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Devout Cancellation
So what went wrong with primetime animation on ABC and NBC? A spokesman for NBC states that God, the Devil, and Bob, Sammy and Stressed Eric were cancelled because "ratings were not at a satisfactory level to continue to air them." Fair enough -- that is an obvious reason to cancel any show. To demonstrate how poorly they performed: in late-March, God, the Devil, and Bob received the lowest ratings in NBC history for an 8:30 Tuesday night timeslot. Ouch! Nearly 50% of viewers of The Drew Carey Show chose not to watch Clerks -- an abysmal percentage! Meanwhile Sammy had a household rating of 3 during its second episode...

However, this hat trick of fiascos could have been avoided because these shows should never have been aired in the first place...

God, the Devil, and Bob premiered superbly in March 2000, miraculously garnering 14.42 million viewers, sandwiched between "Must-See" powerhouses Friends and Frasier. More impressively, those ratings came despite nine NBC-affiliates refusing to air the cartoon due to religious concerns. Now, if nine network affiliates refuse to air a show before it premieres, is that not a clear indicator that the show is destined for failure and should not be broadcast? Isn't it surprising that no one at NBC realized religious humor would be deemed offensive by many Americans? Especially in light of recent events where media draws political correctness accusations at the drop of a hat. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace received complaints from nearly every religious and ethnic group on the planet it seems. Moreover, the most wholesome of the wholesome, Disney, can't escape as lyrics were even changed before the release of Aladdin. On top of that however, Caryn James of The New York Times wrote in March 2000: "Beneath [God, the Devil, and Bob's] supposedly risky premise, the series is just one more benign and stale family sitcom."

Now, let's take a look at Sammy. Family dysfunction is never fun. Whether it is live-action or animated, a father deserting a family and returning only upon a child's fame and fortune a hilarious comedy it does not make. Didn't anyone think that this wouldn't ring true to the traditionally sappy U.S. primetime audience? In their ways, both Homer Simpson and Hank Hill are sincere family men just trying to get along, be happy and capture a little part of the American dream for their families.

The NBC spokesman tried to explain: "If a show is funny or compelling, we look at it, regardless of whether it is animated or not. We picked up those particular shows because we thought they were different and had a chance." But were they really different? These shows were different because they were animated but not really "different" in television form. They are still a type of sitcom -- a common form of television programming with which the traditional networks are very comfortable. However the sitcom may not be the best forum for animation. Cartoon Network's Simensky explains: "There's something about the cartoon format that does not format well as sitcoms. Cartoon characters throughout history are complex. Animation works when it's character driven.... Sitcoms are often about one-dimensional characters. So-and-so lost his keys and is locked out. How many times has that been done! Character is most important -- much more than the situation.... Networks are trying to make animated sitcoms, and they're not working."

Despite poor ratings, canceling a show after two episodes is practically unheard of in live-action. (That is not to say that it never happens as the case was last season with FOX's P.L.AY.) Generally, it takes at least a month for many viewers even to discover new shows, especially if the replacements come mid-season. In June 2000, Clerks creator Kevin Smith voiced his disdain with ABC's premature cancellation of his show: "What more can I say about the wonder boys in charge of ABC that I haven't already?... I know the ratings weren't great, but there were only four more [episodes] to go. It was about the only bone they could've thrown us." With Smith's cult following viewership might have increased if his fans had been given time to find the show and turn their friends onto it. The Simpsons was not a hit the first time it aired. It was several seasons into its now astounding run before it became a worldwide icon. This is something executives tend to forget. There was a time that insiders speculated The Simpsons might die due to a change in the day that it aired. It takes time to build an institution.