I am writing to you because I ...

Question: I am writing to you because I have faith (as much as I can in TV executives) that they read your columns because you have a lot of influence on viewers. I can only hope. Although I am crying tears of happiness that the CW executives found it in their (Grinch-like) hearts to renew Veronica Mars, I am disappointed to learn that Pepper Dennis will not be back. I don't believe they gave the show enough of a chance, putting it on WB (whose younger demographic probably didn't respond to it well) and on a night when so much else was going on. I watched the show initially with skepticism because it looked like it was going to be just silly, but the characters and story lines grew on me, and Rebecca Romijn is unexpectedly fabulous in the role. I will be sorry to say goodbye to WEIE. Another one bites the dust. I hope all the wonderful actors (and writers!) on the show get another chance on a network that won't dump them without giving them a decent break.
Answer: Looking purely at numbers, Veronica Mars' survival defies the gods. But Pepper Dennis' numbers are even worse, I believe. They're truly terrible. And WB, whatever its faults, promoted the heck out of this show all spring. The competition is fierce, but it had a mighty lead-in with the final episodes of the Gilmore Girls' season. And now that we're into heavy repeats, the numbers aren't budging. There just wasn't much of an appetite for this Ally McBeal-ish show, which I agree wasn't nearly as bad as I feared. Even if WB had survived into the fall, I doubt Pepper would have been given a second chance. Same goes for Related, which I still get questions about. Neither show even opened.