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Cancelled! Place Your Bets

What's Getting the Ax?

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    56
^^^Why is Fringe still on the air? Why hasn't it already been canceled? The theory that Fringe is still airing because Fox forgot to apply normal business practices for no reason at all is the bonkers theory. Also, scare quotes around "theory" to hint that it's not even an explanation when you're the one who doesn't have an explanation is no class behavior.

On the other hand, is it even possible for you people who are so offended to explain what's so offensive? Having a low opinion of Fox network is simple common sense, not a personal attack.
 
bigdaddy said:
FordSVT said:
Community and Cougar Town so don't serve it. I watched an episode of Terra Nova, didn't watch another. Haven't seen anything else on the list.
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Cougar Town is gone, Community will get a 4th.

Whitney and 70s Show Girl Show are DOA.

Any new Fox show, and Fringe can die at any time.
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Cougar Town is airing again and i've heard no cancellation news (it seems like a show that burns slow but enough to keep it on) and Community returns in March.

Personally i liked Pan Am very much but i think it's gone due to very high production costs and not enough return and the faster Terra Nova vanishes the better.
 
stj said:
^^^Why is Fringe still on the air? Why hasn't it already been canceled? The theory that Fringe is still airing because Fox forgot to apply normal business practices for no reason at all is the bonkers theory. Also, scare quotes around "theory" to hint that it's not even an explanation when you're the one who doesn't have an explanation is no class behavior.
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It's pretty simple. It's still on TV because Fringe makes money for FOX. While it may have lower ratings here in the US, it sells well abroad.

So... not so bonkers for them to keep it on the air.
 
Also, Fringe is on Friday, an alternate reality where normal rules of physics and business no longer apply. Networks have given up on getting decent ratings on that night and it's becoming the night for cult-sf/f shows and low ratings expectations.

Just look at Grimm, getting meh ratings even by NBC's debased standards, but it's the golden child and definitely will get a renewal. It's actually quite nice to have one night where genre shows can survive on broadcast. If that wasn't happening, we'd just be getting more reality crap and cop shows.

Of course it might become inconvenient if more than two networks programmed shows I wanted to watch in the same timeslot. So far, there's been no risk of that.
 
Temis the Vorta said:
Just look at Grimm, getting meh ratings even by NBC's debased standards, but it's the golden child and definitely will get a renewal. It's actually quite nice to have one night where genre shows can survive on broadcast. If that wasn't happening, we'd just be getting more reality crap and cop shows.
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Grimm is getting the best demo numbers for the night at 1.8, that tells you something.

Fringe is screwed unless WB gives Fringe free to Fox, and WB pays for the episodes. Which wouldn't be too shocking actually.
 
Professor Zoom said:
It's pretty simple. It's still on TV because Fringe makes money for FOX. While it may have lower ratings here in the US, it sells well abroad.

So... not so bonkers for them to keep it on the air.
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Many, many shows have been canceled while still making money. because they weren't making enough money by comparison to other properties. Besides, when the Fox executive pointed out that Fox wasn't in business to lose money, he was referring specifically to Fringe. It may have been hardball in negotiating the license fees, but it's just as likelyl that Fringe is losing Fox money. Fox executives are likely trained to think in terms of opportunity cost, in which they assess the profits from Fringe in terms of what another, higher rated show would have earned them. In any event, it is very likely that pretty much any new show will have better ratings, even on Friday, a situtation that applied before this season, which still asks the queston why Fox didn't cancel Fringe.

Overseas sales don't give money to Fox, except insofar as it permits Bad Robot etc. to charge Fox less.

The theory that Friday is an alternate reality verges on bonkers but makes more sense than thinking that Fringe was renewed because of standard business practices.

Again, it is curious that people should get offended.
 
Warner Bros gave Fox a very low licence fee for Fringe this season because they, Warners, make good money from the show in international markets and because they wanted to get enough episodes produced to allow for a good syndication package. The licence fee was so low that it made sense for Fox to renew the show at the time. However, the ratings have been so low that Fox will cancel the series unless Warner is so eager to get Fringe over the 100-episode mark that they further reduce the licence fee and make a truncated fifth season worth Fox's while.
 
Warners, make good money from the show in international markets and because they wanted to get enough episodes produced to allow for a good syndication package.
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The question is...

If Fringe gets cancelled with no ending does that the value of the syndication package Warner can sell. It would definitely hurt DVD sales. I can't understand why the WB and Fox didn't come up with a plan that after 6 or 7 episodes the decision will be made to keep it for 5 or to cancel it and give plenty of time for the writers to wrap it up.

It's still on TV because Fringe makes money for FOX.
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A FOX exec recent said that Fringe actually is now losing money so that probably seals the deal for FOX. WB either need to let FOX share a portion of the future DVD & Sydnication money or fund season 5 themselves and air it on The CW.
 
Out Of My Vulcan Mind said:
The licence fee was so low that it made sense for Fox to renew the show at the time. However, the ratings have been so low that Fox will cancel the series unless Warner is so eager to get Fringe over the 100-episode mark that they further reduce the licence fee and make a truncated fifth season worth Fox's while.
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The way the ratings were dropping there wasn't any sense in renewing the series, even at the lower licensing. There was no reason to think the ratings wouldn't keep on dropping. The ratings are still getting so bad that Fox might end up losing audience for its promos as well as any other putative benefits in synergy, leadout and such. Fox hasn't been using normal business strategy according to any information available to us. I might be wrong as to why, but most of you people can't even see there's something weird going on. That's worse than plain and simple wrong. And insults about bonkers and dream world, instead of reasonable conversation, shows personal offense.
 
stj said:
The way the ratings were dropping there wasn't any sense in renewing the series, even at the lower licensing.
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And you know this because? The execs obviously calculated that it might be worth it; it seems not to have been the case.

Alleging favouritism for Torv without any evidence (and plenty of counter-evidence) is a little insulting.
 
stj said:
The way the ratings were dropping there wasn't any sense in renewing the series, even at the lower licensing. There was no reason to think the ratings wouldn't keep on dropping. The ratings are still getting so bad that Fox might end up losing audience for its promos as well as any other putative benefits in synergy, leadout and such. Fox hasn't been using normal business strategy according to any information available to us.
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They had a reasonable expectation that the show would find a floor and stabilize at a level that would make the reduced licence fee a profitable proposition for them. That didn't turn out to be the case, but network programmers frequently turn out to be wrong. It's not as if this is an isolated instance of that happening by any means.

I might be wrong as to why, but most of you people can't even see there's something weird going on. That's worse than plain and simple wrong. And insults about bonkers and dream world, instead of reasonable conversation, shows personal offense.
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I disagree that there's something weird going on and I've stated why in a tone of reasonable conversation.

Jax said:
I can't understand why the WB and Fox didn't come up with a plan that after 6 or 7 episodes the decision will be made to keep it for 5 or to cancel it and give plenty of time for the writers to wrap it up.
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The producers have said the season finale can serve as a series finale, although whether fans will agree and find it a satisfying ending remains to be seen.
 
The producers have said the season finale can serve as a series finale, although whether fans will agree and find it a satisfying ending remains to be seen.
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They said that about the 3rd season finale in a interview before christmas so that gives me NO faith that the season 4 finale will wrap up anything.
 
Professor Zoom said:
stj said:
^^^Why is Fringe still on the air? Why hasn't it already been canceled? The theory that Fringe is still airing because Fox forgot to apply normal business practices for no reason at all is the bonkers theory. Also, scare quotes around "theory" to hint that it's not even an explanation when you're the one who doesn't have an explanation is no class behavior.
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It's pretty simple. It's still on TV because Fringe makes money for FOX. While it may have lower ratings here in the US, it sells well abroad.

So... not so bonkers for them to keep it on the air.
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Actually Fringe isn't making any money. The president of Fox came out and explained that Fringe loses Fox money and they aren't in the money losing business.
 
bigdaddy said:
Professor Zoom said:
stj said:
^^^Why is Fringe still on the air? Why hasn't it already been canceled? The theory that Fringe is still airing because Fox forgot to apply normal business practices for no reason at all is the bonkers theory. Also, scare quotes around "theory" to hint that it's not even an explanation when you're the one who doesn't have an explanation is no class behavior.
Click to expand...

It's pretty simple. It's still on TV because Fringe makes money for FOX. While it may have lower ratings here in the US, it sells well abroad.

So... not so bonkers for them to keep it on the air.
Click to expand...

Actually Fringe isn't making any money. The president of Fox came out and explained that Fringe loses Fox money and they aren't in the money losing business.
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Now you're forcing me to agree with stj. It must be a conspiracy then. Damn you.
 
^^^Do you honestly think there's some sort of conspiracy? All it takes is one top executive afraid to take a chance on offending Rupert Murdoch. And there's every reason in the world to think that Rupert Murdoch's wrath is easy to provoke and unrestrained in action. If you have some sort of idea that businessmen are hardnosed realists who remorselessly apply the strictest logic to problems, you really need to rethink your worldview. The numinous aura of wealth should not blind you to the fact that many, many businessmen are just as prone to taking credit for what's not their doing (perhaps even sincerely) as any politician. Or even faking results! Thinking that a Fox executive would risk defying an abusive tyrant for the sake of honestly trying to maximize profits is pretty much living in a dream world.

That said, of course it's not certain that fear of Murdoch plays a role. But it's much more certain that there was no reasonable expectation of Fringe's ratings decline halting.
 
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