Network Show Cancellations

Network Show Cancellations

Network Show Cancellations, The fall 2011 television season has not been kind to a lot of new shows. Several ambitious projects have already been axed in the season, including "Charlie's Angels" and "The Playboy Club." Several others, including "Terra Nova" and "Pan Am" look like they are fighting for their lives. There is one common lesson that networks should take from the latest round of cancellations. Television viewers are sick of the lack of originality. The cancelled network dramas scream of rehashed garbage and no one was fooled. If television networks are going to win the race against cable, they are going to need to dedicate themselves to finding something new. That might be easier said and done.

When watching the previews of new shows this year, nothing really excited me. I enjoy the show "Revenge" on ABC and "Up All Night" on NBC, but outside of that, the new shows haven't even been worth watching once. Sitcoms like "How to be a Gentleman" have been clones of previous shows. I would just assume watch those other shows on DVD. Dramas have been even worse. After a previous series and a couple of movies, I'm not sure that anyone was crying for a new version of "Charlie's Angels." At least with "Hawaii Five-O" there was a lot of time that had passed between the new version and the original series. The "Charlie's Angels" movies are still fresh in the minds of people. This series was poor idea from the start.

Other shows are also lacking in original thought. "The Playboy Club" tried to take the formula from "Mad Men." Meanwhile, "Terra Nova" has the look of any number of big budget movies like "Jurassic Park." The bottom line is that television viewers are smart enough to know when they are being given second helpings of something. Just as Hollywood continues to remake and re-imagine movies, television is taking the trend further. All three networks are guilty of ideas that are so stale that it makes me wonder how no one at the network realized it. These people are paid a ton of money to pick the right shows. If this is the best they can come up with, please let me know where I can apply.

The bottom line is that originality is essential. Every show borrows from previous shows to some degree. However, they are original for the most part. They have a plot structure that people haven't seen before. No one wants to watch the same show over and over again no matter what actors they sign for the cast. I recommend that television networks hire people to develop original ideas that could actually excite viewers. Otherwise, the list of cancellations will keep piling up. That could eventually lead to nothing but reality programming on the networks.