Special Reports – Axed in the USA

In the wake of the announcements by American broadcasters over which shows would be re-commissioned, which pilots picked up and which show’s cancelled we’re running several features looking at these announcements. Our first feature looks at the programmes that were cancelled by their broadcasters – there’s quite a few!

Axed in the USA – yes the axe man cometh in America as broadcasters have been busy clearing out programmes from their schedules they feel just don’t cut the mustard anymore. A swath of programming has been ditched by broadcasters to make way for new drama’s and shows. Here we round up those programmes that have been cancelled.

CBS:

As we reported yesterday CBS has decided not to renew its SF series Eleventh Hour, a remake of the British series that aired on ITV. The series had moderately impressive ratings but this wasn’t enough to save it from the axe.

It’s been known for several months now that longest running soap opera in the world, Guiding Light, was being dropped by CBS after years of declining ratings. Several revamps to boost the ratings have failed to work and CBS have now pulled the plug. However, the producers of the series are looking for alternative broadcasters for the soap so it may not be completely dead.

Also axed by CBS are drama’s The Unit and Without A Trace.

NBC:

Knight Rider has been officially dumped by NBC, as we reported on earlier in the week. The revived series pretty much was doomed from the start with a creative reboot following a successful pilot outing. This creative re-boot was subject to another re-boot just episodes later as ratings continued to slide away. NBC later pulled five episodes it had ordered which effectively was the final nail in Knight Rider’s coffin.

Medium has been axed by NBC but isn’t dead as its switching networks to CBS. The cancellation prompted a war of words between NBC and producers CBS Studio’s.  It’s also prompted inches of column space regarding the series raising its profile no end.

Already gone is ER which ended its run in America several weeks ago. The series clocked up an impressive fifteen years before the axe fell – in the end declining ratings spelt the end of the show.

Also axed: Kath and Kim, Crusoe, Kings, Life, Lipstick Jungle, My Own Worst Enemy, The Chopping Block and comedy series My Name is Earl – but the series might switch channels.

ABC:

We already knew that Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sex Money and Eli Stone had been cancelled by the Network as the news broke earlier in the year. However, the shows are now officially dead. Boston Legal and Life on Mars, a remake of the British series, were also officially cancelled earlier in the year.

Samantha Who? was a shock victim of the axe as it widely expected to survive – with budget cuts. ABC however couldn’t reach a deal with the producers of the series and in the end the axe was waved.

Also axed: According to Jim, Cupid, In The Motherhood, Surviving Suburbia and The Unusuals

Fox:

It comes as no surprise that The Sarah Connor Chronicles, spin-off from Terminator, has been dumped by Fox. The show struggled from low ratings and was widely expected to be axed. It survived cancellation once but wasn’t so lucky this time around.

It was already confirmed that Prison Break was being cancelled due to declining ratings and the series has now ended in America.

Also axed: animated comedy series King of the Hill.

The CW has axed its drama series Privileged just days after E4 acquired the UK rights to the series. The drama was expected to be renewed but was passed over in favour of Melrose Place.

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