NBC has had a hard time developing programming lately that people actually want to watch. Actually, it's a problem they've had off-and-on for years. Here's a rundown of some the network's biggest flops, from the 2011-2012 TV season all the way back to 2001.
"The Firm"
After the series hit its lowest viewership numbers earlier this month, NBC yanked "The Firm" from the Thursday night line-up, and will burn off the remaining episodes on Saturday nights. USA Today called the show "wholly unsatisfying," adding "a show that opens with...casual, incompetent stupidity is telling you how little effort it plans to expend on telling its story, and how little respect it has for your intelligence." It's no wonder that "The Firm" knocked NBC to 8th place during its timeslot.
"The Playboy Club"
According to Entertainment Weekly, "The Playboy Club" never had much of a shot, as it "premiered to low ratings and then dropped for each of its three telecasts, with [the final episode aired] hitting only 3.4 million viewers and a 1.2 rating in the adult demo." With bad press from family groups and feminists alike, the show was irritating viewers before it even hit the air. No wonder it was canceled after only a few episodes had aired.
"LAX"
Do you remember this 2004 show? Don't feel bad if you don't; it only ran for 13 episodes. Starring Blair Underwood and Heather Locklear, this A-list vehicle couldn't find an audience. And who can blame us? No one wants to think about being in an airport more often then they have to.
"Emeril"
Way back in 2001, someone thought that Emeril Lagasse needed his own show. But not a cooking show: a sitcom, featuring Emeril's hijinks on a fictional cooking show. But even reshoots of the pilot episode couldn't help save a show with such a flawed concept. The only "BAM!" the show got was when someone at the network pulled the trigger to kill this terrible show.
Nostalgia can be a powerful motivator, but revamps of classic TV shows are almost never successful (we're looking at you, "Charlie's Angels.") The 2007 revamp of this classic series starred Michelle Ryan as Jamie Sommers, and the series actually debuted to high viewership, though ratings did drop off shortly thereafter. But when the Writer's Guild strike happened, the already-troubled show didn't stand a chance. Plus, the presence of Isaiah Washington, fresh off his homophobic tirade, was a turnoff for potential viewers.
"Coupling"
The American reboot of the classic British comedy lacked the chemistry and laughs of the original. Only four episodes were aired during 2003, and the show's British creator wasn't surprised. Steven Moffat, who wrote the original UK version, was quoted as saying: "If you really want a job to work, don't get Jeff Zucker's team to come help you with it because they're not funny."
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