I liked the season four premiere along with actor Steven Bauer
playing a new character and replacing Ken Wahl's Vinny. So
why did CBS elect to cancel this show in its fourth season?
Were the ratings very low by this time?
Lawrence Sunny California
Call me a sailor or a swabby just don't call me a squid!
Oh becuase Ken Wahl was WISEGUY not steven Bauer
shareThe ratings were always borderline-low to begin with, and the change from Wahl to Bauer finished killing it. It wasn't necessarily Bauer's fault, but the move chased away what audience it did have.
shareNo one expected great things from Bauer. They hoped the show would at least hold its own. It didn't so they canceled it.
shareSteven Bauer is no Ken Wahl... or William Russ or Tony Denison
so my guess is that they once they 'killed off' Vinnie they had no way to get back to anyone else... and the ratings were such that CBS wasn't willing to give them a chance to fix it...
From what I remember, Wiseguy was constantly being preempted which made the complex storylines hard to follow. I loved the story arcs on Wiseguy, and watched the show until it was cancelled, but I guess a lot of viewers left because it might be 2-3 weeks between episodes.
All due respect to Ken Wahl - I don't think anybody but him could have played Vinnie Terranova - but I think it was the time slot and the preemptions that killed Wiseguy, not the lead actor. Even during those arcs where Vinnie wasn't there, especially the garment industry arc with Anthony Denison, Wiseguy was still a very compelling show.