Save Our Show Campaign

Every fall new TV shows debut on all of the major networks; some succeed, some fail and some fall in middle. This TV season very few new shows have succeeded so far – although the remake of Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods, both on CBS, have performed well enough that the network is touting them as the top two new shows of the season (and the ratings for both shows reflect that at well).

Meanwhile, several shows have failed, including the already-been-cancelled FOX series Lone Star, the quickly eliminated ABC show My Generation and the soon-to-be-cancelled NBC series Outlaw. The prospects for a full-season order do not look that good for new shows such as Chase on NBC or The Whole Truth on ABC.

As for the shows that are somewhere in the middle, that list includes Caprica on Syfy, which just returned to finish the last half of its first season to dismal ratings; The Event on NBC, which started out strong, but has experienced massive viewer erosion each week since its debut; Law & Order: Los Angeles on NBC, which has lost over 3 million viewers in three airings and No Ordinary Family on ABC, which has also lost 3 million viewers since its debut. The only saving grace for No Ordinary Family, right now, is that the network has ordered four more scripts.

Undercovers

Out of all the new shows to debut this fall, I had the highest hope for the J.J. Abrams series Undercovers, which seemed to have it all: great creative minds behind the scenes, two attractive leads – Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw – and a storyline that captured Abrams’ past success otherwise known as Alias. Despite those positives the show has not only under performed in the ratings but also each episode has been less than stellar in terms of story development.

I am hopeful, however, that if the show is permitted to continue for the remainder of the season – in others words if the show is the one new show saved this season, that the mythology behind the show will begin to come to the forefront, the writers will pull back on the character of Hoyt, as he is more of a hindrance than a help to the overall storyline and that the dialogue will be tightened up so it doesn’t seem so sophomoric.

As for the returning shows that are struggling, that list would include Chuck, Parenthood and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit all on NBC and The Good Guys on FOX. For four seasons now, Chuck has been narrowly making it back onto the prime time schedule, but this could very well, regrettably, be its last year. Meanwhile, both Parenthood and SVU have seen their ratings plummet consistently week-to-week, which is not a good sign. As for The Good Guys, the show has averaged 2.5 million viewers over the past month; these numbers are devastatingly low and do not bode well for the series to continue for much longer.

Life Unexpected

But, it is the CW series Life Unexpected, which returned for its second season on September 14 that has performed lowest in the ratings compared to any other drama on the network and overall is one of the lowest ranked of all the shows on the air. Despite those facts, I think it deserves to be the one returning show that should be saved. It is not your typical touchy-feely good time family drama; it doesn’t depict a white picket fence perfect family. Instead it shows human flaws in all their glory and how even the most neurotic of characters *cough* Cate *cough* can be highly watchable. Meanwhile, the series is hanging on the precipice of cancellation despite the fact the show was given an additional script order; and I can only hope that the network will take a chance on the show for the full season.

So, what about you? Which new show would you like to see saved? Is there a returning series that you want to see make it? Please share your thoughts.