Blog Archives
BREAKING NEWS: OWN Cancels ROSIE
OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, has just announced that it’s cancelling the talk show hosted by comedian Rosie O’Donnell, “The Rosie Show.” The show will tape its final episode on Tuesday, March 20th.
A release issued by OWN said: “I thank Rosie from the bottom of my heart for joining me on this journey. She has been an incredible partner, working to deliver the best possible show every single day,” said Oprah Winfrey. “As I have learned in the last 15 months, a new network launch is always a challenge and ratings grow over time as you continue to gather an audience. I’m grateful to Rosie and the dedicated Rosie Show team for giving it their all.”
In the release, Rosie O’Donnell went on to say: “I loved working with Oprah in the amazing city of Chicago.” She added, “I was welcomed with open arms and will never forget the kindness of all I encountered. It was a great year for me – I wish the show was able to attract more viewers – but it did not. So I am headed back to my home in New York – with gratitude. On we go!”
Farewell, Walker Clan; “Brothers and Sisters” No More
On Friday, ABC cancelled “Brothers and Sisters,” a series we have come to know and love for the last five years. Gone is Nora’s incessant whining. Gone is Kitty’s, uhm, whining. Gone is Kevin’s, uhm, whining. Gone is Justin’s (bad acting) and, uhm, whining. Wow, there was a lot of whining on that show.
Having worked in this business for the last 18 years, I understand why shows get canceled. It’s ratings and money. In this case, “Brothers and Sisters” ratings had been dropping and the cost of producing the show was not. Big cast = big money. I noticed during last week’s opening credits that Sally Field was listed as an Executive Producer. Giving a star a big title is often a way to justify a large salary.
In any case, I’m disappointed in ABC (and I should note that I am an employee of ABC/Disney). Why not give the producers a heads up that the show was being canceled so a proper finale episode could be written? Instead, the producers thought the show might be ending, but also knew they could be coming back for a much shorter sixth and final season. It would have given them a chance to tie up loose ends and let us, the fans, send off the Walker family in a fond farewell. Instead, the Sunday episode was sort of an ending, but not really. It really left a lot wide open, and of course, never mentioned it was the season finale b/c the show had not yet been cancelled. If the show had been on for only a season or two, I could understand the abrupt ending, but after five years, the audience deserves so much more.
So Farewell, Walker clan. As Entertainment Weekly pointed out, it did not end as the series we fell in love in with, but I will add, it was a series we loved.
Oprah: I Can’t Save The Soaps
The Queen of Daytime Talk, Oprah Winfrey, has taken to YouTube after being inundated by ABC soap fans who want her to move ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE to OWN after ABC canceled them. Oprah, oh so eloquently, explains what I have said all along: If there was money to be made in soap operas, they would still be on. It’s a dying art form and the days of the daytime serials are coming to a close. But like I said, Oprah says it much better than I do. And now, a word from Oprah…
