there’s money in the bananna stand

Posted on By Wil

Can someone explain to me why Fox cancelled  Arrested Development, but gave The War at Home the  timeslot between The Simpsons and Family Guy?

Why does Fox hate the funny so much?

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Television

Comments (54)

  1. Thats the stupidest thing I ever heard. Arrested Development has a huge following. Fox always gets rid of shows before they should. Boo! Hiss!

  2. I have been just sick since I heard on Friday (?)… It’s stupid. War at Home, while I have never watched it, looks really stupid.
    I am sure Fox moved AD to Monday to give them an excuse to kill it. I love how it’s been replaced during sweeps by RERUNS.
    I won’t be watching any new shows on fox. They do this too often and I’m tired of it.

  3. It’s funny, Fox used to be considered the liberal station… Married with Children, In Living Color, Simpsons… Now it’s run by bunch of old balding white men who have seem to lost their sense of humor.
    I will never understand why some shows are given the ax and other horrid, brain-dead ones are left to thrive. I’m sure politics are playing their role in some way.
    Anyway, there’s a good article (more like a FAQ) about it in the San Francisco Chronicle here for those interested http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/14/DDG4NFMUAI1.DTL

  4. Here’s my $0.02 on why good shows get cancelled. I’ve heard the arguement from a number of people I respect, and it seems to make sense… You see, advertisers don’t like smart people. Smart people don’t buy soap based on a commercial, or change thier brand of soda because someone endorsed it. Smart people are bad “demographics”. Many good shows have fallen to “bad demographics” such as Firefly, Joan of Arcadia, and now Arrested Development… I’m sure Veronica Mars might get the axe soon too, as thats another good show that is more than superficial… The only reasons that the Simpsons has stayed on so long is because at its superficial level, its really funny, but a deeper look shows that it is a very intelligent satire (shhh, don’t tell).
    Anyway, there is a reason why there are not many shows for 30+ year olds. Advertising doesn’t have as good of an effect on them…

  5. Mudboy, you took the words out m’mouth — last year when I first recall hearing rumblings of an AD cancellation, I said to my friends (all fans of the show, btw), “Of course it’ll be canceled– people who are into this show are too smart to be watching it according to some network schedule…”

  6. If they cancel Veronica Mars.. one of the last good thriving shows on TV today, it might be just enough for me to swear off network TV forever. I WILL NEVER FORGIVE them if they cancel that show before its time. Aside from Veronica and a few others, I just don’t watch TV anymore.

  8. You know, you would think that after they attempted to cancel Arrested Development the first time and it didn’t go over well, that FOX wouldn’t do it again. But ALAS!! I’m sure that FOX will soon figure out that AD is a great show with talented people and the show must go on…I just hope by then that Jason Bateman and the rest of the cast aren’t completely fed up with the tug-o-war.

  9. May I remind you that this is the network of chimps who cancelled FIREFLY? It’s not a question of what they have against funny, it’s what do they have against really freaking brilliant television?

  10. mudboy, you’re exactly right. of course, you left out Dark Angel, but that may be because the network futzed around with the plotline and then killed the show after the viewership was getting frustrated.

  14. Fox was so cutting edge at one time. Now they are just sad, save for a few select shows.
    I hope AD finds a new network. I love it, it’s funny and smartly written. Justin Bateman is great in it.

  15. Sorry, third comment I know. Oops. Just wanted to add that I heard talk of AD being picked up by Showtime, possibly. Just a rumor, of course, but who knows?
    Ditto on the brilliance of Firefly, Wonderfalls and Joan of Arcadia. Sad that talent like that is just left to wither and rot. Ugh. Doesn’t just almost make you sick?

  16. Yeah I wanted to kick something when I read that online. Someone mentioned Firefly. That show is fantastic and lives on in the land of DVD.
    Stupid Fox.

  17. Mudboy took the words right out of my mouth. I was sad when Joan of Arcadia was cancelled. Hopefully Veronica Mars won’t. That’s a great show. Why does TV keep cancelling the shows that I like? idk.

  18. Why Can’t Michael Rapaport Retire?

    WWdN: In Exile: there’s money in the bananna stand “Can someone explain to me why Fox cancelled Arrested Development, but gave The War at Home the timeslot between The Simpsons and Family Guy? Why does Fox hate the funny so…

  19. i know…now i have to channel surf for a half hour between the simpsons and family guy. stupid fox.
    on the bright side, season 7 of the simpsons and the next family guy dvd come out very soon.

  21. I stopped watching Fox after it canceled Firefly, and I stopped watching the WB after it canceled Angel but kept Charmed in the line-up. All I can figure is that networks are run by guys who use insane troll logic when making their decisions.

  22. My roommate and I actually take a half-hour break from the television while “the war at home” is on. It’s terrible, derivative humour.
    In other, completely unrelated news… what are your thoughts on the Wilco live album? It’s pretty boss if you ask me.

  23. At the end of the day, it’s about the ratings, since the ratings control how much the advertising dollar is. Arrested Development was 5th in that timeslot.
    Might’ve done better in another timeslot…might not. TiVo use might be hurting ratings.
    Quality ain’t got nothin’ to do with it, which pretty much screws those of us who actually want a little bit of intelligence in our programming. I got hooked on Arrested Development in advance of this season, and naturally, that’s the end of the line. I think the Nielsen system is broken. Either that or the American viewing public (as a whole) really is as stupid as it seems. I’d like to be optimistic about that but it seems hard.

  24. I’m normally a lurker, but this topic has brought me out of my shell.
    I love AD. I truly don’t understand why no one is watching it. I will say that FOX has done a lousy job with advertising the show.
    I can only hope the Showcase will pick it up. I have read in several articles that the cost of the show (somewhere around $1.5 million/episode) is one of the reasons cable networks have been shying away from it. Here’s hoping Mitch finds someone who’s smart enough to pick it up.
    At least I have my DVDs…

  25. According to a column by Tim Goodman in the SF Chronicle, FOX will be running the rest of the initial 13 episodes starting Dec 5, but didn’t pick up the rest of the season. So it’s not completely dead yet.
    He also didn’t think HBO would pick up the show, but said there’s a rumor about Showtime.

  26. Because Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS and most of the cable/satellite channels (who by the way are owned by those networks) turned their programming over to dumb-ass 12 year olds who get a woody from so-called reality crap, and the great dumb-ass viewership lets them do it. Stop watching and stop buying. They are motivated only by money. That’s why Star Trek is no longer on.

  29. Fox has become a bad word in our house. We used to look forward to what they had to offer; now we just look forward to what they have offered, have stupidly cancelled, and is now on DVD.

  31. I hated AD and am glad to see it go, but “The War at Home” is very bad too. I agree that “Veronica Mars” is one of the best shows on right now. “Medium” is also very good. Its hard to find something original with 3 CSI’s and 4 (is it?) Law and Orders.
    I am so glad that hockey is back! Go Leafs!

  32. It’s simple: FOX is looking for a blockbuster TV show, not a mildly successful TV show. Arrested Development may have had a devoted following, but it was a small one.
    The show was apparently fairly expensive to produce, which means a high cost/low return scenario for FOX. Even with critical accolades and (no doubt) pulling a modest profit, they decided they could do better. Basically, they’re rolling the dice on getting a better (read: more popular) show.
    Of course, they don’t present it like that because it’s too obviously capitalist. I’m convinced that the move to Monday night and the terrible marketing effort was specifically designed to sink the show’s ratings low enough to justify cancellation.

  33. I’d like to take this opportunity to say:
    I’m sorry.
    It’s my fault they cancelled Arrested Development. If I start to like a show, it gets cancelled before the season is out. Sometimes it’s cancelled, re-tooled, re-worked, put back on the air – and if I still watch it, it gets cancelled again.
    I hadn’t been watching previous seasons of AD for various reasons, but this year I taped it two weeks in a row. Now this.
    Sorry, everybody. I thought the show was well-established enough for me to start watching it without any adverse effects.

  34. No idea. Dont watch all that much Fox. Hell, dont watch that much TV except for movies and a few dramas on Monday and Tuesday.
    Though I do catch SouthPark reruns on a local channel.

  37. Perhaps its time for Tivo/DSS’s to start anonymous reporting as to what people are watching and putting on their season pass settings. And the box could call into the server once a night with the days viewing information.
    I would guess it would take a small software update/patch installed next time the box calls in for its annual check to make sure you paid your bill or what ever it does at that time.
    Though I would personally insist on an opt out or off option for the feature.
    Such information could help save our favorite show from the Nielson Family’s fickleness and the little old lady in Peoria who’s viewing habits seem to determine whats on Tv.
    Just a thought and Idea.
    New Subject:
    Will-
    I just finished listening to Just a Geek & the bonus material.
    I really and sincerely loved every minute of it. Your performance was great. Your story had me laughing and crying, and feeling empathy for you in your struggles. And you convinced me NOT to give a friend of mine a copy of the mp3 file, but to encourage him to purchase his own copy instead.
    Have you considered in becoming a Voice actor/ Audio book narrator?
    Thank you for the hours of entertainment you provided for me in helping to pass the time on the road this weekend. Well worth the $30. Next on the audio book line up is the 9/11 commission report.
    Thank You.
    Micah

  38. I think Fox hates me, that’s why. They always cancel my favorite show. Do you think X-Files would have made it more than one season if it was on Fox today and not when they didn’t have any other original programming besides Cops?

  39. Fox is teh suck. However, I highly highly highly doubt that they will let anyone else pick up AD. Wasn’t this the same situation that came up with Firefly? I remember hearing something along the lines of Fox saying “Well, if we’re not going to show it, nobody ELSE is going to make any money off it either” – owning the show in perpetuity, in other words. At least I think that’s what the case was for Firefly, and I’m guessing it’s similar for AD.
    Just out of curiosity – why the hell is it so expensive per episode? Are the salaries THAT high for the cast?

  40. I’m just glad that reading through the comments, I’m only getting the occasional self-adulation from fans of the show proclaiming how much smarter they are than people who don’t like the show simply because they like it.
    Arrested Development is the pinnacle of “You Had to Be There” TV. The show is so chock-full of inside jokes and references to previous episodes that it is extraordinarily difficult for the show to attract new viewers. The formula that’s worked so well in cementing a fan base of people who watched AD from the beginning simultaneously does a really great job of alienating new viewers.

  41. I personally don’t watch too many shows anymore on regular tv. I never did watch Arrested Development, but it doesn’t mean I’m not mad at Fox-TV. What the hell are they thinking anyway? I don’t think I watch any shows on Fox-TV anymore and that includes Family Guy and The Simpsons. On Sunday I watch America’s Funniest Videos, Desperate Housewives and Crossing Jordan. Then maybe two or three shows during the week. Regular tv has just gotten really terrible with all these reality shows that suck. Where did all the awesome shows go and why are they being replaced with some of the stupidiest shows? I’m keeping my satillite tv so I don’t have to watch most of the crap on regular tv and I can stick by the shows I do watch. (which if I was to add up would probably be 6 shows total and none of them are on Fox TV.

  42. Dude, this is the network that actually CANCELLED The Family Guy.
    Of course they hate funny…
    But they DID bring it back, so maybe they’re just confused about their humorous tendencies.
    Closeted comedians?

  43. Mudboy got it right, we’ve outsmarted ourselves. We don’t buy crappy products based on commercials and we’re suffering for it.
    Oh the irony. **Runs out to buy a dozen bottles of Vim** Honest, it works JUST like it does in the magical commercials! *cough*Bullshit*cough*
    Maura, I never thought I’d say this to anyone, but….don’t watch BSG!

  44. Why Can’t Michael Rapaport Retire?

    WWdN: In Exile: there’s money in the bananna stand “Can someone explain to me why Fox cancelled Arrested Development, but gave The War at Home the timeslot between The Simpsons and Family Guy? Why does Fox hate the funny so…

  45. Gotta say, I agree with morgan. Every single person I’ve ever tried to get into AD has said they don’t get it when watching episodes on Sunday (now monday?) nights. Then I lend them season 1 on DVD, and they tell me how they watched it all the way through in 2 sittings or something ridiculous. Harumph.

  46. I have found it’s pointless to ask what is going through the heads of network execs. They make completely random and unthoughtful decisions on a daily basis.

  47. WWdN: In Exile: theres money in the bananna stand

    WWdN: In Exile: theres money in the bananna stand
    Ugh, I cant beleive Fox is cancelling Arrested Development. Its only the single funniest show on television. Fox will complain about ratings, but when you couldnt market yo…

  49. Fans of Firefly,(me for one) can sympathize, FOX has strange tastes and little/fuzzy reasoning for their decisions. Of course NBC and other networks have had their own gloriously stupid decisions.

  50. Arrested Devlopment was a clever, well-written show, far superior than the s**t called The War At Home. which somehow manages to stay on the schedule. Fox also seems to be in love with Prison Break. It’s cheaper for them to ran last week’s episode, billing it as a special encore performance, then follow it with a fresh episode (to borrow WB terminology) of Prison Break.
    Everything is on the cheap these days – WB cancelled 7th Heaven because it was too expensive to produce.
    The networks should also just give Saturdays back to the local affilates. Nothing ever worth watching anymore on that night.

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