ABC shows mostly doing well

Surprisingly, ABC has the fewest shows in danger of cancellation in the wake of Charlie’s Angels getting the ax. The shows in the most trouble are PAN AM and BODY OF PROOF, but those shows average around 1.8 to 1.9, with PAN AM on a steep decline after a 3.3 in its debut.

While the network is flying high thanks to EX-H20G, PAN AM and BODY OF PROOF follow shows that are much higher-rated and so viewer attrition could spell doom for these shows even if they dip no lower than they are now.

Beware, Harry’s Law and Prime Suspect

If you’re one of the few surviving fans of NBC, the cancellation of FREE AGENTS and THE PLAYBOY CLUB may extend the life of the network’s remaining scripted shows, if only for lack of ready-to-roll replacement shows.

Even so, fans of HARRY’S LAW may be next to grieve the show’s passing; after a comedy-centric first season, the show has once again devolved into a typical David E. Kelly lawyer show that pontificates in favor of left-wing agenda items even when the main lawyers on the show are arguing the other side of a case.

Those boring, pedantic, by-the-numbers speeches sap the show of its comedy vibe and could prove to be the death of it.

Meanwhile, the more appealing PRIME SUSPECT is proving that it’s hard to be an NBC cop drama without LAW AND ORDER in front of the title; the show is averaging a 1.3 to 1.8 on what has traditionally been NBC’s strongest night, and it benefits almost not at all from its strong lead-ins, COMMUNITY, PARKS AND RECREATION, THE OFFICE, and WHITNEY, losing almost a full ratings point most nights behind WHITNEY.

Still, Whitney and Community aren’t completely safe, either, and so the cast probably would do well not to invest in high-ticket items like Julbo sunglasses just yet.

Fringe again on the fringe … of cancellation

The J.J. Abrams sci-fi drama FRINGE seems to be suffering without Peter Bishop on the screen so far this season. The show is drawing steadily in the 1.2 to 1.5 range, which is dangerous territory. The network almost gave up on the show last spring before it rebounded late, saving itself from the ax.

Whether it remains through the season, however, is currently in doubt, and its producers may not like their season’s greetings cards this December, as they may well contain a pink slip for the show.

Next to fall: A Gifted Man?

CBS is perhaps regretting the cancellation of MEDIUM right about now. The network is suffering through ratings of around 1.2 on this year’s replacement for the veteran paranormal drama, and cancellation can’t be far away for A GIFTED MAN.

While the main star is appealing and plays a doctor, he may be searching for a href=”http://www.healthcarejobsite.com/jobsearch/healthcare/healthcare-aides/default.asp?job=nursing+aide”>Nursing Aide Jobs soon unless the show takes a dramatic uptick in the ratings.

Also note that CSI NY and Blue Bloods aren’t doing much better and seem incapable of drawing even a 2.0 on Friday nights.

Angels fall

ABC has finally put everyone out of their misery, letting the cancellation ax fall on the horrendous CHARLIE’S ANGELS remake stinking up prime time on Thursdays. Only three episodes have aired and the network has promised (Lord knows why) that the other five episodes already made will make it to air, but production has been shut down permanently.

The business funding was in place for a thirteen-episode order but with ratings in the 1.1 to 1.3 range, there was simply no reason to draw it out any longer. While the McG silver-screen relaunch did okay box office a few years ago, no one seemed to have an appetite for this version’s lightweight plots and sexed-up portrayals.

And for that, we can all be a little more grateful come Thanksgiving.

Great weekend coming up next weekend

After enduring weeks and weeks of uninspired manure at the box office, next weekend has a great release schedule, the first since late summer. Topping my personal expectations is the latest installment in the pseudo-reality horror franchise, Paranormal Activity 3. I’ve loved the series so far, and this installment promises to look into the backstory of the franchise, the “thing that happened when we were kids” that so emotionally scarred Katie. Should be good for some surveillance camera thrills.

Also debuting next weekend is the latest redux on The Three Musketeers. The twist this time is that the outsider who wants in is a female Musketeer. Should be swashbuckling fun, for those not looking to be scared.

Finally, while its opening on about half the number of screens as its competitors, Rowan Atkinson’s James Bond spoof, Johnny English Reborn, should be good for laughs, though personally he’s never really topped the work he did a couple decades ago on the Blackadder series, or, for Whovians, the Comic Relief spoof he performed in on DOCTOR WHO, scripted by current WHO showrunner Steven Moffat. That was called DOCTOR WHO: “The Curse of Fatal Death,” for those not in the know.

With three solid choices, viewers ought to be pleased for a change with the choices at the box office. I know I’m going to be in line early for PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3. I have my save the date cards made out, and everything!

Box Office cuts Footloose

While it appears to be a down weekend for US box office in general, the victor of the battle of the remakes appears to be FOOTLOOSE, and by more than just a little. While the movie just won’t be the same without the Kenny Loggins soundtrack and a young Kevin Bacon at the center of the action, the updated version did well enough to take in over $5.5 million on Friday, setting it up for a weekend on the order of around $15-$17 million. Not great, not terrible, but enough to win the weekend. With a light, $24 million budget, it should be okay.

A step behind was REAL STEEL, now in its second weekend, which drew $4.5 million on Friday and should be comfortably in the range of $12-$13 million.

On the other end of the remake spectrum is Hollywood’s third version of THE THING, which opened to a weak $3.3 million Friday and seems set to just barely clear over $10 million. That’s disappointing enough that it could have producers reaching for antacid and incontinence products to relieve their discomfort.

Nothing else is looking even close to reaching the $10 million weekend bar. But the final numbers are not in yet.

H8R h8ed off the schedule

Producers of the CW reality show H8R better not have long-term mortgages based on the success of their show, but instead opted for houses for rent by owner; the celebrity-confronts-their-hater show had a low-rent feel from the word, “Go,” and was mercifully cut short even though the show promised plenty of new D-list celebrities in “forthcoming episodes.”

Who cares? In the four episodes that reached air before the axe fell, only two actually engaged their haters in a meaningful way that might have had a chance to change their perspective. The rest just showed off the fruits of their fame, which is part of what inspired their haters to hate in the first place.

So, good riddance.

“How to be” cancelled

Though it was slow and patient on the cancellation trigger last year, CBS wasted no time in being less than gentlemanly to its new comedy, HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN. The show will be allowed to finish out episodes already produced, but will be shuffled off to Saturdays: the TV graveyard.

The Kevin Dillon-Dave Foley vehicle never really fit well with its lead-in, BIG BANG THEORY. Although mildly amusing, it was just a bad mix, so the cancellation comes as no big surprise.

So, there will be no smoking of La Flor Dominicana cigars for the producers this time out. The real question when a show is pulled this quickly, however, is, “Why did they approve to series to begin with, if they had such low faith in this show?”

NBC also cancels Free Agents

NBC has been quicker on the cancellation trigger than most networks; surprising, considering their fourth-place status.

The latest victim? The half-hour comedy starring Kathryn Hahn and Hank Azaria. Personally, I loved the show, set in Portland, and the chemistry between Azaria and Hahn. It was cleaver and funny, but not as innovative as Up Al Night. When it was unable to hold that show’s lead-in, the writing was on the wall.

It’s too bad. The show had a lot of charm. And that’s not the jewelry beads supply apparent on the show talking!

Playboy Club a deserved first casualty

The first series canceled by any network this season came – no surprise – from NBC when they shut down production on, and pulled from the schedule, The Playboy Club, which tanked its Monday night timeslot. The network, which has never found an adequate replacement for that slot since cancelling Medium a few years ago, is currently airing reruns of Prime Suspect in its place.

This does not bode well for NBC Mondays, and no show on that night should bother to buy life insurance online for their shows. Chuck is coming back in November in the lead-off position, replacing The Sing-Off, a poorly-received karaoke contest. Chuck will be followed by Grimm, from the producers who brought us Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Sounds promising.

Still, even without an adequate replacement lined up, no one’s going to miss The Playboy Club. The show was only marginally better than the pitches revolving around Penthouse and Hustler … and just as seamy.

Haven gets third season order

SyFy hasn’t been overly generous with renewals on scripted series of late, but Haven, based on a Stephen King novella, “The Colorado Kid,” has produced a Green Monday for the show’s producers; they were granted a third-season renewal this week.

The show, which added former WWE star Adam “Edge” Copeland to its cast this season, is a stomping ground for all kinds of King-style oddities, and is one of the better-written shows on SyFy.