Why was Gunsmoke cancelled? - Page 2 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

IllinoisTVFan · 12-17-2018, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by treky

also, when it started westerns were a big ratings grabber and by 1975, they weren't anymore.

True they had seen the best of times by the time it was canceled. Were any westerns still on by them? I know Little House on the Prairie was but that to me wasn't a western really.

treky · 12-17-2018, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IllinoisTVFan

True they had seen the best of times by the time it was canceled. Were any westerns still on by them? I know Little House on the Prairie was but that to me wasn't a western really.

there was the syndicated show "DUSTYS TRAIL "but I don't know if that counts since it was a sitcom. And I also don't consider "LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRARIE" to be a western.

James28 · 12-17-2018, 03:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazur

Jim Arness claimed that he was surprised by the cancellation; that he was expecting Gunsmoke to run for three more seasons.

Really? Could anyone have imagined Gunsmoke continuing to air first-run in 1980? I know I can't. Also, anyone think it was a mistake to continue Gunsmoke past 1967, ratings aside?

jimpickens · 12-17-2018, 11:48 AM

The show would've had to jump the shark of Happy Days proportions for it to have lasted any longer.

Greenbeans · 12-17-2018, 02:46 PM

James Arness was pretty much over it by the time it ended. In his autobiography, he said there were weeks where he wouldn't show up at work and they'd have to constantly re-write scripts because they didn't know when he would want to work. He used to go surfing at the beach a lot. He also said if he didn't appear in an episode he wouldn't get paid. He used to skip the entire week and show up on Friday afternoon to make sure he got in the episode. A lot of times, he didn't even have a line to say. He just randomly walked through a scene to make sure he was in the episode and got paid.

jimpickens · 12-18-2018, 12:47 PM

Was he burned out or just got lazy.

Tiger32 · 06-09-2019, 07:56 PM

The series was cancelled because it ran for 20 years and had already lost Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake) as a main character and the writing was not as good in the later years as it was during the early years. I think it finished its natural course, and by the mid 70s Westerns were no longer the popular type of show. During the mid 70s the popular dramas were the Crime Dramas like Barretta, Starsky and Hutch, The Rockford Files, Police Woman, The Rookies, Columbo etc., the era of the Westerns were gone. I grew up during the 70s and saw Westerns lose their popularity in favor of Crime Dramas.

jimpickens · 06-10-2019, 12:08 AM

Yep they replaced the shoot'em up brawl a minute westerns with shoot'em up brawl a minute car chase per episode crime dramas ironic isnt it.

James28 · 11-29-2019, 02:42 AM

I want to ask this right now: What if Gunsmoke had stayed cancelled after season 12? That would have meant Gilligan's Island sticking around for another couple of seasons. After that, there would have to be a sitcom that ran on CBS between 1969 and 1975. Plus, would the Rural Purge be any different with Gunsmoke gone?

IllinoisTVFan · 11-29-2019, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James28

I want to ask this right now: What if Gunsmoke had stayed cancelled after season 12? That would have meant Gilligan's Island sticking around for another couple of seasons. After that, there would have to be a sitcom that ran on CBS between 1969 and 1975. Plus, would the Rural Purge be any different with Gunsmoke gone?

I don't think Gunsmoke had much effect on the Rural Purge. It was originally cancelled before it and then after. In general, the rural purge happened because CBS didn't want a lot of rural viewers, they wanted city folks mainly. Not just that but they wanted younger viewers and these shows also skewed older. This is why the Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres for example begat All In The Family and Mash. The whole rural purge was a bit misleading because for one many of the shows weren't rural by any means (such as Family Affair and the Ed SUllivan Show). Also, many of these shows were losing steam when they were cancelled. True some were still hits but it's not as clear as it seems.

James28 · 12-13-2019, 11:40 AM

Was there any consideration of rumors of Gunsmoke moving to another network upon its near-cancellation by CBS in 1967? If that's true, it probably would have had to be ABC, because I don't see Gunsmoke airing on the same network as Bonanza (NBC). There'd probably have to be a change in the production company if that happened, since Gunsmoke was an in-house production of CBS. And how long would Gunsmoke have lasted on its new network if it went ahead with such a change?

GentlemanJim · 01-28-2020, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by installLSC

In its final season of 1974-1975, Gunsmoke was still rated in the top 30. Just two seasons before, it was in the top 10. So there had to be reasons besides ratings it was cancelled. What accounts have you heard why it got cancelled, and was there any push to give it a 21st season.

Look up "Rural Purge", and you will find all the answers.

In a nutshell it was determined that these shows were popular among the older demographics because the shows tended to isolate themselves from contemporary problems.

While it was determined that 26-35 year olds were the age group most likely to be buying new refrigerators, and the like.

So, despite the ratings enjoyed by the old rural shows, they were axed in favor of chasing the spending power of urban young adults.

GentlemanJim · 01-28-2020, 04:50 PM

As a side note, I guess that explains all the commercials pumping medications, protective undergarments, and reverse mortgages on the shows that I like.

TMC · 01-21-2024, 07:07 PM

'Gunsmoke' Ending Explained: Does the Classic TV Western Go Out With a Bang?

The Emmy-winning Western starring James Arness, Milburn Stone, and Amanda Blake lasted for over 600 episodes.

TMC · 03-09-2024, 05:46 AM

An editor for ''Gunsmoke'' had this fiery opinion to share about the show's cancellation

This screen editor was heated.

12-17-2018, 11:48 AM	#19
jimpickens Member Senior Member Join Date: Nov 01, 2007 Location: weston,wv Posts: 1,389	The show would've had to jump the shark of Happy Days proportions for it to have lasted any longer.

12-17-2018, 02:46 PM	#20
Greenbeans Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 13, 2018 Posts: 197	James Arness was pretty much over it by the time it ended. In his autobiography, he said there were weeks where he wouldn't show up at work and they'd have to constantly re-write scripts because they didn't know when he would want to work. He used to go surfing at the beach a lot. He also said if he didn't appear in an episode he wouldn't get paid. He used to skip the entire week and show up on Friday afternoon to make sure he got in the episode. A lot of times, he didn't even have a line to say. He just randomly walked through a scene to make sure he was in the episode and got paid.

12-18-2018, 12:47 PM	#21
jimpickens Member Senior Member Join Date: Nov 01, 2007 Location: weston,wv Posts: 1,389	Was he burned out or just got lazy.

06-09-2019, 07:56 PM	#22
Tiger32 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 14, 2002 Posts: 624	The series was cancelled because it ran for 20 years and had already lost Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake) as a main character and the writing was not as good in the later years as it was during the early years. I think it finished its natural course, and by the mid 70s Westerns were no longer the popular type of show. During the mid 70s the popular dramas were the Crime Dramas like Barretta, Starsky and Hutch, The Rockford Files, Police Woman, The Rookies, Columbo etc., the era of the Westerns were gone. I grew up during the 70s and saw Westerns lose their popularity in favor of Crime Dramas.

06-10-2019, 12:08 AM	#23
jimpickens Member Senior Member Join Date: Nov 01, 2007 Location: weston,wv Posts: 1,389	Yep they replaced the shoot'em up brawl a minute westerns with shoot'em up brawl a minute car chase per episode crime dramas ironic isnt it.

11-29-2019, 02:42 AM	#24
James28 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 14, 2007 Posts: 3,968	I want to ask this right now: What if Gunsmoke had stayed cancelled after season 12? That would have meant Gilligan's Island sticking around for another couple of seasons. After that, there would have to be a sitcom that ran on CBS between 1969 and 1975. Plus, would the Rural Purge be any different with Gunsmoke gone?

12-13-2019, 11:40 AM	#26
James28 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 14, 2007 Posts: 3,968	Was there any consideration of rumors of Gunsmoke moving to another network upon its near-cancellation by CBS in 1967? If that's true, it probably would have had to be ABC, because I don't see Gunsmoke airing on the same network as Bonanza (NBC). There'd probably have to be a change in the production company if that happened, since Gunsmoke was an in-house production of CBS. And how long would Gunsmoke have lasted on its new network if it went ahead with such a change?

01-28-2020, 04:50 PM	#28
GentlemanJim Concerns, Support, & Feedback Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 26, 2019 Location: The back country Posts: 5,443	As a side note, I guess that explains all the commercials pumping medications, protective undergarments, and reverse mortgages on the shows that I like.

01-21-2024, 07:07 PM	#29
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,642	'Gunsmoke' Ending Explained: Does the Classic TV Western Go Out With a Bang? The Emmy-winning Western starring James Arness, Milburn Stone, and Amanda Blake lasted for over 600 episodes.

03-09-2024, 05:46 AM	#30
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,642	An editor for ''Gunsmoke'' had this fiery opinion to share about the show's cancellation This screen editor was heated.