Will the networks burst your 'bubble' show?
By Gary Levin, USA TODAY

Networks may have been quicker to renew promising series for next fall, but that's small comfort for the 19 series that remain "on the bubble" between renewal and cancellation.

Now it's time for fans to vote on which should be shoo-ins for renewal — and which should be consigned to the cancellation heap. (Related item: Vote to save your favorite shows.)

USA TODAY's annual Save Our Shows poll lured a record 48,000 votes last spring, when hovering holdouts Third Watch, Providence and Touched by an Angel won reprieves while other series, including Spin City and Ally McBeal, were canned.

This fall, Third Watch is all but assured of another season; so are 10 freshman series, including CSI: Miami, American Dreams, Without a Trace, Bernie Mac and 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. ABC alone renewed seven series in February, including some whose ratings didn't justify that early vote of confidence, such as sitcom Life With Bonnie. One reason: All six of ABC's new dramas have failed.

"We made a decision early to support a number of our shows that we believed in creatively and think we can build their audiences next year," ABC Entertainment president Susan Lyne says. It's this type of thinking that is needed to save this network. -dM

"The ratings level of shows that are on the bubble is probably lower than in the past," says Fox Television Entertainment Group chairman Sandy Grushow. Though overall viewership for Fox's Friday dramas Fastlane and John Doe is anemic, both shows win their time slots among Fox's core audience of men ages 18 to 34.

"If you believe in a show's creative potential, even if you're not seeing ratings where you'd like them to be, you're more likely to be patient," he says.

ABC's Dragnet, which was introduced in February, hasn't yet made the cut. Neither has CBS' fizzling My Big Fat Greek Life or NBC's Kingpin and Boomtown, both critical favorites that haven't found big audiences.

But there are fewer long-in-the-tooth shows on the fence this year: NBC's Providence already is axed, CBS' Touched wraps up April 27, and WB's Dawson's Creek graduates May 14.

One notable exception: ABC's law drama The Practice. It's the show's first year on the bubble, though it's in its seventh season. The show has seen a steady ratings slide this year, and it is ABC's most expensive series at $6.5 million an episode. The show's future depends partly on whether ABC can negotiate a new (and probably cheaper) contract with producer David E. Kelley and 20th Century Fox Television.

Originally posted by Iron Chef
In the comments section, I slammed Bonnie Hammer for the hell of it.

Originally posted by BJacks
Boy, I don't watch any of the shows listed. Oh well, as long as they keep Jeopardy, The Shield, and the news I'll be happy.

Originally posted by Groucho
I voted to keep Oliver Beene. More shows should be this fresh and original...not to mention funny.

All six of ABC's new dramas have failed.

Originally posted by Groucho
I voted to keep Oliver Beene. More shows should be this fresh and original...not to mention funny.

Originally posted by nny
The Practice has to be the most insane show on TV. $6.5 million an episode?!? I've always thought it was absolutely hilarious when I'd see a cast member from The Practice on a talk show. It seems like everytime this happened they would say how it's amazing how they can film an episode in under 2 weeks. The Practice is probably the most formulaic show on TV. Every episode has the same rhythm and even many of the exact same camera shots. They always use the same sets too. They should be able to make an episode every 2 days.

I don't see how a show like Buffy can make an episode in the same amount of time, with a lower budget, have a couple action sequences, deal with more characters, have more sets, much more elaborate make-up, and still make a far better show than The Practice.