Several broadcast networks recently announced the cancellation of long-standing television shows with well-established audiences as well as up-and-coming shows that received a variety of reactions from critics. Among the shows cancelled are House, One Tree Hill, Blue Mountain State and Terra Nova.
House, a medical drama about Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) and his unconventional methods, has aired on Fox since 2004. According to Fox president Kevin Reilly, Laurie and the producers of the show decided that the show had run its course and it was time to call it quits.
The series will conclude with its season eight finale on May 21. The show received an average rating of 8.7 out of 10 on the International Movie Data Base.
One Tree Hill joins House on the list of long-standing TV series that will end in 2012. Entering its ninth season, it was generally understood by its producers and CW, the network that broadcasts the show, that it would be the final installment of the series which documents the lives of several teenagers from the town of Tree Hill. The final episode will air on April 4.
Unlike House and One Tree Hill, which drew large audiences fueling their success, Blue Mountain State was cancelled after a mere three seasons, despite its 8.4 rating on IMDB.
The show, which debuted on Spike TV, depicted the lives of football players at the fictional Blue Mountain State College. It displayed an outrageous cliché of university life, complete with sex and drugs, binge drinking and hazing. The show was dropped after 39 episodes as a part of the network’s shift to feature more reality television rather than scripted shows.
Other shows like Fox’s Terra Nova did not even have a chance to get past their first seasons. The sci-fi drama struggled in its debut season, and Fox decided not to continue with a second season after disappointing ratings and steep production costs. 20th Century Fox Studios, which produces the show, is making some effort to sell the show to other networks, but the series’ return seems doubtful.
Despite the fact that several television series are ending their runs, however long or short they may have been, there are shows that will continue to be produced.
Justified and Archer, which also air on FX, will return for their fourth seasons.
Justified averaged 4.3 million viewers during season three and maintains a rating of 8.8 on IMDB.