Axiom’s Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy

By John J. Joex

We’re down to the wire now. NBC had its infronts with the advertisers last Monday, and next week the remaining four broadcasters have their time with their sponsors. NBC gave Heroes the greenlight for another season and has all but confirmed that Medium will be back and possibly Chuck as well. FOX has already given a pickup to Fringe, ABC has renewed Lost, and the CW has promised another year of Smallville and Supernatural. So that leaves us with ten shows in the Science Fiction and Fantasy vein still awaiting word on their fate including the two NBC wildcards mentioned above. By the end of next week, we should know the status of all, so I will take this opportunity to give my final predictions:

NBC: The peacock network has already had its infronts, but has not solidified its schedule nor announced the fates on all of its current shows yet. That reveal will come on May 19th.

Medium – Word out of the infronts is that this supernatural drama will return, they are just working out the episode order and where it will end up on the schedule.

Chuck – Despite its underwhelming ratings this past season, it appears this fan favorite will live to see another season. Word is that NBC is using this one as a bargaining chip to get out of their deal with David E. Kelly’s pilot Legally Mad which they decided to pass on. We will get the final word when they announce their schedule on the 19th.

Knight Rider – It wrapped up its first season back in February and we haven’t heard a word about it since. Considering the abysmal ratings it pulled, you can pretty much consider it gone.

Kings – Got the boot to Summer after only five episodes had aired. Enjoy the remaining episodes when they air starting again beginning June 13th. But don’t expect anything else beyond that.

FOX: Infronts on May 18th.

Dollhouse – This one has received some good buzz from fans and critics and has been a hit based on its DVR viewing and iTunes downloads. Unfortunately none of that impresses advertisers and they still supply the networks with most of their revenue. However, despite that fact that the ratings for this show really faded down the stretch (and they were never very good to begin with), The Hollywood Reporter indicates that the show is still alive and that its future depends on “economics”. This may indicate that they will consider trimming the cast to cut costs, but at least the show’s not dead yet. I will give this one a longshot chance for renewal which may come down to just how drunk Joss Whedon can get the right network executive.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – I know that the hardcore fans of this show still think it is the greatest thing on television, but its second season was just a mess. Inconsistent writing and convoluted storylines helped drive most of the viewers away, and FOX almost certainly will cut ties with the show. However, if Terminator: Salvation scores well at the box office, and it almost certainly will, another network or cable channel may take a flyer on the series.

ABC: Infronts on May 19th

Cupid – This show was practically DOA the way ABC had shuffled it around and cut back on the episode order. Still it managed to do okay with its premiere, but then its numbers started to slide and the network started pre-empting it. Count it gone.

CBS: Infronts on May 20th

Ghost Whisperer – No mystery here, this show owns Friday nights and is a sure thing to return.

Eleventh Hour – It sure doesn’t pay to be a Science Fiction oriented show on the number one network. This show has done quite well in the ratings, flitting around the lower rungs of the weekly Top 20 for most of the season. But CBS doesn’t seem to consider it a success, probably because it would regularly loose a good chunk of the audience from its CSI lead-in. The network should have learned its lesson after canning Moonlight then watching The Ex-List take a dive in the slot that the vampire drama previously performed quite well in. And if they didn’t like the number of viewers Eleventh Hour lost, they need to take heed of the attrition Harper’s Island brought to that timeslot. Anyway, if CBS decides to pass on a second season, I’m betting another network would gladly take this one off their hands.

CW: Infronts on May 21st

Reaper – Poor Reaper. This show just can’t get any respect. It barely survived into a second season, and then only as a mid-season replacement. Now, with its second chance, the show just barely has a pulse in the ratings. It’s on the CW, so it has that going for it, but that network may have finally lost its patience with the show. And Reaper doesn’t have the same level of buzz that is currently keeping Chuck alive, so it likely could find itself odd man out next week.

Which Show Could the Fans Still Save?

Campaigns to save doomed shows have surely become more aggressive in recent years with fans pelting the networks with things like nuts (Jericho), daisies (Pushing Daisies), and even organizing blood drives (Moonlight). Too often the cries to save bubble shows fall on deaf ears, but it doesn’t stop fans from trying. This year, the campaign by Chuck fans to get people to buy footlong subs at Subway (one of the show’s sponsors) may have already helped that show’s fate. A few other shows could benefit from vocal fan support as well.

FOX is still wavering on the fate of Dollhouse, so an outcry from fans could give them just enough of a nudge to produce a thumbs-up. I don’t think the same would be true for The Sarah Connor Chronicles, though a raucous campaign and a successful show at the box office for Terminator: Salvation could convince another network (Sci Fi, USA, TNT) to grab that one.

Eleventh Hour would definitely benefit from a strong show of fan support. If it did not convince CBS to greenlight the show for a second season, another network, particularly fourth place NBC, would gladly take a Top 25 show averaging well over 10 million viewers off their hands.

Reaper may also benefit from a strong lobbying by fans. Its numbers are low even by CW standards, but how much more do they have waiting in the wings? This one is a real longshot, though, and no other networks will be lining up to rescue it should the CW pass on a third season.

Then what about Kings, Cupid, and Knight Rider? Sorry, but I don’t think any of these shows had enough fans to begin with, and they never delivered much on the ratings front. It’s a shame because I really enjoyed Kings and Cupid wasn’t half bad either. As for Knight Rider, good riddance. For more information on current fan campaigns, check out our Save My Show page and also check out our Cancellation Watch page for the fate of any shows we have not mentioned here.

Everything should be finalized by the end of next week with some early announcements already leaking out. Stay tuned as we cover the news from the infronts and as we give the full schedule of coming Science Fiction and Fantasy shows for next season once all the final announcements are made.

Previous Column:

April 23rd – No Surprise, Lost Gets Renewed; Is Reaper Really Gone?

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The Summer of Star Trek is Here!

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