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UPDATES Wasn’t NBC Boasting About These Shows?
Exec producer John Wells said in a statement about Southland‘s cancellation:
“I’m disappointed that NBC no longer has the time periods available to support the kind of critically acclaimed series that was for so many years a hallmark of their success. We remain extremely proud of Southland, and are actively looking for another home for the series.”
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Yeah, but at least Leno is doing so well – makes it easier to say NO to a show like Southland.
Fucking awesome. Good for Wells; I hope he finds someplace for the show.
Fuck John Wells. Really.
Is Well’s also “actively looking” for a way to crack down on producers that blackmail WGA members if they don’t do free rewrites?
I’ve literally stopped watching NBC as they have nothing good on and the good shows they did have, they didn’t bring back. I think NBC wants to fail.
The dumbing down of America continues apace. We’ve reached an era when quality drama is no longer of value as mainstream network fare. Games, gossip, contests and voyeurism are the bight shiny objects of interest now. Sad. By the way, what’s the latest with Jon and Kate?
The “dumbing down of America” starts at the top!
But, ironically, the more they program crap, the more people will look elsewhere for entertainment. It is a vicious cycle of doom. Very short sighted.
This show was so poorly written, it may be the smartest move NBC made to cut its losses. Wells go back to doing good programs, this wasn’t one of them. Wake up.
Give us a list of what you consider well-written shows so that we can know what you mean. For the record, the show was, I thought, a well written, if imperfect, show. It was just starting to find its legs in the last 2 episodes. As for the NBC decision, it does not sound like your motivation was their motivation. They got rid of it to make room for a show that is doing poorly in the ratings and contains no real writing of quality at all. Therefore, doubly indicating that this was not about quality. It was about a poor business decision to give Leno, whom I like, but not this much, too much air time.
Give us a list of what you consider well-written shows so that we can know what you mean. For the record, the show was, I thought, a well written, if imperfect, show. It was just starting to find its legs in the last 2 episodes. As for the NBC decision, it does not sound like your motivation was their motivation. They got rid of it to make room for a show that is doing poorly in the ratings and contains no real writing of quality at all. Therefore, doubly indicating that this was not about quality. It was about a poor business decision to give Leno, whom I like, but not this much, too much air time.
I’m glad Southland was canceled, but I’m disappointed Leno was moved to the 10 PM slot and took away 5 slots for new shows.
Amen to that. I enjoyed Leno on the Tonight Show, but I was saddened that NBC chose to “waste” (for lack of a better word) five full hours each week of “drama” television time for more of the same. I am not seeing anything different on Leno now than when he was on at 11:30. Was this some ploy by NBC to promote Conan while letting Leno continue as he already was….WHY? I am NOT a Conan fan and no longer watch either–Conan or Leno! NBC was once the leader in television for viewing choices….and creativity in shows; what the hell happened?
I liked Southland, however…..and wish it was one of the hour dramas that can n longer find a home.
I can think of a better word Melissa than “waste” how about “fuck over” 30,000 plus entertainment professionals out of jobs. That’s what it amounts to not having regular SCRIPTED programming in those slots. But Boy! The money NBC saved, and how their rating have improved. Pllllllease.
Q:”NBC was once the leader in television for viewing choices….and creativity in shows; what the hell happened?”
A: Immelt. Zucker. Silverman. ‘Nuff said?
NBC = Nothing But Crap
Ha! Love it!
hear hear!
To TED and WHO WOULD BUY THIS?: You need to clean out your crack pipes. Southland was an excellent show.
well, my sarcasm didn’t translate and I apologize.
The LENO Show SUCKS… I hope that’s direct enough for people.
Southland was a terrible show. A fundamentally flawed product.
That is why it was on NBC in the first place. No one else wants this POS show.
I get the feeling that NBC will try to do anything it can to sabotage Southland moving to another network. Why? Because I think the last thing they want is to see someone else succeed with something they dropped for ultimately weak reasons.
I wish Wells luck, he’s going to need it.
Are you serious? Southland’s ratings are enough to keep other networks away;unless we are talking basic cable.
What I love is how NBC canceled the show for being too dark… gee did you really need to shoot and edit 6 episodes to realize that – it wasn’t like season 1 was rainbows and unicorns.
Who were the execs assigned to the show. Did anyone actually read the shooting scripts, view rushes, attend rough cut screenings?
Wouldn’t it have made sense to tone down the content of the show before you actually finish 6 episodes and spend millions of dollars.
i know! was thinking the same thing
Did they run promos for it during football?
‘cuz… that’s the only thing I watch on there anymore.
To the comment by “Who” that this show was poorly written??? You’re a total idiot. This show was and is absolutely brilliant. You couldn’t be more off base.
Now go back to watching your “Jon & Kate Plus 8″ marathon…
Is this the whole story? Maybe NBC fired John Wells but offered to rehire him next season at his old rate.
I watched a couple eps of Leno. I couldn’t care less. It’s like a product placement party. I would rather watch Southland than Leno. Too many talk shows.
I did not watch Southland (I’m more of a comedy girl myself), but can appreciate that there is an audience for this type of show. This cannot bode well for NBC if they are tossing what looks like a great show for its audience in favor of low -rated “variety”.
I may be able to undersatnd if Leno was pulling big numbers, but this just seems ridiculous…
if you didn’t watch the show then really not the forum to offer up your opinion. the show was decent, but was never going to be a major earner and was already showing signs of slipping.
just because john wells is proud of it doesn’t mean that he can compare it to the good ‘ol days of solid ER / law & order, which is what he is (not so) subtly doing.
tv today is struggling with reality shows but there are a few good ones popping up this year. i don’t despise the show or john wells, but southland seemed relatively expensive and you can’t give a show like that multiple years to catch on.
nobody was watching this show, and it was not NBC’s lack of promo. What, another cop show with a cast that looks like it walked off The OC? Come on? Hill Street Blues it was not!
Huh? I don’t think you were watching the show either because there is nothing in your comment that remotely describes that cast. Having just watched some episodes of Hill Street Blues last night out of frustration and anger over Southland’s cancellation, I found way more similarities between the two shows as well as some aspects where Southland exceeded. I can’t imagine that Hill Street was an inexpensive venture either but NBC (then) gave it time to become the institution it is after getting poor ratings in the first season.
This was really a good show. Sort of the shield for NBC 6 years later.
They are fucking up by cancelling this show. I hope John Wells gets it on somewhere else.
Whoever’s knocking the writing above…. wrong song donkey kong. Disagree. Its solid.
while southland hasn’t yet reached its potential – its best writer is ann biderman – it deserves to find a home as one of the more potentially interesting ten pm dramas. like friday night lights, there is enough there to create a worthwhile series…
nbc, shame on you for not giving it time…
Someone SHOULD pick that show up. It actually is a good cop show, and they’re really hard to come by. CBS doesn’t need it, though it would fit. ABC probably could use it. I mean, my gawd can’t NBC even keep that show around if not just to save face and keep their relationship with Wells intact. Idiots.
Southland was too gritty and heavy for the 9 o’clock hour. Duh, that’s what the 10 o’clock slot was for….well, blame it on Leno! I always like Leno as a person, but did his huge ego and greed completely obscure the fact of what having his show on every night in that hour would do to otherwise precious and presently few-and-far between, jobs in this town. How many jobs have been lost (or not created) because he’s taking up FIVE nights of prime-time programming with a crappy show talk show that nobody is watching or cares about. I love that the TV actors are boycotting the show (albeit silently) by not appearing.
What’s a show like Southland to do….go to another network, or more likely cable. Because sincerely cable is the only place really entertaining ballsy and compelling shows have a home these days…. excecept for Fox network and their produced shows – Fringe, the Sunday night animation hour and Better off Ted are hard to beat entertainment and smarts-wise.
Hey Jay Leno – take the money and run….or trim down to just one night. Give the rest of Hollywood a little room to breath and survive in.
Do you actually think Leno is responsible for this programming decision? Does the name Jeff Zucker ring a bell?
Jeff Zucker should have stayed at today – any idiot knows you don’t put a 10pm show at 7pm – no one will watch it. NBC is amazingly astute at putting dramas at times that no one will watch them. Also, why cancel a show like ER to replace it with Trauma??????
It is hard to believe this show came from the guy who made “ER”, “West Wing” or “Third Watch”…. This show looks gritty but the writing was nowhere near his other shows. People need to sit down with Wells and be honest with him. The whole town knows grit was not “Southland’s” problem.
Note to John: They can’t all be winners…
Any predictions on who will pick up? FX Networks?