Posted elsewhere, but reminds us of UM's ultimate failure - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

everybodylovesrs · 03-28-2013, 11:14 PM

Exclusive: Lifetime Cancels "America's Most Wanted"
Mar 28, 2013
by Michael Schneider

Lifetime has decided not to pick up another season of "America's Most Wanted", TV Guide Magazine has learned exclusively. The decision effectively ends the groundbreaking reality series after 25 seasons, at least for now.

Separately, however, the cable network is looking to stay in business with AMW host and executive producer John Walsh. Lifetime is developing a pilot, tentatively titled "John Walsh Investigates", which would take a different approach to Walsh's ongoing crime fighting and victims' advocacy work.

And although they declined comment, Walsh's production company and Twentieth Television (which distributes the show) are said to still be examining their options on whether or not to shop AMW elsewhere.

AMW ultimately ran for 44 episodes on Lifetime, resulting in 36 captures. But by the end of its run, AMW wasn't making much noise in the ratings for Lifetime.

The show's final episode aired October 12 and averaged just 807,000 viewers. Walsh and the AMW producers had been talking to Lifetime about producing another round of episodes, but ultimately a deal was not reached.

Since its launch on the then-fledgling Fox network in 1988, AMW has helped law enforcement capture 1,202 fugitives worldwide. Among recent notable cases, a tipster to AMW helped authorities find the "person of interest" in the shooting of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen.

"I've seen a lot of shocking stuff and a lot of tough cases," Walsh said at the time. "You can be a crime victim anywhere in America."

Fox ended the show's original run in June 2011 after 24 seasons, but ordered a handful of specials and allowed Walsh to shop the regular series elsewhere.

Lifetime, which has found success through the years with TV movies based on real-life crimes (as well as repeats of "Unsolved Mysteries") eventually picked up AMW for its 25th season.

AMW debuted on Lifetime in December 2011, and did well enough to earn a pickup of 20 more episodes in March 2012.

But as it has been off the air in recent months, AMW missed a number of high-profile stories, including the elementary school shootings in Newtown, Conn., and the Southern California manhunt for fugitive Christopher Dorner.

It's an end of an era, of sorts, for the two shows that made up Fox's Saturday night lineup for nearly two decades. As AMW goes off the air, Fox is also mulling the fate of COPS, which only aired sporadically on the network this season.

COPS executive producer John Langley told TV Guide Magazine that he would shop the long-running series elsewhere this spring should Fox decide not to pick up another season.

Don't count AMW out yet, however. The show was canceled twice by Fox — besides 2011, it was also briefly dropped in 1996 (and revived just days later after outcry from law enforcement and government officials).

AMW is still seen as an important vehicle for locating fugitives, even if the show doesn't command as large an audience as it once did.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Americas...d-1063277.aspx
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DP1 · 03-28-2013, 11:41 PM

Damn it! I always enjoyed watching AMW. More importantly, it served a vital function. I really hope it gets picked up elsewhere.

tamanshud · 03-28-2013, 11:47 PM

I never watched AMW. I'm disappoint in lifetime very TLC-ish transformation. No good channels anymore..even history channel has fallen for the hype.

wiseguy182 · 03-29-2013, 03:12 AM

I really wouldn't call UM a failure.

1990 UM fan · 03-30-2013, 06:03 AM

It's sad how society's interest in true crimes shows has dwindled. There is still alot of hardcore UM fanatics (some who love AMW and other true crime shows as well), but alot of people are into those fake crime show series that Hollywood has added special effects to so that people's attention are grabbed. Not alot of people have the cognitivity anymore to sit and listen to real crime show stories anymore.

MegtheEgg86 · 03-30-2013, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1990 UM fan

It's sad how society's interest in true crimes shows has dwindled. There is still alot of hardcore UM fanatics (some who love AMW and other true crime shows as well), but alot of people are into those fake crime show series that Hollywood has added special effects to so that people's attention are grabbed. Not alot of people have the cognitivity anymore to sit and listen to real crime show stories anymore.

I wouldn't exactly argue society's "interest in true crime shows" has dwindled. Bio survives largely on true crime shows.

Before we go basking in our own greatness, bear in mind the reason WE started watching UM in the first place is because it entertained us. It's no different than the true crime shows of today. Just because it offends our sensibilities to see camp and ridiculous special effects in true crime shows doesn't mean no one's actively watching those shows with at least empathy for victims and/or a desire to help them and to combat crime in general.

MegtheEgg86 · 03-30-2013, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiseguy182

I really wouldn't call UM a failure.

I concur.

everybodylovesrs · 03-31-2013, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MegtheEgg86

I concur.

Hasn't been on the air with new episodes in ages (no matter what host..). And got kicked off of CBS/NBC prior to Lifetime. Reruns got demoted to 3 AM every Tuesday that's not this Tuesday on Spike, if you are standing on your head, got pulled entirely from Lifetime.

bugnpinky · 03-31-2013, 06:52 PM

It's all about the money. I have long thought ratings were not a good indication of public interest.

DarkDante · 03-31-2013, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by everybodylovesrs

Hasn't been on the air with new episodes in ages (no matter what host..). And got kicked off of CBS/NBC prior to Lifetime. Reruns got demoted to 3 AM every Tuesday that's not this Tuesday on Spike, if you are standing on your head, got pulled entirely from Lifetime.

It didn't fail. It served it's purpose in it's time but now it's time has clearly passed. Unsolved Mysteries was quite groundbreaking and unique for it's time and it should not be surprising that in the late eighties and early nineties it hooked in viewers on a weekly basis. The combination of intriguing mysteries and potential viewer interaction was a winning combination no doubt and allowed production to branch out and profile other types of stories throughout the run of the series.

The problem is like anything else after several years of plying the same format, it became somewhat stale which I why I believe the philosophy of the show shifted in the later years towards a more "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" type program and less to do with the profiling and apprehension of criminals.

It also didn't help that by the mid-nineties, the internet was beginning to compete with television as a source of entertainment for many people. UM aside it's easy to see that by the end of the nineties the entire landscape of network television had changed and networks had to reassess their marketing strategies because the old regime was beginning to fade.

We were lucky as UM fans to have a network such as "Lifetime" that broadcast the show on a daily basis for us to enjoy far past it's expiration date. My belief has always been that Lifetime's loyalty to UM had more to do with the fact that in the early nineties it was basically their flagship show which their entire network was built around. It likely drew the biggest ratings for the network back in those days and therefore they kept renewing the contract even when production ceased on new episodes. Heck "Lifetime" even tried to bring the show back to life a few times but as I mentioned by that point it's time had passed.

UM didn't fail. It simply just ran it's course.

Blackout · 03-31-2013, 10:16 PM

it'd be better if they never went to Lifetime where they started doing lost love segments way too much

people want murder and missing people segments not someone who is looking for their long lost great aunt twice removed

DarkDante · 03-31-2013, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackout

it'd be better if they never went to Lifetime where they started doing lost love segments way too much

people want murder and missing people segments not someone who is looking for their long lost great aunt twice removed

I would be very surprised if Lost Loves did not bring in an audience for them as there are people who eat that sort of stuff up with a fork and spoon. I am not among them mind you but those stories had their place on the series and were a core part of the show long before it's move to Lifetime.

Blackout · 03-31-2013, 10:55 PM

but when they came to lifetime they doubled the lost loves crap

TracyLynnS · 04-01-2013, 01:02 PM

I'm grateful that they did what they could to bring UM
back to its audience but every time I think of Lifetime,
I have horrible visions of sappy Lost Loves and
Resurrection Mary.

cordwainer1453 · 04-01-2013, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TracyLynnS

I'm grateful that they did what they could to bring UM
back to its audience but every time I think of Lifetime,
I have horrible visions of sappy Lost Loves and
Resurrection Mary.

"I never want to see her again"

03-28-2013, 11:14 PM	#1
everybodylovesrs Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 12, 2008 Posts: 526	Posted elsewhere, but reminds us of UM's ultimate failure Exclusive: Lifetime Cancels "America's Most Wanted" Mar 28, 2013 by Michael Schneider Lifetime has decided not to pick up another season of "America's Most Wanted", TV Guide Magazine has learned exclusively. The decision effectively ends the groundbreaking reality series after 25 seasons, at least for now. Separately, however, the cable network is looking to stay in business with AMW host and executive producer John Walsh. Lifetime is developing a pilot, tentatively titled "John Walsh Investigates", which would take a different approach to Walsh's ongoing crime fighting and victims' advocacy work. And although they declined comment, Walsh's production company and Twentieth Television (which distributes the show) are said to still be examining their options on whether or not to shop AMW elsewhere. AMW ultimately ran for 44 episodes on Lifetime, resulting in 36 captures. But by the end of its run, AMW wasn't making much noise in the ratings for Lifetime. The show's final episode aired October 12 and averaged just 807,000 viewers. Walsh and the AMW producers had been talking to Lifetime about producing another round of episodes, but ultimately a deal was not reached. Since its launch on the then-fledgling Fox network in 1988, AMW has helped law enforcement capture 1,202 fugitives worldwide. Among recent notable cases, a tipster to AMW helped authorities find the "person of interest" in the shooting of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen. "I've seen a lot of shocking stuff and a lot of tough cases," Walsh said at the time. "You can be a crime victim anywhere in America." Fox ended the show's original run in June 2011 after 24 seasons, but ordered a handful of specials and allowed Walsh to shop the regular series elsewhere. Lifetime, which has found success through the years with TV movies based on real-life crimes (as well as repeats of "Unsolved Mysteries") eventually picked up AMW for its 25th season. AMW debuted on Lifetime in December 2011, and did well enough to earn a pickup of 20 more episodes in March 2012. But as it has been off the air in recent months, AMW missed a number of high-profile stories, including the elementary school shootings in Newtown, Conn., and the Southern California manhunt for fugitive Christopher Dorner. It's an end of an era, of sorts, for the two shows that made up Fox's Saturday night lineup for nearly two decades. As AMW goes off the air, Fox is also mulling the fate of COPS, which only aired sporadically on the network this season. COPS executive producer John Langley told TV Guide Magazine that he would shop the long-running series elsewhere this spring should Fox decide not to pick up another season. Don't count AMW out yet, however. The show was canceled twice by Fox — besides 2011, it was also briefly dropped in 1996 (and revived just days later after outcry from law enforcement and government officials). AMW is still seen as an important vehicle for locating fugitives, even if the show doesn't command as large an audience as it once did. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Americas...d-1063277.aspx Report Bad Post Reply With Quote Read more: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...#ixzz2OtXmTUDr

03-30-2013, 06:03 AM	#5
1990 UM fan Unsolved Mysteries fanatic Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2011 Location: United States Posts: 2,509	It's sad how society's interest in true crimes shows has dwindled. There is still alot of hardcore UM fanatics (some who love AMW and other true crime shows as well), but alot of people are into those fake crime show series that Hollywood has added special effects to so that people's attention are grabbed. Not alot of people have the cognitivity anymore to sit and listen to real crime show stories anymore.
	__________________ Join my Unsolved Mysteries page (Facebook): http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unsolv...899616?sk=wall

03-31-2013, 10:16 PM	#11
Blackout Sart Bimpson Senior Member Join Date: Jan 13, 2003 Location: where the sun rises Posts: 2,235	it'd be better if they never went to Lifetime where they started doing lost love segments way too much people want murder and missing people segments not someone who is looking for their long lost great aunt twice removed
	__________________ MOHRIOR

03-28-2013, 11:41 PM	#2
DP1 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 21, 2004 Posts: 394	Damn it! I always enjoyed watching AMW. More importantly, it served a vital function. I really hope it gets picked up elsewhere.

03-28-2013, 11:47 PM	#3
tamanshud Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 30, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 93	I never watched AMW. I'm disappoint in lifetime very TLC-ish transformation. No good channels anymore..even history channel has fallen for the hype.

03-29-2013, 03:12 AM	#4
wiseguy182 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 11, 2006 Location: Wendy's salad bar Posts: 7,030	I really wouldn't call UM a failure.

03-31-2013, 06:52 PM	#9
bugnpinky Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 03, 2009 Location: Where it's hot Posts: 169	It's all about the money. I have long thought ratings were not a good indication of public interest.

03-31-2013, 10:55 PM	#13
Blackout Sart Bimpson Senior Member Join Date: Jan 13, 2003 Location: where the sun rises Posts: 2,235	but when they came to lifetime they doubled the lost loves crap

04-01-2013, 01:02 PM	#14
TracyLynnS Don't Look Up Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 07, 2009 Posts: 3,107	I'm grateful that they did what they could to bring UM back to its audience but every time I think of Lifetime, I have horrible visions of sappy Lost Loves and Resurrection Mary.