HOLLYWOOD—Last week was not a good week for TV lovers, as many new TV shows and some favorites got the axe from networks. While checking some of my favorite entertainment sites throughout the week, it just seemed so many shows were getting axed that it was hard to believe.
It happens every year, so it should be a major surprise to most people in the TV world, for those who just watch shows it might be foreign. May is the time of the year that the networks roll out their scheduled line-ups for the fall in preparation for advertisers. Yes people, in the TV world it’s all about money, advertisers pay those salaries for so many.
So how can I best sum this up, shows that have lackluster ratings or as the networks like to deem them don’t exceed those expectations they expect get the pink slip. Perhaps, the biggest shockers for many was the news that ABC cancelled “Nashville” and “Castle.” I will admit I though the first season of “Nashville” was an absolute thrill, but I lost interest mid-way into the second season and never got hooked back to the series. It was apparently a hit for DVR viewers who may have missed the show during its airing on Wednesday nights, but even that wasn’t enough to save the series. Some are hoping that Netflix, Amazon or one of those other internet titans who have changed the game of television might pick up the series.
The same sentiment was echoed for the popular “Castle” which has been on for eight seasons. Yes, in the TV world people that is a very long time. So to see the show get axed I was somewhat surprised, but not quite. Why? Well two of the series stars, Stana Katic and Tamala Jones announced a few weeks back they would not be returning for another season. Well, if you biggest star (Katic) isn’t coming back, where the hell is the show going to go?
Normally I wouldn’t go through the list of shows that got the axe, but as a lover of TV when I get the opportunity to watch, I think it’s fair to warn the American public to readjust their schedules as some of their favorites won’t be back in the fall. Such shows include: “Grandfathered,” “The Grinder,” “Agent Carter,” “CSI: Cyber,” “The Family,” The Muppets,” “Second Chance,” “Telenovela,” “Undateable,” “Galavant,” “Containment” “Rush Hour,” and the new series “Limitless” on CBS might not return either. As for you “Supergirl” fans, the series got a renewal, but on The CW network. I guess that is indeed a perfect pairing, considering that the CW is none for its bevy of superhero shows.
What bugs me the most when a network cancels perhaps a worthy TV show is that it ends on an epic cliffhanger where the audience or fans have NO IDEA how things playout. That is a major bummer, especially if you’ve invested hours watching the series. And it’s not like we ever get the opportunity to receive the answer to those questions that left is wondering or pondering our thoughts on what could, should or would happen in the end. Could you imagine “Lost” getting cancelled before revealing to fans just precisely what was transpiring on that island? What about “Breaking Bad” ending before knowing the fates of Jesse and Walt?
However, what I find disturbing are those shows that are still getting renewals even though their time is obviously up. I have no shame in pointing out a few series that should be getting the axe a lot sooner than later. “The Vampire Diaries” on the CW network was such a guilty pleasure, but the series hasn’t been anywhere close to the fun narrative it used to be since season four. Since then, major players have life (talking about you Nina Dobrev) and the idea of a ‘villain’ has become a bit of a joke in my opinion. I thought the show was going to be axed this season, but it looks like season eight might be the final hurrah, well let’s hope. Others that I think should be ushering out include, “The Amazing Race,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “The Voice,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Gotham,” “The Bachelor,” “Shark Tank” and “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” to name a few. As we all know pilot season is being unleashed on TV lovers as we speak for the upcoming season.
The thing to be aware of only, like 3-5 of the countless series set to premiere on the various networks this fall will become hits, all the others will fill voids in those time slots and of course come May 2017 we’ll be getting a list of TONS of cancelled shows that didn’t make it by season one.
