or


[04/05/04 - 12:00 AM]
'Wonderfalls' Sent Packing by Fox
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- "Well, not sure what to tell ya'll -- but we're cancelled," "Wonderfalls" executive producer Tim Minear told readers of his "Minearverse" section of Buffistas.org on Saturday afternoon.

"The cow creamer will be silent this Thursday and forever forward. Once we recover from the not-shock, Todd [Holland], Bryan [Fuller] and I will see if there's some venue in which to air the remaining episodes," he continued. "As I have said from the start, the thirteen taken as a whole tell a story and go to a place, so a run of this "limited" series would not be unsatisfying elsewhere. It's a question as to whether the studio will want to invest in a DVD release of a failed series. Maybe the episodes will sit in a warehouse someplace with that sled and the arc of the covenant. Thanks for all the support and enthusiasm."

The news comes as little surprise as the FOX series posted a mere 2.0 rating/3 share in households and a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49 for its time slot premiere on Thursday, according to fast national data. Only one other broadcast - an October encore of "24's" season premiere - has performed as badly in the Thursday, 9:00/8:00c hour for FOX this season.

With 13 episodes in the can, that leaves nine installments of the series still on the shelf. Encores of FOX's new reality series "The Swan" are set to fill "Wonderfalls'" former Thursday, 9:00/8:00c home beginning this week.

Later on Saturday when asked about what fans can do to revive the series, Minear added: "In terms of 'saving' the show? Not really anything you can do. The network is a non-starter here. The studio, 20th, is possibly a different matter. If they get the sense that people would buy a complete series DVD set, it might happen that the series becomes available in future. But please don't waste your time or money on trying to revive 'Wonderfalls' for a pick-up with Fox. Ain't gonna happen."

"When we first began this series, I was asked by many why I would put my trust in the network that mishandled 'Firefly' so terribly. Well, because it felt different to me. Initially, there was real excitement and belief in 'Wonderfalls' at the network. My feeling with 'Firefly' was always that since they didn't much like or understand it from the brilliant pilot, that we were kind of doomed. I felt that if a network didn't believe in a show, no matter its potential, that it couldn't launch it or sell it with any measure of success."

"And again, 'Wonderfalls' felt totally different to me. At first. Then, at some point in the process, I could sense an erosion in enthusiasm. Even as we were finding our footing and delivering to them some really exceptional episodes (ones you never got to see!), things got chilly. Then they couldn't seem to find any place on the schedule for us. Then they did... and it was Friday night. I tell you now, the moment that was announced, I knew it was over. They were dumping us into Friday nights and that was that. When the smashing reviews started coming in... and coming and coming and coming... I think they didn't know what to think or do. You have but one chance to make a good first impression. But they'd given up on the show before it ever aired, and even when the lion's share of critics were hailing the show, it was too late for them to backtrack and launch the series with any kind of conviction. My 'Firefly' experience was repeating itself. I think it was USA Today that said this may be 'the wrong show, in the wrong season, on the wrong night, on the wrong network.' Just so. I do think market forces were at work here, too. Not just incompetence."

"I don't know if any network could have brought an audience to this show. Certainly no network that dumped it on Friday night, promoted it in such as way as to try and trick people into thinking it was 'Dawson's Creek,' or that didn't, apparantly, agree with the things the critics were saying about it. I do think any network wants whatever they pay for to be a success. I don't think they MEAN to strangle something in the crib. I know that the next time I shop something to a network, I'm going to hope to find a network that understands and believes in the thing they ordered. And if they thought it looked good on the menu, I'd hope they'd still have a taste for it once it got to the table."

Click here and here to read Minear's original posts.





  [april 2004]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· 24 (FOX)
· SWAN, THE (FOX)
· WONDERFALLS (FOX)





[05/04/26 - 12:39 PM]
Video: "Busted on Bodycam" - Official Trailer - Tubi Original
Armon Wiggins hosts a loud, viral ride through jaw-dropping bodycam footage, unpacking chaos, drama, and the wildest real-life moments caught on tape.

[05/04/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: National Geographic Documentary Films Debuts Trailer for Sundance Standout "Time and Water," From the Academy Award Nominated Director of "Fire of Love," Sara Dosa
The documentary opens in theaters globally starting May 29 and later this year on National Geographic and Disney+.

[05/04/26 - 09:01 AM]
One Final Call: "The Night Agent" Starts Production on Fourth and Final Season
"Ever since the initial success of 'The Night Agent,' I've been obsessed with eventually delivering a proper and thrilling conclusion to the show and to Peter Sutherland's journey," said Shawn Ryan.

[05/04/26 - 08:06 AM]
"Son of a Critch" Gets Ready to Graduate as Cameras Roll on the Final Season of the Coming-of-Age Comedy
In its final season, "Son of a Critch" finds Mark in his last year of high school just as Newfoundland's cod moratorium crisis turns his world upside down.

[05/04/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "The Four Seasons" - Season 2 Official Trailer - Netflix
The friends reunite for four new seasonal get-togethers, as they process a personal loss and embrace the regrets and reinventions of middle age.

[05/04/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Wanda Sykes: Legacy" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In her next stand-up comedy special, Wanda Sykes returns to her alma mater with a fearless funny takedown of everything from the state of the world to the cultural clash over washcloths.

[05/04/26 - 07:01 AM]
Maverick Entertainment Announces Peacock Premiere Date for "Another Man's Wife" Starring Sydney Mitchell, Moritz J. Williams, and Taye Diggs
The film will premiere exclusively on Peacock on May 8, 2026.

[05/04/26 - 06:31 AM]
Lifetime Announces New Faith Based Movie "Thou Shall Not Commit Adultery" Starring Erica Campbell, CJ Williams, Trai Byers and Jasmine Guy
In the film, a renowned Christian feminist icon and bestselling author, finds her world turned upside down when she becomes the target of a blackmail scheme.

[05/04/26 - 06:03 AM]
Video: "The Golden Life" First Teaser Brings Drama, Chaos & Clashes to Florida - E! News
See Sonja Morgan, Luann de Lesseps, Dorinda Medley, Ramona Singer and Kelly Bensimon let loose (and make it nice) in the first sneak peek at E!'s upcoming series.

[05/04/26 - 06:01 AM]
Filming Begins on the Third and Final Season of "Breathless"
In this third season, the arrival of podcast host Judit Casat (Belén Cuesta) as the hospital's new manager will put all the medical staff under pressure, and especially board president Patricia Segura (Najwa Nimri).

[05/03/26 - 02:40 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers the Most-Watched Kentucky Derby on Record, Averaging 19.6 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock in Historic "Run for the Roses"
Viewership peaked at 24.4 million viewers from 7-7:15 p.m. ET, as jockey Jose Ortiz guided Golden Tempo around the final turn to win by a neck over Renegade, and made Cherie DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner.

[05/02/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "My 2 Cents" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Zero and Wild Boar run a small bar, but financial troubles and misunderstandings put them both under pressure - just as a figure from the past returns.

[05/01/26 - 11:32 PM]
Development Update: Week of April 27-May 1
Updates include: NBC cancels "Brilliant Minds," "Stumble"; ABC passes on comedy pilot "Do You Want Kids?"; and CBS locks in episode orders for nine series next season.

[05/01/26 - 02:01 PM]
Video: "Impuros" - Official Trailer - Hulu
Step into '90s Rio, where a criminal mastermind builds an empire.

[05/01/26 - 01:33 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Jumps Back from Spring Break with Fifth Straight Week of Growth Among Both Total Viewers and Households
Dominating the New York market, "Live with Kelly and Mark" towers over its closest competition this season by double and triple digits in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54.