On Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 3:23 PM, Mark J. <[email protected]> wrote:
> And there's your first prime time cancellation of the season--"Lie to > Me" is back earlier than expected, like next Monday: > > http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/09/28/lone-star-canceled/ > This is stunning in its consequences, though I guess not surprising since it has been speculated all week. The Hollywood Reporter story ( http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i677c428c4dc16c2cbf661b5e3953feee) closes with the quote from Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly that both equated Lonestar with the elite, higher-brow dramas on cable, and bragged that he could deliver big numbers for quality dramas on Fox : "The only reason those shows aren't watched by more people is they're not on Fox," Reilly said. "The [basic cable networks] don't have this [promotional] machine." I have not yet watched episode #2 of LS, but I really liked the pilot, and this was easily the best new show I have seen this season. I am bummed we are only getting two. The story in the original link says: "Production on *Lone Star* will cease immediately, confirms a 20th Century Fox spokesperson. “We will have shot five completed episodes after the pilot,” says the rep, “and will not complete principal photography on episode 106.” It’s not clear what will happen to the four unaired episodes." This means there will are 4 unaired episodes, which I hope get released somewhere. I don't know what the exact relationship is between Fox and FX, but why doesn't it make financial sense to just move LS over there? Presumably a lot of the costs are already paid for, and it seems like it would be cheaper for FX to just produce the remainder of the LS season than to try to develop another new drama. And wouldnt the cast and crew take a pay cut to at least keep going a full season, if it came to that? I don't know that LS was going to be as good as the best of the cable dramas, but it was going to be pretty good. Like "Kings" that we discussed here a few weeks ago, it seems like it would have gotten the 1.5 - 2M viewers needed to be successful on small, quality basic cable. By my count that now makes three recent dramas (I will include "Southland") that failed not because of quality, but because they were not matched well for broadcast networks. It is past time for every big broadcast network to also have a smaller basic cable outlet where it can run its vanity "art house" projects. I can live with Tits and Ass on Five-0, but I would like to have access to something a little more somewhere else. -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
