I had so much fun pulling together this story for Adweek, on the most outrageous statements that network presidents made in 2014. As I wrote,

The network presidents spent much of 2014 bragging about, and defending, their various programming and scheduling decisions, no matter how foolish some of them turned out.

But some of those proclamations were so outrageous that they earned a well-deserved spot on this list of the 10 most ridiculous statements network presidents made this year. (I wanted to call this their “10 Biggest Lies of 2014,” but they actually believed at least some of these things to be true at the time they said them.)

From “Mulaney is the next Seinfeld!” to “We love Bill Cosby, and his troubles will sort themselves out,” see how many of your favorites made the list. And if you think Kevin Reilly, who stepped down as Fox entertainment chairman in May, is going to figure prominently … you would be correct.

The 10 Most Ridiculous Things Network Presidents Said in 2014

The post The 10 Most Ridiculous Things Network Presidents Said in 2014 appeared first on TV & Not TV.

One month ago today, I published my first Adweek story, TV’s 10 Worst Time Slots. Since then, four shows that occupied those time slots this season have already been canceled: Manhattan Love Story, Utopia, A to Z and The Millers. In related news, I think my first month writing for Adweek went pretty well!

The post TV’s 10 Worst Time Slots, Revisited appeared first on TV & Not TV.

In less than two months, Fox’s fall has turned downright cataclysmic, as four of its five new series have already tanked. As I wrote at Adweek,

So the network is turning to an unlikely source to salvage its terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad fall season: a bunch of kid chefs.

That would be tonight’s premiere of MasterChef Junior, which has suddenly become Fox’s Hail Mary play for sweeps. I also spoke with one of the show’s judges, Joe Bastianich, who told me why the show is up for the challenge.

Can MasterChef Junior Help Fox Salvage What’s Left of the Fall?

The post Can ‘MasterChef Junior’ Help Fox Salvage What’s Left of the Fall? appeared first on TV & Not TV.

On Friday, Oct. 24, ABC finally put Manhattan Love Story out of its misery, making it fall’s first canceled new series. It’s the longest we’ve gone into the fall season without a cancellation since 2003, when Fox waited until Oct. 28 to pull the plug on Luis, after five episodes.

At Adweek, I explain why the networks were so patient this fall:

“The growing truth is that picking winners today isn’t as simple as looking at the overnight ratings,” CBS Entertainment chairman Nina Tassler said this summer. And unlike last year, when the networks paid that idea lip service but still quickly moved to cancel several low-rated shows, they’ve actually been practicing what they preach.

Tying in to that Adweek story, I also compiled the first shows to be canceled each fall since 2000 — along with what day they were canceled, and how many episodes had aired — which I was surprised to find that no one else had done previously. (Especially for the earlier shows, that information was tougher to dig up than I had anticipated.) Relive the members of TV’s least prestigious club, from Tucker to Do Not Disturb to (sniff) Lone Star to Lucky 7.

Why It Took So Long for ABC to Cancel ‘Manhattan Love Story’

TV’s Worst Prime-Time Debuts, From 2000 to Present

The post Why It Took So Long for ABC to Cancel ‘Manhattan Love Story’ appeared first on TV & Not TV.

I’m very excited to begin contributing to Adweek, as they look to expand their TV coverage online. My first story for them is something that I’ve wanted to write for more than a year: a look at the worst TV time slots on television, the ones that have been radioactive for years on end, and manage to bring about the end of almost every show that is aired there.

I looked back at several years of TV schedule grids, and pulled together this collection of TV’s equivalent of death row.

Abandon hope, all ye who are scheduled here:

TV’s 10 Worst Time Slots: Can Any Show Survive?

The post TV’s 10 Worst Time Slots: Can Any Show Survive? appeared first on TV & Not TV.