It looks like we won’t be making many more time travelling trips with Dan Vassar as NBC has let the time for renewing the series slip through their fingers, according to “The Hollywood Reporter. The decision date for a pick-up on the series was December 11, with NBC execs. making no statement about the series continuing on the network.
While it is still possible to bring the series back at some later date, as time passes those chances get much slimmer.
“Journeyman’ stars “Rome” actor Kevin McKidd as a San Francisco journalist who finds himself unstuck in time. Unable to control when and where it will happen, his character finds himself revisiting different dates in his past to help others out of terrible situations.
“Journeyman” was allowed to complete production on its first 13-episodes. The last two will air soon. We can only hope that some other network owned by NBC or others see how good this show really is and give it a second chance, however unlikely that is.
NBC is yet to announce the fate of its other new SF series the “Bionic Woman.” It too slipped by the December 11 deadline for pick-up, but without any announcement one way or the other of its future on the peacock network. NBC’s third new SF series “Chuck,” was picked up to complete its entire first season.
grumble grumble… Why is it that some of the smartest, most interesting shows on TV can never find enough of an audience? And at what point is a show considered to have “failed”? There are shows on other networks (Smallville being a prime example) that *at best* get 4 million viewers for a “gimmick” episode, and less than that for a normal episode, but are considered hits. It just annoys the crap out of me that we get year after year of the inane Americal Idol, but continually lose gems like Journeyman.
“They killed Journeyman!”
“Bastards!”
Too bad, but it is one less show to get behind on every week.
Crap! That was my favorite show
I can’t help but think that a bad title had something to do with its failure. If it hadn’t been for the SliceOfSciFi podcast, I would never have even considered watching something called “Journeyman”. Instead of sci fi, that sounds like it should be on Discovery.
well I am about to the point of giving up. It has become impossible anymore to get behind a good series. Unless its reality tv or some prime time game show, it doesnt stand a chance of lasting very long.
tim
> GazerBeam Says:
> Why is it that some of the smartest, most interesting
> shows on TV can never find enough of an audience?
Because they are smart and require people to pay attention and think!
Let’s face it…us smart folks are in the minority when it comes to US TV viewers. 🙂
Let’s start the mail-in ampaign before the show airs the last episode. Who do I write to?
And NBC wonders why it is a joke? My understanding was that when DVR (Tivo) numbers were included, Jouneyman’s numbers were as good as any Nielsen show. Sounds like it is time to kill off the Nielsen ratings system. Maybe a write in campaign will save it? (Although after the “Jericho” debacle on CBS, I doubt it. Too bad.
I heard on TV Squad that NBC is considering pulling the last two episodes as well…as of now, they’re still on the schedule.
Hopefully it will stay that way.
Even good casting and acting could not save a show with a really weak premise. I stopped watching after the second show. I doubt many waited that long to change the dial.
I love this show. It’s the best new show of this year imo.
It just makes me think, had Fox (known for their bad decisions in the last few years as well, Firefly) canceled the X-Files after it’s first numbers, which weren’t good, we would have missed out on one of the best T.V. series of all time. What ever happened to letting things grow into their own?
Reality T.V. has killed creativity on the tube.
The “X-Files” analogy, though, is apples and oranges, especially nearly 15 years later. FOX was a fledgling network with little or no room to maneuver; it had to stick with anything that was mildly competitive just to make ends meet. Advertisers were more forgiving as a result.
NBC, CBS, and ABC have minimum expectations because their advertisers still operate on the old status quo (though with ever-lowering limits). They know they’re not going anywhere. FOX is pretty much in the same position now. “Journeyman” had an uphill battle from the get-go.
The only network where the “early FOX” model applies is the CW network, as demonstrated by their constant search for a breakout hit, while holding on to early successes to keep the ball rolling.
Well, turns out the diakiju in my basement will come in handy after all!!!
I have to say that I , like Frank from Wa decided not to watch this show after the second episode. After hearing it still being talked up here, I gave it another shot. The first couple shows had me thinking it’s quantum leap all over again. But it’s not. This is another show worth keeping.
Marshal Says:
“Let’s start the mail-in ampaign before the show airs the last episode. Who do I write to?”
just thinking to myself now… aren’t Sci-Fi Channel and NBC ran by the same people??
To see a show like Journeyman last more then half a season, it has to be made on HBO or Showtime or come from another country. American TV networks attempt to appeal to the lowest common denominator in order to reach their target numbers.
Journeyman required some thinking on the part of the audience. It doesn’t fit that formula.
what a git i live in the u.k and we have only just started seeing it here it is a really good show and i will miss it if it does go
This is some of the worst news I’ve read here in a long time. This show was smart, had great casting, and wonderful plotting that moved each episode forward within itself while maintaining an overall story arc that didn’t feel contrived in any way. I was shocked I enjoyed it as much as I have.
When do you think they will notice that the Monday 10PM time slot is a killer? Wasn’t there a story about how they saw the number for Life drop when they slapped into this brain-dead broadcast hour?
Just friggin’ great. This really smart show gets canceled, and that dumbfest Heroes gets renewed.
Not over till it’s over. And I think that, especially with the impact that the strike might have on Spring programming, even if it’s settled tomorrow, more Journeyman episodes could be ordered up for the Spring…
Meanwhile, I’m giving away two copies of my own time-travel novel, The Plot to Save Socrates (“challenging fun” – Entertainment Weekly), to the first correct answers I receive about some very obvious part of the next two episodes. Details about the contest at http://paullevinson.blogspot.com/2007/12/journeyman-continues-10-livias-beausave.html
finally an intelligent show and it gets cancelled.
i hope it gets picked up by the scifi channel?
Yep, seems like whenever a smart show comes on TV, it gets dumped….but the other 12 Law & Orders, CSIs or ER dramas still live on! And can we pull the plug on American Idol already!??!!
I am very dissapointed. I started watching this show because my husband wins the remote control. I would never even think about watching something “sci-fi” and unrealistic. What I thought would stink was fascinating. Watching this last episode about him having a daughter instead was great. I have truly enjoyed getting home to my Tivo to watch this. Please bring it back if anyone has power to.
It’s a shame NBC doesn’t have the good sense to recognise a truly extraordinary show when they see it – and SUPPORT it accordingly. Journeyman was not repeated or given excessive promotion like NBC’s other new shows (including those that are doing NO better for all that additional exposure). They expect an instant hit with no commitment on their part. They want people to flock to a show in a disasterously bad time slot that’s far too late for its content and subject matter, and they actually expect a significant portion of the Heroes crowd to stick around for a credible, well-acted drama. If anything, Bionic Woman would have been the best show to follow Heroes with.
Heck, even with the lousy time slot and careless ad campaign, Journeyman would have gained a larger following through overwhelmingly positive word-of-mouth over a full season or two. It’s a shame that networks just don’t have the patience to nurture a promising show through a rough ratings period. They’d ultimately end up with MORE viewers, if people caught on to the idea that they could be trusted to support their programs and wouldn’t try to replace them with some other idiotic “quick fix” show halfway through a great storyline.
NBC very plainly doesn’t know their audience at all, unless they wanted Journeyman to fail from the go. Nothing else could explain such asinine decision making on their part. For a network that claimed to “really love” Journeyman, they certainly did everything they possibly could to ensure its demise.
I thought Journeyman was a pretty cool show. I enjoyed every episode going to either future or past. Maybe it’s the viewer and rating problem? It’s another show that hasn’t gone far.
If you compare this show with Bionic woman, there’s really one central role. Is that because nowadays tv dramas favor a huge list of main and supporting casts???
Oh well it’s sad that a sci-fi show like that got cancelled…