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)





[05/23/13 - 04:27 PM]
Wednesday's Cable Ratings: Pacers/Heat Opener Dominates for TNT
Plus: numbers for VH1's "Off Pitch," Oxygen's "Best Ink" and TLC's "The Town That Caught Tourettes?"

[05/23/13 - 03:01 PM]
NBC Completes Best May Sweep in Nine Years As Network Finishes 0.1 of Rating Point Out of First
NBC further spins the numbers for the May sweeps period.

[05/23/13 - 03:00 PM]
Syfy's "Killer Contact" (Formerly "Notorious Hauntings") to Premiere July 16 at 10 PM ET/PT
Viewers will follow a team of paranormal investigators as they research the otherworldly activity at historical sites.

[05/23/13 - 02:34 PM]
Kelly Osbourne Hosts Fan-Generated Special "Phineas and Ferb Musical Cliptastic Countdown," Premiering Friday, June 28 on Disney Channel
Leading up to the special, fans can get in on the action by voting for their favorite "Phineas and Ferb" music videos on DisneyChannel.com.

[05/23/13 - 02:15 PM]
A Can't-Miss "Katie" First: An Exclusive Hour with Howard Stern, Tuesday, May 28
Katie goes one on one with Stern in a no-holds-barred conversation about everything from his childhood, family and therapy sessions to his on-air persona and personal obsessions.

[05/23/13 - 02:14 PM]
Little Big Town to Host "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock," Airing Monday, August 12 on ABC
"It's an incredible honor to be hosting this year's CMA Fest," said Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town.

[05/23/13 - 02:02 PM]
ABC Ranks No. 1 in the May Sweep for the First Time in 13 Years in Adults 18-49
ABC further spins the numbers for the May sweeps period.

[05/23/13 - 01:54 PM]
Video: Ten Bakers Compete for $250,000 on "The American Baking Competition," Premiering Wednesday, May 29
Check out an extended trailer for the Eye's new reality series, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy.

[05/23/13 - 01:47 PM]
"The Americans" Scores - Ties As Most-Watched First Season of Any FX Drama
FX further spins the numbers for the season to date.

[05/23/13 - 01:34 PM]
VH1 Is Back on the Therapist's Couch with Season 3 of "VH1 Couples Therapy" on Wednesday June 12th at 10 PM ET/PT
Joe Francis & Abby Wilson, Flavor Flav & Elizabeth Trujillo, Chingy & Temple Poteat, Dustin Zito & Heather Marter and Caitlin Lowell & Tyler Baltierra are on tap.

[05/23/13 - 01:28 PM]
ESPN and ESPN3 Present 2013 Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals
ESPN will mark its 20th year of televising the event by presenting 14 hours of the competition live beginning Wednesday, May 29.

[05/23/13 - 12:43 PM]
Hollywood's Hottest Talent Added to Spike TV's "Guys Choice" Lineup
Seth MacFarlane, Mark Wahlberg, Vin Diesel, Jeff Bridges, Jason Sudeikis, Jackie Chan, Andrew Luck, Chrissy Teigen, Katherine Webb and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are slated to appear.

[05/23/13 - 12:30 PM]
ACC College Football Games Added to ESPN's 2013 Schedule
The season kicks off with a Thursday ESPN College Football Primetime telecast pitting North Carolina at the SEC's No. 8 South Carolina on August 29, at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

[05/23/13 - 12:12 PM]
FX Connects "The Bridge" to Viewers July 10th
Demian Bichir and Diane Kruger star in the 13-episode series, airing Wednesdays at 10:00/9:00c.

[05/23/13 - 11:37 AM]
Video: New Bar Anthem from the Cast of TBS's "Sullivan & Son"
Look for the show's second season to debut on Thursday, June 13 at 10:00/9:00c.