NBC blows - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Davester713 · 07-07-2001, 06:29 PM

Why did NBC cancel Suddenly Susan? I watch it now in sydnication and its great. Did the ratings get lower as the ratings for 7th heaven got higher? I know it had tough competition, but the show was a big hit. So why did NBC cancel Suddenly Susan, Veronica's Closet,and Jesse? it just so happens that the NBC ratings went down in 2000-2001 from the 1999-2000 season.

Jordan · 08-07-2001, 08:19 PM

Probably because "Suddenly Susan" and "Veronica's Closet" (my favorite show) were cursed with the Monday night slot, going up against highly-rated Monday Night Football.

Sucks, huh? "Susan" and "Veronica" were some pretty good shows.

17Mar59 · 02-24-2002, 11:26 PM

I don't know about that,the CBS sitcom line-up seems to have
done rather well against MNF.

Jordan · 02-25-2002, 05:23 PM

I didn't think about that, but you're right. So going up against Monday Night Footbal -and- CBS's Monday night lineup is what truly killed NBC's two Monday night sitcoms, "Susan" and "Veronica."

Notorious · 03-27-2002, 04:56 PM

yeah, Suddenly Susan is one of my FAVORITE shows, but it got bad ratings, especially for NBC! i mean, after the 1st season, it wasn't in the top 50! and, the last season got the rating of 104 while Veronica's Closet got 82. Poor shows! The bad thing about it all is, that the last seasons were STILL good, even though the ratings dropped drastically.

Jordan · 04-07-2002, 07:09 PM

Whoa, 104! "Suddenly Susan" dropped THAT far?! Wow, that's bad even by UPN or WB standards! I did not know it did that poorly. I remember it being 86th and "Veronica" 80th. But you're right -- they were still funny. Perhaps not as funny as in their early seasons, but funny nonetheless!

Slippery Dan · 04-08-2002, 04:33 PM

I don't blame NBC for cancelling Suddenly Susan in 2000. The last season was really horrible. It just wasn't the same without Jack, Todd (even though that was beyond their control) and Maddy (even though she was in the first episode of the last season). And in the last season, Vicki seemed too bitchy and more sluttier than she usually is. At least in the first three seasons she was kind of friendly, but she was totally cold in the last one. It's like she was trying to be like Maddy was. And that whole story line with Susan and Oliver was stupid and childlike. I mean, I love Suddenly Susan, not too thrilled with the last season. BTW, did you notice in the finale, when Susan gets married to Oliver she has long, wavy hair, when she has it much shorter in all the scenes before and after that.

Jordan · 04-11-2002, 07:41 PM

I think they knew the hair being longer for the wedding thing -- I think that they put in extensions and that was the look they were going for. (But I like the hair shorter, personally!)

geekazoid79 · 05-28-2002, 02:51 PM

for the first season, Suddenly Susan was mostly in the top 5 rated shows, the second season averaged around 7-14 in the top 20, and the third season was between 16-24-and the fourth season was between 36-46. so viewing figures had dropped radically each season the show had aired.
season 1 finale rated 24.6, the season 4 finale rated 6.5 (the unofficial NBC finale- episode 18)
(FYI i go these ratings figures from the WB press site)

Jordan · 05-28-2002, 05:48 PM

I'm not doubting you or the stats, but for that fourth season, those numbers seem extremely generous. But, again, I had not researched that, so your information is more credible -- and more...existent -- than mine is!

geekazoid79 · 05-28-2002, 05:57 PM

thats what i first though when i saw the figures for the fourth season.
but you know what network execs are like...

Jordan · 05-29-2002, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by geekazoid79
but you know what network execs are like...

LOL!

Yes I do!

Central Perk · 05-29-2002, 08:31 PM

Another thing is NBC had so many women lead based shows I don't think they knew what to do with them...they already had sitcoms on thursday and tuesday too...so it was also a lack of space causing them to put the shows on monday letting them get bad ratings.

TMC · 09-24-2018, 12:34 AM

The problem with Suddenly Susan to begin with is that it was originally written to capitalize on the "wacky" character type Brooke Shields played on Friends. The first season of the show had her as a slightly off, accident prone bubblehead.

But then, when the producers realized that audiences didn't want to tune in weekly to see a slightly insane character as the lead in a weekly show in the second season. So they turned Susan into a level-headed working girl surrounded by kooks. At that point, the show was nothing special, and it was on a downward trajectory after that.

TMC · 01-26-2020, 03:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

The ratings above seem to dramatically overstate the show's ratings once it moved off Thursdays. It dropped from #4 to 65 to 81 to 94 in consecutive years.

Why was it called Suddenly Susan? It always seemed to me that the title didn't imply much of anything.

The show averaged 25 million viewers per episode for Season 1, finishing the season at #3.
Season 2 was moved from Thursday night to Monday, against Cosby on CBS, and it fell drastically in ratings, and averaged 11 million viewers a week and finished the season at #71
Season 3 averaged 9 million viewers and finished the season at #81
Season 4 averaged 6 million viewers and finished the season at #94

Brooke Shields speaks about it here, how NBC cut her show off at 99 episodes on purpose, keeping it from being sold into syndication:

07-07-2001, 06:29 PM	#1
Davester713 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 25, 2001 Location: USA Posts: 138	NBC blows Why did NBC cancel Suddenly Susan? I watch it now in sydnication and its great. Did the ratings get lower as the ratings for 7th heaven got higher? I know it had tough competition, but the show was a big hit. So why did NBC cancel Suddenly Susan, Veronica's Closet,and Jesse? it just so happens that the NBC ratings went down in 2000-2001 from the 1999-2000 season.

03-27-2002, 04:56 PM	#5
Notorious Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 13, 2001 Location: Sunnydale, CA --- and I actually registered at sitcomsonline July 25th, 2001 Posts: 1,494	yeah, Suddenly Susan is one of my FAVORITE shows, but it got bad ratings, especially for NBC! i mean, after the 1st season, it wasn't in the top 50! and, the last season got the rating of 104 while Veronica's Closet got 82. Poor shows! The bad thing about it all is, that the last seasons were STILL good, even though the ratings dropped drastically.
	__________________ <center> My World, By~~: Avril Lavigne http://www.tvlinksonline.com/boards/...&postid=424095 Can't help if I space in a daze, My eyes tune out the other way, I may switch off and go in a daydream, In this head my thoughts are deep, Sometimes I can't even speak, Will someone be and not pretend? I'm off again in my World

09-24-2018, 12:34 AM	#14
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,671	The problem with Suddenly Susan to begin with is that it was originally written to capitalize on the "wacky" character type Brooke Shields played on Friends. The first season of the show had her as a slightly off, accident prone bubblehead. But then, when the producers realized that audiences didn't want to tune in weekly to see a slightly insane character as the lead in a weekly show in the second season. So they turned Susan into a level-headed working girl surrounded by kooks. At that point, the show was nothing special, and it was on a downward trajectory after that.
	Last edited by TMC; 01-26-2020 at 03:42 AM.

08-07-2001, 08:19 PM	#2
Jordan Shirley Manson!!! Senior Member Join Date: Dec 01, 2001 Location: The state where Garbage records their albums -- Wisconsin! Posts: 1,459	Probably because "Suddenly Susan" and "Veronica's Closet" (my favorite show) were cursed with the Monday night slot, going up against highly-rated Monday Night Football. Sucks, huh? "Susan" and "Veronica" were some pretty good shows.

02-24-2002, 11:26 PM	#3
17Mar59 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 03, 2002 Location: washington state Posts: 475	I don't know about that,the CBS sitcom line-up seems to have done rather well against MNF.

02-25-2002, 05:23 PM	#4
Jordan Shirley Manson!!! Senior Member Join Date: Dec 01, 2001 Location: The state where Garbage records their albums -- Wisconsin! Posts: 1,459	I didn't think about that, but you're right. So going up against Monday Night Footbal -and- CBS's Monday night lineup is what truly killed NBC's two Monday night sitcoms, "Susan" and "Veronica."

04-07-2002, 07:09 PM	#6
Jordan Shirley Manson!!! Senior Member Join Date: Dec 01, 2001 Location: The state where Garbage records their albums -- Wisconsin! Posts: 1,459	Whoa, 104! "Suddenly Susan" dropped THAT far?! Wow, that's bad even by UPN or WB standards! I did not know it did that poorly. I remember it being 86th and "Veronica" 80th. But you're right -- they were still funny. Perhaps not as funny as in their early seasons, but funny nonetheless!

04-08-2002, 04:33 PM	#7
Slippery Dan His Majesty Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 12, 2001 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 262	I don't blame NBC for cancelling Suddenly Susan in 2000. The last season was really horrible. It just wasn't the same without Jack, Todd (even though that was beyond their control) and Maddy (even though she was in the first episode of the last season). And in the last season, Vicki seemed too bitchy and more sluttier than she usually is. At least in the first three seasons she was kind of friendly, but she was totally cold in the last one. It's like she was trying to be like Maddy was. And that whole story line with Susan and Oliver was stupid and childlike. I mean, I love Suddenly Susan, not too thrilled with the last season. BTW, did you notice in the finale, when Susan gets married to Oliver she has long, wavy hair, when she has it much shorter in all the scenes before and after that.

04-11-2002, 07:41 PM	#8
Jordan Shirley Manson!!! Senior Member Join Date: Dec 01, 2001 Location: The state where Garbage records their albums -- Wisconsin! Posts: 1,459	I think they knew the hair being longer for the wedding thing -- I think that they put in extensions and that was the look they were going for. (But I like the hair shorter, personally!)

05-28-2002, 02:51 PM	#9
geekazoid79 Member Forum Cub Join Date: May 28, 2002 Location: New York-Liverpool (UK) Posts: 2	ratings for the first season, Suddenly Susan was mostly in the top 5 rated shows, the second season averaged around 7-14 in the top 20, and the third season was between 16-24-and the fourth season was between 36-46. so viewing figures had dropped radically each season the show had aired. season 1 finale rated 24.6, the season 4 finale rated 6.5 (the unofficial NBC finale- episode 18) (FYI i go these ratings figures from the WB press site)

05-28-2002, 05:48 PM	#10
Jordan Shirley Manson!!! Senior Member Join Date: Dec 01, 2001 Location: The state where Garbage records their albums -- Wisconsin! Posts: 1,459	I'm not doubting you or the stats, but for that fourth season, those numbers seem extremely generous. But, again, I had not researched that, so your information is more credible -- and more...existent -- than mine is!

05-28-2002, 05:57 PM	#11
geekazoid79 Member Forum Cub Join Date: May 28, 2002 Location: New York-Liverpool (UK) Posts: 2	thats what i first though when i saw the figures for the fourth season. but you know what network execs are like...

05-29-2002, 08:31 PM	#13
Central Perk ~~~~~ Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 10, 2002 Posts: 4,553	Another thing is NBC had so many women lead based shows I don't think they knew what to do with them...they already had sitcoms on thursday and tuesday too...so it was also a lack of space causing them to put the shows on monday letting them get bad ratings.