'Pushing Daisies,' 'Dirty Sexy Money' Still in Limbo - ABC says...

For what it's worth, the head of ABC is also frustrated that second-year shows "Pushing Daisies," "Eli Stone" and "Dirty Sexy Money" didn't grab bigger audiences this season.

[Matt]

ABC didn't have to air NEW episodes in the spring, but the entire 9 months they were off should have been dedicated to reruns of all three shows to try to garner new audience members. You know, the way networks used to do back in the day. Without reruns, Cheers and Seinfeld never would have survived.

[Kate]

These two shows were so bad that no scheduling tricks could have saved them. Good riddance.

[CRDFilm]

ABC screwed Daisies and DSM by not rerunning the episodes during the summer to build up the audience for the fall premiere. It's that simple! I don't know why ABC is so puzzled. Eli aired in the spring, but a few key reruns before the fall season began would have helped. Then ABC effectively killed all three shows when they announced that they wouldn't be picking them up for the rest of the season, so why should anyone watch the rest of the episodes at that point? Especially shows with continuing storylines. No one is going to invest time in a show that they know will never have a proper ending. Of course, the American viewing audience doesn't seem to have much interest in anything that isn't L&O or CSI, and they don't seem to have the attention span for and loyalty to the shows they do watch! In England, most primetime dramatic series and even the sitcoms run 13 episodes a year, and sometimes they go off the air for more than a year, but when they come back so do the viewers. For some reason it works here for 24 and Idol (and of course they both run more than 13 episodes but they do go off the air for 8 months at a time), but nothing else. Face it...if a show is different, original and interesting, it will be doomed if it airs on a major network (which also needs to stop judging how well a series is performing from the Nielsen numbers with DVR and internet downloads adding to the viewership!). The whole system is antiquated.

[steve]

ABC should just air the final episoed soon and get it over with. THe president of ABC gave up on DIrty Sexy Money and Eli Stone too soon and is making a big mistake. Yet, crap like Wife Swap and Supernanny are still around and now these excellent shows will get replaced by more reality crap. Get rid of The Bachelor already and air DSM and Eli. DSM should air after Desperate Housewives. It was also the best new show last year and their will never be another like it. I wish a cable network would pick it up. I mis the Darling family and the people at Eli.

[steve]

Kate wrote:

These two shows were so bad that no scheduling tricks could have saved them. Good riddance.

You probalby do wach reality crap like the biggest loser or American Idol then.

[Dan]

CRDFilm wrote:

ABC screwed Daisies and DSM by not rerunning the episodes during the summer to build up the audience for the fall premiere. It's that simple! I don't know why ABC is so puzzled. Eli aired in the spring, but a few key reruns before the fall season began would have helped. Then ABC effectively killed all three shows when they announced that they wouldn't be picking them up for the rest of the season, so why should anyone watch the rest of the episodes at that point? Especially shows with continuing storylines. No one is going to invest time in a show that they know will never have a proper ending. Of course, the American viewing audience doesn't seem to have much interest in anything that isn't L&O or CSI, and they don't seem to have the attention span for and loyalty to the shows they do watch! In England, most primetime dramatic series and even the sitcoms run 13 episodes a year, and sometimes they go off the air for more than a year, but when they come back so do the viewers. For some reason it works here for 24 and Idol (and of course they both run more than 13 episodes but they do go off the air for 8 months at a time), but nothing else. Face it...if a show is different, original and interesting, it will be doomed if it airs on a major network (which also needs to stop judging how well a series is performing from the Nielsen numbers with DVR and internet downloads adding to the viewership!). The whole system is antiquated.

Exactly. I thought the same thing. ABC should have reran the series over the summer to build up anticipation and so people would remember the shows but no, we had to wait 10 months and then still people forgot about the shows. Eli actually did rerun in the summer on saturdays but I guess maybe it was just the show. ABC should have been like NBC was with Lipstick Jungle saying "Its not cancelled yet" so people may still watch it. Now all 3 series have bombed and ABC doesn't have anything. Well ABC better air the remaining episodes over the summer. I really want to see the conclusion to all three shows. Don't believe ABC when they say its not as simple to air the shows during the summer. Just burn off the episodes for the people who don't buy the dvds. Its really not that hard.

[wrhalver]

Too bad.

For family television Dirty Sexy Money was really breaking the mold. Far better than Dallas.

My wife and I really waited for DSM to return.

Maybe it'll wind up on the internet we're they can push the envelope even more.

[wrhalver]

Too bad.

For family television Dirty Sexy Money was really breaking the mold. Far better than Dallas.

My wife and I really waited for DSM to return.

Maybe it'll wind up on the internet where they can push the envelope even more.

(Sorry for the typo in the previous comment.
But maybe this will help re-emphasize this comment anyway. ABC, are you reading this?)

[Dan]

I liked DSM too but I had a feeling based on how it performed in its first season that it wouldn't do well this season. It sucks because I thought it was interesting to watch but what can you do.

[Eve]

They need to put the rest of he episodes online. ABC needs to stop burning fans by never giving them an ending to the shows people have watched for two seasons.
Instead of keeping great shows like PD on the air they rather keep unwatchable shows like Desperate Housewives and Private Practice on the air just because morons flock to it.
Thank god for cable.

[Diana]

Please don't cancel DSM!
The show really did have a chance!
My household loves the show, it's our favorite abc primetime show.

[Patty]

Didn't grab bigger audiences according to who? Nielsen? Yes... and there it is. The Nielsen Kool-Aid all the execs love.

I hope I live to see the day this monopoly is busted up.

[Ron H]

KATE, look up the word "moron" in the dictionary. I think there must be a picture of you right next to it. I'd love to know what drivel you watch. While I'm sure McPherson is "frustrated" perhaps he could clear some valuable schedule space by dumping that dud HOMELAND SECURITY and giving the fans of DSM, ELI STONE and DAISIES the final episode we deserve. We may not be the biggest audience out there but I guarantee you the 5 million or so that tuned into each of the series are each a heck of a lot smarter than the bulk of the folks who gobble up junk like THE BACHELOR and the aforementioned HOMELAND SECURITY. Maybe that's the message you should have taken to your advertisers if you really and truly cared about these fine scripted drama.

[Ron H]

CRDfilm: I agree with most of your points but you should know that the ratings provided by Nielsen DO include DVR numbers. Overnights come out the morning after a show airs. Those ratings are supplemented a week later by the "Live-Plus-Seven" ratings which combine the overnight numbers with DVR views for the seven days after a new series episode airs. The shows that benefit the most from the "Live-Plus-Seven" ratings tend to be those that skew younger along with sci-fi and shows in the vein of LOST and FRINGE. Even with the DVR numbers added in, STONE, DAISIES and DSM posted weak numbers this season. I think that stinks but it's less a fault of the Nielsen service and more a problem with the tastes and preferences of the mass audience here in the U.S.

[Ron H]

EVE: Some people think HOUSEWIVES and PRACTICE are good shows too. I loved the three shows ABC is dumping but the two shows you slammed are far from "unwatchable" to those of us who watch them. BTW...there's as much crap on cable as there is on broadcast television.

[Rena Moretti]

Sorry, but I totally predicted the failure of those shows. It was not only predictable, once the numbers for season one were in, it was painfully obvious that season two wouldn't do any better.

Explain to me again why Stephen McPherson is making all that money if he couldn't predict something so obvious.

[Rena Moretti]

Ron H wrote:

EVE: Some people think HOUSEWIVES and PRACTICE are good shows too. I loved the three shows ABC is dumping but the two shows you slammed are far from "unwatchable" to those of us who watch them. BTW...there's as much crap on cable as there is on broadcast television.

You're completely right about cable Ron.:)

It's a complete fiction that programming on cable is far superior to network programming (although it IS improving!)

[Rena Moretti]

Patty wrote:

Didn't grab bigger audiences according to who? Nielsen? Yes... and there it is. The Nielsen Kool-Aid all the execs love.
I hope I live to see the day this monopoly is busted up.

The Nielsens are a carefully thought-out scientific sample.

Now I'll be the first to say that it's not as accurate as it could be, but the truth is that it's the only independently generated number that is available to the public (box-office numbers are self-reported).

Also, the Nielsens are not manipulated to please any given interest group in great part because the people paying for it (networks and ad buyers) each have an interest in its being impartial and accurate.

Whenever there is a potential mistake, the networks are very vocal in getting it straightened out and it usually is addressed quickly.

It's a complete falsehood to think that somehow the Nielsens are manipulated just so your favorite show gets canceled.

[Rena Moretti]

Kate wrote:

These two shows were so bad that no scheduling tricks could have saved them. Good riddance.

You're very right (if aggressively so :))

DSM and Pushing Daisies were failing last year, which is why ABC kept them off the air.

The decision to renew them for a second season was completely baffling given that the only direction their ratings had gone was lower.

That bringing them back didn't work is hardly a surprise to anyone (except somehow ABC)

[Rena Moretti]

Dan wrote:

I liked DSM too but I had a feeling based on how it performed in its first season that it wouldn't do well this season. It sucks because I thought it was interesting to watch but what can you do.

See Dan? You did a better job at network scheduling that the ABC execs.:)

Like I said: entirely predictable (and easily too!) ;)