^That DOES seem like an odd move. Were the ratings THAT bad? I only watched it once; can't say I found it all that "dark and gritty," myself.
You really have to feel sorry for producers of NBC dramas. The Jay Leno Show is making it very hard to find timeslots.
Kind of an odd move, but let's face it - this was going to be canceled anyway. Now, two episodes from now, six episodes from now...there wasn't a future to be had with this program.
The ratings were terrible. It was critically acclaimed, but that means absolutely nothing after a certain point.
They picked it up only after a few episodes when the ratings were good then they slid badly. However saying that a 9pm slot may of helped it who knows.
I really didn't like any of the characters in this show. I tried to like it but it didn't seem very original. I still think that it's stupid to renew a show for a second season and then cancel it before it even premiers.
NBC in in serious trouble but I think it may of found its possible saving grace. I've noticed most of its shows that do get respectable viewer totals lack the demo to back it up but why should that be bad... There are more old people watching TV than young people and they not only have more money but spend more. CBS targets the old without really advertising it to keep its image at least good enough for a decent amount of young viewers to add to there already huge audience hence why CBS is top dog. NBC should go after the older audeince more and make hard hitting drama's and less shows with characters who are made for the young demo.
They renew the series, create a new show to save money but it also takes away the time slot for the renewed series, and then cancel the renewed series before it starts... Seriously, WTF?!?
This is the first sign of the Lenopocalypse, folks. The reason NBC did this? The writing for the first 6 episodes already filmed where deemed "to dark and gritty" for the 9 PM time-slot. Seriously. They canceled this drama for being too dramatic for the only time slot available. Which is the only slot available because they've given 10 PM totally over to Leno. Chris Meloni of Law & Order SVU was on MSNBC today, along with a writer of some note, forget his name, and everyone as much as they may like Leno, is waiting with baited breath and hope for Leno to fail, because his idiotic-timed show is not only killing 5 good potential dramas a week, but it's harming the dramas that used to be on at 10 and are now forced into 9, as they can't be as adult as they used to be at the earlier time. Fucking Idiot NBC... They're dragging all of broadcast television down with their sinking ship. If Leno is still on by mid-season, we're in real trouble, folks. If he's still on by summer... this is truly the end of television. Truly.
Young people are watching TV but in nontraditional ways that are hard to monetize. Old coots aren't changing their habits, but they are moving out of the 18-49 age group advertisers care about reaching. This is a business problem that all the networks are going to have to figure out how to solve. NBC and CW, you're up to bat first. Then ABC and FOX. CBS bats last. But it's everyone's problem. The irony is that NBC and CW could benefit from being forced to confront this problem early, and CBS could end up regretting their complacency and inaction. Oooooh no. Not as long as advertisers cling to their archaic notion that people over 49 are worthless to reach because their brand loyalties are set in stone. (They are most certainly NOT.) A 49 year old Baby Boomer is not the same sort of person as a 49 year old who was born during the Depression, and does not have any more brand loyalty than any of us do, but just try to tell advertisers that. What is wrong with advertisers? They think all people over 49 are perpetual Ma Joads? As long as they are ruled by their misperceptions, the networks are forced to warp their TV lineups to suit.
Chuck is dead before it returns IMO. A show which debuts its season so far into the Telly season well rarely works in recent time.