Well, there's no real surprise here -- but there is a sense of satisfaction.
Fox has canceled the low-rated, alleged comedy "Action" after yet another disastrous outing this past Thursday. And it's no more than the show deserves -- it was the ultimate example of Hollywood insiders misjudging the American viewing public.There were so many reasons to hate "Action" it was hard to pick which would be the biggest. Generally, they fell into three categories.
First, the show was tasteless and vulgar. And not just for the barely bleeped language that left nothing to the imagination of viewers -- even when the bleeped words started with an "f" and included three more letters. But the plotlines were so over-the-top in kinky sexuality they were offputting, to say the least.
Second, the show was obsessed with Hollywood. It was about a big-time movie producer, his bad behavior and all the idiots who surrounded him. Show biz types are obsessed with themselves, and they are under the impression that the rest of us are just fascinated with them, too. We aren't.
It isn't even that a lot of viewers watched "Action" and rejected it. Fox could never even get much of anybody to sample the show. The network was actually hoping that "Action" would spark some sort of big protest and draw attention to itself -- which never happened.
(There may be a lesson there for groups who turn awful, vulgar shows into hits by shining a spotlight on them.)
Third -- and most importantly -- "Action" just wasn't funny. If a comedy can make you laugh, that makes up for a lot of failings. There weren't enough laughs in a half-hour of this show to make up for the failings in 30 seconds.
If I sound like I can barely conceal my glee over the failure of "Action," well, that's an accurate read on the situation. Fox and its top executives -- beginning with entertainment division president Doug Herzog -- went into this season determined to prove that they could not just "stretch the envelope" of what's appropriate for network television but burst right through some of the few barriers that remain. They seem to genuinely have no conception at all that as broadcasters employing the public airwaves they have certain responsibilities.
At some point, the argument that viewers can just turn the TV off or change channels doesn't work. Networks shouldn't be responsible for parenting the nation's children, but they also shouldn't make parents' jobs any more difficult than they already are.
And let's not forget that, when the season began, Fox scheduled "Action" in the too-accessible 8:30 p.m. time slot (in the Mountain and Central time zones) right after the animated series "Family Guy" -- a vulgar, irresponsible cartoon that was marketed directly at children.
(Yes, I'm also feeling pretty happy that "Family Guy" is also off the air -- although Fox promises it will return at some point.)
No, Fox isn't the only network that ignores its responsibilities as a broadcaster. But it is arguably the greatest offender when it comes to programming inappropriate shows.
Anyone who pays any attention to network programming knows that the standards of what's permissible have been in steady decline for years. The failure of "Action" is a small victory, but we ought to be happy for any win we can get in this losing battle.
MAKING CHANGES: Fox is sort of in quick-fix mode with its schedule these days.
Beginning this week, "Guinness World Records" -- a show that's relatively cheap to produce -- returns on Thursdays at 7 p.m. And it will be followed by the game show "Greed: The Multi-Million Dollar Challenge" at 8 p.m.
(How long it will last there is problematic. The show that it ripped off, ABC's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" -- begins airing on Thursdays at 8 p.m. in January.)
On Friday, Fox has yanked a repeat airing of the 1993 movie "Cool Runnings" for its (rather embarrassing) bread-and-butter of schlocky reality programming -- a "special edition" of "The World's Wildest Police Videos."
(Oooh, how special can TV be?)
And that will be followed at 8 p.m. by yet another edition of "Greed." And, come to think of it, that may be TV's most appropriately named show.
FOX IN THE "MIDDLE": Fox has finally given perhaps its most promising new show, "Malcolm in the Middle," a firm start date -- the half-hour comedy will debut Sunday, Jan. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
It's promising but not perfect. The show, about a pre-teen genius and his dysfunctional family, is both charming and funny at times and rather over-the-top tasteless at other times.
The addition of "Malcolm" will shuffle Fox's Sunday schedule a bit. "Futurama" will be off the air for four weeks beginning Jan. 9, then will move into the 6 p.m. time slot on Feb. 6. The final airing of "The World's Funniest!" is scheduled for Jan. 30.
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: Fox isn't the only network canceling shows. UPN has axed "The Strip," the violent, nonsensical action hour that has been airing on Tuesdays at 8 p.m.
Which makes this a very bad season for movie producer Joel Silver, whose credits include "Predator," "Die Hard," "Lethal Weapon" and "The Matrix." Silver not only was one of the executive producers of "The Strip," he was also one of the executive producers of -- you guess it! -- "Action."
Production on "The Strip" has been shut down, but episodes will continue to air through Tuesday, Jan. 11. It will be replaced by "I Dare You," an hourlong "super stunt series that platforms the most spectacular, highly crafted stunts by professional daredevils."
The show isn't available for preview yet, but it comes to us from the producer of such low-budget exploitation as "When Good Pets Go Bad" and "World's Worst Drivers Caught on Tape."
Oh, joy.
Also on Tuesday, Jan. 11, the newly renamed "Shasta" (formerly "Shasta McNasty") moves to 8 p.m. (Like the new title will make it any less dreadful.) And "Dilbert" moves to 8:30 p.m.
UPN also has a couple of other shows waiting in the wings -- and at least one of them looks like a quality product. (Which will be sort of a departure for the network wannabe.) The producers of "Homicide: Life on the Street" are working on "The Beat," a new police drama that has yet to be scheduled.
And UPN also has "Secret Agent Man," a lighthearted action show that was actually supposed to debut this past fall. That is until production problems kept "Secret Agent Man" off the air and rushed "The Strip" on the air in its place.