SERIALIZED SHOWS LIKE "SMITH,"
"KIDNAPPED" DESERVE AN ENDING

October 13, 2006

I was all prepared to write about the CBS drama "Smith" this week and talk about how the Ray Liotta vehicle is full of cool characters and clever heists but still not much fun to watch. Notes were taken; paragraphs were already rolling around in my head. Then the show got canceled after three episodes.

Welcome to the new fall TV season.

Yes, it's that time again where we suss out our favorite new shows and then pray that the axe won't fall as network execs pour over the nightly ratings with bloodlust in their hearts. "Smith" was the first to go. Its 8 million viewers a week were not nearly enough for such a costly show.

In fact, that's one of the best early warning signs that a new series might not last long -- if the show's budget gets more attention than the show itself. "Smith"'s bottom line was boosted considerably by its movie-screen-sized cast (Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Amy Smart) and elaborate action scenes. When a network spends that much money on a show, "Lost"-sized ratings are demanded. It's almost to the point where if a new series looks like a million bucks, I know not to get too involved.

None of this bodes well for NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," another show full of actors who demand top dollar which also shoots on one of the biggest TV sets ever constructed. (Wonder what their lighting bill is?) "Studio 60" drew 13.4 million viewers for its premiere, but that number has fallen to 8.9 million by week four. Because of the talent involved both in front of and behind the camera, I suspect NBC will keep plugging away with "Studio 60" for the full season (though a timeslot change may be in the cards). But, at this point, renewal for a second year just wouldn't be economically prudent. It's too bad -- like I said last week, "Studio 60" is marvelous television.

Elsewhere on NBC, the network has already deep-sixed "Kidnapped," which had been struggling mightily on Wednesday nights. Last week's episode only drew 5.1 million viewers. Ouch! Here's a refreshing change, though -- NBC has asked the show's producers to wrap up the serial drama's storyline in 13 episodes, and the network will broadcast the remainder of the series on Saturday nights. True, the weekend is a TV graveyard, but at least people watching "Kidnapped" will have the chance to see how the story ends. That's more than fans of FOX's "Reunion" got last year when the murder mystery was cancelled without any resolution given. A producer on the show later revealed the murderer by posting on the Internet.

I don't care how bad the ratings get, if networks insist on greenlighting all these serial dramas, the fans who watch deserve a filmed ending to the story -- not a throwaway resolution contained in an Internet post. So kudos to NBC for doing exactly that with "Kidnapped." FOX's "Vanished" may be the next serial to succumb to low ratings. (After the baseball playoffs, it will be relocated from Monday to Friday.) If the axe does fall, FOX would be smart to follow NBC's lead and at least finish the story they started.