How bad was the pilot of "Manchester Prep"? So bad that Fox has canceled the show before it even gets on the air.
Just take a quick glance around Fox's prime-time schedule and it will boggle your mind that there was actually a show that was so awful even that network wouldn't put it on the air.Originally scheduled to air on Thursday nights beginning in November, the show -- based on the movie "Cruel Intentions" -- the show will never air at all. And, take my word for it, it's no loss. What with its sexually irresponsible, obnoxious and downright nasty teenaged characters, the best word to describe "Manchester Prep" would have to be . . . odious.
Oddly enough, this is the third year in a row that this has happened to a Fox show scheduled to air on Thursdays. Two years ago, it was the sitcom "Rewind," which starred Scott Baio ("Happy Days"). Scheduled on the basis of a presentation -- a short, incomplete pilot -- in May 1997, it was dropped in August without ever producing a full episode.
And a year ago, the Shaun Cassidy-created-and-produced hour "Hollyweird" was scheduled in May, but then Fox wanted to change the entire cast and the premise of the show by midsummer. It, too, never aired.
This seems to be standard procedure at Fox, but it's still a weird way to do business.
HANGING ON FOR DEAR LIFE: "Stark Raving Mad" and "Jesse" aren't the only shows in some serious ratings trouble these days. There's a long list of shows that don't stand much of a chance.
ABC's shows in trouble include "Oh Grow Up,"
Last year's midseason entry "It's like, you know . . . " is failing badly, and the acclaimed "Sports Night" continues to lag in the ratings. And the network's T.G.I.F. lineup is also in steep decline, led by the disastrous start of "The Hughleys," which has already been switched from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Fridays.
NBC's troubled troupe includes "Cold Feet," "Freaks & Geeks,"
(And, on the returning-series side, the Monday-night sitcoms "Suddenly Susan" and "Veronica's Closet" have all but collapsed. NBC is attracting UPN-size ratings with the two shows.)
CBS is struggling with "Work With Me,"
Over at Fox, nothing is working. "Ally" (the half-hour reruns) hasn't gained many viewers; "Get Real" looks like a bomb; "Action" has been ignored by viewers (despite controversy over its content); and "Harsh Realm" debuted to hugely disappointing ratings.
The WB's "Safe Harbor" hasn't done much, nor has "Popular" or "Jack & Jill."
UPN . . . well, does anyone really care? And the line between the low ratings on a UPN "hit" and a UPN miss is so fine it's almost indistinguishable.
The only formal cancellation to this point, other than "Manchester Prep," is NBC's "The Mike O'Malley Show" (which was yanked after two episodes), although the WB has sent the awful animated show "Mission Hill" on hiatus (also after two episodes). And Fox's "The Family Guy" is also headed for hiatus-ville.
WORKING OUT NICELY: On the other hand, there are a number of shows that are shaping up as hits (to varying degrees). These include:
-- "Once and Again" on ABC.
-- "Ladies Man," "Family Law," "Judging Amy" and "Now and Again" on CBS.
-- "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "The West Wing" on NBC.
-- "Angel" on the WB.
-- And, on UPN, they're doing relatively well with "WWF Smackdown." How proud they must be.