Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Brace yourselves: Favorite shows may disappear

- MICHAEL STOREY The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email: mstorey@arkansason­line.com

How’s your angst level? Viewers are smack in the middle of what TV Guide labels “the most dangerous season of television.” Ulcers are churning in TV land.

This is the period near the end of the TV season when network bean counters and entertainm­ent executives meet behind closed doors to decide the fate of their current shows. It’s sometimes easy; sometimes a coin toss.

Cancellati­on usually catches the typical viewer by surprise. If you were happy with a show, how were you supposed to know it was in trouble? That’s why in less than a month I’ll be getting daily email saying, “How could they have canceled [fill in the blank]? It was the BEST SHOW ON TV !!!! ”

Note the use of all caps and multiple exclamatio­n points. More than three indicate irrational attachment to a TV show.

A lot goes into the decision on whether a series lives or dies. It’s more than you probably imagine and not simply based on ratings anymore because a fragmented audience is split between 200 channels and a dozen streaming services.

Ratings may be passable, but maybe the viewers skew older. Most advertiser­s aim for the age 18 to 49 demographi­c and ignore older viewers. Broadcast networks are in the business of selling ads. If they can’t sell a show, it will usually be canceled.

Or not. Maybe the ratings are low but the series scores brownie points by winning awards or being critically acclaimed. Generating buzz might just keep a series around for another season.

Does the network actually own and produce the show? This makes an important difference, especially when an increasing number of viewers are subscribin­g to streaming services such as Hulu and Netflix and waiting to watch there.

It’s also a renewal plus if a series stands a chance of making even more money in syndicatio­n or overseas. It’s also beneficial if the show’s contract and license fees are low. Too high and a series’ liabilitie­s soon outweigh its benefits. Those costs usually rise the longer a show is on the air.

The strength of a network’s lineup also plays a part. Is it time to clean house? Was pilot season good enough that some promising shows are waiting on the sidelines? If so, it might be time to put the old warhorse out to pasture.

If a show’s creator and producer is powerful enough (think Shonda Rhimes with ABC), a series might be kept around longer than warranted just to keep her happy.

And finally, there’s the intangible X factor. Maybe a show is the very favorite of the network entertainm­ent president’s sainted mother, for example. That’ll keep it around a bit longer.

Bottom line: In most cases, follow the money.

All that said, we’re holding our breath and waiting for the networks’ upfront presentati­ons May 14-17. That’s when we find out officially what lives and what dies.

Meanwhile, a number of media outlets, including USA Today and TV Guide keep a running scorecard of shows that have already been renewed or canceled, are ending their runs, are irretrieva­bly doomed or are on the bubble where the final decision could go either way.

All prediction­s are generally pretty much the same since everybody has the same Hollywood sources, so let’s take a look at just USA Today’s list to get a feel for what’s going down when the five broadcast networks announce their decisions.

ABC

On the bubble: Deception, Designated Survivor, For the People, Fresh Off the Boat, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Quantico, Speechless, Station 19 (a Shondaland/ABC Studios production).

Canceled, ended or doomed: Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, Marvel’s Inhumans,The Mayor, The Middle, Once Upon a Time, Scandal, Ten Days in the Valley.

CBS

On the bubble: Code Black, Criminal Minds, Elementary, Kevin Can Wait, Life in Pieces, Living Biblically, Man With a Plan, Scorpion, Superior Donuts.

Canceled, ended or doomed: Me, Myself & I, 9JKL, Wisdom of the Crowd.

THE CW

On the bubble: iZombie,

The 100.

Canceled, ended or doomed: Life Sentence, The Originals, Valor.

FOX

On the bubble: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Last Man on Earth, Lucifer.

Canceled, ended or doomed: The Exorcist, Ghosted, New Girl, The X-Files.

NBC

On the bubble: AP Bio, The Blacklist, Blindspot, The Brave, Champions, Great News, Taken, Timeless.

Canceled, ended or doomed: Law & Order: True Crime.

How’s it looking for your favorite show? Here’s some advice. Once the bad news comes out, you can register your displeasur­e on the network website, but rarely, rarely does that do any good. I feel your pain.

 ??  ?? Is it dead? Criminal Minds’ Penelope Garcia (played by Kirsten Vangsness) visits a grave in a scene from earlier this season. Several outlets have the venerable series on the CBS bubble and in danger of being axed after 13 seasons.
Is it dead? Criminal Minds’ Penelope Garcia (played by Kirsten Vangsness) visits a grave in a scene from earlier this season. Several outlets have the venerable series on the CBS bubble and in danger of being axed after 13 seasons.
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