Studio 60 Cancellation Imminent

according to Fox News critic Tom Freidman

Studio 60' Cancellation Imminent

Here we go: despite receiving an order for three more episodes on Friday, the Aaron Sorkin NBC drama "Studio 60 on Sunset Strip" is about to be put out of its misery.

Cast members are already confiding in friends that the end is near. It's likely NBC will pull the plug shortly I am told by insiders.

Last week, Studio 60 had 7.7 million viewers. Compare that with competing "CSI: Miami," with 17.5 million. That gap cannot be closed.

But 'Studio 60' has trouble internally at NBC, forget its intramural rivals. According to ratings stats, the "Saturday Night Live" behind the scenes soap opera loses almost half the viewers delivered to it a few minutes earlier by another new show, "Heroes," which has become a surprise cult hit.

On Monday, 'Heroes' had 14.3 million viewers. The substantial drop off with 'Studio 60' is probably the last nail in its coffin. The order of the three extra episodes is considered by insiders to be a contractual move, and not one based on faith that they will ever be made or aired. The all important demo situation didn't help: 'Heroes' had 15 percent of viewers aged 18-49. Studio 60 had 8 percent. The notion that 'Studio 60' is a big draw for NBC among desirables is, sadly, blown on those stats.

This is unsurprising.

Update (10/31/06): Last night's airing of Friday Night Lights in the Studio 60 timeslot did no better than the displaced show.

A "CSI: Miami" rerun, 9.6/17, delivered an easy win for CBS at 10 p.m. A special airing of "Friday Night Lights" on NBC scored a 5.3/9, in line with recent airings of "Studio 60." ABC's "What About Brian" came in at 4.6/8.

Update (11/2/06): There have now been numerous articles debunking the Fox report. Apparently, NBC is seriously considering keeping S60 around as a loss-leader. We'll see. Here's a link to NBC's Sweeps Press Release with log-lines for all their November shows, including S60. Beware of spoilers.