Looking for ‘Canterbury’s Law’ tonight?
-
- March
- 24
Well, you won’t find it.
The new Julianna Margulies legal drama has fared so poorly in the ratings (last Monday’s episode drew just 5.7 million viewers), that FOX has exiled the show to Friday nights at 9 p.m. for the rest of its run.
It’ll be replaced by repeats of “House,” until new eps of that show return on April 28.
Apparently Fridays are where FOX series go to die.
“Canterbury” will join “The Return of Jezebel James,” the Parker Posey-Lauren Ambrose sister sitcom, in the TV wasteland. “Jezebel” did even worse with viewers: Its first two outings attracted an audience of just over 3 million.
It’s too bad, really.
Despite terrible reviews everywhere else, I thought “Jezebel” actually had some potential—but perhaps it was just wishful thinking on my part, given my love for Parker Posey and creator Amy Sherman-Palladino.
And “Canterbury” could use some tinkering—Marguelies’ character needed to be toned down a tad—but I found it compelling.
It had more of a feel of a cable show, like “Damages” or “Saving Grace,” and that was kind of the point.
Margulies said that FOX picked up the show because they wanted to bring a little FX to its broadcast lineup. Meaning, presumably, that they wanted something a little riskier and more creative.
The problem with that plan, though, is that those kinds of original shows usually have niche audiences.
Almost 6 million viewers probably would be fine for FX: That’s roughly the ratings for shows like “Nip/Tuck” and “Rescue Me.” But it’s something a major broadcast network trying to lure big-bucks advertisers consider a flop.
The big networks can’t have it both ways.
So unless they’re willing to stand by shows they like creatively—despite vastly lower ratings than they’re used to—they can’t complain when cable networks are the ones snagging all those Emmys in the fall.
(Photos courtesy of FOX)
This entry was posted
on Monday, March 24th, 2008 at 9:07 am by Heather Salerno.
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