FOX cancels 'Terra Nova,' but the studio will shop the dino-drama
Stephen Lang and Jason O'Mara starred in the pre-historical series
"Terra Nova"
Credit: FOX
FOX has opted not to renew the heavily promoted, mediocrely rated time-travel drama "Terra Nova."
While "Terra Nova" has been cancelled by its original network home, this isn't necessarily the end of the road for the Steven Spielberg-produced series.
Sure, it's probably the end of the road, but 20th Century Fox TV is still hoping to parlay strong international sales and so-so numbers into a new home, presumably on cable.
A final decision on "Terra Nova" had initially been expected by the end of 2011 and the decision kept getting dragged out and dragged out, a strangely strangely fitting fate for a series that was initially supposed to have a special sneak premiere in May of last season, but saw its normal premiere moved to fall when it became clear to the producers and the network that the effects work (and other footage) wouldn't be ready in time.
The two-hour "Terra Nova" premiere in September drew just under 9 million viewers and a 3.0 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. That was down to just over 7 million viewers and a 2.2 key demo rating by the two-hour finale in December. For the season, "Terra Nova" averaged a fairly respectable 2.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic and took a 44% bump in Live+7 Nielsen figures.
Speaking to reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour in January, FOX Entertainment President Kevin Reilly took a positive approach to the "Terra Nova" experiment.
"It was an exciting bet to take, and I think it’s proven that it was worthwhile," Reilly insisted. "There were 14 new dramas on the network schedules this year. Most of them have come and gone. It’s the second-highest-rated drama. It is one of the highest-rated new shows of the season. There is a distinct audience that has stuck with that that enjoys it. You know, the perception of it kind of got away from us at a certain point. It was pretty obvious the bar was set enormously high. Everyone kept saying, 'Doesn’t it have to do huge ratings?' The fact is if we if this is all we produce, we made money on it, the studio made money on it, the audience enjoyed it, the show looked fantastic. It is clearly a conceit people wanted to watch. They’ve had ample opportunity to reject it. They didn’t."
Reilly suggested at the time that the decision on the show's future would be based on some creative considerations.
"The show was hunting for itself creatively through the season," Reilly admitted, acknowledging an early revolving door of creators, showrunners and executive producers. "I love the cast. I love some of the episodes. I love some of the ideas that were there, and, again, I thought it looked fantastic. Creatively, it was hunting. So we are trying to figure out, in a network that is pretty strong across the week right now, is that the best show? I mean, if we had more holes on our network, we’d be thrilled to just lock that right in. Right now, we are looking at everything, some of the shows that are premiering, some of the new shows that we are doing, and having creative conversations about, and then we are going to decide very soon because it does need to get back into production over the next month. So that decision, we won’t be able to drag our feet on it for too much longer."
While that foot-dragging did, indeed, continue on for a long time, FOX still has several similar bubble decisions to make by the end of the season, despite a schedule that will also be vacated by "House" in May.
"Bones" semi-spinoff "The Finder" has struggled to find an audience all spring and will be shifted to Fridays starting in April. Friday is already home to perennial bubble show "Fringe." Meanwhile, after getting off to a strong start in January, "Alcatraz" has cooled off in recent airings and will probably have to find a second wind to avoid a tense couple months before upfronts in May.
A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupRolf
March 6, 2012 at 1:09AM EST Reply to CommentGave up on this show after the laughable second episode. Apparently the finale was pretty good, so I guess I feel bad for the people that got invested.
Do you think this helps Fringe at all, or are the other bubble shows more likely to reap the benefits (if there even are any)?
I understand that Fringe fans asking for more is kind of ridiculous at this point. I will hold no ill will towards FOX, whatsoever, if they decide to cancel it. Four seasons, at the numbers it puts up, has been a borderline miracle.
March 6, 2012 at 1:18AM EST-Daniel
Fringe I think that it is either Alcatraz and Fringe or just Alcatraz, both Abrams and WB.
March 6, 2012 at 8:00AM ESTAbrams loses face if a show is cancelled after 1 season.
Jackson is not going to do a season 5.
Fox and WB and Pinkner see Jackson as the superstar of Fringe, he was already being difficult for season 4, and has been given privileges like shooting a film while the brilliant Anna Torv and John Noble are doing all the hard work.
Jackson signed the filmdeal last year shortly after he started on Fringe, when they were writing 4.10 so forcing the writers to change the story for after 4.16 and reschedule, and with that Jackson showed his disdain for his co-stars.
I do not think the cast are willing to go another round like last summer and the beginning of season 4 of having to talk about Jackson constantly.
Nor do I think that Torv and Noble are happy with their roles, especially Torv.
The showrunners forgot the few facts we know about Olivia: abused by stepfather, Bell,Walter, shooting.killing that stepfather at the age of 8 and losing her mother at the age of 14.
That is a woman who is a fighter, independent, strong , following her own line.
For Peter centris:
Olivia has been made in a needy, dependent on Peter girl. It started in after 3.11 last year and has been going on again since 4.8, especially the last episodes with tho Olivia's in one.
And the promo for 4.15 shows another line straight from fanfiction soap.
Bunk @Fringe
March 6, 2012 at 3:41PM ESTLast I heard, Josh Jackson was open to doing a shortened 5th season of Fringe. Why are you so sure that he won't be around for that if it happens?
Observing Idiots @FRINGE I am so totally confused with your audacity to actually post such a comment, especially this part:
March 9, 2012 at 5:38AM EST"Jackson is not going to do a season 5.
Fox and WB and Pinkner see Jackson as the superstar of Fringe, he was already being difficult for season 4, and has been given privileges like shooting a film while the brilliant Anna Torv and John Noble are doing all the hard work.
Jackson signed the filmdeal last year shortly after he started on Fringe, when they were writing 4.10 so forcing the writers to change the story for after 4.16 and reschedule, and with that Jackson showed his disdain for his co-stars."
Question:
Where on earth are you getting this COMPLETELY WRONG information from???
Obviously the whole comment is just something deduced from your own highly strung minds eye with very little attention and regard for what is actually going on with Fringe.
In other words: You have absolutely no idea on what the fuck you're talking about!
People like you should really refrain from commenting on these type of issues. Firstly, because you're going on pure guess work that you pulled out of your own ass and secondly, your english is not fluent enough so your comment comes across as really stupid.
Oh and as for the third and last piece of advice I'd like to give you: "DO NOT TURN YOUR OWN NON-INFORMED GUESSES INTO STATEMENTS!"
eg. include the following sentence before your comments: "THIS IS PURELY MY OPINION AND NOT BASED ON ACTUAL FACTS"
That way you won't have to deal with people like me offending you and people like me won't have to deal with your uneducated non-factual delusions and just having the general opinion of you being a complete MORON.
Thank You
rageon
March 6, 2012 at 1:34AM EST Reply to CommentWith every Fox show that gets cancelled I say to myself, "so they really thought that would be better than Chicago Code?"
March 6, 2012 at 1:36AM EST-Daniel
BigAl6ft6
March 6, 2012 at 1:49AM EST Reply to CommentWhile it sounds impossible for the show to come back, there's always the immortal words of Peter Griffin:
"There's just no more room on the schedule. We've just got to accept the fact that Fox has to make room for terrific shows like Dark Angel; Titus; Undeclared; Action; That 80's Show; Wonderfalls; Fastlane; Andy Richter Controls the Universe; Skin; Girls Club; Cracking Up; The Pitts; Firefly; Get Real; FreakyLinks; Wanda At Large; Costello; The Lone Gunmen; A Minute With Stan Hooper; Normal, Ohio; Pasadena; Harsh Realm; Keen Eddie; The Street; American Embassy; Cedric the Entertainer; The Tick; Louie; and Greg the Bunny."
"Is there no hope?"
"Well, I suppose if all those shows go down the tubes, we might have a shot!"
Liz I know this isn't your point, but...
March 6, 2012 at 9:44AM ESTKeen Eddie! Man, I loved that show. Mark Valley has never found a role even half as suitable for him as that one.
Captain Hammer
March 6, 2012 at 1:50AM EST Reply to CommentFox is probably praying real hard that Touch is successful. After a pretty miserable development season outside of New Girl and with them ending their biggest drama, they desperately need something other than an increasingly aging Bones going into next season.
March 6, 2012 at 1:56AM EST-Daniel
LizT
March 6, 2012 at 1:56AM EST Reply to CommentI was going to say no other network would want it with those numbers, but I don't know, maybe NBC or ABC would, especially if they got some sort of financial deal. Or maybe FX would take it to compete more directly with Falling Skies. But those sort of shifts are very rare, aren't they?
It seems like one of those projects where they were so busy with the concept they forgot about the actual show. I was all excited for the dinosaurs when I heard about it, but by the time the show aired I was so disillusioned I barely made it through the pilot. Too bad because dinosaurs deserve a lot better.
March 6, 2012 at 2:02AM ESTI don't have a clear sense of what would be a good alternative home for "Terra Nova," but fortunately, I'm not the one who needs to be looking...
-Daniel
Hatfield
March 6, 2012 at 2:26AM EST Reply to CommentThis really wasn't a very good show, but I ended up enjoying it and O'Mara despite myself. Obviously, I enjoyed Stephen Lang unreservedly, because he kicks major ass. The Australian asshole bartender was kinda fun too, actually...
Ok, so here's the idea: the show gets picked up by TNT or whoever, but they gave to make cuts. I propose that the next season premiere opens with a dinosaur massacre of Jim's family, that lame soldier who liked his daughter, and Malcolm, the sniveling British scientist. That leaves the people I mentioned above, plus Alison Miller (because she's cute), to venture into the wilderness and conduct a hostile takeover of the Sixers' camp, culminating in their obnoxious leader, whatsherface, getting fed to some more Dinos. Adventures and hijinks ensue on a weekly basis.
C'mon, you'd watch at least that premiere.
todd
March 6, 2012 at 10:50AM EST Reply to CommentDaniel, it's almost laughable that you have the Fox president saying they would've renewed TN if there were more holes on their schedule, yet you say there are plenty of holes on the Fox schedule. I'm assuming only one of you can be right. lol
March 6, 2012 at 1:12PM ESTBut yes. There's some double-talk... No question...
-Daniel
M
March 6, 2012 at 11:49AM EST Reply to CommentSo was Reilly full of it when he said they still made a profit on it? Strong international sales or not, isn't the reason everyone always says US TV shows don't follow the British model because they need to produce so many episodes to be profitable? Is it really possible for something with only 13 eps. to make money?
John W
March 6, 2012 at 4:03PM EST Reply to CommentI stopped watching after 4-5 eps. I kept asking why is there enough technology to go back in time and create all the cool gadgets they had at their disposal but not enough to fix what ever was ailing the planet in present time or enough technology to find another habitable planet?
Why do the protagonists have to live in a fortified compound to protect themselves against the dinos and the "others" don't have to worry about them at all?
If Commander Taylor's word is law as it apparently seemed to be, then why let an obviously shady character like Tom Boylan run loose in the first place?
And why is he the first person that Josh latches on to?
robert
March 6, 2012 at 7:50PM EST Reply to CommentThis is a response to Fringe's comment:
What the hell are you talking about? Of course Jackson would be back. He said so himself: http://seriable.com/fringe-joshua-jackson-up-for-shortened-season-5-tv-movie-talks-olivias-discovery/
Do your research next time, moron.
Guest Thank you for saying something. First off @Fringe, the cast all signed on at the beginning of the series for 6 seasons. And in numerous interviews Jackson himself was saying that he doesn't want to be out of a job, etc. AND all actors have in their contracts stipulations and etc for doing other things while a project they are currently involved with is shooting. So he was able to shoot a small role in an indie film while Fringe is still shooting. So what? He has good management that figured out a way for him to do two things at once. As for your other comments about Noble and Torv, clearly you don't watch the show or read their interviews. I've never seen two people who love their job as much as they do and fully understand and appreciate their characters.
March 7, 2012 at 3:23PM ESTnonaya
March 19, 2012 at 5:36PM EST Reply to Commentgoodbye tera nova. Hope it gets picked up. Goodbye fox as well. never watching another tv series from them again.
tommyboy
September 12, 2012 at 5:52PM EST Reply to CommentI loved terra nova, fringe and Alcatraz, but if I had to pick one to boot, it would be alcatraz. It's basically a cops and robbers show with a twist of time travel. Terra nova and fringe must stay! I'm addicted.