It appears the rumors are true. According to Fox News, NBC has decided to cancel ‘Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip’. The drama cost NBC a pretty penny to produce but like ‘Kidnapped’, which was cancelled earlier this season, big names and pricey production costs weren’t enough to draw in enough viewers to beat out the show’s competition on Monday nights.
The ratings for the premiere of ‘Studio 60’ weren’t great and the numbers only seemed to drop after that. The drama was a behind the scenes view of the production of a ‘Saturday Night Live’-ish sketch comedy show. With ‘The West Wing’ creator Aaron Sorkin behind it, not to mention big names like Matthew Perry and Amanda Peet starring in the show, its not a wonder that the pre-season buzz was so huge. Rumors of the show’s cancellation began to circulate on the internet this weekend after FOX News reported the cancellation, saying that cast members had already begun telling friends that the show was to be cancelled. TV.com reported on the cancellation early this morning and as no one from NBC has come forward to deny the rumors, its safe to assume the show’s caput or will be soon.
‘Studio 60’ was definitely a watchable show but it just wasn’t strong enough to go up against the fully established ‘CSI: Miami’. Its unfortunate that the show wont get a full season to grow on people but with NBC’s recent plan to cut costs, it should be expected that any expensive dramas that aren’t cutting it in the ratings will get the axe, despite how good they are. It’s only a matter of time before ‘Friday Night Lights’ gets the boot as well.
UPDATE as of 10/31
According to MediaPost Publications an NBC representative informed them that the show is in fact still set to air in November (starting next Monday) and that the show has not been cancelled. No further information was given with regards to whether or not they plan to order more episodes.
