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It’s officially over for NBC’s Munsters reboot Mockingbird Lane. The project’s creator/executive producer Bryan Fuller made the announcement earlier today on Twitter. “I tweet with a heavy heart,” he wrote. “NBC not moving forward with #MockingbirdLane. From producers and cast, thank you all for enthusiasm and support.”
This marks the end of Mockingbird Lane‘s two-year journey. The project was originally developed by NBC’s previous regime during the 2010-11 cycle. Fuller’s script was one of very few Bob Greenblatt kept in play when he took over the network in January 2011. It was redeveloped and, in November 2011, it was ordered to pilot, which was subsequently rolled to June because of difficulties with casting. The pilot landed Bryan Singer as director and eventually assembled a cast led by Jerry O’Connell as family patriarch Herman Munster, Portia de Rossi as his wife Lily, and Eddie Izzard as Grandpa. The pilot was lauded for its visual style but NBC brass felt the high-concept premise — a show about a family of “monsters” — didn’t quite work. The network unofficially passed on the pilot at the end of September but opted to air it as a Halloween special, in part to offset its high cost, said to be pushing $10 million. The special did a so-so 5.4 million total viewers and a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49 in the Friday 8 PM slot, giving Fuller and the project’s fans a glimmer of hope that NBC may pick it up to series. Multiple additional scripts had been written, and there was speculation that the project may be reworked to focus on Grandpa and cousin Marilyn (Charity Wakefield). But I hear among top NBC brass the decision not to go forward with Mockingbird Lane had already been made, and it has now become official.
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Whoa, whoa, whoa… A reboot of a terrible TV show didn’t work? But it was such a strong brand! And, and, it was supposed to be Modern Family meets True Blood mixed with Teletubbies! This is shocking (that it took two years for this to go away).
And the characters bore no resemblance to the same characters from the original series!
The Grandpa character was the only one that was interesting — the rest were really dull (not that they had much to work with since the script STUNK}.
Did Bob and Jen not read this script too before they greenlit it?
These two are now on islands not reading all their pilots. Except for the ones Ari told them too. They should be pouring through every piece of material that came in the last few years to see if NBC has anything decent. Bob and Jen want quick fixes and so they go to the same dry wells and don’t bother to do their job. Laziest execs on the planet. No taste either. But hard work can do wonders.
I actually liked it. It would have been a great series.
Thank Goodness!!!
Next week the same bunch of people will probably be “re-booting” “My Mother the Car” and “Captain Nice.” Heaven forbid that someone associated with yet another of these”less of the same, all over again” Ideas should come up with something original.. What’s Next? “My Favorite Martian” meets “Make Room for Daddy”? These people have zero creativity, and even less shame.
“My Mother The Car”, a bad reboot idea? Don’t tell that to me or my co-exec producer. “Vehicular Momicide” is our coming hit for 2013. You’ll adore it. It’s America’s Show!
if i had the money, I’d make all of these.
Great news.
Another failed, wrong-headed, fatally flawed reboot attempt from NBC. (You’d think they’d have learned their lessons from Knight Rider and Bionic Woman.) Mockingbird Lane completely lacked the charm and innocence of the original, and made the likeable and sympathetic Munsters aggressively unlikeable and unsympathetic. Instead of normal-on-the-inside, monsters-on-the-outside, Fuller (in a rare misstep) got the characters completely, utterly wrong by turning them into the exact polar opposite of what people loved about them to begin with. Why make them look normal, and make them (esp. Grandpa) so twisted? It just didn’t make any sense. Where was the joy? It was actually really kind of sick.
Don’t have too a heavy a heart. It’s “The Munsters” starring Jerry O’Connell.
Poor Jerry O. Nicest guy in Hollywood, but just can’t get a project to stick.
I’s not surprised. It was so boring that I didn’t even watch it till the end. It was completely unfunny.
Agreed. I tried to watch it, but it was just awful.
I tried to watch it as well. It was painfully boring and disjointed. I gave up half way through the second act. Is this news really shocking to anyone? Fuller is better than this!
Mockingbird Lane’s cancellation came as a complete surprise to me. Said no one ever.
The show didn’t last long enough for Bryan Fuller to get disenchanted and walk off the set. This is a first.
I really feel sorry for O’Connell, poor guy can’t find a hit
I must agree about Jerry O’Connell didn’t get a break. I hope that the producer will release the pilot on the DVD with the behind the scene that Fuller couldn’t used. How about the syndication route? Good luck in 2013.
That’s too bad. The pilot had potential.
Good post but your use of “rare misstep” is interesting given nothing fuller has created in the last ten years has gone past a season two (and no way will his next reboot–Hannibal–break the trend). The only people more woefully out of touch with what America wants to see than Fuller are the truly idiotic NBC execs who have rolled the dice on $15 million worth of this dude’s pilots in a single season.
Comcast: take a hard look at who is developing your dramas and recognize that these people are losing your shareholders a fortune by working with creatively backward people like Fuller.
The Pilot was pretty good the 5.4 million viewers isn’t so bad considering it Didn’t air on Halloween as it was publisized to. To spend that much money and not give it a shot?? I feel sorry for NBC they need a shot to stay in the running. They gave up on Law and Order LA as well as Prime Suspect. Both had potential, oh wait they were also cancelled
@Roci
I’d be in for a remake of Captain Nice. That show was hilarious. Very ahead of it’s time.
Wow, so many assholes come out of the woodwork to comment on canceling the show. I’m sad it’s canceled because it was quite nice family-friendly show.
What are you people talking about? I saw the show. I would watch it if ti became a series.
Apparently, I’m the only one who liked ‘Mockingbird Lane’, but I thought the production values and writing were far superior to many network shows. Fact is, this show was too smart for its own good. If you watched closely enough, the Munster family dynamics were a metaphor for today’s screwed-up, dysfunctional society. Plus, it was damn clever and I thought it was brilliant! NBC took a risk trying something so edgy, and while it was yet another remake (I agree that Hollywood has seemingly run out of ideas), I really liked the feel of the show. It had so much potential. I wish Syfy (an NBC owned company) had wanted it – it would’ve been a nice fit. It’s really easy to not want to like the show because it’s a remake, or because it wasn’t politically correct in many ways, but saying it was “fatally flawed” or “lacked the charm of he original” is just ridiculous. The original was a cute show that toned down who these people really were – monsters!! The updated version had to explore that side of things because today’s audience demands it. I loved Eddie Izzard as Grandpa, and the cast as a whole, and even though I was initially on the fence about Jerry
O’ Connell as Herman, he did a respectable job putting a new spin on the character. The show deserved a chance to grow, especially with a guy like Bryan Singer, who has a proven track record, at the helm. Whats next NBC? Another ‘Law & Order’? Talk about running out of ideas! I’m sorry to see it go.
Fun Grandpa! You are so right. I truly had no hopes for this until I saw the pilot. And if they could’ve found away to be cost effective, this could’ve been big for NBC. The Munsters brand was there with the Mockingbird Lane and not there for those who wouldn’t give a **** about a Munsters reboot. It was good. They slipped on making something out of this one.
Wait wait wait — I can’t stop laughing to type… NBC brass felt this concept “Didn’t quite work.” Which to be clear — it absolutely didn’t. Ever. Not from the very first thought of it. And yet… They ordered a script. And the script was a horribly bad and contrived manifestation of that concept that didn’t work. And yet… They gave it an order… And the pilot was an even worse manifestation of the bad script resulting from the horrible concept. And yet… They kept it alive, hoping it would land on the schedule. What a bunch of tone def and blind idiots. But you know… Nevermind.
You people are some big time assholes. This show was funny and entertaining. Bryan Fuller is a genius and for whatever reason the networks and twits like the lot of you, bash or cancel whatever the man makes. I am completely confused as to how some shows make it and others do not.
Whether you liked the show or not, it’s the right type of show NBC should be creating. Something distinct and different, not “broad” generic slop and watered-down clones of other networks shows.
Something like Mockingbird Lane is vastly more likely to break out than crud like Whitney and Guys With Kids.
NBC needs to start trying to find the next big thing rather than constantly chasing the last big thing.
Bingo. It had some problems but the central conceit – The Munsters characters with a lot more bite (haha) than the sitcommy originals – was not one of them. It was the best of this year’s network crop, practially by default given the overall poor quality. At least it wasnt as gutless as the rest.
The decision to cut this project is as original as Hollywood’s “original” idea to re-do it. Do they not have the internet or web access in Hollywood? I am seeing a ton a great, original, fresh, color, innovative, & diverse web series. Just like evening I spent a few hours watching Hustling. Amazing cinematography, stellar acting, wonderful locations and excellent writing/dialogue. O yeah – everything Hollywood exorcises from anything potentially worth watching from Hollywood. What am I thinking!?
$10 million for thiese piece of crap pilot?
Not to worry – NBC still has a ton of crappy ideas that they will turn into shows.
And I’m just the guy to write them.
This show was actually pretty good if you were able to see it for what it was; a family drama. What’s the difference between this and something like Parenthood? Not much, really. Just the characters. In this case, the family just happens to be a bunch of weirdos. I think that’s a good idea and I thought the pilot was quite interesting. I was surprised that I enjoyed something Jerry O’Connell did, and felt his portrayal of the harried suburban dad, not too mention how it looked like his head was going to fall off at any moment, was enjoyable. And with Eddie Izzard and Portia de Rossi, most everything they do is going to be enjoyable. I would have liked to see this show develop further, and I think it would have found an audience if NBC gave it the chance. Much like previous Bryan Fuller projects (Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me Season 1), it takes some time and patience to see the deeper themes Fuller likes to explore. The main reason a show like this is not given a chance is because TV and movie executives know better than anyone, and can probably scientifically prove, that most Americans have the attention span of a starving cockroach.
Jerry O’Connell is the kiss of death to TV shows (and movies) just like Paula Marshall.
Just an awful show with piss-poor casting and a bad script, which all together sealed the deal for this trainwreck. NBC can’t seem to do anything right outside of reality shows nowadays.