Last week's big TV news was the axing of the critically acclaimed but ratings-challenged Fox drama, "Lone Star" (2010). The effects of that cancellation were felt this week as two other shows followed suit and another came back on the air early to fill the vacancy.
On Friday, ABC canceled "My Generation," its documentary-style dramedy following a group of high school classmates 10 years after graduation, after less than 4 million viewers tuned in for the second episode. Unlike "Lone Star," the show was nearly universally panned by critics, but the two series still tied in total number of episodes aired.
Sister cable network ABC Family also announced a casualty: "Huge" (2010) will not be returning for a second season. The summer series, focusing on a group of teens at a weight-loss camp, was highly praised but could not find a comparable audience to those of network hits "Pretty Little Liars" and "The Secret Life of the American Teenager."
To fill its empty scheduling hole, Fox premiered the third season of "Lie to Me" earlier than planned. While its Monday night ratings did not break any records, they were certainly a great improvement over the black hole that was "Lone Star" and should guarantee that the series will at least get to air all 13 season three episodes.
Overall, the start to the new television season has been fairly standard. Shows are inevitably canceled every year, so this season's crop of early failures is no real surprise. The unfortunate news is that there are no breakout hits on the major networks this year, meaning the top ratings draws for each network are its returning shows, few of which are seeing audience growth from last year. This year, there is no innovative "Glee" or instant classic "Modern Family" — just a new iteration of "Law & Order" (in Los Angeles) and other generic procedurals. Here's hoping midseason brings some exciting new blood.
--
by Ben Phelps
