Around this time of year is when the television networks usually announce which of their primetime shows have been renewed for another season, and which were left on the chopping board. AOL Television rounded up a list of shows that could have gone either way, according to Entertainment Weekly (EW), The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter.
For ABC, the comedy ‘Better Off Ted’ has received positive reviews, but the show has faced low ratings, especially compared to the network’s strong Wednesday night comedies. ‘Scrubs,’ which was picked up by ABC after it was canceled by NBC, also isn’t expected to be renewed. The dramas ‘The Deep End’ and ‘The Forgotten’ also seem destined for cancellation. The Wrap and the Reporter think the alien-invasion saga ‘V’ will be renewed, while EW disagrees. The magazine thinks the similarly-themed ‘FlashForward’ will fare better, but the Wrap and the Reporter say the show has no chance.
For CBS, the highly-regarded ‘The New Adventures of Old Christine’ has seen a dip in ratings, and all three magazines think the network can go either way on the comedy. ‘Numb3rs’ chances don’t look good either, as star David Krumholtz was cast in a fall pilot. The Wrap says the freshman comedy ‘Accidentally on Purpose’ has a chance to be renewed, while the other two disagree.
All three magazines agree that FOX’s decision to move the sophomore drama ‘Fringe’ to Thursday increased its chances of renewal. However, they all agree that ‘Brothers’ and ‘Past Life’ are both a safe bet to be cut from the line-up. With the news of a ’24’ movie and decreasing ratings for the show, the Reporter thinks the drama will be cut as well, while EW and the Wrap both think it can survive another season.
For NBC, all three magazines feel that ‘Chuck’ will be safe for at least another season, and ‘Community’ will stick around as well. ‘Law and; Order’ has a good chance to be renewed again for a 21st season, making it the longest-running prime-time drama in history. While ‘Heroes’ started off as a fan and critical favorite, it now faces slumping ratings, but the network doesn’t seem destined to cancel it anytime soon.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the CW announced on February 16 that it already renewed some of its shows. Among them is top performer ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ as well as ‘90210,’ ‘Gossip Girl,’ ‘Supernatural’ and ‘America’s Next Top Model,’ which hasn’t even premiered yet this season (it debuts on March 10). While ‘Supernatural’ creator Eric Kripke wanted the show to wrap up this year, it was surprisingly renewed for a sixth season. But its lead-in, the freshman show ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ averages 4.6 million viewers per episode, and a strong number carries over to ‘Supernatural.’
Missing from the list was ‘One Tree Hill,’ which has been on the air for seven seasons, and has been plagued with cancellation woes in past years; the struggling freshman show ‘Melrose Place;’ the new drama ‘Life Unexpected’ and ‘Smallville,’ the longest-running show on the network.
Written by: Karen Benardello
