Did the show ever jump the shark/could it have lasted longer?

[DarleneIllyria]

I don't think the show ever jumped the shark. It was pretty solid to me. Yeah, had a few weak eps, but I never thought the show really jumped the shark. In a way, I wish the show would've lasted longer, but in a way, I'm kind of glad it went out when it was still good. Some shows, they just get so sucky and yet they still stay on the air. It just kind of destroys the good parts of the show if you have any bad parts of the show. lol, I think I'm talking in codes.

[dawsongirl]

I think it didn't. Like you said, there were weak eps, but every series has those. I thought even the colors eps were pretty solid. A lot of that though was Bill and Ray. They were always on.

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...there WERE plans for a fourth season. Producer Jack {"Mr. Cheapo"} Chertok KNEW the ratings were down during the 1965-'66 season on CBS, so he decided to show the network what he intended to do to "freshen" up the show- the last episode that was filmed that season introduced Uncle Martin's nephew Andy ["When You Get Back Home To Mars, Are You Gonna Get It"]. Ray Walston recalled that, when CBS executives saw this episode before it aired in February 1966, they told Jack Chertok and his entourage, "That's it, boys, so long". And shortly after that, the network announced that "MY FAVORITE MARTIAN" would not return for another season. And the final episode was "burned off" that February, so viewers wouldn't notice the direction the plot was going (ironically, the last original episode that aired on CBS, in May 1966, was the first "time-travel" story that was shot in black & white for season two, but withheld from broadcast because Chertok wanted to introduce the "TTCBS" element at the beginning of season three!).

[MIKEPR]

I don't see anything wrong with the amount of time it ran.


If the ratings were bad its 1st season CBS would have pulled the plug at the end.

[Hazel Anyday]

The show was cancelled while it was still in it's prime and in beautiful color. It never had a chance to become tired, I hate the jump shark term. It could have gone on for another 5 years in color, it would have been great!

[MIKEPR]

If you read what TV Knowledge Fan said?


The ratings were down.

[Hazel Anyday]

I'm answering the original question posed. "Could it have gone on longer?" What excuses were given for cancelling it are irrelevant to the question.

[MIKEPR]

Whatever.

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by MIKEPR

If you read what TV Knowledge Fan said?


The ratings were down.

I want to comment on your original point and then say something about TV Knowledge Fan.

"I don't see anything wrong with the amount of time it ran".

You make a valid point, there are 107 episodes of My Favorite Martian, to put that in context The Big Bang Theory produced 111 episodes in its first 5 seasons! The Brady Bunch 117 episodes! Martian's three seasons were super seasons. My Favorite Martian faced stiffer competition in season three, Disney was still a top 20 perennial at the time plus ABC moved Voyage To The Bottom of The Sea to Sunday at 7 pm, so the competition was just too stiff.

The wacky thing about all this is what CBS did next, It's About Time moves into the 7:30 slot the following season and bombs. What were they thinking, this show had virtually nothing going for it at all, the network would have been better off renewing Martian until something better came along.

I wanted to write briefly about TV Knowledge Fan, whoever this was did great posts, he hasn't been seen in these parts since 2014 (the post you responded to was from 4/6/2006), but he always seem to come to the table with interesting things to say. I was surprised by the fact that he indicated the network was not happy with the nephew Andy angle, I thought it was a solid strategy that might have worked.

[MIKEPR]

Originally Posted by Duster76

I want to comment on your original point and then say something about TV Knowledge Fan.

"I don't see anything wrong with the amount of time it ran".

You make a valid point, there are 107 episodes of My Favorite Martian, to put that in context The Big Bang Theory produced 111 episodes in its first 5 seasons! The Brady Bunch 117 episodes! Martian's three seasons were super seasons. My Favorite Martian faced stiffer competition in season three, Disney was still a top 20 perennial at the time plus ABC moved Voyage To The Bottom of The Sea to Sunday at 7 pm, so the competition was just too stiff.

The wacky thing about all this is what CBS did next, It's About Time moves into the 7:30 slot the following season and bombs. What were they thinking, this show had virtually nothing going for it at all, the network would have been better off renewing Martian until something better came along.

And you honestly expected them to keep a low rated show on?

Also you can't expect a network to avoid scheduling shows on certain time slots just because they might get canceled easily.

Something's gotta go there.

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by MIKEPR

And you honestly expected them to keep a low rated show on?

Also you can't expect a network to avoid scheduling shows on certain time slots just because they might get canceled easily.

Something's gotta go there.

My point (and obviously the network executives did not agree) was the My Favorite Martian series with the young nephew added into the mix might have revitalized the show. It's About Time was a one trick pony, once the two astronauts are settled into the caveman village there isn't a whole lot more you can do with it.

[weldonballou]

Originally Posted by Duster76

I want to comment on your original point and then say something about TV Knowledge Fan.

"I don't see anything wrong with the amount of time it ran".

You make a valid point, there are 107 episodes of My Favorite Martian, to put that in context The Big Bang Theory produced 111 episodes in its first 5 seasons! The Brady Bunch 117 episodes! Martian's three seasons were super seasons. My Favorite Martian faced stiffer competition in season three, Disney was still a top 20 perennial at the time plus ABC moved Voyage To The Bottom of The Sea to Sunday at 7 pm, so the competition was just too stiff.

The wacky thing about all this is what CBS did next, It's About Time moves into the 7:30 slot the following season and bombs. What were they thinking, this show had virtually nothing going for it at all, the network would have been better off renewing Martian until something better came along.

I wanted to write briefly about TV Knowledge Fan, whoever this was did great posts, he hasn't been seen in these parts since 2014 (the post you responded to was from 4/6/2006), but he always seem to come to the table with interesting things to say. I was surprised by the fact that he indicated the network was not happy with the nephew Andy angle, I thought it was a solid strategy that might have worked.

The only other plausible reason for MFM's cancellation is Chertok himself. My Living Doll was a complete disaster and I feel CBS blamed him solely despite the fact that it was Bob Cummings who ditched the show but I digress. Obviously the network must have been pleased with Jack Mullaney carrying the remainder of the show that they decided to give him a series by Sherwood Schwartz and we all know how that turned out...

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by weldonballou

The only other plausible reason for MFM's cancellation is Chertok himself. My Living Doll was a complete disaster and I feel CBS blamed him solely despite the fact that it was Bob Cummings who ditched the show but I digress. Obviously the network must have been pleased with Jack Mullaney carrying the remainder of the show that they decided to give him a series by Sherwood Schwartz and we all know how that turned out...

I don't believe the problems that plagued My Living Doll came into play with respect to the decision to cancel My Favorite Martian. From what I've read the network felt the show had run out of gas. One real danger sign was the declining ratings, the series ranked number 10 its first season, number 24 its second season, and dropped all the way to 45 in season 3. Sherwood Schwartz who of course benefitted from the series cancellation felt the show had lost focus. The premise was a Martian stranded on Earth searching for a way to get back to Mars and dealing with various impediments to that. By season 3 the show was pulling in time travel plots, and additional elements that seemed far away from the original concept. I don't agree with his conclusion, I thought season 3 was the best season, I'm just putting that out there. I don't know what CBS was thinking greenlighting It's About Time, it was a one note piano. Under those circumstances I thought Martian was a better option and certainly had potential to be a big hit in the syndication market.

[weldonballou]

Originally Posted by Duster76

I don't believe the problems that plagued My Living Doll came into play with respect to the decision to cancel My Favorite Martian. From what I've read the network felt the show had run out of gas. One real danger sign was the declining ratings, the series ranked number 10 its first season, number 24 its second season, and dropped all the way to 45 in season 3. Sherwood Schwartz who of course benefitted from the series cancellation felt the show had lost focus. The premise was a Martian stranded on Earth searching for a way to get back to Mars and dealing with various impediments to that. By season 3 the show was pulling in time travel plots, and additional elements that seemed far away from the original concept. I don't agree with his conclusion, I thought season 3 was the best season, I'm just putting that out there. I don't know what CBS was thinking greenlighting It's About Time, it was a one note piano. Under those circumstances I thought Martian was a better option and certainly had potential to be a big hit in the syndication market.

I completely agree with the last sentence especially. One more season would've been perfect...two b&w and two color. It's About Time was a grave mistake for everyone.

[jharison]

Here's what I was told by the MFM representative: Mr Walston was not happy with the overall direction of the series, particularly in the 3rd season scripts, with the use of animals in the plots, (because it was cheaper than hiring actors) and the abandonment of the premise of the series, which was the Martian observing human nature as he tries to return home.
(He once said in a video interview, "They killed the goose that laid the Golden Egg. They didn't know how to keep the goose alive." and "We should have run for 8 years.") In another interview from the 1990s, contrasting "Martian", Mr. Walston expressed admiration for the way Star Trek had evolved, wishing MFM could have reflected such sci-fi ideas.
Therefore, because Mr. Walston wanted to leave the show, the producers then came up with the idea of his 11 year old nephew Andromeda showing up on earth, so that Ray Walston would not have to appear in every episode. If the series had been picked up for a 4th season, Uncle Martin and Andy would have returned to Mars, but Andy would have been sent back to live with Tim in order for him to learn about Earth and Uncle Martin would check in with him from time to time.
Needless to say CBS rejected that idea. The show was said to have been shopped to ABC, but without Mr. Walston's participation, that network was not interested either.