or


[04/05/04 - 12:00 AM]
'Wonderfalls' Sent Packing by Fox
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- "Well, not sure what to tell ya'll -- but we're cancelled," "Wonderfalls" executive producer Tim Minear told readers of his "Minearverse" section of Buffistas.org on Saturday afternoon.

"The cow creamer will be silent this Thursday and forever forward. Once we recover from the not-shock, Todd [Holland], Bryan [Fuller] and I will see if there's some venue in which to air the remaining episodes," he continued. "As I have said from the start, the thirteen taken as a whole tell a story and go to a place, so a run of this "limited" series would not be unsatisfying elsewhere. It's a question as to whether the studio will want to invest in a DVD release of a failed series. Maybe the episodes will sit in a warehouse someplace with that sled and the arc of the covenant. Thanks for all the support and enthusiasm."

The news comes as little surprise as the FOX series posted a mere 2.0 rating/3 share in households and a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49 for its time slot premiere on Thursday, according to fast national data. Only one other broadcast - an October encore of "24's" season premiere - has performed as badly in the Thursday, 9:00/8:00c hour for FOX this season.

With 13 episodes in the can, that leaves nine installments of the series still on the shelf. Encores of FOX's new reality series "The Swan" are set to fill "Wonderfalls'" former Thursday, 9:00/8:00c home beginning this week.

Later on Saturday when asked about what fans can do to revive the series, Minear added: "In terms of 'saving' the show? Not really anything you can do. The network is a non-starter here. The studio, 20th, is possibly a different matter. If they get the sense that people would buy a complete series DVD set, it might happen that the series becomes available in future. But please don't waste your time or money on trying to revive 'Wonderfalls' for a pick-up with Fox. Ain't gonna happen."

"When we first began this series, I was asked by many why I would put my trust in the network that mishandled 'Firefly' so terribly. Well, because it felt different to me. Initially, there was real excitement and belief in 'Wonderfalls' at the network. My feeling with 'Firefly' was always that since they didn't much like or understand it from the brilliant pilot, that we were kind of doomed. I felt that if a network didn't believe in a show, no matter its potential, that it couldn't launch it or sell it with any measure of success."

"And again, 'Wonderfalls' felt totally different to me. At first. Then, at some point in the process, I could sense an erosion in enthusiasm. Even as we were finding our footing and delivering to them some really exceptional episodes (ones you never got to see!), things got chilly. Then they couldn't seem to find any place on the schedule for us. Then they did... and it was Friday night. I tell you now, the moment that was announced, I knew it was over. They were dumping us into Friday nights and that was that. When the smashing reviews started coming in... and coming and coming and coming... I think they didn't know what to think or do. You have but one chance to make a good first impression. But they'd given up on the show before it ever aired, and even when the lion's share of critics were hailing the show, it was too late for them to backtrack and launch the series with any kind of conviction. My 'Firefly' experience was repeating itself. I think it was USA Today that said this may be 'the wrong show, in the wrong season, on the wrong night, on the wrong network.' Just so. I do think market forces were at work here, too. Not just incompetence."

"I don't know if any network could have brought an audience to this show. Certainly no network that dumped it on Friday night, promoted it in such as way as to try and trick people into thinking it was 'Dawson's Creek,' or that didn't, apparantly, agree with the things the critics were saying about it. I do think any network wants whatever they pay for to be a success. I don't think they MEAN to strangle something in the crib. I know that the next time I shop something to a network, I'm going to hope to find a network that understands and believes in the thing they ordered. And if they thought it looked good on the menu, I'd hope they'd still have a taste for it once it got to the table."

Click here and here to read Minear's original posts.





  [april 2004]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· 24 (FOX)
· SWAN, THE (FOX)
· WONDERFALLS (FOX)





[07/03/26 - 07:05 AM]
"Return to Fox Hollow: New Victims, Darker Secrets," A New Chapter in the Investigation of Serial Killer Herb Baumeister, Streams July 8 on Hulu
The original four-part series, "The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer," was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary and was ABC News Studios' most-watched docuseries on Hulu in 2025 (based on hours streamed).

[07/03/26 - 06:39 AM]
FOX Sports Presents Its First-Ever "MLB All-Star Game Selection Show Presented by Konami eBaseball" Live from Philadelphia on Fourth of July
World Series champion and two-time All-Star Dontrelle Willis, alongside veteran host Chris Myers, broadcast live from Independence Hall for the reveal on Saturday, July 4, at 7:30 PM ET on FOX.

[07/03/26 - 06:00 AM]
The Final Season of Starz's "Power Book III: Raising Kanan" Introduces Young Jarita, Played by Asjha Cooper
Cooper has been confirmed as a series regular in the next chapter of the "Power" Universe, "Power: Origins," which is currently filming in New Jersey.

[07/02/26 - 06:15 PM]
Video: "Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi" - Official Trailer - August 5 on Disney+ and Hulu
Witness the Jedi in a new light.

[07/02/26 - 06:09 PM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched Wimbledon Day 2 Coverage on Record
Serena Williams' Wimbledon return on Tuesday, June 30, delivered record viewership.

[07/02/26 - 03:18 PM]
FOX Sports' Strong FIFA World Cup 2026 Viewership Continues with 10.43 Million viewers Tuning in for Mexico-Ecuador
The telecast reached a peak viewership of 13.087 million viewers from 10:30-10:45 PM ET.

[07/02/26 - 02:49 PM]
ABC News Is No. 1 in Total Viewers for the Second Quarter on Sunday Morning and Friday Evening
"20/20" ranked as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine during the 2nd Quarter 2026 in Total Viewers (3.806 million) and Adults 18-49 (473,000).

[07/02/26 - 02:31 PM]
Disney's "Dragon Striker" Season 2 Coming Early 2027 & First Look Revealed at Anime Expo
A first look at the new chapter, consisting of 11 episodes, was released today during the series panel at Anime Expo in Los Angeles.

[07/02/26 - 01:48 PM]
FOX Sports Soars Into the Record Books with Most-Watched Soccer Telecast in English-Language U.S. History
24.429 million viewers watched the USMNT's historic FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 victory Wednesday on FOX.

[07/02/26 - 01:30 PM]
Queen Latifah, The Roots and Jill Scott Added to the Performance Lineup for CBS' "The Great American Block Party 250"
Hosted from the nation's capital, the special will feature musical performances from celebrations across the country, grill sessions with TV personality and Washington chef Rock Harper and a highly anticipated fireworks show.

[07/02/26 - 01:21 PM]
HBO's "Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness" and KidSuper Unveil Limited-Edition Capsule Collection
Designed exclusively for the series, the capsule collection features a custom letterman jacket, baseball cap, keychain, and other apparel and accessories.

[07/02/26 - 09:00 AM]
"Camp Rock 3" Sets Out on the "All Roads Lead to Camp" Bus Tour, Visiting Cities Across America Starting July 3
The latest installment premieres August 13 on Disney Channel.

[07/02/26 - 08:27 AM]
"BET Awards" 2026 Grows Across Every Platform with First-Time Host Druski, Cementing BET as the Epicenter of Black Culture
The telecast was the highest-rated "BET Awards" on BET since 2019 among P18-49, with P18-49 impressions up +50% year-over-year.

[07/02/26 - 07:08 AM]
"Impractical Jokers," Cable's Reigning #1 Original Series of 2026, Returns for Hilarious New Season Thursday, July 23 at 10PM ET/PT on TBS
Season 13 will feature classic Jokers laugh-out-loud mayhem and madness as the trio pose as diner managers, dating etiquette instructors, aggrieved focus group attendees, forgetful dog owners, robotics engineers, and even scheming corpses at a funeral parlor.

[07/02/26 - 06:01 AM]
"Nando Between Two Worlds - A Sintonia Film": Netflix Unveils Official Poster for Feature-Length Spin-Off Ahead of Its August 12 Release
The film delivers the long-awaited conclusion to the journey of one of the most iconic characters in the "Sintonia" universe.