canceled shows

Here's the story of this TV season in a nutshell: Networks put on new shows. Networks cancel new shows. Networks promise to bring back the canceled shows so dedicated fans can get some bit of closure. Well, now we can add a new step to the process: Networks cancel the canceled shows again, further frustrating fans who had waited months for the supposed resolution and now are unlikely to get it at all.

ABC got into the act this week, canceling "The Knights of Prosperity" and "The Nine" for a second time after just two episodes each. They must have taken a lesson from Fox, which moved the date of the final two episodes of "Drive" several times before finally deciding against putting the episodes on TV at all.

In all these cases, the presumed reason behind pulling the show yet again is low ratings. But how could the networks have expected anything else? We viewers take risks when we make time for new shows, and when they get pulled mid-season, that chips away at our trust and makes us less likely to return. With me so far? Then read more

I always got a kick out of "The Knights of Prosperity," ABC's canceled comedy about a band of inept robbers trying to break into Mick Jagger's apartment. It was great fodder for the Buzz Reel back in the day, and I thought the show's offbeat humor managed to stay on the right side of stupid.

The show got pulled in February and missed the cut for a second season, but at least we can get one last little taste of the crew when the show returns tonight with two of its previously unaired episodes. The episodes, which have the Knights turning their attention to robbing Ray Romano, will air at 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, with an "According to Jim" repeat in between. At least one more episode is scheduled for next Wednesday, while the fate of the fourth unaired episode is not known.

To celebrate the Knights' brief return to TV, I've got video of one of my favorite moments from the show, which you can watch if you read more

One of the shows I most looked forward to last fall was "The Nine," ABC's serial drama about what happened to nine people who were held hostage during a bank robbery. The show premiered to positive reviews, and I was absolutely sucked in by the tension-filled pilot. But viewers didn't stick around to watch the mystery unravel — even I found myself letting unwatched episodes pile up on my TiVo — and the show was pulled in November after just seven episodes.

Tonight, fans of the show will finally start getting some measure of resolution when "The Nine" returns to its old 10 p.m. Wednesday time slot. Six more episodes are scheduled to air, though I'm not sure if we'll ever get to find out what really happened inside that bank. Most of the cast members have moved on to other projects — Tim Daly to "Private Practice," Chi McBride to "Pushing Daisies," Dana Davis to "Heroes" — so there's really no chance of the show being resurrected. But at least it's getting to finish out its run on TV, even if it's just a summer burnoff. To watch a preview of what the show was all about, read more

Remember how when I was first writing about "Creature Comforts," I mentioned that I was already mourning its premature cancellation? Well, this is the kind of thing I hate to be right about, but CBS quietly announced today that "Creature Comforts" is gone, to be replaced by repeats of "The New Adventures of Old Christine."

Sigh.

I'm baffled on this one because CBS already spent the money to make the show, and, according to the ratings reports I've seen, it was getting the same number of viewers as the "Old Christine" reruns it was paired with. Plus, it was only supposed to run for a few more weeks anyway.

There's no word yet on whether the unaired episodes will surface online eventually, but I certainly hope so. After all, I've gotten rather attached to these guys over the past few weeks (especially my favorites, the mother owl and her grumpy teenage son), and I'd like to hear the rest of what they have to say, even if most of America doesn't.

Photo courtesy of CBS

Nuts worked for "Jericho" — now, will Mars Bars save "Veronica Mars"?

Some fans certainly hope so: They're sending more than 6,000 candy bars to CW headquarters and to network president Dawn Ostroff directly, hoping the sweets will grant their favorite show a reprieve. They say they've already bought all the Mars Bars available in the United States, along with several thousand Snickers Almond bars and more than 400 pounds of marshmallows. (Granted, it's no 20 tons of peanuts — but, well, you know how much a marshmallow weighs.) Fans who want to go in on a group shipment from The Indian Food Store have until 3 p.m. Central time today to donate.

Frankly, I'd be amazed if another show gets saved by truckloads of food this season. We'll know by Friday, the final deadline for all CW programming decisions. In the meantime, I sure hope Ostroff likes candy.

Photo courtesy of The CW

Rumor has it the slightly insane tactic of sending thousands of pounds of peanuts to the CBS offices in New York may actually be working toward getting "Jericho" renewed for another season. To my bafflement (since I didn't think stunts like this actually worked in real life), there is a "source" claiming that CBS is "thisclose" to announcing the renewal of the show that is, apparently, worth its weight in nuts. Even the AP is reporting on the rumor, sending wild hope into the hearts of "Jericho" fanatics everywhere:

The source spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly. A decision on whether to bring the show back, probably for a midseason run, is imminent, the source said.

The network apparently has been impressed by the display of viewer passion, which included the delivery of 50,000 pounds of peanuts to its New York offices.

If this is true, it's an amazing testament to what people can accomplish when they put their minds to it, I guess. Or, as the "motivation of the day" on JerichoLives.com puts it: "A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence." It's also an amazing testament to the power of peanuts. Now I know how to wear down my next opponent.

I told you the other day about the massive campaign to save "Jericho," but little did I know that was only the beginning. We're not just talking about message board comments and YouTube videos now — we're talking about nuts. Real, physical, edible nuts — literally tons of them — that fans are sending to CBS offices in New York and LA.

The nuts thing (which comes from the line Skeet Ulrich's character used to turn down an offer of surrender from a neighboring town in the final "Jericho" episode) really took off on Monday, when the Jericho Lives folks partnered with Nuts Online to pool money and send shipments of nuts to CBS. The first day, fans ordered 1,200 pounds of nuts, which arrived at CBS headquarters in New York on Tuesday. A whopping 4,000 pounds arrived today, and another 4,000 pounds have already been ordered for tomorrow — along with a couple of hundred surplus pounds for the network's LA office.

Now, I don't watch "Jericho" — and I admit the military-inspired instructions on the Jericho Lives site freak me out a little — but I'm loving this nuts campaign. I actually cheered a little when the live nut counter (yes, I said live nut counter) topped 10,000 pounds. I would also just love to know how much the CBS bigwigs are dying inside every time a UPS truck pulls up these days. "What? Two more tons of nuts? Greeeeat ..." To watch a video of the first 1,000 pounds arriving at CBS, read more

It's been a month of sad goodbyes over on The CW — first "Gilmore Girls" last week, now "Veronica Mars" tonight. After months of will-they-or-won't-they rumors, the CW finally confirmed last week that it wouldn't renew the spy-girl series for a fourth season. That seems a shame, given that tonight's final two episodes look so good. In them, Veronica has to investigate a very personal mystery: Who put racy footage of her and Piz on the Internet? Because a decision about the show's fate was made so late, the episodes were finished before the cast and crew knew if this would be a season or series finale; even so, I hope the episodes give us some closure for the Neptune crew. To watch a preview for the finale, read more

I had no idea "Jericho" fans were such a passionate bunch. After CBS revealed last week that the apocalyptic drama wouldn't be returning next season, viewers inundated CBS with e-mails, started petitions, and launched a YouTube video campaign.

Well, the network is listening. Over the weekend, this statement from CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler appeared on the show's Web site:

We have read your emails over the past few days and have been touched by the depth and passion with which you have expressed your disappointment. Please know that canceling a television series is a very difficult decision. Hundreds of people at the Network, the production company and the incredibly-talented creative team worked very hard to build and serve the community for this show — both on-air and online. It is a show we loved too.

Thank you for supporting Jericho with such passion. We truly appreciate the commitment you made to the series and we are humbled by your disappointment. In the coming weeks, we hope to develop a way to provide closure to the compelling drama that was the Jericho story.

It's unclear what "closure" could mean, since giving the show a second season appears to be out of the question. Two of the suggestions I've seen are a TV movie or some online outlet for tying up the characters' stories. If you're a fan, tell me: What kind of ending would satisfy you? To see two of the fan-made videos from the "Jericho" campaign, read more

Apparently, Monday at 10 p.m. is NBC's Time Slot O' Death. NBC's latest attempt to get something going in the post-"Heroes" hour, "The Real Wedding Crashers," has crashed and burned, just like "The Black Donnellys" and "Studio 60" before it. Tonight's episode is still on the schedule, but NBC will air repeats of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" in its place for the rest of the season. USA Today is reporting that the three remaining "Crashers" episodes will air on Mondays at 8 sometime over the summer.

Frankly, I find it hard to believe that NBC hasn't been able to find a single show all season that can work after a hit as big as "Heroes." They already have a ton of viewers at that time of night; why can't they manage to keep them?

Meanwhile, another NBC show can foresee good things in its future: "Medium" has been renewed for next season. I hadn't expected the network to make any more announcements about returning shows until it reveals its full fall schedule next week, so this was a bit of a surprise. I can't help but wonder what it means for NBC's other dramas that haven't been renewed yet, including "Crossing Jordan" and, of course, "Friday Night Lights," which got an order for more scripts at the same time as "Medium."

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