www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/10/14/DD19936.DTL
When ABC made this the first new fall series to get the ax last week, "That Was Then" had a mere two episodes of life. The show that didn't fit into that category -- "Push, Nevada" -- has been canceled, though the Ben Affleck-Matt Damon produced drama/game will remain on the schedule for a few weeks so someone can glean enough clues to win the grand prize, which is slightly more than $1 million. No ratings, no buzz, no interest -- then you get canceled and owe some poor nerd in Delaware a million bucks because he was really paying attention. It's a brutal business where 80 percent of all new shows -- and rising -- fail. Still, as with the first person voted off "Survivor," there's an ignominious stain that comes from being the first show canceled. Who knew the public wouldn't go for a show about a thirtysomething slacker who blames his woes on not being able to give a speech in high school and -- shazam! And yes, for those of you with uncommonly good memories, there's another freshman show out there with the exact same premise. While the clock ticks on "Do Over," let's take a look at other shows perilously near the chopping block. Part hammer-to-the-head serious, part wacky, it's all bad. Currently ranking in the 70s on the Nielsen charts among all shows, it's a full million viewers away from the other San Francisco-based medical drama, "Presidio Med," on CBS. Now, "Presidio Med" isn't looking too healthy either, but watch for CBS to stick with the show, assuming that ABC will kill off "MDs, " thus opening the door to more viewers who may want to watch a medical drama on Wednesday nights. If neither network blinks, it's slow and certain death for both shows. More mystifying and unintentionally comic than cosmic, it has turned into a sci-fi dud. It ranks in the Nielsen 90s and, worse, often trails the show that follows it, "John Doe," by a couple million viewers. Plus, "Firefly" is expensive and Fox has already shelved the two-hour pilot, which was murky and boring. That's called a money loser, and there's no room for those on any network. It should be noted here that not only is success relative (shows ABC is renewing for a full season might have been canceled on another network), but the TV game is also fraught with gigantic egos. Nobody wants to admit failure, and they all employ a small roomful of people who know how to spin bad numbers to save jobs. And, look out, this is a network that nearly runs on ego. So "In-Laws" and "Hidden Hills" are likely candidates to go, but it's doubtful NBC will kill two Tuesday shows even if they deserve it. Look for "In-Laws" to go first, "Hidden Hills" later, barring a ratings miracle (the show is bleeding "Frasier" viewers all over the streets of Burbank). It still gets about 10 million viewers -- not good, not disastrous. It's just above the middle of the pack, in the Nielsen 40s. But it's not strong, and CBS, which is doing well again this season, could dump it midseason or show patience. It supposedly is coming in November, but Fox has already sliced the order, which was wildly optimistic for the worst show, hands down, of the fall season. It's hard to decipher what the smaller networks, WB and UPN, will do. Often, they don't have a stocked bench ready to replace failing shows. Still, UPN's "Haunted" is all but played out and nearly on the bottom, ranked 107 (the WB's "Off Centre" gets the dubious honor of last place). Viewers are watching "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and then going elsewhere before "Haunted" starts. And yet, UPN thought that show and the revised "Twilight Zone" were perfect matches for "Buffy" and "Enterprise," respectively. The WB needs to find religion on "Do Over" (ranked 106), "Family Affair" (103), "What I Like About You" (100) and "Greetings From Tucson" (99). But it doesn't have enough shows stockpiled to replace them (although it's probably frantically trying to rectify that now). Yet a small network spins numbers like nobody's business, and the WB may think those are keepers. Don't rule out, by the way, the ax coming down on some lame returning shows (hello, "Just Shoot Me") rather than more new ones. No series lives forever in TV land, and the killing season is now under way. Starting April 9th through May 23rd Berkeley Repertory Theatre Bay Area 41 Free Smoked Sockeye Salmon!
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