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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.”
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Can’t we just be real and all agree that this show was sub-par and move on…I love his tenacity, but really, this one wasn’t a winner, John.
Wells needs to move so far away from this turd.
When will this industry realize critics don’t pay the bills. Try creating a scripted show that makes the audience care, because right now about 300 million Americans viewers don’t. That’s the problem.
I wonder if this has anything to do with Wells getting elected pres of WGA?
Interesting… It would be a nice little FU, laying down the law now to say, “We won’t be bullied.” Curious no one else has proposed this theory…
If it were, how (again) short sighted is that to try and punish a writer/creator and those he represents when the network appears to be in need of content?
I think, however, all of this cancelling and the excuses made for it are part of a greater plan by NBC to downsize the network and morph it into a different product. A sort of 24/7 Today show, with infomercials and pre-packaged taped reruns of magazine shows filling off hours — like what MSNBC does. It will be a sort of MSNBC hybrid channel — worked for MSNBC, why not NBC? A few comedies, Leno, Conan, game shows, cheap and dumb reality shows, and lots of news and hybrids of news like Dateline. Today show was a variety show — NBC’s hours will be filled with that template. That’s the Zucker-man’s idea. Leno himself said a few weeks ago that for whatever reason NBC doesn’t want to do dramas anymore. It’s Zucker at the helm and his minions that make those decisions.
Disappointing. “Southland” was at least interesting. Hope it finds a new home.
Southland was absolute garbage. It was as if Wells & co. made a series out of Colors. Loved seeing the pilot episode and that liquor store robbery… they consider that the hood? That liquor store was a 3 minute walk from Beachwood Cyn.
EPIC FAILURE.
awesome show, bring it back soon
You need to rent some cop shows. “The Shield”, “The Wire”, “Hill Street.” You clearly don’t know good writing. This show made CSI look like Madmen.
Never mind Hill Street Blues, Southland was no “Third Watch.” No one will notice that show doesn’t come back.
NBC HAS BIGGER PROBLEMS!
Southland was quality television, and quality writing. You guys bashing it are on crack.
Wake up and smell the coffee people, this is all paving the way for the Comcast buyout to get NBC. Continue putting cheap programming on the air to make the bottom-line look good.
Southland was getting a 2.0/6.5MM audience. Leno’s getting a 1.7/5.7MM audience. If people want to complain about the show getting cancelled, talk to people who didn’t watch it, not NBC
It was a terrfic show, arguably the best drama NBC had on its schedule. In the end, it’s probably a good thing it’s been cancelled now, because NBC would have killed it slowly on Fridays/9P anyway. ABC has some holes opening up soon (Eastwick and The Forgotten). Hopefully McPherson steps up and rescues a fine hour of entertainment.
This program has very solid writing and characters with a cast that can pull it off. Where else can you see a strong gay character who does not follow the comical stereotype that television shows are so fond of portraying? This is the only network show that does not make me feel like my IQ is going down as I watch it. I hope that Mr. Wells makes a sincere effort to find it a new home on another network where it can flourish. Typcially I do not get this worked up about a television program but that is how strongly I feel about it.
i agree, southland was interesting.i guess i’ll look forward to seeing it on bravo, right behind another fave,law & order criminal intent{didn’t that start out on nbc also…} or maybe on usa with l&o svu… or in plain sight…either way, dumb move{yet again} by nbc
If I had a network, Wells could run “Southland” 24/7 if he liked.
Doesn’t really matter if it was well written. It was a rehashed idea in a different location.
Try something interesting and new, Wells. Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, Burn Notice, Mad Men, the list goes on and on.
But, yeah, another “Cops on the beat” show.
Boring.
But at least now you can spend more time focusing on how to destroy the Guild and writer’s futures.
Maybe Jay Leno can do two hours a night for NBC.
You would have to be a person who didn’t get cop shows to think this was good one. GO RENT THE WIRE. You guys are clueless.
I have been “getting” cop shows since I was a twelve year old watching Hill Street Blues. The Wire was a great show but that doesn’t preclude Southland from being a great show as well that focuses on different perspectives. They are not in mutually exclusive categories, other than one had the financial backing and freedom of a cable network and the other had no network support and the restraints of the FCC.
Who watches network tv?
Millions of people, idiot.
Please don’t cancel Eastwick that show is getting so good.
The reason the show could not crack the 7 million barrier (which btw is low) is that the show was written for Hollywood insiders. Too PC, too patronizing, too much “noble White guy saving non-Whites” aka “White Man’s burden” with derivative aspects of Hill Street Blues, the Shield, and Crash (the movie). Or, for those with shorter memories, Boomtown.
By way of comparison, CSI and Grey’s Anatomy pulled around 17 million viewers (down from around 22 million for last seasons CSI premier). Both at the 9 pm slots.
Wells is a talented guy, I can think of no one better to reach both West Hollywood AND Santa Monica audiences. But NBC’s problem is that they have no one on staff capable of developing a broadly appealing show that reach a LOT of people and are instead trapped in “Brandon Tartikoff mode.” West Wing was a profitable show in the go-go 1990′s and early 2000′s, the upscale audience with premiums paid for reaching them by advertisers just isn’t there. What works is either cheap stuff that can eke out a bare profit or broad stuff.
Which NBC execs and guys like Wells simply cannot create. Broad audiences as opposed to wealthy West Siders don’t want a PC lecture at every turn — they want entertainment. To paraphrase Sam Goldwyn, if you want to send a message use e-mail.
I don’t like Leno sucking up air time in the 10 pm slot anymore than anyone else here. But NBC and most of the networks just cannot produce broadly appealing shows.
If ABC or CBS doesn’t want it, the logical place for it may very well be on AMC.
The show really didn’t fit in with the network’s low-quality, low-cost philosophy. The Zucker Doctrine seems to be to bury your failures underneath bigger failures.
When I saw the SOUTHLAND pilot I felt that it was laying the foundation for some very smart, very intriguing television and immediately felt because it was smart and intriguing that it wouldnt have a prayer.
Especially with the idea of inviting the hoi polloi to the Leno product placement show in its timeslot.
These shows take time to unfold and cook, with the full breadth of characters only revealed after a season. We dont have time for that now apparently on network.
Seems to work ok for MADMEN.
I think of Sorkin’s SPORTS NIGHT the same way. The first season was kind of a disaster (for many reasons really) but mostly because the characters needed time to be realized (which they so expertly were) and the dividends returned in the following 2 seasons were just magical.
Naturally, that show was too smart and no one watched it and there you go. There are a ton of examples and i can go on and on…
SOUTHLAND was the ONE network television drama I gave a damn about and was DYING to return. My hope is that it moves to FX.
But seriously what the hell do I know.
ps BETTER OF TED rules. Its so good I expect it to be canceled any second.
After watching THE SHIELD, there are no more good cop dramas.
Agreed.