It seems that NBC has inched closer to canceling one of its new shows and it’s not even on the air.
Reuters is reporting that the Peacock has taken a bite out of the Becky Newton anthology series, reducing its planned episode count from 13 to 9. This isn’t a terribly surprising move, sad to say, since the risky rom-com was left off the recently revealed midseason schedule, along with Friends with Benefits and The Paul Reiser Show.
However, that doesn’t make it any less disappointing. Love Bites was one of the shows I was most excited for this season, due to the fact that something somewhat different was actually being aired on network television and the fact that Becki Newton was cast as the show’s lead (and one of the few regular characters). Fresh off her scene-stealing turn as Mode Magazine receptionist/diva/best friend in my head Amanda on Ugly Betty, Newton seemed poised to breakout. Granted, NBC has been in a slump recently and (most) anything out of the ordinary is routinely shunned by mainstream audiences, but here was Amanda, my Amanda, starring on her own show. Total proud papa moment.
Alas, that moment was short lived. Newton became pregnant with her first child, resulting in Love being delayed until midseason and The Apprentice taking back its Thursday at 10:00 timeslot. The late start date will be the final nail in the show’s coffin, more than likely, as the last successful late season (post-February sweeps) start was ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy in 2005 (and that needed the post-Superbowl timeslot to really send it into superstar land).
The only solace the show has is the lack of expectations on NBC, a network whose top drama usually hovers around a 2.0 (plus or minus) in the 18-49 advertising demographic and who only has one comedy above 3.0. If Love Bites manages to stay above 2.0, it’s got a puncher’s chance, but the network could be looking to want to go in a new direction for the 2011-12 season. This is of course just speculation, as spring numbers tend to be lower than fall and we still have no idea where Love Bites ends up on the schedule or what shape NBC is in at the time of its debut. What we do have an idea of is that diversity is needed in network television and the chance that a show that could bring something fresh to the table is DOA just really…well…you know.
Where would you schedule Love Bites if you ran NBC? Do you think it’ll make it to season 2?
