MovieChat Forums > Savannah (1996) Discussion > The Reason WHY Savannah was CANCELED

The Reason WHY Savannah was CANCELED

posted 14 years ago by ChinaCha0
13 replies | jump to latest

I was 12 when they canceled it and yes, what a shame. The reason is quite simple actually. After the season finale (in which I clearly remember you know who dying), for whatever reason or another this show took a break (probably to review the popularity and viewership) and does anyone remember what show the WB aired in Savannah's place as a test run? Test run meaning to see how successful that show would be. DING DING DING? That show was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Savannah was canceled because Buffy became an occult hit and had more viewers than Savannah (same time slot), and though I enjoyed Savannah I do take sides with Buffy and admit that I also enjoyed that show very much. Probably even more so than Savannah.

[–] MrSitcom 14 years ago

Savannah was canceled before Buffy hit the air. Buffy was a mid-season replacement, waiting in the wings for something to drop off. Savannah was the show that got the boot, so Buffy filled the slot.

I don't know all the specific reasons that the WB pulled the plug on the show. But I have a feeling it was for 2 reasons...1) not enough viewers. 2) expensive show (on location shoot in Savannah and huge cast).

But it didn't go away because of Buffy. Buffy wasn't even a cult hit at the beginning. The popularity came during season 2.

[–] ChinaCha0 14 years ago

Now we know. Thanks.

[–] MrSitcom 14 years ago

ding ding ding.
This year's CW midseason replacement was LIFE UNEXPECTED. It was introduced last May along with the rest of the shows. But it was introduced as the mid-season replacement. It premiered in January...as soon as there was room in the schedule. But none of the shows were canceled BECAUSE of "Life Unexpected". This is exactly what happened with Buffy. 13 episodes were produced well in advance of Season 2. And it sat there and waited. It made it's debut in March. It's just how the Network Television biz works.

[–] TheMysteryOne 14 years ago

The reason Savnnah was canceled was probably because it was not filmed in Savannah . Trust me i know . I live in Savannah .

[–] MrSitcom 14 years ago

It was shot on location in Georgia. Parts of it were shot in Savannah. I know because I had some friends that played small parts in the show. Plus I worked for a WB affiliate at the time.

[–] TheMysteryOne 14 years ago

The intro was filmed here & a few scenes were said to have been made here due to the Olympics . I live in Savannah & have been for for a long time .

[–] MrSitcom 14 years ago

It was canceled because they didn't have enough viewers.

[–] lostcruces22 13 years ago

It was not canceled because of viewership. It was canceled because it did not fit the demographic that the WB prime time was trying to cater too. Teens and young adults. Shows like the aforementioned Buffy. Charmed. Dawson's Creek, 7th Heaven, and the Wayans Bros. to name a few. The WB never had the ratings of the major networks. regardless of how popular a show may have been, that despite the viewership of Savannah, it may have been to big a risk for a network like FOX to add to their lineup.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MrSitcom 13 years ago

Yes. It was canceled because of viewership. If it was the highest rated show they had, it would have indeed continued. It was the highest promoted show on the network. With your logic you are saying it did fine in the ratings and they just decided to pull the plug on a successful show because they wanted to go a different route. So wrong. The WB didn't adopt the young teen demo as their target audience until Felicity and Dawson's Creek and the success of Buffy happened at the same time. Dawson's Creek was always billed as the show that defined the network. Long after Savannah went away. Wayans Bros was not a part of that young teen demo either. That was a part of the urban demo they started with. Don't state facts unless you actually have them.

[–] nyfarmgirl17 12 years ago

MrSitcom is right. Buffy was a mid-season replacement in the summer of 1997. Savannah had already wrapped in Feb of 1997 of season 1 and knew they were not coming back. It WAS filmed entirely on location in Georgia. Buffy did not become a cult classic until it was picked up for Season 2.

Season 1 of Buffy since it aired in the summer was only a 12 episode trial run. Not even the cast thought it would last, but because of its summer time slot, teens got addicted to its dark comedy style, and no new shows in that time were aired in summer. So during a summer of repeats, people got to see new eps of Buffy.

I loved Savannah but blaming Buffy for its demise is irrelevant when the show aired its "series finale" in Feb of 1997. Being produced by Spelling he probably saw no place for the show to go or the numbers improving.

BUT Buffy did make the WB a household name along with Dawson's Creek, and made it a major network. Which made the fact they did not renew their contract with the show in 2000-2001 season a slap in the face. Not only did they sign their death warrant and have to merge with UPN after that to make the CW but they alienated their viewers in the process.

They just decided they had grown too famous with Buffy, and with so many other shows like Smallville they did not have enough money to keep them all, and sacrificed one of the shows that made them popular. Which if anyone watched the last seasons of Buffy might not be a bad thing. After Buffy joined UPN they became dark, stale, idiotic episodes even SMG was quoted in thinking were ridiculous.

Whedon bastardized his own show and put it in a blender, and let it become just terrible. It floundered, it was uncohesive, and lack the original spark of the show.

All and all the WB probably did not renew Savannah because the numbers were bad, and the plot was hard to follow if you missed an episode. The WB made the poorest choices in TV thus why they don't exist anymore, as their own network. I would love to find it online and relive the memories though.

The CW only remained on the map because of Smallville, and a little soap called One Tree Hill, which the network did not want until fans poured in support. Every year they tried to cancel OTH and fans demanded it. So even the CW wanted their soapy stuff gone, and now look, it's all they air now.

From Gilmore Girls of the past, Charmed, The Vampire Diaries, to Gossip Girl, OTH made the CW reevaluate their stance on night time soaps. I don't know why they doubted it, it's proven with Melrose, and 90210 that soaps live and create tons of revenue and make networks known. Fox had 90210 when they started broadcasting and wanted to cancel it! But then it went on and on! Now Fox is one of the largest grossing networks in history. (which they tried to regain more with the OC)

But now the CW only renewed the last OTH eps in a 13 episode season, their last season. So once again like the WB, the CW throws the baby out with the bath water. It's all a money crunching numbers game. I work for NBC so I can safely say that.

"I am a lover and have not found my thing to love"~Sherwood Anderson

[–] ChinaCha0 12 years ago

What threw me off was that there was a promo of a bunch of viewers simultaneously screaming, "We love Savannah," or the like. Then I remember Buffy during the summer & me watching bc it was at the same time slot. Maybe the promo was really a farewell but quite misleading.

[–] paranoja 8 years ago

The reason Savannah was cancelled was because it did horribly in reruns - normally shows last until mid-May with a few breaks inbetween their 22 episode orders, but since they couldn't take breaks with Savannah with said horrible repeat numbers, plus the decline in season two it ended early in February instead.

This is the reason why Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place had 32-34 episodes per season + specials. Obviously The WB, being a young channel at that point, might not have had money to produce that many episodes. Along comes Buffy, while not the strongest performer in its first season, their rerun ratings did decently.

I think the producers knew the show was in trouble when writing what became the series finale, as they wrapped the main plot up even if it could've continued into season three, they avoided major cliffhangers like the one in season one.