Shows in Limbo

It’s that time of year, when fans hold their breath in anticipation to see if their favorite show will be renewed for another season. There are a number of sites that do breakdowns for cancellation probability, but I thought I’d take a look at some of of the more controversial ones.

ABC: The only new show I really got into this season was Body of Proof which is really just another addition to my long line of crime-related shows, but still good. Luckily, it’s been doing very well in ratings (a solid 3.1 in adults 18-49 in the debut). Unfortunately the same can’t be said for No Ordinary Family, Off The Map, or V. Back when it first premiered, I expressed my dislike of No Ordinary Family, so it wasn’t surprising to me that it wasn’t doing well. The same goes for V which, despite its attempt to refresh, has been very lackluster. I was a bit surprised to hear that Off The Map wasn’t doing well, especially since it had Shonda Rhimes (of Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice fame) attached to it. I’d heard good things about it but just never had the chance to watch it. I guess people finally started to get tired of medical dramas on ABC.

CBS: Looking at the CBS ratings list, I realized that despite it being the top network for years now, I hardly watch any of the shows on it. Two and a Half Men is terrible, and not funny, despite being the top show. I just don’t get it. I hope it does get cancelled over all this Sheen business so I can stop hearing about it. Medium, which I’ve heard good things about got cancelled, but that’s been on a while. $#*! My Dad Says, the show based on the twitter account, is not doing well, which doesn’t surprise me since it seemed like a silly concept. The only show I really care about on CBS is CSI and it’s doing very well despite being in its 11th season. Its two spinoffs are also doing pretty well, with CSI: NY still being the lowest ranked.

The CW: I only watch two shows on this network: Hellcats and Nikita which are both new shows (and both are awesome). Happily Nikita has been doing well and had a strong return from its hiatus last night. Hellcats seems to be on the rocks a bit. It’s been doing alright, but it has had a very long hiatus and is the lowest ranked on the network. I’m hoping it has a strong return and sticks around for another season.

FOX: Fringe, which is a show that I fully intend to get caught up on over the summer, unexpectedly got renewed after struggling to keep up in the ratings. Thank goodness Running Wilde got cancelled. I watched barely 5 minutes of the pilot and had to turn it off – it was that bad. Interestingly American Dad got renewed. I love Family Guy, and will occasionally watch The Cleveland Show (both of which have been renewed), but I just could never get into American Dad. I guess people are getting into, which is great for Seth MacFarlane, but I’m still skeptical.

NBC: There has not been a drama that has captured my attention on NBC for years now. Even the comedies have been shaky lately. Despite the mixed reviews, I enjoy the new show Outsourced, but the ratings have not been strong recently, so it could bite the dust. The Office has been weak, at best, this season, and I am very doubtful about the show’s future once Steve Carrell leaves, but it has still been doing well in the rating. 30 Rock has had just an okay season, but its already been renewed, so hopefully next season will be better. Undercovers and The Cape were both cancelled. I’d had hopes for both shows, but they were too much of what’s already been done over and over again. The Event is doing worse than Outsourced in the ratings. I’d posting my mixed feelings on the show a while back, but I’ve since stopped watching. I’m going to be pretty annoyed if it sticks around and Outsourced gets cancelled.

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how the shows I like are doing. I’d like to hear from you guy now: are there any shows that are still in limbo that you’re pulling for?