The First Cancelled Comedy Of The Season

And it isn’t The Neighbors as I so devoutly hoped. Actually The Neighbors is doing adequately in the ratings. No, the first (and therefore the earliest so far) cancelled new comedy of the season is…….

Animal Practice

from NBC. The show has aired five episodes and will be replace by Whitney. PETA is very happy. It just goes to show what happens when you interrupt the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics for a dumb show.

In all fairness to myself, it was a tough choice between Animal Practice and The Neighbors as to which show was the dumbest idea. I leaned toward The Neigbors because in concept it reminded me of the awful Cavemen from a few years back. But as Marc Berman pointed out, shows that feature monkeys for an extended period of time aren’t primetime ratings winners. The longest lasting of “monkey” shows was Daktari, which featured Judy the Chimp and ran three seasons (and had a cross-eyed lion as the main draw anyway). Other shows with apes included The Hathaways (one season, 1961-62), Me & The Chimp (13 episodes, 1972) and Mr. Smith (13 episodes, 1982). Berman forgot to mention the 1966 version of Tarzan – which featured Cheeta – which ran for two seasons.

I have to admit you guys recognized crap when you smelled it. Here are the results from the Earliest Cancelled Comedy Poll:

1. Animal Practice – 5 votes
2. Guys With Kids – 3 votes
3. The Neighbors – 3 votes
4. The Mindy Project – 2 votes
5. Go On – 1 vote
6. Ben & Kate – 1 vote
7. Partners – 0 votes
8. The New Normal – 0 votes
9. Malibu Country – 0 votes

I really have to start writing some reviews!

And We Have A …. Loser

The first show to be cancelled – although the network isn’t exactly using the “c” word, but then they rarely do – is……..

MADE IN JERSEY

It ran for two episodes on CBS.

Not entirely surprising really. The show, which starred British actress Janet Montgomery (Human Target, Entourage) as a new lawyer at a prestigious Manhattan criminal law firm, and Kyle McLaughlin as her boss Donavon Stark (the man with his name on the firm). The twist was of course that Montgomery’s character, Martina Goretti, came from New Jersey and was the square peg at the law firm because she went to Rutgers rather than an Ivy League School. Everyone at the firm – except Stark, Martina’s secretary (Toni Trucks), and the firm’s investigator (Felix Solis) treat her like a rube who just fell off the turnip truck despite her experience with the Trenton DA’s office. The show had received generally negative buzz from TV critics from the moment it was announced, although few if any called it the worst new show of the season. Ratings for the first two episodes were far from stellar, particularly by CBS standards. The first episode (according to TV Media Insight) drew 8.81 million viewers and a 1.3/5 rating in the 18-49 demographic. The second episode drew 6.77 million viewers and a 0.8/3 rating in the 18-49 demographic. The ratings in the 18-49 demographic were worse than either of the other two older skewing CBS shows.

The “Earliest Drama Cancellation Poll” is now closed although a winner has yet to be determined, although you’ve got to admit it will be hard for a new show to be cancelled in less than two episodes. For the record the votes broke down as follows:

1. 666 Park Avenue – 4 votes
2. The Mob Doctor – 2 votes
3. Revolution – 2 votes
4. Made In Jersey – 2 votes
5. Chicago Fire – 2 votes
6. Emily Owens M.D. – 2 votes
7. Vegas – 1 Vote
8. Arrow – 1 vote
9. Nashville – 1 vote
10. Beauty & The Beast – 1 vote
11. Last Resort – 0 votes
12. Elementary – 0 votes

The “Earliest Comedy Cancellation Poll” is still open, but be aware that now that the first new show has been dropped a flurry of cancellations is likely to occur. Already renewed for a full season are Ben & Kate (FOX), The Mindy Project (FOX), Go On (NBC), The New Normal (NBC), and Revolution (NBC).