CBS’ decision this month to cancel the drama “Joan of Arcadia” after two seasons has left its fans bitter and angry. Many have responded by battering CBS with emails and calls in an attempt to save the show.
It’s a long shot, at best. The series where God appeared to Amber Tamblyn’s “Joan” desguised as an average person won critical praise and an Emmy nomination, but never broke out of its cult status.
Fans said they appreciated a drama that talked about spirituality without being preachy. Several parents wrote that it was one of the few quality shows on television they felt comfortable watching with their children.
“I liked that it gave my daughter and I ethical things to talk about without having to bring them up, things like premarital sex and spirituality,” said Dawn Richards, 44, who watched regularly with her 14-year-old daughter at home in Boca Raton, Fla. “It’s a great springboard.”
Angela Williams, who works at a domestic violence shelter and lives in Boody, Ill., organized the campaign to support the show. The 24-year-old scheduled her Friday nights around the series and said a lot of her friends did, too.
CBS recently responded to the campaign.
“It was one of the toughest programming decisions we have had to make in the last couple of years because qualitatively, everyone here loved the show and was proud of the show,” said Chris Ender, CBS entertainment spokesman.
But they couldn’t ignore its ratings slide, he said. During its first season, “Joan of Arcadia” averaged 10.1 million viewers, decent numbers for Friday. This year, that number fell to 8 million, according to Nielsen Media Research.
That was lower than “Father of the Pride,” “Dr. Vegas” and “Hawaii” all series that went to their graveyards long ago.
The most important number may be this one: 53.9.
That’s the median age of the “Joan of Arcadia” viewer, nearly three years older than the typical CBS viewer.
There was a time CBS was more accepting of its older audience, but that is not the case any more. CBS narrowly missed being the most popular network among 18-to-49-year-old viewers this year. Four of its five programs with the oldest demographics in terms of viewership, including “Joan,” were canceled.
“Up until the very last minute I just felt that there was no way that we’d be canceled,” said Barbara Hall, the series’ creator. “The response to our season finale had been really big. I really didn’t understand how much demographics played into this, more so than ratings.”
CBS is replacing “Joan” with “Ghost Whisperer,” featuring Jennifer Love Hewitt as a young wife who speaks with the dead.
A much-publicized comment by CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves, “I think talking to ghosts may skew younger than talking to God” greatly upset many “Joan of Arcadia” fans.
Liana Hix, 36, of Antioch, Calif., called it blasphemy and “really, really thoughtless.”
“I talk to a lot of moms,” Hix said, “so it’s not good to disappoint people like me.”
The ratings slump baffled both CBS and Hall, who worked constantly to turn it around. CBS wanted more scenes with God, so Hall wrote them in. Partly at the network’s request, she introduced the evil character Ryan. The third season was to see Joan and this devilish character face off.
“She was going to be engaged in all these metaphysical battles,” Hall said. “She would get to know God on a whole new level.”
Hall thinks the problem was a lack of promotion efforts by CBS. Ender said CBS tried, hiring a firm to promote “Joan” in churches.
Despite the campaign, the chances of keeping “Joan” on the air are slim to none. There’s still a hope that Sony Pictures Entertainment can sell “Joan of Arcadia” to another network, and it is trying. With the actors’ contracts expiring June 15, the window of opportunity is closing with each passing day.
Credit: Yahoo/AP
