NBC has just announced the cancellation of a second show after a mere three episodes. Free Agents joins the Playboy Club in the first to be canceled club. Why? Well, it looked bad. I couldn't tell from the preview what the show was about, nor did it inspire me to find out. The Playboy Club was self explanatory but ended up looking like a poor man's Mad Men.
NBC is bringing up the rear among the big four networks this season. And the quality of shows has a lot to do with it. The shows simply aren't of high quality and if they are of any quality, they lack the promotions that other networks put up. Fox smartly put the pilot of Zooey Deschanel's New Girl on iTunes for free and the full season order definitely proves they knew what they are doing. ABC even has promoted shows through various means and so far is doing pretty well. CBS remains number one because they know how to create a buzz. NBC, is still struggling.
It's like the 1980s all over again where NBC was bringing up the rear and Fox wasn't even around. There's a possibility that some groundbreaking screenwriter could create the right show and save the network, very much like Thursday nights helped save NBC.
Another problem that NBC has is that the shows are either really dumb or too high concept. CBS goes for front and center characters with interesting lives. Fox is all about unique situations. And ABC masters catching everyday circumstances. NBC has some good shows like The Office and 30 Rock but they have cult followings and I'm sure they're looking not to have to pay as much to the crew and actors so they'll probably have a few more years.
The real question is how will NBC brand themselves as a network and stay afloat or will they fold under pressure?
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