Out with old (’Unit,’ ‘Without a Trace’), in with new at CBS
Host Wayne Brady (center) with original host Monty Hall and executive producer Mike Richards for CBS' new "Let's Make a Deal."
“Let’s Make a Deal,” with host Wayne Brady, will replace the canceled “Guiding Light” on the daytime schedule, CBS confirmed Monday. All three pilots for a potential replacement for the long-running soap opera were for game shows, CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler told TV critics meeting in Los Angeles. Monty Hall, the original “Deal” host, will serve as a consultant on the new version. “GL” ends Sept. 21; “Deal” launches in early October.
Also from Tassler:
Canceling “Without a Trace” was “a really tough choice. I personally love the show. … But the truth is every show has its own life cycle.” CBS “had a very strong development season. We have a very strong schedule. So it allowed us to make those tough decisions. Obviously, we feel it was better to go out for the show at a creative high point in its career versus then having any kind of downturn, but it was a very tough decision.”
Likewise, letting go of “The Unit” was a hard decision, especially because Tassler said the military series had faced a difficult time slot. “I realize it was still very popular with a lot of viewers, but ratings had leveled off without much chance of growing the audience. And again, we had so many strong shows in development that it was a case of just choosing to go with something new.’
Nine more episodes of “Flashpoint” will air. CBS has no plans to order more, “but we certainly can if we want to.” “The Bridge,” like “Flashpoint” a Canadian co-production, has been picked up by CBS for an unspecified debut date.
NBC didn’t treat “Medium” the way it should have been treated, Tassler said, and when CBS had a chance to pick it up, “we jumped at it.”
Predictions for how Jay Leno will do at 9 p.m. this fall are irrelevant. “Whatever numbers,
whatever ratings they get, they’re going to declare a victory anyway, so it really doesn’t matter.”
I believe CBS is making a big mistake canceling two of its most popular shows. I was hoping another network would pick up The Unit. I hate to see great shows cancelled without giving it a proper ending. I am sure CBS knew quite awhile ago that they would be canceling The Unit and Without a Trace, they could have given it a proper send off.
I so miss “The Unit”,wish some other network would pick it up also! I predict the soap opera addicts will boycott CBS over the dropping of their shows.
Every year a great show gets cancelled, The Unit this past one, Jericho the previous year on CBS.(Reaper on CW.) Each season, the network exec talking heads prattle about what a strong lineup of new shows they have. Come Fall, what happens? We get one or two shows per network (some years) that look promising, but a whole lot more of doggerel that only a deluded, Hollywood bubble-living exec could think that real people could possibly care about.
I’m going to miss the Unit, like I miss 3rd Watch, High Incident (very short lived), St. Elsewhere, Barney Miller, WKRP and other great of the past.
CBS is blowing it by cancelling Without a Trace. This in one show that we do not miss, tape whenever we’re gone and watch reruns on week-ends. The cast in interesting, the writing is imagnative and the acting superb. Why don’t they cancel one of those stupid sitcoms instead. Netflix keeps looking better and better.
Last Night I saw a spot on Channel 46 advertising new episodes of “The Unit” Wednesday nights on the “MYTV” fall schedule.
I still miss 3rd Watch too O-Ge-Nell-La. It was a great show! And now, Without A Trace is being cancelled. pfft
I’m tired of finding a good show to watch only to have it cancelled.
The stupid reality shows should be cancelled!
I too was disappointed at the canceling of Without a Trace. The Unit lost me when the wives started getting involved. We all have our long-gone favorites: WKRP in Cinncinnati, Frank’s Place, Barney Miller.
I’ll watch or record Jay Leno every night. Conan…enh. Jimmy Fallon…in the cellar.
NBC is losing me with Jay Leno…not a fan…never was…thank god for satellite. What is up with jumping at the chance of Medium…yuck! They are right that NBC did not treat it right…it let it be aired for more than one episode…big mistake. I too will miss The Unit and Without a Trace. And I am so over Wayne Brady…please enough already!
The truth is that CBS moved The Unit into a terrible time slot and thus signed its death warrant. The show had a steady 10 mil viewers (those that are counted) despite this crappy decision that stuck with it. The network did nothing to advertise this show on it’s on channel or website.
Yes, it was popular with viewers, including those of us who are NOT counted. The cancellation of The Unit was a slap in the face to us and feels like a death in the family.
If given the proper support from the network, this show would have had another season. Instead, it was treated like a bad step child.