PLAYBOY CLUB, PRIME SUSPECT and CHARLIE'S ANGELS nearing cancellation - Here's Why!

This has been one of the most dissapointing TV season launches, at least in my opinion. There have been too many new shows that lacked a spark to interest me. It is even worse when shows that have relatively well known brands have gotten disappointingly low ratings. The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect and Charlie’s Angels have drastically underperformed even after 2 consecutive rounds of development. What makes the low numbers even harder to understand is the extensive promotional campaigns. Playboy Club had the full backing of the Playboy empire and Charlie’s Angels has Drew Barrymore as an executive producer. Maria Bello is a great actress and she is the lead in Prime Suspect, which is also a remake of a British show. This makes me wonder what did NBC and ABC do wrong?

All of these shows seemed to be on track for success, much like Hawaii Five-O. Deadline repots that Playboy Club, Charlie’s Angeles and Prime Suspect only brought in 1.3, 1.5 and 1.5 ratings in the 18-49 demographic, respectively, during their second week and are nearing cancellation. NBC has been having the worst ratings with two shows doing worse Monday-Thursday: Free Agents (1.0) and sophomore drama Harry’s Law (1.2).

Deadline states that a "lack of clarity" was one of the main issues with Playboy Club, and I could not agree more. I felt that the pilot episode lacked direction and felt as if I was coming into a show that was midway through it's first season. I am not asking for everything to be explained, but at least have some decent character development that makes me care about the characters. The site goes on to say:"With a popular men’s magazine in the title and the promise of scantly-clad bunnies, the series seemed to be targeting men. But it was at its core a female soap. The confusion with its mixed identity was clearly visible in the pilot, which looked like a soap, felt like a soap and behaved like one until it suddenly veered into dark territory with a murdered mafia boss’ body being dumped in the river."

Pan Am is another period show based on a brand that is doing a lot better. That show is really enjoyable because of it's solid cast, great costumes and engaging story. Pan Am went to Comic-Con, so that seemed to pay off. 

Charlie’s Angels was possibly even hurt by their screening at Comic-Con, which caused "bad word of mouth and pretty abysmal reviews that trashed the show’s writing, directing and acting." Reportedly a lot of people did not like how the show took itself too seriously which felt stiff and comical for the wrong reasons. 

I think the main issue with Prime Suspect is that people are tired of another procedural drama like Law & Order and The Closer. Some say the show would have been better on a network like Showtime, because of the main characters addictions and demons. 

I recommend you watch new shows like Person of Interest, Terra Nova and Pan Am. Hopefully the networks will focus on creating new and unique series instead of high-profile series remakes or brand exploitations. I wonder what these possible cancellastions will mean for CBS’ Bewitched reboot and the 2 Beauty and the Beast projects.