AMC and OLTL Canceled!

[JaneAusten]

ABC primetime is a mess also. People can bitch about CBS and their boring procedurals but guess what those boring procedurals have viewers and syndicate well. Both DH and Greys while wildy popular at one time, do very poorly in syndication.

[DRW50]

I guess I don't see a lot of very good drama on TV now - there's some I can still watch, like the Mentalist, but generally I think a lot of drama today is mostly just all over the place and poorly produced. That doesn't have anything to do with soaps, of course. Talking about soaps, I guess I just like the idea of a format that isn't only one episode a week, a few months out of the year. I think that's a unique format which helps build anticipation and can still thrive under the right circumstances. I like the idea of that variety because it seems like TV is more and more homogenized now - even many of the cable dramas all blur together forgettably (Game of Thrones/Camelot/Tudors, etc.). There's just a lack of spirit.

The main problem for CBS is those are faltering (like the Criminal Minds knockoff). Probably the most consistently successful is the one that has become more character-driven (NCIS).

I think CBS has wanted to move away from the procedural format but haven't found anything solid as a replacement.

[JaneAusten]

CBS has done very well with all their CSI's for years. Sure they are winding down but I would say they got their money's woth. NCIS and NCIS LA both do well.

The Mentalist and Criminal Minds do well. Sure the spin off didn't but not everything does. The sitcoms, TBBT, Men, HIMYM all doing well and doing well in sydication. NBC at one time had a great stable of options with ER, L&O which still does well, Sienfeld, Friends, The office all did or do well. ABC - I am trying to think of a successful syndicated show they have had in the past 10 years. Can't think of one. Their big hits, Greys, DH, Lost none good in repeats.

Oh and I think TV has a lot of the same no doubt. A lot of that is a symptom of too many TV channels. But there is also some variety. I think it all gets deluded becasue there are so many channels and copy cats out there

[Bella20]

I think they know that this is just talk, and that if their shows do well then GH is gone. If they don't do well, they will be canceled, right along with GH.

ABC just pretty much canceled GH without actually coming out and saying it.

[EricaKane70]

I don't agree about Grey's anatomy, they have a great cast which is the only thing keeping them alive. DH needs to be done next season. Pretty much the only shows I watch on abc are Grey's anatomy, private practice, and body of proof. When those shows are gone which is like in less than 3 years I am completely done with abc.

'

[OLTL_fan]

I mean ratings wise. I very much enjoyed the 7th season of Grey's and thought it was better than Season 6. Next year should be interesting with Patrick Dempsey, Ellen Pompeo, & Sandra Oh's contracts expiring.

[wingwalker]

Exactly. ABC is heading down the exact same path NBC did. NBC didn't have shows lined up to replace it's aging hits like Friends, Fraiser, ER, etc...now same thing at ABC. ABC doesn't really have hits to replace it's aging shows like Grey's and Housewives. Outside of the comedy Modern Family, I can't think of any hit scripted show ABC has launched in at least the past four seasons. This season the only returning new drama is Body of Proof, last season the only returning new drama was V (which is now canceled), and season before that none of there drama's made it, and before that, Castle was the only new ABC drama they renewed.

This season ABC was barely ahead of forth place NBC. If NFL has a season, NBC has the Superbowl, so unless ABC has several huge hits, they are bound for last place this coming season (even if all of NBC's new shows bomb).

[marceline]

I doubt they care. If those shows fail, everyone involved will just go back to the Food Network and Bravo.

[DRW50]

I wondered if you knew anything about some of the Revolution people being suspended from the Biggest Loser? I read that somewhere but wasn't paying attention. I wonder if doing this show has affected their positions at NBC.

[Soapsuds]

More than likely not. It was obvious it wouldnt last with Sweeney's admission that she wanted it gone to with OLTL and AMC at the same time.

[wingwalker]

Speaking of that, I had actually read a quote from someone at CBS, I think it was Nina in a Deadline article, saying they wanted to make their procedural's more character driven with story arcs, cause they are finding the audience cares just as much, if not more about the characters solving the crimes as they do the crimes themselves

[DRW50]

That's been true for quite a while - I'm surprised they didn't realize it earlier. CSI had a lot of fans who were interested in the couples, and Criminal Minds also has a lot of focus on popular characters, which is why there was such backlash to the idea they could fire the JJ and Paget Brewster and easily replace them.

I do think it depends on the show - the shows they canceled, like Cold Case and Without a Trace, were much stronger when focusing on crimes than on the personal lives of the characters.

[EricaKane70]

Patrick Dempsey shouldn't even try to leave. He needs to keep rolling along with his second chance at making it big, he's no George Clooney. Pompeo and Oh will be back.

[Soapsuds]

My local station just announced that Katie Couric is headed to ABC with a talk show....lol

[reallyhateskateonlost]

ABC can have 20 million to spend on Kate Couric but they don't have 20 million to save the soaps.

Unfreakenbelieveable!