The Ex List canceled
By fred | October 28, 2008
Here’s a news that will probably get Moonlight fans to laugh at CBS even more, though in the end it’s kinda depressing to see that this was, obviously, a failure, and yet that won’t get us Mick St. John back…
CBS announced unsurprisingly that, after poor performances - last Friday the show had only 5.3 million viewers and 1.5 on the demo - The Ex List was taken off the air. Effective this Friday the show will be replaced by reruns of The Eye’s ratings-hit NCIS.
Too bad they don’t have some kind of deal with Alex O’Loughlin and 8 millions of avid fans craving to get their favorite bloody romance on the air… (Don’t dream though, it won’t happen, and I’m sure if asked, Tassler would still reiterate all her non-sense excuses that Moonlight wasn’t good, successful, loved, or whatever lies she goes by these days.)
Anyways, only four episodes aired and it remains unclear whether the others - production of episode 11 was ongoing at the time of the announcement - will ever be seen. Although, really, when a show can’t make it on a Friday night, the networks’ graveyard, it pretty much settles it I’d say.
Posted in News
Shows: Moonlight, The Ex List
Moonlight: CBS cancela The Ex-List « Moonlight en español
Oh well, another trashy show bites the dust. It’s no wonder the main character couldn’t find “the one.” There were just too many past loves(?) but not enough viewers who bought that passe, degrading, premise.
I’m still hoping for a Moonlight miracle, Fred!
You can’t fight karma!
You gotta love it! Thanks Fred.
Even though Moonlight is forever gone, your support of all of us by watching all the episodes and giving us your honest evaluation of each one, pros and cons, was very much appreciated.
Now we can only hope that Alex gets his new project approved and on the air on CBS. I do worry about Ms. Tassler though and I hope Alex protects his new deal so this travesty does not happen to him again!
Again, Fred, thanks for your support! Lucia
Muh-hahahaha ***points and laughs at CBS*** I am SO HAPPY this show tanked. I’m with Anne- holding out hope for a Moonlight miracle!
Fred, thanks again, I always enjoy your commentary. Can CBS ever learn any lesson from this debacle?
AHHHH just when I started to warm up to The Ex-List…NOT!!!
I have to practice restraint by stating that CBS might not be the only one to blame for the demise of MOONLIGHT. I mean there were a lot of infightings behind the set that will never come to the light to what led to the demise. But the fact that Alex O’Loughlin chose to sign the deal with CBS showed that maybe he knew more about CBS than we do.
Having said that, ya know, now that CBS has Alex and can do whatever they want to do with him including resurrecting Moonlight, Sophia hasn’t signed on to anything long-term, Jason is a toughie cuz I really love his snark but he’s a smaller character in the show, and Shannyn (who also signed on to another HBO show like Jason) was all but gone from Moonlight.
Sooooo, it is not over until… It is not over. Moonlight Lives On!!! Rah rah rah!
[quote---nva_gvup]—”now that CBS has Alex and can do whatever they want to do with him including resurrecting Moonlight”
Just in response to nva_gvup:
Unfortunately CBS does not have the rights to Moonlight,only Joel Silver, who does not get along with Nina Tassler, so Moonlight can not be resurrected by CBS— it is out of their hands.
I’m sorry for the actresses/actors & crew of Ex-List….but Karma is Karma. Too many people hoping for it’s failure to overcome. I’m holding out my hope for a Moonlight movie (tv or theater or straight to dvd…I don’t care!). I agree that the fact that Alex chose to stay with CBS should tell us something. He was too devastated by Moonlight’s cancellation to ‘just forget about it’…so there has to be more to that story than we will ever know. However, Alex is pitching a new show NOW to TPTB…so hope we all send POSITIVE thoughts in his direction so we can get him back on our TV where he belongs. A hit for ALex may help us in the long run for a Moonlight movie!
Only 4 episodes shown! Wow, thats a real failure. I just can’t bring myself to say I’m sorry in spite of all the hard working people involved with The Ex-List.
I miss Moonlight and I really think its a shame that a personality issue got in the way of this great show. Thanks again to you Fred for giving Moonlight a real shot. Your reviews were thoughtful and we enjoyed your ‘giant thrill ride’.
Wow, I had a feeling the show would fall apart…I just didnt think it would only last for 4 epiosdes. I feel bad for all the actors and people who tried to make it work, but it was just not moonlight. Im with alot of people, in hoping for a miracle, just to see a new episode one more time would be amazing. I miss moonlight :(
I tried to give “The Ex List” a go because I wanted to see what show was replacing Moonlight. I thought to myself what were they thinking!!! They had a good thing going and they replaced it with this garbage. I don’t like to see people lose their jobs but come on people. Don’t mess with a good thing. Moonlight was a good show, you were well ahead of the game with the “vampire” thing. Should have given it another season, by the looks of things it would have definitely been your best option……
This mourning Moonlight fan is quite pleased with this news!
The last I looked, nothing is written in stone - and so I’ll keep voicing my support of Moonlight as a motion-picture, straight2DVD, or back as a TV-series. I’m sure if TPTB wanted it badly enough - they’d find a way to milk us Moonlighters for the cash we hold. CBS just doesn’t have my Trust any longer, and I will not go back until Moonlight’s back. Joel Silver may hold Title, but he’s not making any cash off it with it sitting in storage. There’s always a chance that he could be talked into selling that Title if CBS tried. I think if CBS acquired Moonlight and gave it to Alex as a Project, and hired Sophia back - that the rest of the cast could be written into “spots”, while the noir Vamp-detective and his mate carried most of the story-line… at least for this year. I truly believe that nothing CBS conjures-up to “replace” Moonlight will garner them the almost 9 million viewers they lost from the cancellation. I think the only way they’ll get that back is by buying the rights to, and returning - Moonlight. For me, it’s not about “any TV-show” - it’s about broken trust.
The Ex List didn’t fit well in its time slot on Fridays, and I wonder what new show will. Also, CBS doesn’t seem to be happy with shows that attempt to combine drama with romance or humor. As you mentioned earlier, Fred, it doesn’t know what to do with shows that are fresh and unique. So, perhaps, if the Ex List had been more dramatic, or humorous, and stuck to the formula, it would have fit under the CBS umbrella and garnered better ratings. I doubt it!
To me, the Ex List was a shallow attempt to explain one of the most challenging, complex, human relationships, and it wasn’t handled with enough of anything substantial to make it even mildy interesting.
Unfortunately, its cancellation won’t help bring back Moonlight. Although, what would fit more perfectly into the Friday night “networks’ graveyard” and the death slot, than a great vampire show? (I hope Joel Silver reads his mail, and all the online comments!) Moonlight is still in the news and adding to its numerous awards. It recently won Comcast’s #1 Best Cancelled Show. Well, Moonlight lives in many hearts it seems. After all, we are talking about the undead, immortality, rising again, incredible strength, and romantic, Gothic, heroes.
Since, vampire stories have been in our literature and folklore for hundreds of years, we all know vampires are very difficult to kill; so it seems is a wonderfully complex and clever show about vampires–Moonlight!
I am a die hard Moonlight fan. I have kept my tv dark on Friday’s at 9:00 since Moonlight’s canncelation. Someone is still making money off Moonlight. It began airing on Italia TV on October31st. The DVD release due out in January is another money maker.There must be some ‘bad” blood between Joel Silver and Nina Tassler. Contracts were made to be broken and if Joel Silver won’t let Moonlight go, maybe he should buy Alex’s contract! I still keep writing to each every few days giving fact upon fact maybe they will listen. Or maybe it should go into syndication like Baywatch. Only one season on air and 7 more in syndication. Never give up! Vampire Solidarity RAH!
OlWolf and Kim
Your dreams would be nice as we all loved Moonlight but then a real Santa would be nice too.
OlWolf:Do you hear yourself?
“Joel Silver may hold Title, but he’s not making any cash off it with it sitting in storage. There’s always a chance that he could be talked into selling that Title if CBS tried. I think if CBS acquired Moonlight and gave it to Alex as a Project, and hired Sophia back - that the rest of the cast could be written into “spots”, while the noir Vamp-detective and his mate carried most of the story-line… at least for this year.” HUH???
Kim:
Or maybe it should go into syndication like Baywatch.
SYNDICATION? By the time Moonlight had all its actors free they would be too old to play young sexy vampires. They have moved on people. Your only possibility is a movie—and winning the lottery or being struck by lightning is more likely. You would need huge DVD sales that go on a few years and then of course if they do a Moonlight movie by that time then they will find different actors, new young actors. That would not work for me.
Time to love Moonlight for the beautiful show it was and move on for the actors’ sake.
We didn’t hear any good Moonlight news for so long, but now we know the DVDs will be out on January 20th and a few days later it will be in reruns on SciFi! This is wonderful teeth-sinking news! To me, both of these are tiny miracles, because many shows never are released to DVD or make it to rerun status. So, here’s a high five to all who dare to dream! Dreamers are the poets, artists, scientists, and free-thinkers of our society. Let’s continue to dream about and for more Moonlight!!! “We are such stuff as dreams are made. . . ” Shakespeare
It’s wonderful—and it is all we will get—reruns and season 1 DVD’s.
Dear Lucia,
Reruns on Scifi are a GOOD thing. I will give Moonlight a whole new avenue to obtain fans. Moonlight needs all the fans it can get to prove it would be a worthwhile for a movie or miniseries. Silver might want to take into account the his latest work did not do well at the box office (ie Speedracer) and Tassler should look at her “death slot” and rethink 8 million viewers is not so bad. I am sure it has something to do with egos and money. In any case, Moonlight fans want more and we will keep writing!
VAMPIRE SOLIDARITY RAH!
Kim stated:
“Tassler should look at her “death slot” and rethink 8 million viewers is not so bad.”
Here are CBS’s LATEST numbers for Friday night:
Friday Nielsen Ratings: CBS Makes a Night out of It
Posted on 08 November 2008
I have to tip the cap to CBS. It pulled off something fairly remarkable on a Friday night. EVERY SHOW in the CBS lineup crossed the ELEVEN MILLION mark. with the NCIS rerun marginally beating out Numb3rs as the night’s most-watched program, while Ghost Whisperer at 8pm had the best demo performance of the night (not just for CBS, but all of broadcast).
Not only is CBS not worried about reviving Moonlight, but as to a movie deal:
When, and if, all the actors finish their obligations, and even if a miracle occurred and they ALL could swing time to do a movie in the future, vampires DON”T GET OLDER! As Alex stated when Moonlight first began, it could only last a few years because we will get older.
JS’s alternative? New actors. Would that work for you? Not me, and I suspect not JS either.
PLEASE stop beating the “Moonlight can come back” drum.
Some even think that Sci-Fi putting on the reruns of Moonlight might be because the fans sent letters. PLEASE! That is what Sci-Fi does; put reruns up of done shows. Period. We, the fans, have nothing to do with it. It will not beat out CBS’s numbers on Friday night. Not 16 reruns. Sorry!
Again I ask! PLEASE love and enjoy the Moonlight we had, and move on. Buy the DVD’s for memories sake of a great show we once had.
One last comment:
In this article from Fred himself:
“Too bad they don’t have some kind of deal with Alex O’Loughlin and 8 millions of avid fans craving to get their favorite bloody romance on the air… (DON”T DREAM, THOUGH,IT WON’T HAPPEN),—”
Fred enjoyed Moonlight but lives in the real world and RIGHT HERE in this very article, tells you it’s over!
What more do you want?
It’s exciting to think that reruns will bring more fans to Moonlight. That means more DVD sales and more exposure. All that is good for Moonlight and the cast. From the beginning the show was all about the positive.
I agree. Exposure for the actors’ future projects is always good!