Whedonesque : Comments on 13641 : Drive no longer.

well that suxs big time

Reruns of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, probably.

I'm thinking Anger Management II.

Blasted. They did that to Tru Calling too. So, who's going to start the DVD campaign?

WHAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTT????????

If I were Tim Minear, I would like to have a nice long talk with whoever is with programming. First, they "split" the season, then we hear there were only six episodes made, and the last two would be shown on the 4th, then the 13th...and now this????
Will they at least have them available online? They at least did that for that reality show about the crazy boss. This is just unacceptable.

[ edited by impalergeneral on 2007-07-07 02:10 ]

impalergeneral | July 07, 02:06 CET

Wasn't the season ender for Standoff scheduled originally for the 13th? It'd be nice if they actually aired it...

cabri | July 07, 02:09 CET

Ya know, when I first got my cable, I had to manually set all the stations to tune in (don't even ask what a pain in the arse that was)...I'm wondering if I can turn Fox back off. GRR!

WillowSlay | July 07, 02:17 CET

I was going to say something much saltier, but I guess "Grr. Argh" will have to suffice. Sigh...

OzLady | July 07, 02:27 CET

cabri, I think they're putting Standoff back in Drive's place (confused yet?), along with a repeat of Bones. Although I might be wrong.

gossi | July 07, 02:27 CET

I am just not surprised. What was the point anyway? There was no ending to it.

I hate FOX!

madmolly | July 07, 02:32 CET

Gawd, I HATE those dumbasses!

Ninja MALi | July 07, 02:45 CET

I guess Tim will just have to show up at Comic-Con with a DVD of the final two episodes in hand.

theonetruebix | July 07, 02:46 CET

bix, only if he then tells us stories about what happens after the cliffhanger in the 6th episode.

TamaraC | July 07, 02:53 CET

Somebody find Tim's weak spot and bribe him.

gossi | July 07, 02:55 CET

Somebody find Tim's weak spot and bribe him.

Maybe if the guy who won it at Backup Bash finally put Tim's script for The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress online, he would reward us.

theonetruebix | July 07, 02:58 CET

cabri, I just confirmed, Standoff and Bones areon next Friday in Drive's place.

[ edited by gossi on 2007-07-07 03:10 ]

gossi | July 07, 03:09 CET

Thank you, gossi! You're a sweetheart. :) Now if you would only get rid of those porn spammers on Goners, I would love you forever and ever...

cabri | July 07, 03:12 CET

I'm extremely disappointed.

Succatash | July 07, 03:18 CET

To quote Jayne, "Saw that comin'."

death is my gift | July 07, 03:31 CET

Maybe if enough of us e-mail FOX at askfox@fox.com and ask them to place the episodes at least on line for folks that would at least something.

The Hey | July 07, 03:32 CET

"And you're what, shocked and disappointed? I'm evil" -fox exec..oh wait that was Spike.

MySerenity | July 07, 04:01 CET

I sent an email...but I doubt it would do any good. Anyone else just tired and over the whole FOX thing? Seriously...they are like a toxic friend you just gotta ditch or they will just bring you down.

jenofthejungle | July 07, 04:05 CET

"Par for the course" someone once said. If they can stop a season in 2 or 6 or 13 episodes, why not reverse what they said about airing any episodes that didnt run. Stupid Fux.

jperiodrperiod | July 07, 04:16 CET

I am shocked that Fox would do such a thing. How unlike them. This is certainly the most surprising news I've heard in the last few seconds.

spidermansays | July 07, 04:19 CET

Still on the message board http://forums.fox.com/foxdrive/start as FINAL TWO EPISODES BACK TO BACK JULY 13 8/7 c

Send them an email too. Are we sure it isn't a computer glitch? I had to email them before about the 4th being on one page and the 13 on another. Fixed. Not fixed. Fixed.

Drive now gone from here: http://www.fox.com/schedule/schedule_nextweek.htm

No air date here anymore: http://fox.com/drive/

Anonymous1 | July 07, 04:42 CET

What the heck? Can't they just put them online and get it over with????

katayla | July 07, 05:07 CET

Another example of grotesque capitalism and an unfair ratings systems trampling quality and a need for creativity on television.

ChosenOne5376 | July 07, 05:17 CET

See Fox does listen. They just took the FINAL TWO EPISODES off of http://forums.fox.com/foxdrive/start

I got a snapshot of it before it went away.

Going to see Waitress again tomorrow.

Here, have an unconditional hug.

[ edited by Anonymous1 on 2007-07-07 05:46 ]

Anonymous1 | July 07, 05:31 CET

Another example of grotesque capitalism and an unfair ratings systems trampling quality and a need for creativity on television.

You know, you can't really criticize "grotesque capitalism" for trampling on creativity when they had to ante up several million dollars just to have the show be produced in the first place. It's that capitalism that allows us to have shows with such high production values on the air in the first place.

sistakaren | July 07, 05:50 CET

Yes. And they know damn well how much something is going to cost before it even goes to air. They have bean counters doing the math before the first ep even gets shot!

Networks crying "boo hoo it cost too much, wahh we had to cancel it" just doesn't wash. They did the same lameass trick with Deadwood. Like they didn't fucking know from the get-go. They have more money than most small countries, and they know exactly what they are getting into. They throw the equivalent of the national deficit at shit like LOST (please don't argue here - it is just. not. any. good.), and we lose. We lose every time.

Makes me nauseous.

(cussed a lot there, but that's what I do when I get mad.)

Willowy | July 07, 06:11 CET

This is just sick and wrong.

Robogeek | July 07, 06:14 CET

WHAT?! Ugh. I was just talking today about how excited I was about it. Goodness. I hate fox.

geekerjoy34 | July 07, 07:13 CET

I see that today is my monthly "Here is the new reason I hate Fox with my heart and soul" post to Whedonesque. sigh.

mifeng | July 07, 07:28 CET

Firefly made it to DVD because we just wouldn't let (or shut) up, so that doesn't count. But Wonderfalls was cut awfully early and still DVD-ed, for example, so I guess there's hope. But only six episodes makes for a skimpy disc (there aren't any more in any state of filmage, right?).

RBB | July 07, 08:00 CET

Right, RBB. I'm mostly just waiting for the last two to show up on iTunes and Unbox so I can dl the set. Hopefully next week since the chances of them getting aired are slimmer and slimmer every hour.

cabri | July 07, 08:42 CET

My question is, why do they even bother saying they'll air the final episodes in the first place?

zoinkers | July 07, 09:44 CET

Wasn't the season ender for Standoff scheduled originally for the 13th? It'd be nice if they actually aired it...

Does that mean 'Standoff' is cancelled too ?

Pity about 'Drive', I feel for you guys, but being as it was cancelled before i watched any this is the perfect excuse to just wipe any episodes that, err, may have somehow ended up on my hard-drive. Been wondering whether to watch, 4 episodes just doesn't seem worth it.

And I doubt there'll be a DVD, as someone says above, it's not justified for 6 eps. Hell, 'The Inside' has 13 eps and a kinda-sorta natural end-point (a la 'Wonderfalls') and that's not out nor looking like it will be.

Saje | July 07, 10:42 CET

FOX sucks. Not surprising at all. But it still stings.

Drive wasn't one of the best shows on TV, but it was enjoyable. Which is more than can be said about a lot of the stuff networks, especially FOX, put on.

UnpluggedCrazy | July 07, 11:42 CET

"And we're what .... surprised by this?" :) Oh, and What Willowy Said only with even more profanity.
The sad truth is that I was really disappointed with Drive, the only thing I really liked about it was Nathan.

In the meantime, tonight I watched the beginning of the "encore presentation" of the first season of Jerico, actually a very good show. At the end there was a little blip of Skeet Ulrich saying "Thanks for bringing us back, it's your show now."
Fox is not only evil, they're stupid in the bargain.

Shey | July 07, 11:45 CET

Grrr Argh indeed. Emphasis on grrrrr.

Kessie | July 07, 12:02 CET

Grr, what a bunch of idiots!

Salocin | July 07, 13:24 CET

Disappointed. And yet somehow, not surprised. I look at FOX's fall schedule and see only one show I expect to watch, so that's all they'll get from me--and it's not New Amsterdam. Not that they care.

Maeve | July 07, 13:55 CET

Anyone else just tired and over the whole FOX thing? Seriously...they are like a toxic friend you just gotta ditch or they will just bring you down.

Right? I have just had it with those people.

Samantha | July 07, 15:25 CET

*sigh*
F*X just can't get a clue, can they? I still say they should let Tim film a seventh "Closure" Episode, so that they can put Drive on DVD. They'd recoup their losses, and make oodles. But Nooooooo.....

TDBrown | July 07, 16:10 CET

I will never invest my time in watching another show on Fox again.

zengrrl | July 07, 16:11 CET

Yes, Saje. Standoff is canceled as well. They haven't stated it officially, but no continuing show is scheduled the way Standoff has been in the last 6 months and it is very widely assumed as dead and gone.

TamaraC | July 07, 18:06 CET

Agreed, zengrrl. Never again. They have the right to cancel their shows, but not to lie to us! I have been looking forward to the last two episodes for these past few months, only to have them yank them at the last minute. They are disrespecting their audiences feelings and I won't be treated that way by them anymore. Fox will never appear on my TV ever again.

[ edited by Ninja MALi on 2007-07-07 18:24 ]

Ninja MALi | July 07, 18:24 CET

TamaraC, Standoff is also not on the fall pickups from FOX. So it's officially cancelled. They just haven't announced it as cancelled in Variety. FOX lied to fans for a long time claiming it wasn't cancelled for whatever reason, I don't know.

gossi | July 07, 18:28 CET

Adding to the "not surprised" folks here... *sigh* Come on, Fox, really.

Sproing | July 07, 18:48 CET

Yeah, gossi. I know. You wouldn't believe the people in denial who argue with me about it though. But then, you probably would believe it.

TamaraC | July 07, 19:11 CET

Never had a chance to watch an episode, they didn't air over here. Did read the transcripes from TwOP and Tim's site, thought the show sounded solid. Couple things I will miss seeing though. That really nice ass shot of Kristin Lehman and Nathan going pedal-to-the-metal in his '70 Challenger. Heh, I'm only human;)

Madhatter | July 07, 19:23 CET

Y'know, I think they really don't actually know what the hell they are doing or even make an effort to act consistently with respect to anything but their current cash cows.

I know they make lots of money and are therefore presumed to be canny, but I truly think they just fiddle around blindly with most of their non-blockbuster scheduling, to see what happens-a kind of unstructured experimental approach to demographics and marketing.

This kind of weird juggling around, with multiple false announcements is goofy, and can hardly be a strategic manoever. It makes no sense, except insofar as it shows they don't much care what happens with a particular not enormous group of viewers.

toast | July 07, 20:19 CET

Yes, Saje. Standoff is canceled as well.

Shite. Not a perfect show by any stretch but it had its moments. And Gina doesn't deserve that (nor Ron Livingstone, nor most of the cast).

Got the luxury of following 'House' and 'Bones' on DVD/'other means'. Mofos are lucky I don't have an actual say, s'all i'm saying.

Saje | July 08, 02:36 CET

I'm wondering if I can turn Fox back off. GRR!

my tv has a censorship function (for parents to control what their spawn watch i guess) that allows you to black out a channel - when you channel surf, it skips right past the censored channel. i've had Fox blacked out for a couple of years now, and only unblocked it so i could watch Drive. the minute it was cancelled Fox went back to being blacked out.

i feel like a moron for not automatically assuming they would screw us on the last 2 eps, doh.

t r a c y | July 08, 09:50 CET

I was thinking about Fox the other day and it occurred to me when Joss does return to telly, that network might be the only one willing to give him a chance. Just a thought.

Simon | July 08, 10:07 CET

You'd kinda hope he'd hold out for premium cable though. I mean if people like Alan Ball can jump from writing sitcom Cybil to award-winning American Beauty and then manage to realize something as special as Six Feet Under on HBO...and David Milch went from NYPD Blue to Deadwood on the same network...David Chase from a bunch of stuff I can't remember/haven't seen including Hill Street Blues to The Sopranos...Shawn Ryan jumped from Angel to The Shield (probably the shortest trip from bit part network TV writer to hit series cable creator)...Ryan Murphy had the WB's Popular before Nip/Tuck...etc...

It doesn't seem like you even need to have had a long-running successful series to nab a spot on HBO, FX, or Showtime. Apparently you just have to go to them with a great idea, at the right time when they're in need of new shows (right now would be perfect, with many long-runners ending or having recently ended). And be someone they want to work with. Given the diverse backgrounds of genres of the folks running these cable shows, Joss seems like someone they'd jump at the chance to work with.

All I'm saying is, he should hold out for cable. There's a greater chance his ideas will be wasted on network and he's been burned twice by 'em, once majorly (though that's nothing compared to Tim Minear, ouch).

And no bitching about not being able to afford cable for the three months a new 12-episode Joss series would be on. If you can afford the internet and regular TV, you can probably get it together for cable. If not, I'll burn ya'll copies.

Kris | July 08, 14:15 CET

To be honest, if Fox was truly the only network that would give Joss a chance again then I'd say that he was better off not returning to television at all. I'd rather never see another Joss show than see one begin with the kind of promise that Firefly had and have it axed before the pilot finished airing, which is the likely outcome of any Joss related show on Fox. Sad but true.

I'd much rather see what Kris suggests above happen and Joss end up on a cable channel that is more open to his kind of show. I always believed that any Spike or Faith show would benefit from being able to be a little more adult. Same goes for any show Joss wanted to do. Sure, we would have to accept shorter seasons of around twelve episodes but think how good they would be. Joss Whedon allowed to experiment with a show on the same level as Dexter or Deadwood? I'd be there.

Buffysmglover | July 08, 14:42 CET

So onboard with the "Joss should be on cable" crowd. For one thing, cable does material that's actually worthy of his talent. And if I can afford it as poor as I am, anyone can :)My real justification being that I'm definitely never going to be able to afford going to a con.

Shey | July 09, 11:10 CET

Come on Tim, leak them to the net!

Pumps | July 09, 13:18 CET

July 07 2007