HBO Cancels ‘Enlightenment’ After Two Seasons, Lies And Claims, “It Was A Very Difficult Decision”

The funniest part about the cancellation of the critically-acclaimed crapfest that nobody watched known as Enlightened (because the critics are always smarter than the audience), is that every single outlet covering the end of this stupid show cites the biggest lie told to date this year by a television network:

“It was a very difficult decision.  We’re proud of the show and we look forward to working with Mike White and Laura Dern in the future.”

That was from HBO’s press statement. Liars.  No one except the most pretentious pseudo-intellectuals could tolerate this stupid show for more than five minutes.  For crap’s sake, even the title was pretentious.

Just tell it like it is, HBO; this show was a dead-bang loser and you lost money on it.

NBC: ‘Smash’ Canceled… YES, Canceled

OK, here’s the thing about networks: they’re glad to tell you about their successes but they NEVER will admit failure.  This is why they have such ridiculously glowing press releases issued for when a show gets renewed, but nary a peep when a show gets canceled… except if you read between the lines… which is exactly why you come here… so we can separate the wheat from the chaff, as it were.

“Hey… where’d my show go?”

Here’s how it works: when a show is canceled due to poor ratings (unless it’s a long-running show that’s just run its course) one of two things will occur.  In the first scenario a press release focusing on schedule changes will be issued and buried in that release among other schedule changes will be a change indicating that the timeslot that “X” show was in has been filled with “Y” show with no mention of the previous existence of “X” show.  This is similar to how Stalin dealt with political enemies; he erased them from existence.

Scenario two (what’s happened with Smash) also involves a

“Sorry, ‘Smash,’ but I can only keep this up for about 12 more weeks…”

schedule change press release but instead of erasing show “X” from existence from a timeslot, the announcement instead indicates that the show has been moved to Saturday nights.  This approach is effectively scheduling a date to have your cat put down.  Yeah, it’s still alive at this very moment but there is a very definite timer on that life… in this case, the remaining episodes of Smash‘s second and final season, beginning April 6th.

We (and when I say we, I mean every outlet that covers television) call it “Saturday burn-off.” The reason it’s called that is because networks don’t schedule standard first-run prime-time scripted shows on Saturday for the simple reason that no one watches television on Saturday night (well, at least no one in the coveted 18 – 49 demographic).  Despite what anyone will tell you or what the wishful-thinking types over at the Huffington Post would like to suggest, it’s not a matter of the show technically NOT being canceled because the word “canceled” isn’t used, it’s a matter of semantics.

As noted, networks don’t admit failure so it’s rare that a series is ever actually announced as canceled with a press release but announcing a Saturday burn-off is code for: “no one is watching this show so we are airing all the remaining episodes on Saturday nights until they are all gone because it can’t do much worse on Saturday night than re-runs of She’s The Sheriff and then you’ll never see another episode again” or, in layman’s terms “it’s canceled.”

So, sorry, folks but Smash has been canceled.  Oh, and by the way… if you want to know why Smash was really canceled as opposed to the nonsense showrunner Josh Safran suggested in the HuffPo piece about it being in a bad timeslot or not having The Voice to help it out, read our review from last year of Smash, here.  It’s a harbinger for exactly why this show has failed.

Via Press Release:

NBC Schedule Changes

NBC has announced the following schedule changes:

Ready For Love

Will now air Tuesdays, beginning April 9 (9-11 p.m. ET) following “The Voice.”

CELEBRITY Apprentice

Beginning April 14 (9-11 p.m ET) will be expanded to two hours through the end of May.

The Voice

Will air encore episodes on Sunday, March 31 and Sunday, April 7 (7-10 p.m. ET), leading into original episodes of “The Celebrity Apprentice” (10-11 p.m. ET)

Go On

Moves to Thursdays on April 4 and April 11, which will be the season’s final episode. Both episodes will air at 9:30-10 p.m. ET following “The Office.”

The New Normal

One-hour season finale on Tuesday, April 2 (9-10 p.m. ET) following “The Voice.”

SMASH

Moves to Saturdays at 9 p.m. beginning April 6 and will air its entire season of 17 episodes.

Whitney

Will have a one-hour season finale on Wednesday, March 27 (8-9 p.m. ET).

BBC: ‘Being Human’ (U.K. Version) Canceled

Via Press Release:

BBC Three’s supernatural trio will confront the ultimate evil in the final episodes of Being Human.

It was announced today that the current series of Being Human will be the last, as the supernatural drama on BBC Three reaches an apocalyptic end, with our heroes facing their toughest adversary yet… the Devil!

Being Human first aired as a stand-alone pilot in 2008 and soon became a popular addition to BBC Three’s schedule. It has gained a loyal Sunday night audience, with a ratings high of 1.6 million and a highest average audience of 1.2 million.

Being Human’s extraordinary mix of drama, comedy and horror has earned the programme awards: The Writer’s Guild Award for ‘Best TV Drama Series’ in 2009, 2010 and 2012, as well as ‘Best Drama Series’ at the 2011 TV Choice Awards.

The show’s success is a combination of innovative storytelling and dark humour which shines a light on the human condition through its supernatural characters.

At its heart was always the supernatural trinity of a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost: three beings attempting to live normal lives among humans, often with disastrous consequences as they fight against their unearthly powers.

Rob Pursey, the show’s executive producer, Touchpaper says: “Working on Being Human has been a truly great experience. From the first one-hour pilot, all the way through to this climactic series, we’ve been given real creative freedom and encouragement. It’s a credit to BBC Three that such an unusual idea has been allowed to flourish and evolve in its own unique way.

“I’d like to take the chance to thank Toby Whithouse (creator and writer) for his incredible writing and storytelling; the other screenwriters who’ve made the series their own; the three producers who’ve nurtured the show; and the many directors who’ve helped us establish the show’s unique tone. Being Human has also opened the door to new acting talent, including some incredibly exciting younger actors, which is a legacy we all feel proud of. We will miss Being Human, but feel inspired that there is a place for series like this on British television.”

Being Human started with Mitchell (Aiden Turner), a 117-year-old vampire with the gift of the gab who refused to prey on humans; George (Russell Tovey), a reluctant werewolf with an extraordinarily high IQ; and Annie (Lenora Crichlow), a murdered woman who returns as a ghost and eventually saves the world.

The show has also attracted a great number of all-star guests, including Mark Williams, Mark Gatiss, Steven Robertson, Donald Sumpter, Lacey Turner and Robson Green, to name a few.

Zai Bennett, Controller, BBC Three, says: “Being Human has been a fantastic and faithful friend to BBC Three. It’s featured some truly exceptional actors and storylines through the years and I’d like to thank Toby and the production team for their vision and passion. However, all good things come to an end and at BBC Three we’re committed to breaking new shows and new talent and who better to pass that baton on than Toby.”

Series five sees our supernatural trio facing their own personal demons, and matters become more complicated with the return of Mr Rook, the shady figure whose government department protects the human world from otherworldly beings.

But Vampire Hal (Damien Molony), Werewolf Tom (Michael Socha) and Ghost Alex (Kate Bracken) don’t realise they face a bigger threat than the Men in Grey, when they stumble across the decrepit and repulsive Captain Hatch (Phil Davis).

Unknown to our trio, Hatch’s feeble exterior hides an ancient evil… because Captain Hatch is the Devil himself and has been trapped in human form for centuries!

Now the father of all evil is just itching to inflict chaos on mankind, but can our heroes survive the oncoming Armageddon unscathed?

Toby Whithouse, the show’s writer and creator, has posted a statement on the Being Human Blog here.

Don’t miss the ultimate apocalyptic conclusion to BBC Three’s popular fantasy drama Being Human, Sundays at 10pm.

Lucasfilm Cancels ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars,’ Puts ‘Star Wars: Detours’ On Hold Indefinitely

Via Blog Post From The Official Star Wars Website:

A NEW DIRECTION FOR LUCASFILM ANIMATION

March 11, 2013

As we enter into an exciting new era focused on the next Star Wars trilogy, Lucasfilm has decided to pursue a new direction in animated programming. We are exploring a whole new Star Wars series set in a time period previously untouched in Star Wars films or television programming. You can expect more details in the months to come.

As part of this shift, we have also made some key decisions affecting Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Detours.

After five highly successful and critically acclaimed seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, we feel the time has come to wind down the series. While the studio is no longer producing new episodes for Cartoon Network, we’re continuing production on new Clone Wars story arcs that promise to be some of the most thrilling adventures ever seen. Stay tuned for more information on where fans can soon find this bonus content. In the video below, Supervising Director Dave Filoni offers a peek of what is to come in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

At Star Wars Celebration VI last year, George Lucas gave fans a glimpse at the animated comedy series Star Wars Detours from Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, and Todd Grimes. Detours was conceived and produced before we decided to move forward with the new Star Wars trilogy, and in the wake of that decision, Lucasfilm has reconsidered whether launching an animated comedy prior to the launch of Episode VII makes sense. As a result, we’ve decided to postpone the release of Detours until a later date.

We are incredibly proud of the teams at Lucasfilm Animation for creating some of the most amazing animation ever produced for TV. Keep checking StarWars.com for new developments on these and future projects.

The CW: ‘90210’ Canceled, Series Finale Date Announced

Direct from the files of, “I can’t believe this crapfest lasted this long… oh, wait… this is The CW, after all…” 

Via Press Release:

AFTER FIVE SEASONS,

“90210” BIDS FAREWELL

WITH A SERIES FINALE ON MAY 13

THE CW ANNOUNCES SEASON FINALE DATES

FOR ITS PRIMETIME SERIES

February 28, 2013 (Burbank, CA) – After five seasons of new loves, old flames and shocking betrayals, the stars of 90210 will bid farewell to the world-famous zip code, it was announced today by Mark Pedowitz, President of The CW.   With seven original episodes left to air, the show will sign off with a series finale on Monday, May 13 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET).

“The CW has had five great seasons with America’s favorite zip code, 90210,” said Pedowitz.  “I’d like to thank the talented cast, producers, and crew for all their hard work and dedication to the series. We are very proud of the West Beverly High alumni.”

During this final season, the characters put their relatively carefree days at West Beverly High behind them and launched into adulthood, with only their friendships to lean on.  The series stars Shenae Grimes as Annie Wilson, Tristan Wilds as Dixon Wilson, AnnaLynne McCord as Naomi Clark, Jessica Stroup as Silver, Michael Steger as Navid Shirazi, Jessica Lowndes as Adrianna Tate-Duncan and Matt Lanter as Liam Court.

90210 is produced by CBS Television Studios with executive producers Patti Carr (“Life Unexpected,” “Private Practice”) and Lara Olsen (“Life Unexpected,” “Private Practice”).

SyFy: ‘Alphas’ Canceled After Two Seasons

SyFy has reported via a statement to THR that their original series, Alphas, which focused on a team of individuals with super powers, will not be getting a third season.  As much as we love Alphas it’s really not much of a surprise considering that the network has 13 scripted shows currently in development. Unfortunately  they have to make room on the schedule somewhere and the lowest rated and most expensive (relative to the ratings, i.e., least profitable) scripted show is the one that has to go.  Ironically, this wouldn’t have been an issue two or three years ago when SyFy had nothing on the horizon.  That being said, though, the drop in viewership was dramatic with a season one premiere of 2.5 million to a season two finale of 1 million.

Via a Statement to THR:

“We’ve been proud to present this entertaining, high-quality series for two seasons and to work with an incredible ensemble of talented actors, producers and creatives as well as our partners at BermanBraun Television. We’d like to thank the show’s dedicated regular viewers for their tremendous support.”

Bryan Fuller Confirms ‘The Munsters’ Remake ‘Mockingbird Lane’ Not Going Forward As Series

We’re not really sure if this is news because NBC had already downgraded Mockingbird Lane from series to one-off holiday special so it really already was DOA (if not on serious life-support), however Bryan Fuller himself confirmed via Twitter on December 27th that NBC would not be going forward with his reboot of The Munsters.

So, there you have it.  A swing and a miss from one of the most prolific writers in television, but not to fear, Hannibal is coming soon.

Starz: ‘Boss’ Canceled, But May Not Be Completely Dead

Starz has decided not to renew its low-rated, albeit critically acclaimed political series, Boss, starring Kelsey Grammar as the terminally-ill, corrupt and ruthless mayor of modern-day Chicago, Tom Kane.  That being said, the word is that there are discussions currently taking place to wrap up the series with a two-hour (presumably television and NOT big-screen) movie.

From Starz:

“After much deliberation, we have made the difficult decision to not proceed with (a third season of) Boss. We remain proud of this award-winning show, its exceptional cast and writers, and are grateful to Kelsey Grammer, Farhad Safinia and our partners at Lionsgate TV.”

Mike Rowe: Discovery Channel Cancels ‘Dirty Jobs’

After eight seasons, Mike Rowe has confirmed that there will not be a ninth season of the fan-favorite, Dirty Jobs.

From his piece at The Huffington Post:

“It never fails. Whenever Dirty Jobs goes off the air for a few months, people start to wonder if the show has been canceled. Rumors begin to swirl, and questions about the show’s future fill my inbox. Over the years it’s been my pleasure to assure anxious fans that Dirty Jobs is coming back for another season. And indeed, we always have. Alas, this year, I’m afraid I cannot dispel the rumors. A few weeks ago, I was officially informed that Dirty Jobs had entered into a new phase. One I like to call, “permanent hiatus.” Or in the more popular industry vernacular, canceled.”

Merlin Canceled By BBC, Fifth And Final Season To Air On SyFy, Premiere Date Announced

Via Press Release:

December 14, 2012
MERLIN RETURNS FOR FIFTH AND FINAL SEASON ON SYFY WITH 13 ALL-NEW EPISODES BEGINNING FRIDAY, JANUARY 4 AT 10PM

SYFY VENTURES LAUNCHES MERLIN: THE GAME

NEW YORK – December 14, 2012 – Syfy will say good-bye to Camelot when the fifth and final season of Merlin returns Friday, January 4 at 10PM (ET/PT) with 13 all-new episodes.

As season five opens, Camelot is at the height of its golden age. With Queen Guinevere and the Knights of the Round Table at his side, Arthur has never felt stronger. But even as Camelot flowers, the seeds of its destruction are being sown. As the forces of darkness gather, only Merlin stands between Arthur and a fate that has been written since the dawn of time.

Merlin returns with its core cast of Colin Morgan (Merlin), Bradley James (Arthur), Katie McGrath (Morgana), Angel Coulby (Gwen), Richard Wilson (Gaius) and John Hurt (Voice of the Dragon), along with newest cast member Alexander Vlahos as Mordred.

Special guest stars in season five include Lindsay Duncan (Alice in Wonderland), Janet Montgomery (Entourage), Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones), Josette Simon (Cry Freedom), Sophie Rundle (Episodes) and the return of Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as Uther Pendragon.

Merlin is produced by Shine TV Ltd and BBC Wales, and distributed by FremantleMedia Enterprises. Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy are co-creators and executive producers.

Syfy Ventures, in partnership with Bossa Studios, also announced the U.S. launch of the official Merlin game under the Syfy Games label. Merlin: The Game — syfy.merlingame.com — is an exciting role-playing game that enables viewers to aid Merlin and Arthur in completing quests, defending the realm and exploring the exciting world of Albion. Gamers can become engrossed in the Arthurian legend as Merlin commands them and six of their best friends to embark on a magical adventure to become the Heroes of Camelot.

Merlin: The Game is the latest addition to the Syfy Games portfolio of games targeting genre fans and core gamers.

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 98 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)