[WandaRose]

Does the CW promote any of their shows, and how? I haven't paid much attention. I know Gossip Girl has done fairly well in the CW ratings bubble -- I wouldn't expect any CW shows to be on a par with the 4 majors networks.

Originally Posted by Looney Has this actually been commented on by the CW though?

No idea, I was speculating. If the ratings pick up over the next few weeks, perhaps there's a chance they'd rethink it.

[SPA]

I read that it was a done deal. Aliens is a one season show. MA or TVGuide is where I thought I read it. Maybe there's room for rethinking. That hasn't been CW's MO though. I think the only exception was 7th Heaven in the very beginning -- other than that, the CW likes the word "dump."

[scooterjo2004]

Oy vey! :eye roll:

AiA's demise is 2-fold-- horrible scripts and the fact that the CW is a netlet. It has nothing to do with any of the cast's acting abilities, especially Scott's.

[lancer1993]

One thing GG did in S5-6 was beat some of the top networks in it's time slot but then it started slipping into 3-4 spot because of its SLs

AiA doesn't need to be compared to other shows on other networks but it did need ratings to stay alive, maybe if it was on cable it would have done better over all?

[Tarty History]

At the end of the day, the show made me laugh. I got to see Scott (always good to see ), laugh some and look forward to the next episode. It wasn't the best show on TV, but it was entertaining. I guess I wasn't looking for any deep meaning in the plots, just to relax and laugh a bit. Sorry to see Aliens go.

[Nogodsnomasters]

Wow. I'm in a different time zone than most of you. When I'm sleeping, you post and vice versa. Now I'm off to work but:

I can't really agree with your sentiments NGNM. I realize this is the CW we are talking about here but this show missed the mark so many times. And I thinks it's exactly because of the schizophrenia issue. It ran the gamut from crude toilet humor to elements of a family dramedy. They never decided what they wanted this show to be. They never really stuck to anything they were selling at the Upfronts or press tour. It's as if after the Pilot aired the network told the producers to rework the show. I actually think the strongest characters were Franny and the daughter. And the only time the SL's seemed cohesive was when they stuck to something more family oriented and had the dramedy element. They unfortunately set out to be both a sitcom-y comedy and edgy and they failed on both fronts IMO. And I think the ratings show that since they were never able to pull in more than .7 share any given week. Once Online Nation and Life is Wild were cut it effectively became the lowest rated show on TV and the CW. And that wouldn't be so bad except I think the spread between it and the next highest rated show is significant enough to warrant a cancellation. Reaper is at least generating enough online interest that they have opted to wait and see and they actually brought them back after the strike which means they are gambling on Reaper improving once their new eps start airing. I'm fine with SP stepping out of Luke's flannels. He really has a lot of work to do in proving his GG success was not a one time thing. But this was not the best vehicle for him to do that. He should be taking some smaller roles on bigger shows where he'll be seen by more people. A guest stint on ER could be great. YMMV ETA I think the Luke vs Gary debate wrt to the strength of their characters is an apples to oranges comparison. Gary is supposed to be furniture. Luke was not. He was an integral component to Lorelai's SL. The central focus of AiA was about the boys. And since a large part of a teens life happens at school it strongly implied that that Gary & Franny would be used to just support whatever SL's Justin and Raja would have. And that is really how Gary was used most weeks. I think the term "disconnected" is probably the best description of him.

Looney, I'm not sure why you said you disagree. My point was that it's a combination of Aliens being on the CW as well as the schizophrenia of the show's writing/direction. Having said that, I still think Aliens is a good show and Scott was good in it.

I'll have to jump back in more thoroughly in this discussion in about eight hours.

[Kiara99]

I totally disagree that Scott has to prove he is not a one hit wonder after GG.

I agree, Scott can act if given the right part. Not every actor is cut out to do comedie like this. We know cott can do funny expressions, but the whole Gary thing was just weird...

I don't have time to read everyones input, but I read somewhere that it is Scott's fault that AiA failed? What?

Does the CW promote any of their shows, and how?

They did promote their reality sows and a friend told me that they also promoted Gossip Girls, but they did a poor job on AIA, not that it would have mattered.

[lancer1993]

It's an irony they will promote shows that are doing well but not back shows they may not care about for the long term.

as for the comedy even thought Gilmore was a drama it also had comedy parts but it was very different and Luke was the strait guy where as Gary is not.

[BarkMyer]

Originally Posted by scooterjo2004 (View Post) Oy vey! :eye roll: It has nothing to do with any of the cast's acting abilities, especially Scott's.

Nobody said it did -- or I missed it if they did. The comments seemed directed more to whether comedy was a good fit for Scott. It's a subjective thing, I think, because not everyone appreciates the same brand of humor. What's hilarious to some, leaves others cold, and I think AiA proves that.

Originally Posted by lancer It's an irony they will promote shows that are doing well but not back shows they may not care about for the long term.

The CW did seem to promote AiA, though, if the critics are any indication, because there have been many online reviews for it. I still get email alerts about it, so the word is out there. I'm not sure what qualifies as enough promotion -- keep plugging it until it's a success, no matter how dismal the ratings? At some point you have to cut your losses.

It seems as if the CW is just the scapegoat in this, which is understandable. Hardly any of us had a positive opinion of them last year, with negative sentiments running high after the cancellation of GG; I remember many posters grumbling about Scott/AiA being back on that network, because they never wanted to watch anything on the CW again. If railing against the CW makes you feel better though, have at it. lol.

I just think the show never found its niche -- it had a good lead-in from EHC, but it consistently lost those viewers and there was nothing else to pair it with.

[SPA]

I guess you're right -- I'm one of the few who thought that Seinfeld was just ridiculous -- and I didn't give a hoot about Friends either.

The difference being -- Scott was either not a regular or even on the show of Seinfield and Friends, and this thread is judging Scott on his performance alone on Aliens.

Was the show silly and ridiculous -- absolutely. In my view, would I want to see Scott play Gary's role for the next 7 years -- nope. I just enjoyed being entertained with Aliens and took the show for what it was -- and am extremely grateful for the privilege of getting a new "Scott fix" each week with a new episode. Aliens was never meant to be a mega hit -- that was clearly obvious. What I hoped for -- and others did too -- that at least it would have one more year -- guess that was a pipe-dream as well.

I just don't see much use in beating a dead horse.

[copperboom]

So true, BarkMyer - it's all subjective. I am not a sitcom fan, I don't like the Gary character and I don't like the way Scott portrays the Gary character. Doesn't mean no one does. I prefer to see him do drama because he has incredible facial expressions and can convey all kinds of emotions that way. Not those Gary expressions that I can't stand, but the soft, subtle looks of caring, love, sadness, jealousy, or happiness that you can see in his eyes. Sigh. Now I must go watch some Gilmore Girls, lol.

[BarkMyer]

That pretty much sums it up for me Copperboom. I'd hate to pigeonhole him, but he does really well in that regard. Unfortunately, even Scott's presence on tv every week couldn't override the fact that AiA doesn't appeal to my sense of humor.

Originally Posted by SPA The difference being -- Scott was either not a regular or even on the show of Seinfield and Friends, and this thread is judging Scott on his performance alone on Aliens.

I read it more as questioning whether comedy was the right genre for him -- and for anyone who doesn't like his comedic performance on AiA, I think that's valid. We know he plays the straight man really well, but reactions to his portrayal of Gary are mixed -- I think he was great with the sarcastic kind of humor Luke delivered, but I'm not enthused about the slapstick/physical comedy we got for Gary.

[SPA]

Originally Posted by lancer1993 (View Post) It's an irony they will promote shows that are doing well but not back shows they may not care about for the long term. as for the comedy even thought Gilmore was a drama it also had comedy parts but it was very different and Luke was the strait guy where as Gary is not.

I agree. Mis-management like crazy. The priorities all screwed up. If they were that lean to start off with, then maybe the merger should have waited until there was more money in the treasure chest to do such things like -- promote existing and new shows. How in the world is anyone going to see this small network if they don't promote themselves to the max. Very poor business sense.

I would like to see the viewing numbers of EHC compared with Aliens. Are EHC's numbers so much better to keep the show running? Are there hidden agendas with the CW?

[BarkMyer]

From the Vancouver Sun yesterday, with regards to shows filming in BC:

Decisions are yet to be made on American series The L Word (Showtime), Reaper (the CW) and the sitcom Aliens in America (the CW). Canadian series still up in the air include Intelligence, The Guard, Flash Gordon, Interns and Whistler.

Seems as though AiA is still on the CW bubble, so maybe ratings over the next few weeks will be the determining factor.

ETA: I don't know that the CW has a hidden agenda, I just think they're trying to find their market. Their WB/UPN audience shrank considerably in the merger, which isn't necessarily a reflection on their programming -- they lost a lot of WB/UPN affiliate stations in the merger, and are still rebuilding. Could be why we're seeing such a wide range of shows -- they're testing to see what works and what doesn't, and apparently they're now leaning away from comedy.

[lulu1960]

Now, we're going to be wondering, Yes, no, maybe so.

I took Aliens for what it is a quirky little comedy, with sweet moments thrown in. I have always thought that alot of times shows are canceled so quickly, never giving them a chance to flesh themselves out, to find their rthym.