The Final End Results: An Overview of the "Upfronts"

An In-depth Overlook View of How the Networks Did at the "Upfronts"

The End Results

We've explored why shows get canceled and how ratings affect shows in part one. In part two, we discussed how shows are born. This final section discusses the new season (that started in mid-September) and the "Upfronts" that took place this past spring. "Upfronts" are the preseason announcement of the upcoming season. There were some surprising renewals, unexpected cancellations and a new batch of shows to take their place. Some shows were downgraded and moved to midseason. There was a total of 52 shows that were canceled this year, less than the past two years. The last shows to have a shot are the summer shows. One by one, we'll explore why these shows were canceled or placed in midseason, and what are their replacements.

NBC's Ruffled Peacock Feathers

On May 15th, NBC canceled eleven TV shows. Fourteen shows were renewed and three returning shows were placed as midseason replacements. They picked up six new shows, along with five new shows designated as midseason replacements.

The following freshmen shows are considered dead:

"Andy Barker PI" had trouble from the get-go. NBC lost faith in the show and cut the season order from six to four episodes. Due to bad ratings, it was yanked from the schedule and then placed on Saturday night, which is considered a "dead" night, to burn off the rest.

"The Black Donnellys" was a bit too controversial, especially one extremely violent episode that never aired. It didn't make it due to poor ratings and was pulled off the air. The remaining shows were put online to use up the thirteen episode order.

"Kidnapped" was one of last fall's casualties for NBC. Halfway through the season, it got the hook, due to bad ratings. Although there will be a DVD of the show, including the unaired episodes, so the fans of the show will be available to see how it concluded.

"The Real Wedding Crashers" took a beating in the ratings. There was no honeymoon for this show, since it didn't finish the run, due to weak ratings. The rest of the episodes were burned off in the summer.