movieking

No surprise here:

ABC pulls plug on 'The One'

After scoring record low ratings in its debut, ABC has mercifully pulled the plug on reality show "The One," Variety reports.

Despite the big stumble out of the gate, the network aired three more episodes of "The One: Making a Superstar" in hopes of a turnaround, but the ratings actually got worse.

The fate of the singing competition, hosted by Canadian George Stroumboulopoulos and simulcast on CBC, was decided on Thursday morning.

ABC is now left with a hole in its schedule between now and mid-September.

The cancellation also puts CBC's plans to spin off a Canadian version of the show into serious doubt.

rfduncan

Who do what to who now? I'd never even HEARD of this show...

Draven

Yeah, seriously. I hate reality TV with a passion but they have to at least advertise these things...

The Bus

It was advertised a lot on Good Morning America. They should've promoted it in the spring while people were still watching TV.

Dr. Henry Jones, Jr.

"Its first episode, on July 18, 2006, scored the second-lowest audience ever for a premiere episode on a major U.S. broadcast network, with an estimated 3.08 million viewers – ahead of only the 1990 premiere of Glory Days on the then-fledgling FOX network."

Gasspasser

Yeah no kidding, this this was advertised like crazy here in chicago. We watched the first 2-3 min of the first episode, thought that the group song sounded so terrible that we just stopped there.

mdc3000

What were they thinking putting it up against every other talent type show... this could have had a fighting chance on like a monday or friday night, but abc screwed themselves...oh yeah, and the so called "talent" on the show BLEW.

Poor George.

MATT

DRG

Hell, I remember them advertising this back in May during REAL programming. But then I didn't hear about it forever and had completely forgotten about it. By the time it actually came on there was already so much competition from established reality shows and better-promoted stuff like America's Got Talent that it fell through the cracks.

Plus, it just wasn't very good. But that shouldn't matter for the first episode's ratings. Their spin on the "singing competition show" just wasn't enough to avoid looking like a 4th level ripoff.

Jadzia

I did like that Austin guy. A lot. I hope his career can survive this mess.

So since these kids were all living in a house together, do they just get sent home?

That would be funny if the cameramen just left when they were fired and no one told the kids in the house the show wa sover.

DRG

On a side note, is this the first time an ongoing reality show has been cancelled in the middle of its run? When I say 'ongoing', I mean something where the show is done week to week until the finale and the results are not already known (shows like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars; as opposed to shows like Survivor or Apprentice where the bulk of the show - other than the final result - is already completed by the time it airs.) I know some reality shows have been pulled before their completion: The Will, Playing It Straight, etc. But those shows were already taped and didn't leave their contestants hanging, so to speak.

The closest I can think of was last season's Last Comic Standing, but even that show was at the end and they still proclaimed a winner... even if it was announced during commercial breaks of Father of the Pride.

zebop

The show was awful, chatty, silly and anything with Andre Harrell in it really doesn't deserve a second look.

josepotato

Worst show title ever... Did you watch The One last night? What one? Reminds me of when That 70s Show first started.

Cardiff Giant11

the only reason i knew this show existed was because it was occasionally advertised during Lost.

magiccmom

So will there be a winner declared? These kids only got like 8 minutes of fame instead of their 15~! What a shame!

Patman

The cancellation turned the show into "The None".

Joe Molotov

I never was a big Jet Li fan.

Gasspasser

Haha