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Lipstick Jungle Is Not Cancelled, But They're Working on It

By James Poniewozik | @poniewozik | November 18, 2008 | +

Bill Carter in the New York Times reports that, contrary to the word flying around last week, Lipstick Jungle is not cancelled after all. Though the between-the-lines read of his report is not that encouraging: 

[NBC co-chair Ben] Silverman noted that it does not repeat well at all, which makes it a risky long-term investment if its first-run ratings are not stronger than they have been so far.

Carter also alludes to a strong show of fan support, which seems to allude to reports that fans of the show have been sending NBC tubes of lipstick in protest. This is a long-running TV tradition—remember the Tabasco sauce for Roswell?—but the one example in recent memory of such a fan protest getting results (peanuts for Jericho) resulted in the show returning to lower ratings yet and being cancelled again.

I can’t wait until a network kills a cult-hit show about a blacksmith, and the rabid fans will be forced to send in anvils.

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  • alekshy

    Another good example is Family Guy’s return from demise into a pop culture phenomenon, even beating out the new episodes of the Simpsons. My only question is: Where were all the fans for Arrested Development? We should have banded together and sent in frozen bananas, or a sleeve full of pennies, or a prosthetic hand, or a loose seal…the list can go on.

  • yogi

    Sending the networks stuff is American guilt at not supporting the Post Office, FedEx, or UPS enough. We’re stimulating the mail economy folks!
    -
    I remember all the online petitions for Arrested Development, but yeah sending frozen bananas would have been way funnier, although probably wouldn’t have been any more successful.

  • jponiewozik

    @alekshy: Actually, I thought of mentioning Family Guy — the salient difference for which was, fans didn’t save it by sending trinkets, they saved it by buying the DVDs.

  • Tom Shaw

    It’s just the other side of the lose-lose nature of canceling shows with episodes still to air (in tight economic times).

    If you cancel a show and stop airing episodes, you eat the cost of production on those unaired episodes.

    If you cancel a show and air them all, you risk the likelihood that advertisers won’t want to spend money on ad slots when who knows if anyone will continue to watch (until the replacement starts airing).

    So you get this tactic: Cancel a show, but pretend like you haven’t / are “still evaluating” (at least until the ad spots are sold). Not that anyone is buying it, but hey, the execs think they’re pulling a fast one…

  • janexdoe

    ahh man. every time I get into a show it gets canceled. This is exactly why I hate to start liking shows in their first season. I thought I was safe with this one.

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