Fox Cancels Two Friday Shows
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fox's harsh fall season just got worse. Poor ratings forced the
cancellation of the network's Friday
lineup of ``Harsh Realm'' and ``Ryan Caulfield: Year One.''
Movies will fill the two-hour slot through November, the network said Monday. The
replacement series were not announced.
Fox has struggled to find an audience for its new series, including the sitcoms ``Action''
and ``Get Real,'' while the
delayed returns of its most popular shows have put a further dent in the network's
ratings.
``Ally McBeal'' started its third season Monday, while ``The X-Files'' is back Nov. 7 for
its seventh year.
Expectations had been high for ``Harsh Realm,'' a virtual-reality thriller from
``X-Files'' creator Chris Carter,
but the show premiered a disappointing fourth in its time slot Oct. 8 and has seen its
ratings slide.
``Ryan Caulfield: Year One,'' a drama about a rookie police officer, also proved a ratings
dud with an unduly optimistic
title. The series lasted only two episodes.
Chris Carter's Response (found through The X-World Newsletter)
Life is harsh for X-Files creator Chris Carter: Fox just canceled his new series, Harsh Realm, after three airings. "I think in the end it looks rather misguided to have premiered the show without any promotional base, certainly when the reviews of it were good" Carter tells Variety. "I have a feeling we're victim of a much bigger problem at Fox. When I first met [Fox Entertainment President] Doug [Herzog] I realized he wasn't a fan of The X-Files, which made me paranoid that he didn't know what we did over here." The network also canceled the drama Ryan Caulfield:Year One; no word on what will replace the two showson Friday nights on Fox.