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The “None”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
And then there were (virtually) none.
ABC has put “The Nine” on hiatus, effective immediately. The network says the well-made serialized drama about the post-release lives of a group of people taken hostage in a bank will return later this year, just not when. Prediction: The show has about as good a chance of airing anytime outside the dead of a Saturday night in mid-March as Tim Daly and Chi McBride’s characters had of just going back to business of usual after their hours of terror in the vault.
This pretty much sticks a fork in the fall’s once-redhot serial trend. Viewers just couldn’t or wouldn’t keep up with more than a half-dozen new shows that tried to jump on the “24”/”Lost” bandwagon by making them tune in week after week lest they become confused about the storyline (in the case of Fox’s “Vanished” make that “hopelessly confused,” even if you didn’t miss any episodes). For those of you keeping score at home, here’s what’s already come and gone, although some live on on the Internet: “Six Degrees,” “The Nine,” “Smith,” “Kidnapped,” “Vanished” and “Runaway.” Only “Heroes” and “Jericho” have caught on, but CBS has already announced that the latter will take a good, long “Lost”-like break after this week. Meanwhile, the Serf suspects ABC’s new serial, “Day Break,” is already on life support after last week’s dismal debut.
What went wrong? There’s no one easy answer to that question (which, come to think of it, is sort of the serial-maker’s mantra). Several of the shows were actually quite good, namely “The Nine” and “Kidnapped,” whose networks did them no favors with their quick trigger fingers. Others, well, if you can’t say anything nice about someone … (but seriously, has Ray Liotta’s face moved yet on “Smith?”). Chalk it up to too much of a good AND bad thing. But let’s hope this doesn’t mean the networks give up on high-quality drama that actually require you to think from week-to-week. After all, the next “24” is out there somewhere …
Oh and one more thing. However long they lasted on air, I’m betting all these shows get the full Season 1 DVD treatment. Nothing’s been announced on that front yet, but recent experience (“Commander in Chief” and “So NoTORIous”) suggests you can take it to the bank.
Just not the one on “The Nine” …
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Deirdre
November 27, 2006 4:16 PM | Link to this
I guess the number of comments on this thread is in direct correlation with the show’s popularity!
I watched the first episode of The Nine and never went back. Absolutely nothing grabbed my attention. Lost and 24 both insisted on my attention from the first minute. All TV shows have the same goal. They want us to want to come back for more. It’s their job to see that we do.
By LHK
November 27, 2006 4:38 PM | Link to this
What went wrong? Maybe the networks’ thinking that they could find an audience for every one of the can’t-miss-a-single-episode dramatic series they trotted out this fall. I committed to one of those shows — Heroes — and that’s enough for me. I’m not a habitual TV watcher and don’t own a TiVo (or even a working VCR), so having to be home and in front of my TV at 9 every Monday night still feels very strange to me, even after having done it for 2 months now. I can’t imagine having that same type of appointment show more than one night a week.
By MItch
November 28, 2006 8:15 AM | Link to this
I wonder if the networks “trigger finger” could be their own downfall? I have watched several of these shows but was reluctant to get too involved in them because the networks are so quick to yank a new show. I hear many people say the same thing. They would rather wait and see if the show will catch on and then try and get caught up rather than start watching only to have the show cancelled as they are getting into it.
By Reg
November 28, 2006 9:42 AM | Link to this
Most of these shows seem to have a common problem: a storyline/plot that might carry a two hour movie, but not enough substance to maintain interest over repeated episodes. Have the networks forgotten the word “miniseries”?
By Mike K.
November 28, 2006 10:10 AM | Link to this
I stopped watching both The 9 and Six Degrees when I realized they were glorified soap operas, the original seralized drama. They didn’t have the action of 24 or Heroes or the mystery of Lost or Jericho.
By markscottmusic.com
November 28, 2006 10:12 AM | Link to this
I’m with the crowd on this one. Most of these series’s seem like they’d make good TV movies or mini-series. The idea of investing in a kidnapping mystery, missing person mystery or hostage drama for more than a handful of episodes is daunting. I’m like, where can this go over more than three or four episodes… so instead of being dissappointed that it ends up being terrible, I just don’t watch. I was kind of like that with Lost… I got engaged early on then missed a couple of episodes to where I couldn’t catch up and now just never watch it. I’ll stick with Deal or No Deal or The Simpsons re-runs.
By J
November 28, 2006 10:41 AM | Link to this
Rome release date?
Any news on the release date / airing date of the 2nd series of “Rome?”
By Cindy
November 28, 2006 11:33 AM | Link to this
ABC is about to lose some viewers. They pulled this with Invasion and now The Nine? I’ll never trust them again. They blew it. How can I trust that Lost will actually finish too?
By Ryder
November 28, 2006 11:43 AM | Link to this
Reg is right. Take a look at many of these shows, and they don’t have enough depth in the plot to last more than just a few weeks. I mean really, how long can you stretch out such a thin plot?
By Deirdre
November 28, 2006 12:24 PM | Link to this
Cindy…at least Invasion ran for the entire season. I didn’t get hooked on The Nine but I can understand your frustration. Invasion was a fascinating story with all sorts of implications. I would love to know where they were going with it. It also had just enough cheesiness to keep it grounded.
By Susan
November 28, 2006 1:21 PM | Link to this
The networks stink. I get all involved in these shows and then they cancel them. They’re shooting themselves in the foot, because no one will trust them to try any meaningful shows anymore, only mindless, stupid sit-coms, which are usually not worth watching these days.
By Lisa
November 28, 2006 1:40 PM | Link to this
I am devastated - “The Nine” is my most looked forward to show of the season. I am a “24” fanatic and this was meeting my need until Jack Bauer returns in January. I will say that if it weren’t for Tivo, I would have had a much harder time keeping up.
By Pepe
November 28, 2006 3:13 PM | Link to this
It’s “Invasion” all over again. “The Nine” is a good show, keep it going. What’s the word on “Studio 60”? I’m started to get nervous now that I never see a commercial anymore.
By Ferderian Bennett
November 28, 2006 3:51 PM | Link to this
Who do these guys think they are, there is a whole lot of garbage on this stations that should’ve been canned from the thought process,the nine was a show for the grown-ups, you don’t put out product and then take it back who do they think was watching this show KIDS, from here on out i will boycott ABC and tell everyone i know because if they want to cancel something the should’ve cancels their careers, i think ABC and company is some BFI-(Garbage) and that’s the truth
By Chief
November 28, 2006 4:21 PM | Link to this
Whatever happened to traditional drama where each season has an arc, but it’s more about the characters than some deep, mysterious story that artificially takes 15 weeks to be told? Some stories can stand up to that (Heroes, Lost), but even these have compelling characters that make people connect to the story. Many, many more dramas would be better off introducing us to people who we want to care about rather than have us wedded to some nebulous concept that we patiently see unfold from September to May.
Sad that in this present network environment, long-running classic gems like Angel or Buffy never would have made it past Christmas.
By P
November 28, 2006 5:17 PM | Link to this
I agree with Reg from earlier. Y not market these shows as 8 week miniseries w/ a 2 hr premiere or somethin. I like The Nine & Daybreak…altho daybreak is a little too close to 24. I have yet to watch 24 because it doesn’t seem believable…nor does Lost. They need to end sometime. Don’t milk ‘em like turkey meat. Get in, get out, move on.
By jeffrey Steele
November 28, 2006 8:06 PM | Link to this
I too am displeased with the Networks. I almost never watch anymore for the exact reasons enumerated by everyone in this blog. I am afraid it will be cancelled. Just when I took a chance, SMITH,it was cancelled after the 3rd episode. Won’t do that again. When will the Networks get it that there are adults out here. I haven’t watched a sit-com since the ‘life or Riley.” I think we need more Playhouse 90 and less “who wants to be a millionaire.” At least that’s what I think, out here on the left coast.
By Crystal Waters
November 28, 2006 8:28 PM | Link to this
Vanished was cancelled? I thought they moved it to Fridays?
By Ginger
November 28, 2006 8:51 PM | Link to this
Rome debuts I believe the 7th of January…if I remember correctly. Looking forward to that since HBO cancelled Deadwood. I was hooked on Vanished(not officially cancelled but didn’t order anything after 13 episodes)and Six Degrees,most of the characters were easy on the eyes and easy to relate to. Studio 60 was not what I was hoping for when I tried twice to watch it and was very very disappointed. We were addicted to Windfall and was very disappointed that it wasn’t picked up.
g
By Deirdre
November 28, 2006 9:25 PM | Link to this
Ginger…HBO is supposed to be making two Deadwood movies to conclude the series. Don’t know if they’ve been made yet but I’ve seen the Deadwood cast members in all sorts of other shows lately.
By Wendy
November 28, 2006 10:06 PM | Link to this
I tried, really I did. But it was B.O.R.I.N.G.