USA Cancels The Starter Wife

[DonnaJo]

I'm not sure if this is a surprise, but USA has decided to not renew The Starter Wife for next season:

USA Network's leaving 'Wife'
Debra Messing show will not be renewed
By DANIEL FRANKEL


USA has passed on a second season of 'The Starter Wife.'

USA Network is no longer wedded to the series version of "The Starter Wife."

After a miniseries adaptation of Gigi Levangie Grazer's bestseller drew big ratings, the cabler expanded the property into a regular original series last fall. But USA has elected not to renew the skein, which stars Debra Messing, after it averaged 2.4 million viewers in its first season.

The ratings bar for the net has been raised as of late, with "Burn Notice," for example, routinely scoring viewer counts in excess of 5 million.

"The Starter Wife was an award-winning, critical and creative success," read a USA statement. "We were thrilled with its performance as a miniseries, expanded and enriched it through an additional 10 episodes and reached what we all feel is a satisfying conclusion."

Variety

[annabelleleigh]

I watched enough of this show to grasp very early that "The Starter Wife" was a non-starter for the majority of USA's general audience. (I also saw the Nielsen numbers.)

The cable network's uber-chief Bonnie Hammer was fooling herself when she told the press (repeatedly) that the average female viewer would identify with the series' title character (whose name has already faded from memory). Her life -- despite being dumped -- was still oh-so-fabulous, and her biggest problems stemmed from her loss of status in Hollywood. She had to move out of a mansion. She was snubbed at parties. Boo-hoo.

Dear Ms. Hammer: TV viewers love to follow the lives of the wealthy and over-privileged -- but only to scorn them. If you don't understand this, you have stayed too long at the pool party.

AL

[outerbankschick]

Her name was Molly. Despite the fact that I have a "Goren memory", her name also sticks because of the never-ending promos that USA ran for this series that most of us knew was going nowhere.

I tried watching it once, and I just couldn't get through it.

[DonnaJo]

I caught parts of it last season. The plotline was ridiculous, something about some woman wanting to kill her in jealousy? Is that right? Bleh

Judy Davis continually entertained as Molly's rather messed up friend. Not too long ago, I rented "My Brilliant Career" from Netflix so my daughter, who loves films like that, could enjoy it. I think it was Ms. Davis' first famous screen role?

[caitlen]

"IN PLAIN SIGHT" returns April 19th at 10pm, just wondering if that will go hand in hand with CI again, any thoughts

[jeffan]

Annabelleleigh wrote yesterday:

I'm loathe to start a new thread just to pass along the following; this one seems serviceable.

"In Plain Sight" -- which was paired with CI last season -- now has promos specifying a Sunday, April 19th premiere. Whether this information implies anything about CI's start date I'm unsure.

"In Plain Sight" is filming its 11th (of 16 season) episodes in and around L.A. and Albuquerque right now. CI has fewer in the can. In light of the retoolling necessary for CI.alt we can't even assume that more than one of the N/W episodes with titles posted are/will be made. How much shot film was salvaged? How much was dumped and done over? Scripts rewritten?

However, promos for both series are in the same moderate rotation on USA.

AL

P.S. In absence of better information I'm still sticking by April 26th.

[caitlen]

"IN PLAIN SIGHT" on USA Network returns this spring!

"A commercial for the new season mentioned the season premiere returns on April 19th at 10pm."

February 02, 2009
Molly Shannon is back at work this Spring on USA Network. In Plain Sight is an hour-long drama that revolves around Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack), a tough, sexy US Marshal who works for the Federal Witness Protection Program. While many of the witnesses under her care are high-maintenance career criminals, some are just innocent people who had the misfortune of witnessing a crime or falling victim to one.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5xxSX2lQTc&feature=related
By TXCANY