I’m sorry to learn that CBS has yanked The Ex List (pictured) from its schedule after just four airings, since I like star Elizabeth Reaser and since the show was, according to EW critic Gillian Flynn’s review, worthy of a B+ grade. Of course, I have to go by Gillian’s review because I never got around to watching the show, and apparently, neither did too many other people. You’d think there would be an audience for a romantic dramedy like this, but you’d be wrong, and CBS should have known that, given the sad history of similar programs.
TV critics, advertisers, and network executives will all tell you that TV is a female-friendly medium (especially when compared to, say, mainstream Hollywood movies). It presents women with images of themselves that are, collectively at least, more well-rounded, diverse, and fully developed than the arm-candy female characters on the big screen, which is why Holly Hunter, Kyra Sedgwick, and Glenn Close are all small-screen stars now. And yet these hour-long dramedies with romance-themed plots haven’t drawn an audience since Ally McBeal; The Ex List follows such shows as Men in Trees and Miss Match to the TV scrap heap. It can’t help that all three of these programs aired on Friday nights, when young women craving romance are more likely to be out on the town than staying home to watch TV.
Aside from a better timeslot, then, what will it take for TV to create a smart, female-friendly, romance-driven series that lasts? Any suggestions, PopWatchers?
More on The Ex List:
Ausiello Files: CBS pulls The Ex List
TV Review: The Ex List
The Ex List premiere: Waxing indignant
The Ex List’s bad luck charm
Elizabeth Reaser defends her Ex List character
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Another Friday night show that I liked that was killed off. This happens way too frequently and is part of the reason that I tend to NOT watch TV. Why get interested or invested in a program that will never get a resolution?
I had a feeling that would be the case with the Ex-List because it wasn’t going to hold over a lot of viewers from The Ghost Whisperer, which I only had on waiting for Ex. I didn’t think what I imagine to be that show’s demographic being too keen on discussions of waxing and sexual histories. I found this show to be engaging and fun. I am sad.
They canceled “Moonlight” for this?
Commented in the wrong place. But to answer the question…
What it will take is a network giving a show actual time to find an audience. Some of the shows that they’ve had I think did possess all the right qualities and the right people… but were killed off in a season or less. So many huge older shows… Seinfeld, Friends, etc never would have made it if the same thing happened then.
My husband and I both liked this show. If they can’t commit to longer than four weeks, than why bother putting it on at all.
I saw the previews for this one and thought it looked stupid.
The only thing CBS wants to commit time for are its endless parade of crime dramas. They even admitted it when The Mentalist and Eleventh Hour scored high ratings out the door. I’m not even sure how both shows grew popular, knowing their premises were already covered by Psych and Fringe, but since it’s CBS, its audience will suck up whatever procedural crap it dumps on it.
If CBS is willing to off cult favorites like Jericho, Moonlight and Swingtown for their homogenized programming, so be it. It also means I won’t be watching the network’s future offerings.
I’m going to second Jakeem! More seriously Ex-List just wasn’t a CBS kind of show. There’s a reason it’s known as the Old People Channel. CBS has a brand: CSI-type crime dramas and innane comedies like 2 and half Men. Anything that doesn’t fit gets canceled. Period.
So glad this show tanked-nothing bad about the show mind you, but this was Moonlight’s timeslot. I vowed not to watch anything in this timeslot and I didn’t watch the Ex-List.
I don’t know why I bother with tv. Everytime I find a show that shows promises and that I like it gets yanked after a few episodes. Give a show a chance–plus a better time slot. This is just another reason for me never to watch CBS.
I have watched every episode since I normally watch Ghost Whisperer. I was willing to see what it was really about. Well, the first episode was ok, maybe it will be good. Every week followed the same premise. Nothing new really, she runs into an ex, they hook up, go out for a time, find out what they really broke up about and it doesn’t work out again. With so many exes, how long was this show going to last anyway? Besides, I don’t know if I was real happy with the concept that she may have slept with that many exes. Young people do not need that message either. A few, but how many seasons of sexual partners are we talking about? ug!
No way! I actually liked this show and had watched it from the beginning. The whole too-many-sex-partner-thing that seems to have bothered other posters NEVER crossed my mind. Maybe that’s the difference between this 30-something and CBS’s regular demographic? I mean I’d rather watch a romantic comedy where the girl goes out with a different guy every show than one where the girl ends up DEAD every show ala CSI.
PS. I miss Moonlight too!
When will network executives realize by yanking stuff right away, we the viewers are less likely to even START new shows?
Why invest time into something that may get cancelled?
Can’t they remember that CHEERS was ranked in the low 80s in it’s first season and the worked it’s way to the top???
When I first heard the premise of this show I was offended, but then after hearing the positive reviews I decided to check it out online and loved it. But why on earth, would they put a show geared towards young women on a Friday nite? Sorry, but just because I like chick-shows doesn’t mean I am going to stay home on a Friday nite to watch them. Bad call CBS, you should be ashamed of yourself.
They really should have put it on a different night. I really liked the show!
I liked the show okay, it just sucked it was on a Friday night. And some of the supporting characters bothered me, mainly her two best “guy friends”. They should have (maybe they would have?) gone into the relationships of all the main characters first? Maybe give some of them actual jobs? (I liked that the one girl was a teacher! But why did Bella go to art school AND all these other things when she owns a florist? Im still confused).
elisabeth reaser is probably the real reason the show was cancelled. i really enojoyed it, but had a problem with her. she’s so… blah…
I watched one episode and enjoyed it. I don’t think it would have ever been a favorite, but it was entertaining and definitely had potential. I just could never remember to set my DVR to record the entire series. I am in the age group that this kind of show appeals to, and I would have much rather have it appear on a different night. Sunday night is even better than Friday? Nobody my age stays home every Friday night to catch a show. Instead of cancelling, why can’t they move it to another night? It’s like they purposely put shows on Friday night so that they fail.
This how should have been on a different network and time slot. Maybe on ABC or the CW. It could have paired up a lot better with shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Gossip Girl, etc.
I tried to watch the “Ex-List” and couldn’t get into it. I think anything will be “doomed” in that time slot. “Ghost Whisper” is such an awesome show and “Moonlight” went so well with it. But, CBS cancelled “Moonlight” upsetting LOTS of fans. So, anything they put there won’t be acceptable. BRING BACK MOONLIGHT!
Totally agree with the scheduling of the shows. Also, you don’t have to hit the audience over the head with the romantic tone of these shows in the promos, etc. Its almost condescending at times. “Hey ladies, home alone on a Friday night – AGAIN? – then check out…”
I DVR the Ghost Whisperer and I use to watch Men in Trees. I caught about 15 minutes of the first episode of the Ex List and I thought the dialogue was kinda awkward and embarrassing. Also, EW made fun of their ad with the star in a kiddie pool with frogs. I agreed that the ad was a mess, and that may have affected my opinion of the show.
I think it needs to be a smart romance-driven show that isn’t all about the romance. Grey’s (at least in its first two season) was a romance set in the hospital. You got the combination of medical drama and the lovelife of Meredith. Part of what makes female driven shows successful are men who are good foils. Sex and the City wouldn’t have worked with Big, Aidan, Harry, Steve, and Trey, just like Grey’s doesn’t work without McDreamy and McSteamy. The problem with the Ex List was that it forgot that. It gave Reaser no male character to consistently have romantic tension with. Her male friends were tangential and the exes were too inconsequential to matter.
I REALLY ENJOYED THE SHOW. IT NEEDED TO BE ON A DIFFERENT NIGHT
Loved the show but was never around to watch it. I agree with the timeslot issue. I can’t imagine any girl that can relate to the show staying in to watch it. Too bad that DVR’s don’t count for viewship!
As a die hard Moonlight fan, I am pleased that the Ex List tanked. I am just another one of those people who have not watched CBS since the cancellation of Moonlight. They offer no real original programming. Further, I have come to the conclusion that Ms. Tassler must be sleeping with someone higher up the food chain than herself. Why else would they continue to keep someone who makes such poor decisions?
‘ex-list’ was a lot more original than melinda gordon going to her store basement and finding an entire town of ghoulies without leaving the bldg.–how stupid is that?
Come on CBS, who in their right mind would put a romantic comedy with women as the target audience on with a Friday night time slot!!!! Let’s rethink the cancellation CBS and put the show on during the week. This is a great cast and deserve to be watched!
I don’t want this to turn into a Moonlight forum, but how can it not? I still am perplexed at the pigheadedness that got Moonlight cancelled. They replace it with this? I am sure it was a cute show – the previews looked good – but I agree with the others here. We vowed not to watch anything CBS had to offer on Friday night. They upset us, and that is really the only recourse we had…
Yep! CBS canceled Moonlight for this. It really went pass the two episodes I had it for before being yanked. A woman who has been “dating since she left the womb”! Has to revisit her ex lovers of the year to find her soul mate or be doomed to never being married!? What a message for women to hear. I’m not surprised that it lost it’s lead from GW and people retuned in for Numbers.
CBS had it good with Moonlight and will never admit that it had the best thing going in that Friday 9 PM slot. Too bad they let it go and lost loyal viewers.
The problem really probably was the Friday night time slot. I loved Miss Match and always recorded it but like the writer says, I was always out with friends on Friday nights, not watching tv. HOWEVER, now that I’m married, we would watch good tv on Friday nights. Although, there’s no way the hubbie’s watching any girl tv with me on a Friday night.