We’ve received quite a few comments and emails from readers who can’t believe that FlashForward was cancelled when another ABC show, V, was renewed?
On Tuesday, ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson explained the difficult decision this way, “It was a ‘Sophie’s Choice.’ In the end, FlashForward didn’t engage audiences like we hoped. For V, I get more anecdotal calls and emails than any other show on the schedule. A huge part of rebuilding the network is about taking chances. Some shows just don’t work out.”
While that sounds very nice, ultimately the decision to renew or cancel any TV show comes down to ratings.
FlashForward premiered with a strong 4.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 12.47 million viewers. Viewership quickly declined though and has been steadily falling. The two most recent episodes have fallen to a 1.3 rating and about 4.8 million viewers. That’s terrible for a network show.
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Meanwhile, V debuted with a 5.2 rating in the demo and 14.3 million viewers. V’s numbers have fallen quite a bit as well but not nearly as low as FlashForward’s. After dropping to a low of a 1.9 rating in the demo and 4.87 million viewers, the last two episodes’ ratings have risen a bit — reaching a 2.3 rating and 5.69 million.
So, while both shows have indeed been struggling, V is still doing quite a bit better than FlashForward (though certainly not great). ABC tends to save one or two struggling shows each season and V was their choice this time around. FlashForward’s ratings were just too low.
V is set to return in early 2011, or possibly as early as November 2010. The four month hiatus really hurt V’s ratings this season. You have to wonder if a six or eight month hiatus will kill it altogether this time?
What do you think? Which show did you prefer? Why do you think that FlashForward’s viewership has dropped so low? Will the long break between seasons kill V?
Images courtesy ABC.
V is only doing better because it is following Lost. Flashforward was a better show although I don’t think they could have kept up the story with Blackout after Blackout. It would start to get lame. The story on V is just getting stale. I dont think that show will last much longer. I hope ABC fills Lost’s spot with a show similar to Lost (good story, acting and lots of mystery).
Poor scheduling was what killed FlashForward. And no offense to V but its ratings went up becaue DWTS and Lost ratings went up. The week when Lost was a rerun, V’s ratings plugged BIG TIME!. When you have 2 great lead-ins coming back from an hiatus, than of course you look better. If they had switched the timeslots of the 2 shows, believe me, V would have been the one canceled. FlashForward is a superior show in the writing, acting and production value! There’s now a movement to save it by having another network pick it up. This show is… Read more »
I watched FF back in the fall, and it was absolutely terrible. i really wanted it to be great, i loved the concept and i even read the book before the first episode aired in anticipation, but it was just bad. my two primary complaints were that the plot was poorly executed and the fennes character that was created was weak and one-dimensional, and i had no sympathy for any of his actions or for the fact that he was losing his wife. i’ve read several episode recaps since i stopped watching and each time it reinforces my belief that… Read more »
The schedule killed Flash Forward, not the content. You can’t take a 4 month break. People will forget about the show.
ABC owes its audience another season to wrap up the story.
I have enjoyed BOTH Flash Forward and V–and would like both of them to continue. Having said that,
I am happy that V will return.
Well I think this is a stupid choice-Sophia or not-whatever that is!!! V is stupid, merely a newer version of something that was already done…FlashForward is like Jericho…too many folks don’t want to believe in anything except unintelligent TV shows these days…to much reality TV crap and once you actually put something decent on to watch you remove…so tired of all you TV head honchos…don’t know where you get your ratings, but you need to start really asking those that are waiting instead of some freaky Neilsen/Sophia ratings…because I don’t know anyone that are on those lists.
Flashforward was cancelled because ABC didn’t give it half as much promotion as they should have done. Plus the fact that the show took a huge break because of the Winter Olympics and ABC did hardly anything to promote it and push it into the viewer’s eyes, so that people would actually watch it, instead they let people forget about it. ABC is to blame, they need to think about how to run their company better
V is doomed.
They air enough episodes to get you interest but not enough to get you hooked. Then they take a break for 4/6 months. Its just poor planning.
I personally enjoyed both V and Flash Forward, but I believe the plot of V will be able to last a lot longer. The plot of FF seems like it would get old very quickly, I dont see how they could go any other way than having blackout after blackout. As for V, the season finale had me very interested on what will happen next without making the plot confusing like FF. Also for the ratings I think V did better because it followed Lost every week, and FF was on a Thursday having to compete with several other shows.
Thanks to you Hollywood, I will now no longer watch ANY non-sitcom TV shows until Season2 comes out on DVD with a firm promise of a season3.
Why get invested in a story when it’ll just get cancelled without a decent resolution??
Thanks again…you’ve just freed up my schedule AND I save $$ with no more cable bill!
V was awesome, didn’t watch Flash Forward at all, because it just didn’t look like something I’d watch. As it was, V took me and my husband by surprise. We waited to see if it would retain the campy/cheesiness of the 80’s series, and it didn’t at all. We were very pleasantly surprised with it! We’ll definitely be watching again once it returns in the fall, and I definitely think as long as they properly advertise and market it, they’ll renew their audience and draw new followers in.
Well Tara you apparently aren’t old enough to know this has been done before…and you need to revise your viewing choices. And you said it yourself you didn’t watch FlashForward so how the heck can you make comments about it…go figure you much be a Neilsen folk!!!
Flashfoward needs to come back
The show was cancelled because people who lack a brain when it comes to entertainment stopped watching the show gradually as the season progressed. The show was cancelled because the corporation ABC works for the extra dime rather than making people happy, go figure. The plot got “confusing,” are you serious? There was nothing confusing about the plot, in fact it was very followable and one of the most exciting and refreshing plots on any show to date, in my opinion. The characters were all very rounded and well developed, and they each had an intricate and important role in… Read more »
I’ve watched both FlashForward AND V, and I don’t think there’s any comparison between the two. FlashForward is by FAR the better series. I guess I’ll be crossing my fingers that maybe a cable network will pick it up. I won’t hold my breath, but I will definitely be crossing my fingers. :-/
I stopped watching Flash Forward awhile back; it was a decent show, great production value, but the plot just didn’t move fast enough to keep me interested. V on the other hand, started off great, but did they change writers or did a bad producer interfere with the creative style of the show or something? I really think the first four episodes were excellent, and it steadily got worse until the end. I think the final two to three episodes were good enough, and I’m glad they renewed it with that ending. I just hope they pick up the pace… Read more »