Worst network/cable TV program cancellations of all time

[bmasters1981]

I liked the original (pre-1984)'Bloopers' specials with Dick Clark, but wasn't a fan of Ed McMahon's 'Practical Jokes' special(s?) which pre-dated the series. I still watched every week, because I liked the chemistry between Dick and Ed, but the elaborate 'Candid Camera'-style pranks on celebrities-who often seemed to be feigning surprise/annoyance/laughter, and seemed to be there just for a quick paycheck-took up to much time. Within a few months, they added even more recorded, non-blooper, material, including early 'funny home movies'(not yet 'home videos).
And, when even the actual bloopers started to look and sound a bit more staged and less spontaneous, the 'blooper' craze was over-for a while.
I never watched any of the post-McMahon specials(usually teaming Dick with various female hosts from NBC shows),but they started up around 1988(during the writer's strike), and hung around for the better part of the next decade.

About the "Practical Jokes" part-- I agree that it took up way too much time. I fast-forwarded that part whenever I taped it from TNN.

 

[LKellerIII]

I gotta disagree that cancelling Bloopers was a "worst' cancellation. I think the idea was really played out. Yes - there were some truly funny bloopers, but most of each show's content was the same thing - actors messing up their lines, then breaking down in giggles.

America's Funniest Videos has more staying power because they can mine the entire world of funny videos, and aren't limited to bloopers.

 

[onairb]

I liked the original (pre-1984)'Bloopers' specials with Dick Clark, but wasn't a fan of Ed McMahon's 'Practical Jokes' special(s?) which pre-dated the series. I still watched every week, because I liked the chemistry between Dick and Ed, but the elaborate 'Candid Camera'-style pranks on celebrities-who often seemed to be feigning surprise/annoyance/laughter, and seemed to be there just for a quick paycheck-took up to much time. Within a few months, they added even more recorded, non-blooper, material, including early 'funny home movies'(not yet 'home videos).
And, when even the actual bloopers started to look and sound a bit more staged and less spontaneous, the 'blooper' craze was over-for a while.
I never watched any of the post-McMahon specials(usually teaming Dick with various female hosts from NBC shows),but they started up around 1988(during the writer's strike), and hung around for the better part of the next decade.

About the "Practical Jokes" part-- I agree that it took up way too much time. I fast-forwarded that part whenever I taped it from TNN.

I vaguely recall one episode, possibly one of the last, that seemed so crammed with 'filler', there were almost no bloopers at all...just maybe some extra, or longer, practical joke segments, some bit with Thom Sharp, and another one featuring the 'Silly Cimemas' guy, who painted faces on his chin, and held the camera upside down...riverting TV. :

 

[rnigma1]

I vaguely recall one episode, possibly one of the last, that seemed so crammed with 'filler', there were almost no bloopers at all...just maybe some extra, or longer, practical joke segments, some bit with Thom Sharp, and another one featuring the 'Silly Cimemas' guy, who painted faces on his chin, and held the camera upside down...riverting TV. :

That would be Len Cella ... his short films were originally called "Moron Movies," but apparently the network felt that the term "moron" insulted the mentally challenged.

Agreed that the practical joke segments were protracted and stagy. And ABC came out with its ripoff, "Foul-ups, Bleeps and Blunders," hosted by Don Rickles and, IIRC, Steve Lawrence.... made the original look like a work of genius.

 

[azumanga]

ABC came out with its ripoff, "Foul-ups, Bleeps and Blunders," hosted by Don Rickles and, IIRC, Steve Lawrence.... made the original look like a work of genius.

I remember the ABC series -- the most memorable segments were the lightning-fast bloopers, in which it was shown the first time, then Steve Lawrence says on camera, "Wanna see it again?", in which the blooper was repeated; the other was its closing logo preceding Universal's, which featured a couple men holding a gong -- when trying to replicate the Rank's gong logo, one man strikes the other in the crotch with the mallet.

 

[benwolf]

I think King of Queens left too early...I still don't tire of the reruns. I agree about Detroit 187 too...must've had a bad time slot.

 

[jwgreek8606]

The Weakest Link. it had a lot going for it and ten it bow the carinal rule of game shows. Ain't wnt the all-celebrity all-the-time route.

 

[skippercollector]

My choices:
The original Battlestar Galactica
Everwood
The Cape (1996-1997)
This past year's Forever on ABC
Jericho
Remember WENN on AMC (cancelled after a cliffhanger episode)

I'm delighted that some of you mentioned The Brady Bunch, Dark Shadows and The Flintstones!

 

[E-Cam]

1. malcom In The Middle - should have had 2 more seasons

I hated the fact that Fox "Ashton Butcher'd" the living sheet out of promoting the finale of That's 70's Show (or what I call "That 70's S**t") and left Malcolm in the Middle to die in the ruins.

The George Lopez Show is another show that should've made it another season or two. Instead, ABC thought it would be smart and hip to replace the show with a caveman show because Geico is the ass-face of commercials and even that show got axed big time. No one wanted it and yet ABC is like "who cares? Money, ratings, blah, blah, blah!"

 

[rwells2265]

Yet for all that the CBS trio did eliminate "Dinah's Place," "Concentration,"
and "Sale Of The Century" on NBC. "Joker" fell victim to "Celebrity Sweepstakes"
in 1975; "Gambit" to "Wheel Of Fortune" in 1976.

i think what doomed "Sale Of The Century" was that in some markets such as in my market, it ran against talk shows or "Family Feud" with Ray Combs..but i was a "Sale" watcher up to the end i switched to "Feud" in March of 89 but would watch "Classic Concentration" at 10:30 before switching to "TPIR" at 11(was never a Rolf fan on "Wheel" but i did watch him a few times)

Not the '80s "$ale"; this was the original (1969-73; syndie 73-74) version, first hosted by Jack Kelly and later Joe Garagiola. Aired at 11:00 ET.

CBS' reentry into game shows in '72 got the ball rolling in what would eventually result in the meltdown of NBC's daytime schedule. Then-NBC VP of daytime Lin Bolin didn't help matters, either; instead of freshening up what was by then a very stale, if durable "Concentration", she got rid of it. That game could have endured to the present day.

--Russell

 

[onairb2014]

'Concentration' had several hosts after Hugh Downs' departure in the late '60s. Could yet another change have helped?

 

[mississippi fan]

Some of my favorites have already been mentioned but here goes.

Dark Shadows
The original Outer Limits - more episodes
Thriller - more episodes
WKRP - more episodes
Kolchak the Night Stalker (original) - many more episodes
Married with Children - good finale episode
Night Court - more episodes
Barney Miller - more episodes
Charlie's Angels - more episodes
Vega$ - more episodes
Leverage - more episodes
The Shield - another season

 

[rwells2265]

'Concentration' had several hosts after Hugh Downs' departure in the late '60s. Could yet another change have helped?

Two, actually. Bob Clayton took over after Hugh stepped down (Clayton was the announcer for some years prior). The two had good on-air chemistry, and HD recommended him for the job. But NBC, bowing to pressure from a few sponsors, dropped him for Ed McMahon. That didn't last but six months or so before Clayton was back on the job .... where he remained as host until the end of its NBC run in March 1973.

Three hosts, if you count Jack Narz -- host of the Goodson/Todman syndicated revival the following year.

[an amusing side note: the Monday following the end of "Concentration", CBS debuted "$10,000 Pyramid" ... with Clayton as announcer. And that show aired in the same timeslot: 10:30 ET.]

--Russell

 

[blackgold]

How about "Sailor Moon?" The original American dub starring the voices of Terri Hawkes and Toby Proctor.

 

[rnigma1]

Two, actually. Bob Clayton took over after Hugh stepped down (Clayton was the announcer for some years prior). The two had good on-air chemistry, and HD recommended him for the job. But NBC, bowing to pressure from a few sponsors, dropped him for Ed McMahon. That didn't last but six months or so before Clayton was back on the job .... where he remained as host until the end of its NBC run in March 1973.

Three hosts, if you count Jack Narz -- host of the Goodson/Todman syndicated revival the following year.

[an amusing side note: the Monday following the end of "Concentration", CBS debuted "$10,000 Pyramid" ... with Clayton as announcer. And that show aired in the same timeslot: 10:30 ET.]

--Russell

Four, if you include Alex Trebek hosting "Classic Concentration" (which reduced the number of squares on the game board from 30 to 25, apparently to speed things up).