way. If I like a show, I'm going to watch it. If the networks fuck around with it and make it complicated, I'm going to stop watching it. Well, at least I will until I find it on DVD or can download a torrent of it. Why is this so difficult for the network brass to understand?

STOP FUCKING WITH US, TELEVISION PEOPLE!

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Posted by: branty at December 9, 2009 12:44 PM

@Jerce - Breaking Bad IS teh ossom. Wasn't really sure I'd like it, but I DID really like "Malcom's Dad" playing...well...Malcom's Dad on "Malcom In The Middle", but it wasn't until after an NPR interview that I started to take the show a little more seriously. And even THEN I was watching it on demand only.

Well..for the FIRST season. Second season? Oh man I was there like a bear.

Very well put together show, intelligent, and folks if you're NOT watching it...you may want to consider giving up your Pajibacard.

(NOTE: Pajibacard may or may not actually exist. Void where prohibited. Pajibacard not valid in Maine.)

Posted by: Green Lantern at December 9, 2009 12:45 PM

When it comes to producing in television, I think Garry Marshall said it best:

"This is the toughest decision I've ever had to make, but I get paid 2 million dollars a year to make these kind of decisions."

And they're all just as inane.

Posted by: Minty at December 9, 2009 12:48 PM

I thought the shows were put on hiatus because of the Olympics...is that not the case? I thought that was the case.

I know that we heap criticism on the networks for not giving slow starting shows enough time to build an audience, so this might seem to be slightly hypocritical criticism

The thing is...they weren't "slow" starting. These bitches jumped through the roof to begin with. They're not slow starting they're fast falling.

Posted by: DeistBrawler at December 9, 2009 1:47 PM

They should actually cut their losses and merge the shows into one giant suckfest. Call it it Vast Vorward and come to find out that the whole world blacked out due to some shenanigans by the Visiting alien lizards in spankably hot human space suits....

Why aren't you in Hollywood making two million dollars a year?!

...they weren't "slow" starting. These bitches jumped through the roof to begin with. They're not slow starting they're fast falling.

Ayuh.

Posted by: Jerce at December 9, 2009 4:14 PM

What the fuck does ABC think it has here, The Sopranos? Who in this unholy universe is going to return to these shows in four months? I'll admit to casually watching both and feeling a sense of luke warm intrigue by their respective premises, but there is no way in hell I am going to remember to watch them in fucking MARCH. I can barely remember to keep a lunch date a week in advance, with an actual real-live person.

I mean, my god... ABC has some epic balls. I can't entirely agree that cancelling them is the answer, at least at this point -- I think both premises are basically good, but executed poorly. Besides, the fuck else do they have to put on? But they should have recognized that the free-falling ratings where a problem by the second episode and started scrambling together some god damn talent to fix it. Now they are just stalling and pissing people off.

Posted by: Cruise at December 9, 2009 6:30 PM

I think maybe Alan Tudyk is TV's Typhoid Mary (Like TV's Frank but much, much more virulent). Every time he appears on a show it's promptly canceled. I hope he has an upcoming appearance on Accidentally On Purpose.

Posted by: king at December 9, 2009 7:18 PM

I didn't even start watching V b/c it was already out there that it was gonna be four eps and done til Feb. Now March? I give even less of a shit about the show w/ that announcement.

Posted by: stryker1121 at December 9, 2009 7:23 PM

1)Alan Tudyk is not a showkiller. He needs a couple more murders under his belt before he can join the ranks of Carla Gugino and Jason Gedrick.
2)I agree that cancelling these shows at this point would be bad as a policy, but these two crapfests need to be cancelled because they're terrible. So so terrible. Flashforward is especially egregious for wasting a genius premise and incredible cast (NotRalph notwithstanding) on dreck.
3)Glee (also going into hiatus) hasn't even aired its "fall finale" on the west coast yet and I already miss it.
/end rant

Posted by: welldressed at December 9, 2009 9:45 PM

I agree with the point of this article, but the facts are wrong/unclear. I've just read the ABC press release from this week announcing an uninterrupted 12 episode run in the spring for Flash Forward, and the planned 9 episodes of V, which was always meant to have a 13 episode season. Flash Forward clearly has some creative problems and this may be a last ditch effort by ABC to fix somethings, V is replacing its showrunner and the episodes were bumped up to November because the network didn't have faith the show would find an audience. Mind you both shows are pulling in, on average, Lost numbers (big premiere, big drop off to steady season end). But, long story short, no episodes are being cut from the order.

Posted by: Victor at December 10, 2009 11:43 AM

This is why people are turning to cable shows. I watch Dexter, Big Love, Nurse Jackie, and more. They run for 12 weeks straight and then off til the next season. These TV execs need to realize what the TV watchers want, UNINTERRUPTED SHOWS WITH SUBSTANCE. Why do you think 24 is so successful. Get A Clue.

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Posted by: Megan at January 17, 2010 12:59 PM

these shows suck. whats pathetic is that anyone thinks they dont. v? the original sucked now someone 'reimagines' [translated that means they have no talent] it and thinks its good? and flash forward is just another example of using gimmicks and 'twists' to substitute for lack of story telling skill. buh-bye

Posted by: Robert at March 30, 2010 2:57 AM

The original V certainly did...not...suck. It's a classic that is unfortunately getting a little dated and is really only appreciated by my generation, that is between the ages of 30 and 50. Unless you fully appreciate 80's mini-series television it's hard to like the original V. It's campy, fun and involving. The new one is just flat. It's boring and uninvolving. The characters are cardboard cutouts of what the plot expects of them and honestly I expect the show to die an early death. Flash Forward on the other hand is the real deal. It's genuinely bad. It doesn't even a leg to stand on with the original like V does. It's a lame horse that should be put out of its misery for its own sake. It had a great start but now it's obvious the writers are making it up as they go along and like Battlestar Galactica, there is only so much flip-flopping and randomness I can take.

Posted by: David at March 31, 2010 5:16 PM

here in the uk we dont get to be included in the ratings of shows but what i cant understand is 1.promote a brand new show then have a 4 month break?how are people expected to know characters, storylines etc and when you work you end up missing the restart of the show 2.if a tv show gets 6 million viewers its in danger of cancellation you have 6 million viewers!!! 3.why do sci fi shows get screwed all the time?maybe because the people in charge have no imagination whatsoever lets fill the chanels with frigging reality tv (how sad)4. when we have a good show lets screw around with the days and times we air it so people have no idea when its on or move it to a so called death time slot (ugly betty) which brings me to an interesting point if you have a tv show that has good ratings, what possible, logical reason could you have for moving it to a day and time when you know it doesnt get the viewers? unless you are deliberately trying to kill the show off if thats the case YOU DESERVE TO BE FIRED FROM YOUR JOBS MORONS

Posted by: paul at April 12, 2010 7:35 AM

regarding v and flashforward ,love original v cant wait for the new one its top of my list for viewing .flashforward is great but like lost can get confusing to follow but love it anyway but i would rather have v even though i havent seen it yet because theres virtually no new sci fi on tv anymore stargate universe is yawn, needs shaken up ,more excitement.the one thing these tv execs need to address is why ,in their minds tv shows are failing (if 6 million plus viewers is a failure)maybe its because people arent bothering to watch because they are thinking whats the point they are only gonna cancel it once ive got into it.its a reason why im now reluctant to watch new shows and all my friends think the same way now and one show we are all in agreement of watching is v but already were hearing of the risk so it maybe disappointing when we get into the show and its cancelled by the idiots in charge of tv

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Posted by: cumshot at April 22, 2010 3:41 AM

which ever network, all these series going away.. you don't feel like a bunch of thieves? what about moving the show “flash forward" to a different time slot..
the crap jokers on show sg1 hung around for awhile, jeez how did they do it? oh yea, the different time slot thing.

abc.. bunch of bravo-alpha-sierra-tango-alpha-romeo-delta-sierra's
just move the dam show to saturday noon's you idiot's

Posted by: dave at May 14, 2010 9:18 PM

The remake of 'V' sucked, those writers just have no imagination - similar to the Buffy-esque writing on Caprica. The original 'V' was waaaay better.

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Posted by: cartoonporntube at July 19, 2010 2:40 PM

WHY DID THEY DO THAT TO FLASH FORWARD???!! I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BEST NEW SHOW ON T.V. ON THURSDAY NIGHT!!!! I couldn't get home from anywhere fast enough to watch it!!!

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When it comes to producing in television, I think Garry Marshall said it best:
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And they're all just as inane.

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