I was just complaining about this to someone. They're going to show the last two episodes on a night when everyone is gone. Plus, why are they waiting so long to air them? Couldn't they find an open slot, instead of running a rerun?

The stupidity at FOX rides again.

almostbrilliant | May 08, 10:55 CET

This is so angering. Air them at 3 a.m. or something.

And even more angering: It's not like these final episodes will be much of a payoff. We'll never know who wins the race or how. It seems pretty pointless to air them at all, don't you think?

TheZeppo | May 08, 11:09 CET

Maybe we'll at least get to find out what's in the safe deposit box.

Zeppo | May 08, 11:13 CET

I think it would be cool to show the final episodes out of order.

theonetruebix | May 08, 11:31 CET

This reminds me of Fox playing the final four episodes of Arrested Development against the opening ceremonies of last year's Winter Olympics. It figures Fox would dump the final two episodes on a night when people would see fireworks than a show that never got a chance...or an ending.

impalergeneral | May 08, 12:12 CET

Or better yet, actually broadcast them entirely backwards and then broadcast the first four episodes backwards in reverse order as well, to give the illusion that Alex actually does reach the finish line despite it actually being his home. It would also look like he had given Corinna back to the guy she had been running from and that Winston ended up back in prison but you can't always have a happy ending for everyone. At least it would appear John Trimble was getting better...

Sounds stupid but frankly not out of the question when it comes to Fox.

Demon-X | May 08, 12:32 CET

Whoop de freakin' do. Thanks FOX, you *expletive deleted* *expletive deleteds*.

OzLady | May 08, 14:44 CET

July 4th--could they have picked a worse date in the summer.

I think not-

rivergirl | May 08, 15:23 CET

Winter Olympics. Summer Olympics. July 4th.

3 unaired episodes of Firefly.

Who has the Olympics next?

Does anybody know if Bones is in reruns during the summer? And how much it ratings usually are?

Anonymous1 | May 08, 15:44 CET

No Zeppo, it does matter - we get to see Nathan channel Mal a few more times - that's always good :)

Pumps | May 08, 16:01 CET

Everytime a show gets cancelled I try to suggest that fans pledge NOT to buy any DVD for it and make sure the networks/distributors know this.

Might slow them down and get them to at least let it finish the season.

Is there a definitive list somewhere of all the shows fox has cancelled? I know American Dad did a joke about it once.

TaraLivesOn | May 08, 16:18 CET

I'm just curious, since I know a bare minimum about US television networks... Does Fox cancel noticeably more shows than NBC, ABC and CBS or are they all, in fact, as trigger-happy?

alien lanes | May 08, 16:26 CET

Everytime a show gets cancelled I try to suggest that fans pledge NOT to buy any DVD for it and make sure the networks/distributors know this.

FOX don't even produce or sell the DVDs, so they wouldn't care.

Something like 90% of shows don't make it past pilot, and only 25% survive their first season. Most shows come and go without people even realising they are on.

In unrelated news, the BBC just memailed me to say they have interviewed Nathan and it'll be on their next BBC Radio 1 entertainment show (I'm not sure when that is). You'll find out the name of his cat, so it sounds like a good'un.

gossi | May 08, 16:32 CET

They're all pretty trigger happy, dashboardprophet, but Fox seems to lead the league in stupidity.

One of the other networks recently mega-hyped a show for an actress (I don't even remember her name or the name of the show)--lots of print and electronic ads, and even ads that ran on the outside of DC-area public buses (and presumably in many more markets, as well.) The show was cancelled after its very first episode, but the bus ads ran for about two weeks longer.

Chris inVirginia | May 08, 16:50 CET

Oh, and adding to the chorus of "July 4????"

Chris inVirginia | May 08, 16:51 CET

This is totally unrelated to the thread (other than what I'm asking about can technically be seen alongside the thread, as well as all the others, I guess) but is anyone else having problems with getting the Whedonesque pages to load up, particularly the Amazon ads on each page? Half the time the pages take forever to appear and the rest of the time the Amazon ads just don't appear at all.

I think I saw a similar problem with Amazon ads yesterday at a BSG site I check out but I wanted to ask if others had noticed this happening so that I could be sure it wasn't just a problem with my computer alone.

Demon-X | May 08, 16:55 CET

And here it is:

Peter: Everybody I've got bad news. We've been cancelled.
Lois: Oh no Peter! How could they do that?
Peter: Well unfortuantely Lois, there's just no more room on the schedule. We just gotta accept the fact that FOX has to make room for terrific shows like Dark Angel, Titus, Undeclared, Action, That 80's Show, Wonder Falls, Fast Lane, Andy Richter Controls The Universe, Skin, Girl's Club, Cracking Up, The Pitts, Firefly, Get Real, Freaky Links, Wanda At Large, Costello, The Lone Gunman, A Minute with Stan Hooper, Normal Ohio, Pasadena, Harsh Realm, Keen Eddy, The Street, American Embassy, Cedric The Entertainer, The Tick, Louie, And Greg The Bunny....
Lois: Is there no hope?
Peter: Well I suppose if ALL those shows go down the tubes we might have a shot.

Course, I'm still slightly bitter about what they did to the Doctor.

williamthebloody1880 | May 08, 17:06 CET

I would like to say I am surprised...but I'm not. I think you can add me to the list of not watching a FOX show until the season is over....or maybe I just will boycott them all together.
*shakes head* tsk, tsk. tsk.

jenofthejungle | May 08, 17:10 CET

This might have been mentioned before but does anyone know if the full half season of 13 episodes will be produced or does it all stop at episode 6? Tim did a good job with a 13 episode arc for Wonderfalls I thought.

StaffOSimon | May 08, 17:16 CET

It stopped at 6, StaffOSimon. It was originally a 13 episode order, but that didn't happen for whatever reason. So it's kinda not with the closure.

I think it was TNT or CBS in 2006 which produced a show with 13 episodes, marketed it but on the day of the premiere it didn't actually air. Why? Well, they canceled it before it aired for whatever reason, but presumably didn't tell their marketing people.

gossi | May 08, 17:25 CET

StaffOSimon Only 6 episodes were produced. There will be no more made unless it gets picked up - and after pigs fly I'll win the lottery, too.

fey_girl | May 08, 17:33 CET

Oh, this pisses me off.

I won't even be home!

UnpluggedCrazy | May 08, 18:33 CET

I feel obligated to point out that the quote is from Family Guy, not American Dad.

scarymike23 | May 08, 18:33 CET

*headdesk*

So it is. My bad.

williamthebloody1880 | May 08, 18:42 CET

Speaking of shows on the bubble...do we know anything about the status of Veronica Mars?

I will be very disappointed if they take that one off the air after S3.

alexreager | May 08, 18:44 CET

Well, July 4 works for me. We always stay home with the dogs, two of whom are afraid of thunder and fireworks. We'll be watching while a 65-pound Labrador retriever tries to climb onto our shoulders.

Bobbi | May 08, 19:20 CET

me too alexreager!

jenofthejungle | May 08, 19:20 CET

This does save me the four bucks I would've spent purchasing the last two eps.

Pointy | May 08, 19:36 CET

Same here. Glad they're airing them, don't much care when it is.

jam2 | May 08, 20:06 CET

I already preordered episodes 5, 6...

But I'll be watching July 4th. And adding to my Drive VHS tape.

Anonymous1 | May 08, 20:49 CET

I gave up on fireworks a long time ago, so I'll be watching.

MySerenity | May 08, 21:37 CET

To be honest, I don't think--original cancellation aside--we should be angry at Fox for when they choose to air the last two eps. Doesn't matter that no one will be watching TV on July 4th--Fox isn't airing these to pick up casual viewers, it's too late for that. This just gives the fans a chance to at least record those final hours.

Alexreager, the fate of VM will be announced when the WB reveals its fall schedule sometime in May, but from what I hear we better all keep our fingers crossed.

Niels(Telltale) | May 08, 22:15 CET

Here's an idea: how about boycotting fireworks and watching Drive instead? It's not like the planet needs more environmental pollutants such as fireworks, or bomblike paramilitaristic displays--no matter how pretty the colors.

And it's not like there's endless money of the sort that would make spending it on fireworks shows reasonable, considering, well, starvation, disease, and other ills.

I know small boycotts make no difference to the larger world, but there's still good reason to undertake them anyway. Tell your friends, and tell 'em to tell their friends. Drive will be way more fun.

anniem | May 08, 22:39 CET

Luckily, I was already pre-hating Fox yesterday in anticipation of the cancellation of The SCC..so my hatred is able to flow freely towards them without any sort of time wasting build up.

mifeng | May 08, 23:29 CET

The stupidity at FOX rides again.

i'd say it has little to do with stupidity and probably more to do with maliciousness or insanity - i don't see how we could assume anything else.

t r a c y | May 08, 23:46 CET

I just don't see how it makes any sense to spend the money on developing a new show and then cancelling it so abruptly... you would think that setting up a show for the first episode or two would cost quite a lot of money compared to an average episode later in the run...

Just taking Lost as a quick example, paying for the big effects or the airplane parts in the very first episode would have been quite expensive but then some of these things can be reused at no additional cost later on, like sets and such. You'd think that if you've spend the money on the more costly first episodes then you might as well see it through for at least a season, heavily promote it and give it a regular timeslot in order to see if it can develop a solid fanbase.

I really just don't understand this new culture of expecting shows to be immediately huge hits. I think that maybe a decade ago when Buffy was just starting the networks were more patient in that respect, but in recent years shows either seem to take off right away, like Lost or Desperate Housewives or Heroes, or is cut short before it has a chance to- as we can all testify with Firefly. If they had have cancelled Buffy in its first season because it wasn't as hugely popular and mainstream as those shows then The WB and UPN would have missed out on a considerable loyal audience. Yes, both were smaller networks but surely larger networks would have more money and resources to spend on supporting and nuturing new shows?

I am extremely disappointed because I was looking forward to seeing Tim Minear and Nathan Fillion working together again. And it always seems unlikely that the show will receive a DVD release because it's been so brutually truncated.

Razor | May 09, 01:02 CET

alex, head on over to aicn.com for some potentially good news on VM.

I'll be the first (and probably last) to commit the following heresy...IMHO Drive wasn't particularly good, it got poor ratings, and I'm not sure what else Fox was expected to do with it. Nathan commands a screen like few others and I hope to see him in many movies and series again soon, but quite frankly he was given an annoying partner, surrounded by unengaging cast members, alternately assaulted and aided by silly villains, and not even lit particularly well. Again, merely one man's opinion, but the show was striking out on just about every front, and when you consider the marketing push Fox gave it, I don't see them as the bad guys here. Just the business end that wasn't going to make any money with the show. Comparing Drive's experience to Firefly's is an insult to Firefly, the two are many galaxies apart in quality and unfair treatment.

*ducks*

MrArg | May 09, 01:55 CET

It started out slow, but each episode was better than the last one. I personally was looking forward to where it was going. If they gave it the full 13 eps, I think it would have come out amazing and maybe the audience would have started watching it as well.

LOUiE | May 09, 02:08 CET

Hmmm... maybe Tim Minear should talk to 20th Century Fox (not the Network) about filming an Episode 7 for closure, and put it all on a DVD Box Set. Just think... Fox might pick it back up then, and run it as a MiniSeries!
(#@$%ing Fox)

Seriously, though, I wish they'd do that. Closure, and it would Sell !

TDBrown | May 09, 03:19 CET

>>>The show was cancelled after its very first episode, but the bus ads ran for about two weeks longer.<<<

The ads (the ones that animate as the train moves) for Day Break ran on the DC metro red line for months after it was canceled.

foreverwes | May 09, 04:20 CET

>>>The show was cancelled after its very first episode, but the bus ads ran for about two weeks longer.<<<

The ads (the ones that animate as the train moves) for Day Break ran on the DC metro red line for months after it was canceled.

foreverwes | May 09, 04:20 CET

I disagree with MrArg's sentiments regarding the quality of the show (Except his comment that the female lead was not the best choice ever) but I do happen to agree that this really isn't Fox's fault as much as Firefly was.

I had never even heard of Firefly until Serenity came out and that was when I still watched TV. Now I don't watch TV much anymore and I saw a ton of advertisememnts for Drive. So they did the marketing this time. The only thing I can complain about was the whole night switching thing they did with the first three episodes. Showing 4 episodes in 8 days isn't the way to build a fanbase.

I think that the sad thing is everyone here probably had some kind of idea in the back of our heads that this was going to happen. The next time, if there is one, that Nathan or Tim are involved in a show I might just expect it to be cancelled. I'll probably still watch but I'm not sure I'll try to get other people to watch it as much as I did with Drive. It's annoying to get everyone to watch something then to have to tell them a week later that I was wrong.

Superrodan | May 09, 04:39 CET

It's upsetting because it's happened so often.

There's a reason we love Tim Minear's shows. They're smarter than anything else on the air, and they're genuinely innovative. On any other network, I sincerely believe Firefly, Wonderfalls, The Inside and Drive would've had a real shot.

It has to be frustrating and draining for the guy, when each show he's on has such potential to break the mold, and is murdered right out of the gate.

I hate to think he's so riddled with bitterness that he'll sell his soul and write for (insert name of dreadful show of your choice).

TheZeppo | May 09, 06:29 CET

>>>The show was cancelled after its very first episode, but the bus ads ran for about two weeks longer.<<<

I think he's referring to the Heather Graham show "Emily's Reasons Why Not" (or something like that).

That was a hugely publicized one-episode wonder.

TheZeppo | May 09, 06:30 CET

OK, so I don't live in the US, but I am highly sceptical about that. I think it highly probable all the networks work to similar economics, and come under similar pressure on ratings from their advertisers. My (relatively uninformed) expectation would be that it would only be subscriber cable channels like HBO which would not be subject to those pressures.

Besides, given that Joss and Tim both hitched their star to the Fox network, wouldn't the suggestion that Fox is worse than others make them pretty stupid? Which we know they are not.

Kiddo | May 09, 10:51 CET

I just think Fox has a reputation of never having interest in one of their shows unless it produces big numbers. It's like the numbers define the quality of the show.

It's not like UPN/CW with Veronica Mars, a show that hasn't brought the desired viewership, but has people at the network who believe in it enough to keep it on the air.

Same with NBC and 30 Rock, and others. (Feel free to chime in, dudes).

Drive was a BIG show. Epic in scope, with infinite possibilities for characters and set pieces. It could have been the "revolutionary new series" all the ads were touting.

(I'm almost done)(Promise)

I do believe Firefly could have been allowed to breathe on the Sci-Fi channel if brought there in the beginning. And yeah, I understand all the reasons that would have never happened. Still, Firefly was too brilliant for any mainstream network. It could've stuck in a niche market.

TheZeppo | May 09, 13:06 CET

The main problem with FOX is even as they premier a show, they are sharpening the axes. I can't fault them for the endless publicity they gave Drive (except to say they made it look like a simple-minded show and repeated "A secret, cross-country road-race!" ad nauseam). What I do find fault with is their unwillingness to give the show a chance to find an audience. If the show did poorly after half a season, fine, it deserves to go. But they just showed a ton of ads, put it on a tough night, and killed it after eight days. These days if a show doesn't do blockbuster numbers right out of the gate, it's gone. After putting so much money into it, would it hurt to run it after AI for a few episodes? Why not repeat it on FX? Why not wait to see if Waitress brings a ton of attention to Nathan? Surely the talent in front and behind the camera would justify giving the show a chance.

And while I agree it wasn't Tim or Nathan's best show ever, it got better with each episode and had a lot of potential.

Dizzy | May 09, 20:41 CET

Drive's on Uncyclopedia. It's a wiki with lots of great facts about the show.

gossi | May 09, 21:00 CET

Gossi, I just checked out that article. I especially loved "Drive is a cross country secret illegal cross country secret illegal cross country secret illegal cross country secret illegal road race cross country secret illegal something, just in case you missed the trailers." And here I thought that site was just a spoof.

electricspacegirl | May 09, 23:57 CET

Secret. Shhhh! There is something going to be on TV on July 4th that the government doesn't want you to watch. It is on Fox network. 8 eastern/7 central. Something illegal.

Anonymous1 | May 10, 06:33 CET