Fall TV Lineup Fails to Impress
By James Hill III and Sarina Caragan
The Playboy Club
After premiering to 5.02 million viewers (the lowest in its timeslot and less than half of its competitors), the 1960s period drama lost 27 percent of its viewers by its third episode. Apparently, sex can't sell everything, especially wooden acting and a crime drama plotline wrapped up inside a PG-13 portrayal of the R-rated "Playboy" brand. Amidst low ratings and numerous protests over the show's sexual content, NBC dropped the show from its fall lineup. While NBC News will debut "Rock Center with Brian Williams" in the timeslot on Oct. 13, the network will replace the sex-fueled drama with "Smash" on Feb. 5, 2012.
Charlie's Angels
Despite the brand recognition, the remake of the 1970s classic action show premiered to a dismal 8.76 million viewers and continued to suffer from low ratings. By the fourth and final episode, the show attracted only 5.91 million viewers. The moment this show's timeslot was announced, it was destined for disappointment: the last ABC show to last longer than one season airing Thursdays at 8 p.m. was the Robin Williams sitcom "Mork and Mindy," which premiered in 1978 and was cancelled in 1982. ABC will broadcast "holiday specials" until it finds a midseason replacement.
How to Be a Gentleman
This sitcom follows two former high school classmates, show creator David Hornsby's uptight columnist and Kevin Dillon's free-spirited trainer, as they form a new friendship. To illustrate the show's unoriginal premise, the punchline in an ad for the show features the lead actor literally getting punched in the arm. After two episodes, the show was moved to TV's dead zone — Saturday nights — and its ratings dropped to 2.43 million viewers (the lowest in its timeslot compared to all major networks). CBS cancelled the show soon afterwards and replaced it with Happy Madison Productions' sitcom "Rules of Engagement."
Free Agents
This British-imported workplace comedy, which followed two co-workers who attempt a relationship after he divorces and her fiance dies, premiered on Oct. 6 to 6.12 million viewers (the lowest in its timeslot). When the show's numbers failed to improve, star Hank Azaria appealed to his Twitter followers to save the series. Despite his social media campaign, the show lost nearly half of its viewers by the fourth episode, and NBC axed the series. Until NBC finds a midseason replacement, the network replaced the show with re-runs of comedian Whitney Cummings' sitcom "Whitney."