List of canceled shows for the 2007-08 TV season

We met some friends for dinner tonight and they were curious about which of their favorite shows were canceled for next season. (Don’t worry guys, Rules of Engagement is apparently safe.)

During our conversation, it occurred to me that I hadn’t published a complete list of shows for each network that won’t return next season. (I’m a bad TV blogger!)

So, here it is. Read it and weep. Or do the dance of joy, depending on your TV tastes.

And to those of you who’ve e-mailed me, Big Shots, Miss/Guided and October Road are goners. Sorry. Please don’t kill the messenger.




ABC
Big Shots
Carpoolers
Cashmere Mafia
Cavemen
Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann
Here Come the Newlyweds
Just for Laughs
Men in Trees
Miss/Guided
Notes From the Underbelly
October Road
Oprah’s Big Give
Women’s Murder Club

CBS
Cane
Jericho
Kid Nation
Moonlight
Power of 10
Shark
Secret Talent of the Stars
Viva Laughlin
Welcome to the Captain

NBC
1 vs. 100
Amne$ia
Bionic Woman
Clash of the Choirs
Journeyman
Las Vegas
My Dad is Better Than Your Dad
Phenomenon
Quarterlife
Scrubs – (Moving to ABC)
The Singing Bee

CW
Aliens in America
Beauty and the Geek
Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants
CW Now
Girlfriends
Life is Wild
Online Nation
Pussycat Dolls Presents: Girlicious
WWE Smackdown!

FOX
Anchorwoman
Canterbury’s Law
K-Ville
Nashville
New Amsterdam
Next Great American Band
The Return of Jezebel James
Unhitched

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Aliens in America dead?

by Jennifer Squires Biller

This is the worst news I’ve heard since the cancellation of Las Vegas. And before you read any further, let me preface this column by warning you: I’m furious. Prepare yourselves for a red-faced rant.

My favorite new sitcom of the season, Aliens in America, is apparently finished, according to E!Online.

Reportedly, Adhir Kalyan, who plays Raja, has already taken a new role on Nip/Tuck on FX, and Aliens cast member Scott Patterson is also said to be looking for a new project.

If news of the show’s cancellation is true, and at this point it looks like it is, I shouldn’t be surprised. This show was intelligent, funny, and unique, and I loved it. So, of course, it was cancelled. If it had involved a dim-witted overweight husband married to a hot woman, a gladiator who talks trash as he chases people up a wall, or a sexy bachelor making out with a different beautiful woman every 10 minutes, then I’m sure it would have been a ratings hit.

I give up.

For the past few years, I’ve tried to promote what I consider great television here at Tube Talk. (Pushing Daisies, Brothers and Sisters, Friday Night Lights, and yes, Aliens in America.) I don’t write about reality shows that mock marriage, belittle people, or crush dreams. I talk about shows that I think are highly creative, not ones that dumb down our society.

But apparently, TV viewers like dumbing down. They love The Bachelor and the gladiators and watch in massive numbers. And no matter how much I endorse a show, the masses won’t tune in for well-written and acted shows like Friday Night Lights or Aliens in America.

I partly blame the CW for the end of Aliens in America. Yes, I know it’s a new struggling network that never seems to have as high as ratings as the big four, but a show can only do as well as its promoted. And frankly, I’ve seen little promotion of Aliens in America, either through ad campaigns, cast interviews, or multimedia content.

Instead, the CW seems to be solely promoting another new show this season, Gossip Girl. I’ve seen ads in newspapers, magazines, online, and every other available outlet. In fact, rarely a day goes by when I don’t see something promoting Gossip Girl.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate that show, but it’s about a bunch of wealthy Upper East Side high school kids and their shenanigans i.e. sex, drugs, peer pressure, and stealing couture dresses. It in no way compares to the best new show the CW had going for it this year: Aliens in America.

Like Gossip Girl, Aliens in America also tackles the tough subject of fitting in at high school. But while doing so, it provides a hilarious social commentary on the xenophobia currently happening in our society, as well as a look at how Americans sometimes view those who are different, especially those who follow Islam. To me, it is brilliant and eye opening, the All in the Family for this generation.

The fact that the CW chose to throw its promotion behind a show about privileged New York teens instead of Aliens in America, a fresh political and social satire, is baffling.

If the E!Online story turns out to be incorrect, and I hope that it does, then I apologize for this scathing lecture. But only in part. TV viewers, you should make better choices. TV networks, you should stick by shows that aren’t carbon copies of what’s already been on television for decades. And TV bloggers and critics, we should do a better job in getting the word out about shows like Aliens in America, so that more people will tune in.

I hope Aliens in America doesn’t join the list of quality shows that were cancelled prematurely: Jack & Bobby, Veronica Mars, Freaks and Geeks, etc. But if it does, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

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Gossip Girl gets full season; see how other new shows are doing

The CW’s Gossip Girl is the first show to get a full season pick up. I’ll give you a moment to digest the news. The show is averaging 3 million viewers and is the second highest-rated show among teens on Wednesday nights.

Frankly, I’m stunned that Gossip Girl is doing that well. I’ve been tuning in to Gossip Girl simply for a Kristen Bell fix, but watching the entire hour is becoming more difficult. Even Bell’s lovely narration isn’t holding my interest. I guess I find it unsettling that a teen show of this caliber is doing better in the ratings than Veronica Mars did, the uber-intelligent show in which Bell had the starring role. Then again, I’m not a teenage girl, so perhaps that explains my lack of love for Gossip Girl.


NBC has ordered additional scripts for Chuck, Life, Bionic Woman and Journeyman. That doesn’t mean they’ve been given full season orders, but they’re pulling enough viewers for the network to order more scripts. Of NBC’s new shows, Bionic Woman is performing the best in the ratings.

Just because a network orders more scripts, doesn’t mean a show will get renewed. (ABC ordered more scripts for The Nine last year, and we all know how that turned out.)

CBS has ordered additional scripts for Cane. The show gave CBS its best ratings debut for a new show since Judging Amy in 1999, according to the network. The CW has ordered additional scripts for Aliens in America, but it has not received a full season order yet, either. (Help them, Allah.)

If you’re wondering how Pushing Daisies and Private Practice are doing, well, so far so good. Both shows scored good ratings. They are among the top three highest rated new shows for the fall. (Bionic Woman is the other.)

Cavemen and Carpoolers both dropped 20 percent of their viewers since the debuts. That’s good news. I was starting to worry that TV viewers would watch anything, no matter how awful.

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Reviews: Aliens in America, Cane, and Life is Wild

Aliens in America
Premiere date: October 1, 2007
Airs: Mondays @ 8:30 p.m. ET on the CW

Most of us felt like aliens in high school. Just imagine if you were an awkward teenager going to your first day of class in America, but you happened to be a Muslim from Pakistan. Aliens in America is the story of a young foreign exchange student who is sent to live with a Christian family in Wisconsin. The family has a son of their own, who feels like an alien at high school, too. Justin and Raja soon discover that they have more in common than they imagined. Aliens in America is one of my two favorite new comedies this season. (Reaper is the other.) Adhir Kalyan is so charming in this role, you’ll want to play host for him, too. In addition to many laugh-out-loud moments, the show is an excellent social commentary on the xenophobia currently occurring in our country. The premiere episode has a sweet ending and hits all the right comedy notes. We need more shows on television that provide a cultural education. Aliens in America does that and gives us plenty of laughs to boot. Here’s hoping Raja gets a green card to stay more than one season.


Cane
Premiere date: September 25, 2007
Airs: Tuesdays @ 10 p.m. on CBS

Jimmy Smits returns to television in this drama about a Latino family that operates a rum business. This show is full of Latin verve and good acting. The cast is stellar and includes Hector Elizondo, Nestor Carbonell and Rita Moreno. A sibling rivalry between the two brothers, Smits and Carbonell, provides plenty of drama. (Think Bobby versus J.R. Ewing.) Cane was a pleasant surprise to me. I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was. The Duque family is so large it may take you a couple episodes to remember all of them, but it’s worth the investment. Smits shines in his role as head of the family business. He waivers between good and evil. In other words, he’s got a touch of Tony Soprano in him that makes him dangerous. This drama has plenty of secrets and lies, as well as family love. It’s easy to get drunk on Cane. And don’t be surprised if you’re thirsty for a Mojito after you watch.

Life is Wild
Premiere date: October 7, 2007
Airs: Sundays @ 8 p.m. on the CW

If you’re looking for a show to watch with the entire family, then Life is Wild may be to your liking. It’s this season’s 7th Heaven. A New York veterinarian uproots his family to South Africa to get them away from the pampered lifestyle to which they’ve grown accustomed. The show is actually shot in South Africa and features some of the most beautiful wildlife shots I’ve ever seen on a TV show. It was a bit predictable at times, but it didn’t ruin the show. The heart of Life is Wild is the family, albeit a newly blended family of stepsiblings and rebellious teens. For those who loved 7th Heaven, I think you’ll love Life is Wild just as much. If not, you’ll at least to get to see some beautiful cinematography.

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Tonight’s TV

Photo: Aliens in America on the CW

My DVR is getting a workout tonight, and yours should, too.

First, one of my favorite new comedies of the season, Aliens in America, premieres tonight on the CW. It’s about a Pakistani Islamic exchange student who moves to Wisconsin. It’s a hoot and should be on your must-watch list. I know the 8 p.m. hour on Monday is absolutely impossible, but you should try to find a way to fit this show in. I promise it’s worth it.

Also, Chris Rock guest stars in the season premiere of Everybody Hates Christ tonight as a guidance counselor. Good stuff.

Here is a rundown of what looks interesting tonight. This is based solely on my taste, of course, and is highly subjective. In other words, you won’t find The Bachelor on this list. (Although, that dude is one fine piece of eye candy based on the previews…. no, no. I won’t watch it.!)

8 p.m. Everybody Hates Chris on the CW, Chuck on NBC, Dancing With the Stars on ABC, and How I Met Your Mother on CBS

8:30 p.m. Aliens in America on CW

9 p.m. Heroes on NBC and Two and a Half Men on CBS

10 p.m. Journeyman on NBC

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