TV Fans Argue These Shows Were ‘Sabotaged’ by Their Networks
On Reddit’s r/television forum, TV buffs have been naming they believe were sabotaged by their networks — sabotaged, for example, by a storyline choice, by airing episodes out of order, by a conspicuous lack of promotion, or by a time slot change.
“I have heard this story told many times about many shows,” one user wrote, starting the conversation on February 1. “But how many of these are actually malicious decisions, and how many are due to incompetence? What examples do we have where it is confirmed that a show was intentionally sabotaged by people who wanted an excuse to cancel them?”
Here are some of the TV shows commenters cited:
The Drew Carey Show
One commenter wrote, “After The Drew Carey Show was renewed for Seasons 7, 8, and 9, the ratings slipped for Season 7. So, for Season 8, they moved the show to Monday nights opposite the popular CBS comedy block and Fear Factor, where the ratings predictably tanked. They used the terrible ratings as an excuse to put the show on hiatus and tried to cancel it, but Warner Bros. insisted they had a contractual obligation to air it. So ABC burned off the rest of the eighth season and all of 26 episodes of the ninth season during the dead of the summer, even going as far as airing the episodes out of order so the show’s storyline didn’t make sense.”
Another commenter chimed in, saying, “It was also on before Monday Night Football and would often get pre-empted because of it. That was, I think, the biggest factor leading to the end of the show.”
Arrested Development
Arrested Development “won awards and was critically acclaimed, and Fox treated it like it was their unwanted stepchild,” one fan complained. “Probably the most famous example, as it led to an era of amazing comedies in that style.”
Another person said this show was their “absolute pick” for this phenomenon. “D***ed around from Season 2 onwards (episode order cut from 22 to 18), and then the last [season] cut to 13 episodes and burned off against the Winter Olympics,” they added.
The Nanny
“Apparently the network first forced them to get the main couple together or the show would be canceled, so they adamantly did it (they weren’t supposed to end up together), which ruined their dynamic and kind of ruined the show,” one Reddit user said of The Nanny. “Then I read in [star Fran Drescher’s] book that they were greenlit for a seventh season and started Season 6 OK, but halfway through, they called Fran in and said the show was canceled, and they would need to wrap it in, I guess, like, 10 episodes that they had left. … I read somewhere they changed the schedule constantly, and by the end, they didn’t even care to air the last episodes in the right order. It sounded messy and mean from what I read.”
CBS/Everett Collection
Titus
“Titus was sabotaged by Fox,” one Reddit user declared. “[Christopher Titus] refused to take a network note on breaking up the main couple, and Fox tanked the show after that. They stopped promoting it and starting changing its time slots.”
Happy Endings
“Happy Endings was kind of d***ed around by the network and not promoted as well as it should have been,” someone wrote on the thread.
“Happy Endings was so much better than most sitcoms that ran twice as long,” another person said.
Adam Taylor/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images
Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23
“They played episodes so out of order that no one could follow the plot,” a Reddit user said of Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23.
“It was so bad!” said another. “There was an episode in Season 2 that seemed like it should have been Episode 3 of Season 1.”
Firefly
“Firefly should be the definitive example,” asserted one Reddit user.
Another said, “They literally aired the pilot (‘Serenity’) after the finale (‘Objects in Space’). Mind-blowing.”
20th Century Fox Film Corp./Courtesy: Everett Collection
And a third commenter wrote, “They aired the episodes out of order, never promoted the show, debuted with, like, Episode 7, didn’t even air all the episodes, and changed the night of the week and time slot every week on them. If that wasn’t someone trying to get the expensive sci-fi show shut down…”
Married… With Children
Columbia Pictures Television/Everett Collection
“Married… With Children was the first big hit for new network Fox and is still their longest running live-action show,” one person observed. “However, even after 11 seasons, they never got a series finale episode, and instead Fox moved them from, I think, Tuesday night to Saturday night (a guaranteed death slot). Then, one day, the cast was told ‘OK, everyone, that was the last episode we’re doing.’”
Conversation9 Comments
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So on The Nanny, Fran and Mr. Sheffield weren't supposed to get together? On one hand, that would be both surprising and unusual; on the other hand, the Powers That Be should have known that as soon as the 'couple' got together, things would start to go downhill.
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China Beach was one of the most fantastic shows ever, speaking as a female viewer. I wish it would repeat again, after being pulled off the history channel the week after 9/11/2001. I hate the music rights issue—many shows have had this problem.
China Beach was based on the memoir—Home Before Morning—good read and true story. Recognizing that support personnel like nurses had problems like PTSD, the medical care issues, etc was its legacy, and well done by the great cast. They were all great!
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As a prime example... "I Dream of Jeannie".
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MADtv got screwed by FOX because FOX didn't own the show. Every season FOX cut the budget until the show was finally put out of its misery, a shell of its former self.
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Networks execs pull strange s*** as a power play ... like animated hit THE CRITIC, a new network Prez came in and didn't get the jokes so he canceled the show even though it was doing fine in the ratings. Especially back in the day when you could not 'produce' your own shows (outside of news shows), a network had no need to protect a show from another studio ... or when reality shows came along, network execs loved it as they could get 80% of the ratings for 40% of the cost and not having to kiss a stars ass ... or get pushback on creative decisions
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ABC messed with China Beach. It was a real shame. And now we don’t get to see it because the music rights are too expensive.
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There was a grim reaper, at NBC, that came for "Boston Common". It was my favorite sitcom. It was the 8th placed show, during its first season. It got moved to Sundays, for season two and dropped like a rock, to #51 and got cancelled. I have held a grudge against NBC, for nearly 30 years, over that.
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I remember liking "Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23" especially when Krysten Ritter played the title character.
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Arrested Development was mostly sabotaged by Arrested Development. As much as I liked it, it relied too much on background gags and Easter eggs and callbacks to those gags that would be missed my those who didn't notice every frame of every episode. It's a great way to have a small cult following of people who "get it," but to not build an audience needed to attract advertisers. (And what was with the constant "ca-cawing" chicken thing all the time?)
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