why did?
Why did nbc have to cancel such an awesome show? This is a great show to watch even now. I can't believe it got canceled or that another network didn't pick it up. I would love for it come back now.
Who's with me?
I honestly have no idea why "The Black Donnelly's" was cancelled. I think it had something to do with ratings, but I'm not sure if they were poor or what. I heard that NBC has a new head manager every few years, and it seems like NBC has a way of cancelling good shows for no reason. They did that with "American Dreams" and a few other good shows.
share....and it seems like NBC has a way of cancelling good shows for no reason.
NBC has developed a reputation for not nurturing its shows or giving them a chance to find their potential long-term audiences. I remember making note that NBC stopped promoting the show very early on.
In fairness, though, I do believe something happened with the pilot of The Black Donnellys, and to this day I can't quite put my finger on the cause. According to the show's overnight ratings, the show debuted with very strong numbers; however, those numbers dropped off dramatically after the first 30 minutes.
I'm very patient when it comes to story telling; and I wasn't surprised about the audience dropping off because the show lost my attention too after the first half hour. There's a part of me that thinks that Paul Haggis spent too much time showing and telling us what badasses the Donnelly Brothers are. Usually the screenwriter/director just shows the audience. I can't imagine the show without Joey Ice Cream's narration, but I do wonder if it needed to be trimmed somewhat in the pilot.
Anyway, although the pilot was losing my interest I didn't turn it off. I went to do something else and had it running in the background. Something caught my attention by the 45-minute mark when it's revealed that Tommy Donnelly has to make the most important decision of his life. It's a definite "What Would You Do?" moment if you were walking in that person's shoes. So, I hung in there because I had to know what Tommy's response would be. If you made it to the end of the pilot, you were hooked!
I'm so glad I hung in there. It was well worth my time.
FilmFan50 share
It's been a while since I watched the pilot. I honestly can't remember too much about it except for one thing. The first commercial break didn't come on until well into the show. I know this because I thought I'd give the show a try and just watch at least until the first commercial break. That break didn't come for a while and I remember thinking since I watched so much anyway I should just finish the episode. I guess other people felt differently.
If I remember correctly this came on after Heroes, which at the time was a ratings juggernaut. Any show with a substantial drop in ratings NBC would have dropped. I always thought this show needed time or at the very least a different time slot.