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Originally Posted by IwasHere
You would be wrong in this case. Love Monkey's time slot never changed, but it lost over a million viewers with each airing. If the people who tuned in the first time it was aired would have continued to watch the show it would probably still be on.
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No doubt the decline in viewers for each each of the three episodes was the reason CBS axed it, but there were absolutely mitigating factors that hurt the show. First off, it was on CBS -- it doesn't fit anywhere on the CBS schedule. It might have fit somewhat with the Monday comedies, but no way did it fit with lead-in NCIS. Second, it was up against American Idol. 'Nuff said right there.
This was also the kind of show that was going to need to find an audience, and that's clearly not an option for networks these days. I know it gets old, but if network TV operated in the '80s like it does today, Cheers wouldn't have made it out of its first season and Seinfeld would have been cancelled after the pilot aired.
I was hoping that the try out on VH1 might allow the show to find a niche on cable. The interesting thing on its CBS airings is that while it was tanking in the overall ratings, it's demos were not bad. As we've seen, cable is quickly becoming home to some outstanding shows that have failed in network tryouts -- Monk, Battlestar Galactica -- and USA, Sci-Fi and FX have some outstanding shows right now. You can make good money on cable drawing 4 million viewers, but not on the networks.
I don't think there is a place on network TV for a show like Love Monkey right now. The pendulum will swing -- wasn't that long ago that everyone though the network drama was dead, now there are more drams than comedies. I think NBC would have been a better it, but NBC is having enough trouble with quirky shows. My Name is Earl, The Office and Scrubs are great shows, but the ratings are not Must See TV.