Salutations! And welcome to the first annual TV.com Dead Pool, an interactive game in which YOU guess which new network shows will get canceled first. The basics are simple: Select the five new shows you think will be axed first, email your submissions to us, wait for the bloodbath, monitor your status in the standings, and brag.
Selecting Your Shows
– Start by choosing five early cancellation candidates from the new fall crop. Only shows on the major broadcast networks—Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC, The CW—are eligible. Then, select one potential tie-breaker: the show you think will be the first to earn a full-season pickup. A list of the available candidates is below. Submit your entry by emailing it mailbag@tv.com. Please include your TV.com username. Picks made in the comments section WILL NOT COUNT! [UPDATE: We have more than 250 entries so far, keep 'em coming!]
– Upcoming midseason shows are not eligible (sorry, Work It!). You may only select shows premiering between September 2011 and December 2011.
– To give you ample time to sample the worst new shows on television, we'll accept entries though 11:59pm Pacific time on September 30, after the majority this season's new shows have debuted. However, any show that's canceled before we receive your entry won't be eligible for your ballot (there are no free points here). So if you wait to submit until after How to Be a Gentleman premieres on September 29, but H8R gets canceled on the September 28, you will lose out on potential big points. (For shows don't start until October, you'll just have to take your best guess.) Choose your strategy wisely: Will you wait and get a good look at all the new shows, or submit early for a chance at maximum pointage?
Scoring
– Each show can win you up to 13 points (new shows start out with 13-episode orders). For each episode that safely makes it to air, we'll subtract one point. Once a show gets canceled, we'll subtract the number of aired episodes from 13, everyone who picked the show in question will be awarded the resulting number of points. Using last year as an example, if you'd selected Fox's Lone Star, you would have netted 11 points, as the was canceled after two episodes (13 - 2 = 11).
– A show is considered canceled if it gets pulled from the schedule, never to return again. However, networks like to pretend shows aren't canceled in order to protect their image, so your trusty TV.com editors will have the final say on whether a show is canceled or not. It's pretty easy to tell.
– If a show you select is picked up for more episodes, we will deduct two points from your score. This is a death pool, after all. (Note: In some cases a show won't get a full Back 9 episode order, but for our purposes here, if any show gets an order for any number of new episodes, we'll consider that a full-season order and points will still be deducted from your score.)
– In the case of any unusual circumstances (i.e. a show gets picked up for new episodes and then it gets canceled), the TV.com editorial staff will determine appropriate scoring.
– Tie-breaker: In the event of a tie, the contestant who specifically named the first show to receive a full-season order will win.
Eligible Shows and Premiere Dates
Choose the five shows you think will be canceled first from the following list of 27 new series, plus the one show you think will be the first get picked up for a full season. Then email your entry to mailbag@tv.com! Click any show title for basic information about the program, or check out our Everything Guide to the Fall TV Schedule, Our 10 Most-Anticipated New Shows for Fall 2011, and our initial reactions to the pilots we've screened so far for more in-depth opinions and info.
| 2 Broke Girls (9/19, CBS) | Allen Gregory (11/30, Fox) | Charlie's Angels (9/22, ABC) |
| Free Agents (9/14, NBC) | Grimm (10/21, NBC) | A Gifted Man (9/23, CBS) |
| H8R (9/14, The CW) | Unforgettable (9/20, CBS) | Hart of Dixie (9/26, The CW) |
| Up All Night (9/14, NBC) | Last Man Standing (10/11, ABC) | Man Up (10/18, ABC) |
| New Girl (9/20, Fox) | Once Upon a Time (10/23, ABC) | Pan Am (9/25, ABC) |
| Person of Interest (9/22, CBS) | The Playboy Club (9/19, NBC) | Prime Suspect (9/22, NBC) |
| Revenge (9/21, ABC) | Ringer (9/13, The CW) | Secret Circle (9/15, The CW) |
| Suburgatory (9/28, ABC) | Whitney (9/22, NBC) | Terra Nova (9/26, Fox) |
| I Hate My Teenage Daughter (11/30, Fox) | How to Be a Gentleman (9/29, CBS) | The X Factor (9/21, Fox) |
Winning
– The entry with the most points wins. This ain't rocket surgery!
– Winners will receive a prize to be determined, which will range somewhere between a congratulatory tweet and a private jet disco party with the surviving cast members of Diff'rent Strokes.
– Bear with us. Because some shows don't air until late November, we won't be able to determine a winner for a while yet. You're in it for the long haul, but once you enter, you don't have to do anything else!
Tips, Hints, and Strategy
– Just because a show is bad (*ahem* Whitney) doesn't mean it will get canceled first. Remember, According to Jim lasted 108 seasons.
– Consider overall network strength, a show's appeal to the common denominator, and the scope of a show's budget. All these factor into networks' decisions to keep or cancel shows. How much time will Fox grant the expensive Terra Nova? Will the first-place network CBS keep its shows on a shorter leash? Yes, H8R sucks, but it's on The CW.
– Go for dark horses to gain an edge on the competition.
– I will update this page with relevant information (ratings, etc.) throughout the season. Well, I probably will.
– Have fun! Talk smack, but keep it friendly-ish! We'll be playing along, too!
Scoreboard
Coming soon, but here's a taste of what to expect, suckers!
First Place: Tim Surette (TV.com Staff)
Last Place: You
Summary and Final Intructions
Submit your entry by emailing it to mailbag@tv.com before 11:59pm Pacific on September 30, 2011 with "Dead Pool 2011" in the subject line. Please include your TV.com username in your submission. Remember, pick five new shows you think will get canceled AND one show you think will be the first to earn a full-season order. If you don't follow instructions, I will send Mario Lopez to your house.
Hmmm....
Last Man Standing isn't gonna get cancelled at all really. Because it's stars one of the high paying comedian actors, Tim Allen of all times. Well, ABC need to go thru Tim Allen first, before getting rid of/cancel his new brand gig tv series. So, Last Man Standing is a special program on the ABC Network. If ABC does manage cancel Tim Allen new tv series? He will be the big example, i will never watch the ABC Network ever again for anything. But, i dount they will come even close getting rid of/cancel Tim Allen's new brand gig tv series of Last Man Standing. When it debuts/premiere on ABC for 60 minures/1 hour along on October 11. Well, Tim Allen's new show, Last Man Standing isn't the only one got debut/premiere for 60 minures/1 hour along. Melissa Joan Hart & Joey Lawrence's new gig tv series of Melissa & Joey. It debut/premiere on ABC Family back in August 2010 for 60 minures/1 hour along. Well, Melissa Joan Hart & Joey Lawrence's show is still standing alive and not cancelled. That is because isn't the channel network broadcast the program really. It's because of the tasted preformers putting the program successful of great ratings. So, Tim Allen is well very great tasted actor/comedian and proformer, will bring his new gig tv series of Last Man Standing with great ratings and being successful program. Well, the new generation cast to Last Man Standing along side to Tim Allen. They look very tasted good proformers unlike the other crap tv series/proformers on ABC Network, they've been pulling off lately.moreless
This was a great idea!
A lot of these shows, unfortunately, will not be cancelled right away. Like "Charlie's Angels". they put too much money into the production and marketing to just yank it after one airing. or even two. the network will give it time to "find its legs / audience", meaning at least 6 episodes. remember the Knight Rider reboot? it SUCKED, but hung around.
it will be the same with a slew of other shows on this list. Ringer. Playboy Club. Pan AM. Secret Circle on CW will probably go at least 6 - 8 eps, most likely more. they have more long-running crap shows than any other network. Terra Nova will likely air 2 - 3 more eps then be pulled after getting crushed weekly by Monday Night Football, Dancing with the Stars, and CBS lineup.moreless
It's looking as if The Playboy Club could be the first casualty. It's doing about 40% worse than Chase did last year, and that show didn't last more than a year. Although it could last until October when NBC brings out Grimm, which will probably replace it on 10pm Monday. (It would be a better spot than the 9pm Friday spot they were going to give it, although they could still run a repeat of Grimm in that spot.)
Damn I lost my tie-breaker!
But still I will be curious to know my score with my selection
Allen Gregory
Terra Nova
I Hate My Teenage Daughter
Last Man Standing
Man Up
News about New Girl ....
Breaking: Fox's New Girl Gets Full-Season Pickup .
Good that Boss is on Starz, otherwise i would have lost my tiebreaker already. ;)
In no particular order:
1 Charlies Angels
2. Pan Am
3. Playboy Club
4. A Gifted Man
5.Revenge
First show to get a full season pickup will be:
"Unforgettable".
Just because a show is bad (*ahem* Whitney) doesn't mean it will get canceled first. Remember, According to Jim lasted 108 seasons.
Wow, 108 SEASONS? And Jim Belushi looks as young as he does? :)
There could be 5 shows that don't make it past 2 episodes. Out of the 27 shows listed I doubt more than 6 or 7 of them get a full season. If I remember correctly ABC and NBC each have 6 shows scheduled for mid-season premieres. ABC has 7 new shows and NBC has 6 starting this fall. So, they don't have much confidemce that their shows will make it.
Can't wait for week 2, i'm hoping for a somebody to pull a Lonestar but with more deserving shows. (like the Playboy Club or Charlie's Angels)
Here is my opinion:
1. Playboy Club
2. Ringer
3. Charlie's Angels
4. H8R
5. Whitney
Since 11 of the shows haven't aired yet, its hard to choose from the list.
So, excluding everything starting tonight or later, here's my list:
1. H8R
2. Two Broke Girls
3. Free Agents (But I Love the Cast)
4. Unforgettable
5. Charlie's Angels (Again, I love the Cast but not the show)
Whitney
The Playboy Club
Unforgettable
Charlie's Angels
Ringer
Unforgettable (9/20, CBS)
Man Up (10/18, ABC)
The Playboy Club (9/19, NBC)
I Hate My Teenage Daughter (11/30. FOX)
How to Be a Gentleman (9/29, CBS)
Not entering the competition so just venting:
Charlie's Angels SHOULD go first.. WTF were they thinking???!!!!
bs'd
The Playboy Club was dreadful. Seeing David Krumholz in that part was total cringe time. Pan Am was just dull. H8R should be cancelled, but who knows. Ringer is, well, bad. So my fifth pick is uncertain. I am also angry with NBC for getting rid of LIFE for the thrill of Jay Leno five nights a week on primetime.
And all I got was a comment from a useless spammer
what does that have to do with this at all and who cares
From what i have seen thus far, its no small pool of what SHOULD BE CANCELLED
Charlies Angels
2 Broke Girls
New Girl
Ringer
The Playboy Club
Charlies Angels would have to be FIRST in my book, thats the worst premiere i have seen in a long long time.
C'Mon Tim I expect to see YOUR picks listed SOON!!!!
Tic Tock Tic Tock.......
I never thought it would be so difficult to choose five shows... I have 12 shows on my personal getting-cancelled-list.
I hope play boy club is a bust--i havent watched it yet, but i will.
But I'm still pissed at NBC for cancelling heroes, then giving a full season of the Event. I hope this time slot (for NBC) fails every year.
Or maybe thats a little extreme.
Heroes eyes got too big for its stomach so it was just a matter of time.......
The Event was well scripted and suspenseful and it's just too bad that I have to find something else to do between the hours of 8-9....
If you mean cancelling Heroes a season too late then it's not.
I definitely think Secret Circle will be the first to get a full season order. Not because it's a great show, but because it performed on par with The Vampire Diaries, the number 1 rated show on that network. The CW execs already know they're not cancelling it.
I whole-heartedly agree ;) I haven't watched it (yet?), but it seems to be an obvious choice.
the five shows i think will be canceled first
1 Ringer
2 H8R
3 The Playboy Club
4 Whitney
5 Free Agent
so then sit coms are more likely to be canc 1st because they are generally cheaper if they are not paying stars ie..30rock...yes,no?
If you had to choose between buying a bad slice of pizza for $5 or an equally bad pizza slice for $10, monetary logic says you choose the $5 slice.
If a network has two shows that are very low in ratings, they're more likely to keep the cheaper one longer and cancel the more expensive one quicker because it'll likely result in them losing less money.
cheaper means easier to pay for, so stays longer; heroes was too expensive, but it had roughly 5 million viewers. Had it not been so scifi it my not of been so pricey
Here are my choices:
Cancelled: H8R, Charlie's Angels, Hart of Dixie, How to Be a Gentleman, Whitney
Picked up: Terra Nova
Imho Terra Nova won't get a full-season pick-up because it's production cost is way too high to have 20+ eps. But if enough people tune in (and I bet they will. it's got dinosaurs for heaven's sake!!) it'll get renewed for a 2nd season.
So far I think Person of Interest will last; I really enjoyed that premiere. I also hope Revenge will last too. Charlie's Angels comes in third; hopefully it will not be canceled.
Def. going to be cancelled: Playboy Club; fell asleep to the last 1/2 of it. Up All Night and Free Agents were awful. I think it was called Inner Circle on CW that was just okay. I did have some interest in Prime Suspect. I thought New Girl may last. I have not seen the premiere of Whitney yet. Finally, I thought Broke Girls was pretty funny.
Guessing I was too late, since I couldn't get their e-mail link to work.
Anyway, I'll throw these up here for fun
Early Cancellations:
Free Agents
Hart of Dixie
Suburgatory
The Playboy Club
How to Be a Gentleman
Tie Breaker (pick up for whole season)
New Girl
I submitted mine on a whim, though my initial thoughts about shows tend to be good (but ignored by studios! curse those who denied Flash Forward a second season in favour of 'V'!!!!!). I'm pretty sure that regardless of what we'll see cancelled we'll see more cancellations than we have in history, but that's because we're seeing more ridiculous pitches.
Cancelled:
Free agents
H8R
Whitney
I hate my teenager daughter
Last man standing
Picked up first:
New girl
I'm going for Free Agents first. I hate My Teenage Daughter is the toughest because it comes so late. 5 shows could be canned by then. But CBS and CW are better at letting things stick around than the other networks. I think Fox actually has a good crop, so ABC and NBC should be pretty trigger-happy this season.
Just emailed my picks - here's what I got:
CANCELLED:
Whitney
I Hate My Teenage Daughter
Once Upon A Time
The Playboy Club
Man Up
Picked up first:
2 Broke Girls
C'Mon Tim I expect to see YOUR picks listed SOON!!!!
Sent my picks.
Prime Suspect & Whitney both seem to be trying too hard, & I think the NBC Announcer is getting on my nerves too!
Drudager, I'm also an NBC watcher of long-standing, so you're not alone.
The promos for "Whitney" were so horrid I wanted to throw a brick at the t.v. The jerky physical overreactions would have done it if the vapid dialogue hadn't. Ugh. The decline of humor has been both prevalent and painful.
Just emailed my choices!