Stick a fork in "Arrested Development."

...and yet Malcolm In The Middle is allowed to trudge on.

Fox pulls 'Arrested Development' for November sweeps

By Steve Gorman
Reuters

LOS ANGELES - In a move that will likely spell the end of a TV show that critics love but never drew big audiences, the Fox network said on Friday it pulled offbeat comedy Arrested Development from its schedule for the rest of the month.

Fox plans to air reruns of its popular new jailhouse drama Prison Break in place of Arrested Development through the end of November "sweeps," when networks go all-out to boost their ratings for the sake of local TV stations' ad sales.

Removing a struggling show during sweeps, while falling short of outright cancellation, is usually a sure sign a network has given up hope on a series.

In addition, Fox, a unit of News Corp. Ltd., said it had cut back its production order for Arrested Development to 13 episodes from 22 episodes for the season.

A network spokesman said the show would return to prime time in December but the show's future beyond that had not been decided.

Insiders at the network and its sister production studio, 20th Century Fox Television, said it was doubtful the series would be renewed for a fourth season next year.

"It probably does spell the end of the show," one source told Reuters.

The comedy, starring Jason Bateman as a widower struggling to manage the affairs of his dysfunctional family after his father, played by Jeffrey Tambor, lands in prison, has been a darling of TV critics since its launch in 2003.

Despite winning an Emmy Award as best comedy last fall, the show has continued to flounder in the ratings, averaging a meager 4.2 million viewers through the five original episodes that have aired this season.

"There was a very loyal and passionate audience that unfortunately never did grow," studio spokesman Chris Alexander said.

Along with Arrested Development, Fox also is taking freshman comedy Kitchen Confidential off the air for the remaining three Mondays of the November sweep.

Elsewhere in prime time, the WB network said on Friday that one of its top shows, family drama 7th Heaven, will end its 10-year run in May in what one source said was a decision determined in large part by economics.

The show, which averages 5.1 million viewers, will leave the airwaves as the longest-running family drama in U.S. TV history, outpacing two hit series from the 1970s and '80s, The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie, the Time Warner Inc.-controlled network said.

Rising production costs for the ensemble drama and the fact that 7th Heaven was up for renegotiation with producers and cast members contributed to the WB's decision not to renew the series for an 11th season, a person close to the program said.

 

I think if Fox (who also produces the show) was smart, they'd move the show over to FX. It would be perfect there.

 

I think I read on DBSForums that Arrested Development cost too much to produce for FX.

 

I can also see it over at HBO. It could make for a nice little comedy block with Curb Your Enthusiasm.

 

Good point Gary. It sorts of fits the quirky Curb vibe....

 

Unfortunately, HBO no longer picks up outside-produced TV shows.

 

Another take on the subject...
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/14/DDG4NFMUAI1.DTL

 

FOX is a victim of its own success. With American Idol and 24 about to start up again....even Prison Break with its good ratings is having trouble finding room on the schedule.

 

I could not more ardently disagree.

 

I never "got" the show - and I like a lot of odd-ball, unpopular shows (that usually failed at some point due to low ratings). Nevertheless, it's short-sighted of Fox to cancel this show, I believe its public would have continued to grow.

Also, it would be a shame if broadcast TV programming were to become even more homogenous, IMO.

 

Ditto.

With the lack of any kind of quality sitcoms, "Arrested Development" is like an oasis in the desert.

 

I think it to be a good idea for Showtime to pick up AD, and it would pair well with Weeds. I'm still angered that Showtime sacked Dead Like Me, which I thought to be the best original series they ever did.

 

Very true. I think the closest competition, as far as quality, is Scrubs, which I'm sort of hot and cold on.

 

I've only watched "Scrubs" twice and, while I think it's quite good in comparison to other "cookie cutter" sitcoms, it lacked the depth of AD, IMO.

 

Agreed. Major problem #1: not a single one of the characters is likable in any way.

 

Really? There's not a single I don't like in some regard. They strike me as very human.

 

One good thing is that at least it is on DVD. So even if it gets cancelled, it can be enjoyed over and over again.

 

Exactly, which is why I said I was hot and cold on it. It can be pleasant to watch, but it is not as creative and risky as AD.

 

Really. They strike me as crudely drawn caricatures.

If they're not abrasive, haughty, and self-absorbed, they're dull and spineless and whiny.

I'm not denying that the show can be funny at times. But the occasional laugh-out-loud funny moment isn't enough to rescue the show, for me anyway. (My wife loves it, and even bought the season-one DVD set, which is why I've seen it a lot and can base my remarks on something.)

 

For anyone who happens to be "buy-curious", you can pick up both Seasons 1 & 2 boxes for ~$32 shipped at the moment:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002PYS7Y/102-8791906-6519313?v=glance&n=130&s=dvd&v=glance

 

Thanks for the heads up. I just put my order in.

 

Me too. I made DVD-Rs of the eps from S1 and 2 from my D-TiVo, but now that I have a 16X9 TV, the box sets are a logical choice.