It's difficult to believe that the creators of Showtime's Episodes are not holding a grudge against network TV.
Their last series, the CBS sitcom The Class, was axed after one short season, and their follow-up comedy (for cable, natch) is nothing if not an indictment of how the worst broadcast shows get made, sometimes in spite of a great idea. Just take a gander at Episodes' fictional network honcho, a crass and careless tyrant who transforms an urbane British hit about the headmaster of an elite boys school into a broad comedy for American audiences starring Matt LeBlanc.
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The chasm between cable and network programming loomed especially large on Thursday, Day 2 of the Television Critics Association presentations, as Showtime occupied the morning and the CW the afternoon. Never the twain shall meet, as Showtime unveiled a provocative array of shows that caters to the very adult, while the CW, whose focus is anything but, introduced a mere two-pack of new fall shows that rests safely if stylishly within the network's comfort zone of young female empowerment...
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Question: Why is it that networks rarely grab each others' shows after they are canceled? This year there were a few cases where this would have made a lot of sense. For example, a show like The Class had average ratings, but it was canned because CBS didn't have many hours available. Wouldn't it have made sense for ABC, which is starving for even a marginal comedy, to pick it up instead of renewing According to Jim or Notes from the Underbelly? Traveler and Masters of Science Fiction are other shows that I think have some cult following despite the lack of network support and might prove profitable elsewhere. Why do networks put their faith in ratings-challenged or untested shows rather than something that can obviously improve their present situation?
Answer: The reason this rarely happens is the same reason situations like Jericho's (being resurrected after cancellation) are so rare. When a show fails on one network, there usually isn't a clamor elsewhere to keep something alive that
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Two of my first Trivial Matt'rs blogs were dedicated to my early thoughts on the 2006-07 TV season, and at long last I have a few minutes here to revisit that "forecast" and see how I did. This is literally the first time I have looked back at those blogs, so here we go.Brothers & SistersI said: "Expectations were modest" given "foreboding backstage shuffles," but "by the end I was pulled in." Outcome: Lotsa critical acclaim and an early Season 2 pickup by ABC!The ClassI said: "The cast threatens to be unwieldy, but... I smell another [How I Met Your] Mother." Outcome: Some avid fans, some "decent" ratings, but no renewal yet. (Oh, and they shed one cast member.)RunawayI said: "The concept is nifty" and "good casting."Outcome: Far from a runaway hit, it was shelved after just a few airings.VanishedI said: "I need more answers, or at least hints of answers." Outcome: Fox's answer was, "Nope," and Vanished... quickly did just that.HeroesI said: "This show will be full of surprises...
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Question: After reading all the speculations regarding the current CBS Monday night sitcoms, I just had to write. First, why would a network pull the plug on a good show just to fill it in with a new sitcom in the fall? Ever heard of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? I was shocked to hear that How I Met Your Mother could even be remotely considered to be taken off the air. It's bad enough that The Class was sent packing too soon and will likely not return because Rules of Engagement had a following. How does eliminating a really great sitcom (Mother) for a more mediocre one (Rules) benefit the network? It surely would not benefit us viewers. Second, since CBS seems to have more sitcoms than time slots, did the powers-that-be ever stop to consider rotating the shows? I would vote yes to more new episodes (not just during sweeps months) of any sitcom they have than to suffer the loss of any of them. Why not alternate The Class with Rules instead of bumping one for the other? I am quite ...
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