TV Shows on the Bubble 2011
From 'Chuck' to 'V,' what shows are sweating out the pre-upfronts week
BubbleWatch: ABC's 'Better With You'
SHOW: "Better With You" (ABC)
IN ITS FAVOR: Very quietly, "Better With You" has delivered OK ratings as the filling in the "Middle"/"Modern Family" sandwich on Wednesday nights, holding just enough of its lead-in to get a back-nine order and to never suffer the ignominy of a random Sweeps preemption. Also, when given a special 9:30 p.m. post-"Dancing with the Stars" airing, "Better with You" got a huge sampling, showing that viewers are at least willing to give the comedy a shot.
AGAINST IT: Despite that post-"Dancing" sampling, the next new episode got absolutely no up-tick. Also, by "quietly," we mean "no buzz at all." ABC has already renewed tepid performers "The Middle" and "Cougar Town," because they at least generate conversation, while "Better with You" offers neither critical buzz nor audience buzz. It should be added that Josh Cooke comedies don't get renewed. Sorry, Josh.
OUR TOTALLY UNINFORMED GUESS: "Better with You" is on the bubble with "Happy Endings" and "Mr. Sunshine," both of which probably have better cases to return. Expect "Better with You" to be canceled and for most TV reporters to forget to even mention its cancellation.
Final Verdict: ABC canceled "Better with You."
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May 10, 2011 at 4:15AM EST Reply to CommentI'd never seen that LUX promo image before. It's kind of creepy.
dan Paul - I'd never noticed it before either, which was why I used it. It's definitely not an image that reflects much about the tone of the show, is it?
May 10, 2011 at 11:46AM EST-Daniel
bh
May 10, 2011 at 5:30AM EST Reply to CommentHow can it be "expected" that a film will be a "sleeper hit"?
May 10, 2011 at 8:03AM EST Reply to CommentAnd Fringe is NOT on this list! But of course everyone knows that by now.
dan Kelvin - Nor is "Community"! So sometimes things end up happily for even the saddest of bubble shows...
May 10, 2011 at 11:45AM EST-Daniel
Ricardo
May 10, 2011 at 8:30AM EST Reply to CommentSo the only CBS bubble drama who *might* not come back is Criminal Minds Suspect Behavior?
bforte
May 10, 2011 at 9:23AM EST Reply to CommentThe two shows I'm really pulling for to make it beyond the bubble are Perfect Couples and Happy Endings... both have great, funny ensembles and should be given second seasons!
ugh
May 10, 2011 at 10:09AM EST Reply to CommentHappy Endings really has the most attractive cast of all the Modern Family meets Friends. I mean, Casey Wilson plays the "desperate unattractive" girl and she's adorable. Similarly, Adam Pally.
thenightstalker
May 10, 2011 at 11:49AM EST Reply to CommentThere's no way Shedding for the Wedding is coming back. It was below the Melroza Line (one million viewers) almost its entire run.
dan TheNightStalker - I 99% agree with you. But the finale bumped up to 1.4 million viewers and a 0.6 demo rating. Since it probably costs literally nothing to make, The CW might be tempted to contemplate doing it again as filler. But mostly, I suspect you're right.
May 10, 2011 at 12:23PM EST-Daniel
The Lost Apostle
May 10, 2011 at 1:01PM EST Reply to CommentDoes DVR have any impact on the bubble status of a show. Outsourced (which I am not really a fan of) has done huge DVR gains consistently. Is the show dead basically because it is not good. That would seem like a terrible decision for NBC - they aren't really in a position to toss a show that does decent to good numbers out because its not "good"
dan The Lost Apostle - DVR numbers probably play *some* role in *some* decisions. But actually, the DVR numbers for "Outsourced" aren't that impressive. It gets a bigger bump than "Community" or "Parks and Rec," but a small bump than "The Office" or "30 Rock." Definitely won't be enough to save the show single-handedly...
May 10, 2011 at 1:25PM EST-Daniel
LJA
May 10, 2011 at 1:08PM EST Reply to CommentI love the idea that Feces will fill the void left by Charlie Sheen. That's poetry.
ChampSkins
May 10, 2011 at 1:14PM EST Reply to CommentWish more people would have given Happy Endings a chance... It is so much better than Mr. Sunshine and has really gotten better with every episode.
Mulderism
May 10, 2011 at 2:07PM EST Reply to CommentYou know, I stuck with "No Ordinary Family" and I actually kind of like it. It has gotten better over the course of the season. It's too bad it took too long to find it's groove because the show had a lot of problems in the beginning.
I'm hoping it may continue somehow.
Karyn
May 10, 2011 at 2:35PM EST Reply to CommentI'm definitely hoping that the CW will move Nikita to Friday to try it out next season. Despite Vampire Diaries' high demo, I've never really been convinced that Nikita's current audience actually overlaps much with it. I think it's a better pairing with Supernatural in tone and content.
Nikita has also tended to repeat pretty highly - I'm not sure if that's ever taken into account in renewals (probably not), but I'm searching for whatever hope I can find at the moment!
dan Karyn - I could be totally wrong, but I don't think you need to worry about "Nikita." I just can't see the logic in them jettisoning a Warner Bros TV production that does better ratings (aided by a time slot, of course) than several shows they've already renewed.
May 10, 2011 at 2:47PM ESTAnd I agree that a "Nikita"/"Supernatural" Friday night of darker-skewing action is probably a good match. It may, in fact, be the only possible match if you look at the rest of The CW's schedule...
-Daniel
Karyn Well, I'm glad to hear you say it even if you're totally wrong! I was feeling pretty good about its chances until they didn't include it in their "batch renewal" press release and its NFL Draft Night ratings dip happened.
May 10, 2011 at 3:13PM ESTAnd you might be right about Friday being the only option, though America's Next Top Model followed by model-like rogue assassins would be an interesting exercise in artistic juxtaposition...
Stacy I hope they move it to Friday and stop pushing horrible love stories on it. I think the show is at its best when it's alowed to be dark.
May 10, 2011 at 10:28PM ESTChuck
May 14, 2011 at 3:28PM EST Reply to CommentDetroit 187, Chicago Code, Terriers, all cancelled, but america can't have enough of CSI, NCSI, and all other procedurals, does this mean that good dramas are destined to premium cable channels only? is america really turning into a place where only bad shows are a hit? aren't we getting tired of reality shows?
c.indycb
May 19, 2011 at 2:12AM EST Reply to CommentLoved this show. Great writing, fun characters. Sad to see this one go.
c.indycb Speaking of Mad Love above.
May 19, 2011 at 2:14AM ESTjoeodo
January 19, 2012 at 12:17AM EST Reply to CommentWrite a comment...abc should have never bought the rights to V a.d left it to NBC UNIVERSIAL they could have mo ed the show to the syfy Chanel and continued the series.