South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
ABC’s ‘Stumptown’ canceled as a result of pandemic
Q: Can you provide any more information about the cancellation of “Stumptown”? Itwas renewed, then suddenly canceled. All I can find is itwas about scheduling issues. I enjoyed the show and thought the ratings were good.
A: Several shows that were expected back this seasonwere canceled as a result of the pandemic, and this ABC series with Cobie Smulderswas one of them. According to Lesley Goldberg of theHollywood Reporter, the serieswas getting an overhaul for its second season, but thatwas not going aswell as the network and studio had hoped. In addition, new episodeswould not have been available until April, later than the network wanted, especially with a showas expensive as this one.
“All told, a lack of creative steam, late delivery and high price tagwere all factors that ultimately led to the drama’s cancellation,” Goldberg said.
Q: I have been a fan of theNBCseries “Manifest” but have grown increasingly frustrated with the extended time lapse between each new “season.” It almost seems thatNBCis being intentionally negligent by keeping the showaway for such long periods of time. I still do not know for sure if the showis returning. Can you provide any update or reason for this situation?
A: First, “Manifest” will be back for a third season sometime after Jan. 1. And there is nothing unusual about theway it is scheduled. Its first season began in fall 2018 andwent into early 2019. But, for a second season, NBC decided the showwould be more useful as a midseason replacement and launched the second run in January. The third season probably would have been in January 2021or later aswell, but that became more certain as the pandemic caused production delays for shows all over television.
Q: Back in the day therewas a strange show hosted by Ben Stein. JimmyKimmelwas on the show, aswas Colin Quinn and if memory serves, Adam Sandler. I don’t recall if therewas a musical regular. What was the show, whenwas it on and is it available in the digitalworld?
A: As happens to most of us whenwe think about old TV, I suspect you are mixing two shows. One is“Win Ben Stein’sMoney,” a game showhe hosted on Comedy Central from1997 to 2003.
The showpitted Stein against regular contestants, and Jimmy Kimmelwas the co-host for most of the series. As far as I can determine, Quinn and Sandler were not part of the show — but they did appear on “Remote Control,” a game showhosted byKen Ober, which aired onMTVin 1987-90 and in syndication for the last part of that time. Episodes of both shows are on YouTube.
Do you have a question or comment about entertainment past, present and future? Write to Rich Heldenfels, P.O. Box 417, Mogadore, OH44260, or brenfels@gmail.com. Letters may be edited. Individual replies are not guaranteed.