Aside from the three leftover ...
Question: Aside from the three leftover episodes of
Men in Trees, have you noticed that not one single broadcast network is using the summer to burn off some shows that were canceled in the 2007/2008 season? Nearly all of the shows canceled had less than 10 episodes remaining, and you would think the networks would at least try and finish them off, even on a Saturday night. NBC had only one program with leftover episodes and that was
The Singing Bee with three episodes. Likewise the CW only had one program and that was
Online Nation with three episodes to screen. ABC has just two programs with
Cavemen (seven episodes) and
Notes from the Underbelly (eight episodes) and CBS has two episodes of
Power of 10 and six episodes of
Viva Laughlin. Finally, Fox has three shows with leftover episodes in
Back to You with four episodes (this is probably the priority),
K-Ville (one episode) and
The Return of Jezebel James with four episodes. I know some of these probably deserved cancellation, but with the writers' strike, there is less on this summer in new programming. These episodes would add up to very little airtime this summer. So networks, let's see them finish out!
Answer: Dream on. The networks aren't even running repeats of many of their successful and ongoing shows during the summer. They're not about to devote time periods to shows considered losers. (
Viva Laughlin, really?) As bad as summer programming may look, the networks aren't looking at the off-season as a dumping ground for leftovers anymore. (Remember when they used to air busted pilots? Those were the days.) It's more likely that some canceled shows would have their remaining episodes shown online, but even that's not a sure thing. (Depends on the show, the network, the studio, the deal.) And I must say, you've obviously kept track of these dead shows better than I have. I beg readers not to write in to correct the math if any of the above facts are wrong. I'm filing this a day before a long-planned vacation, which is my way of saying adios and happy viewing (or not) until mid-June.
