[Updated] ABC's 'Eastwick' gets the broom while 'The Forgotten' is remembered

ABC has decided not to order additional episodes of its new Wednesday-night drama "Eastwick," which is about as close as a network gets to saying it's canceling a show these days.

While much of ABC's Wednesday night has been a pleasant surprise with "The Middle," "Modern Family" and "Cougar Town" all getting full-season pickups, "Eastwick" has been pulling in Jay Leno-like numbers at 10 p.m., often averaging less than 5 million viewers. The show, which stars Rebecca Romijn and Lindsey Price, is based on the John Updike book. While it spawned a moderately successful movie, this is the third time an attempt to make a TV series based on the book has fallen short.

The other Wednesday night ABC show whose fate is up in the air is the 8 p.m. sitcom "Hank," starring Kelsey Grammer. "Hank" has also been an under-performer and will likely not have any additional episodes ordered.

ABC did give its Tuesday freshman drama "The Forgotten" some good news and ordered five more episodes. That's a network's way of saying we sort of like you, but we're not sure how much.

[Updated Tues. 1:00 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly referred to ABC's "Eastwick" as "The Witches of Eastwick." The post has been updated to reflect the change.]

-- Joe Flint

Comments

[Apres Ski]

With some of these cancellations, maybe Forgotten will get a better time slot. It's opposite The Good Wife, which I CANNOT miss! I'm in love with that show & the way the writers have it unfolding better than an origami fortune teller is just amazing to watch.

If it gets a better time slot, I'll watch it even more. Right now, I can only watch it online. Thanks to online, at least I know what it's about.

[Matt]

"The Witches of Eastwick" was the name of the book and movie... the ABC show is just "Eastwick"

[Paul]

Horrible decision to cut Eastwick. It is a great show and has kept me coming back each week. I'm very sad it's going away. Cougar town is unwatchable. No Legs and NOT FUNNY. Modern Family is very good only good choice there. Why don't they just admit the price is the reason they are cutting Eastwick. The middle is Malcom in the Middle Again. Lame....

[Ras]

LOVE EASTWICK!! WHERE DO I GO TO PROTEST?

[Lisa]

I am so mad that Eastwick is being cancelled, I love the show!!!!!!!

[Leese]

Any chance of a change of heart by producers?? Executives should reconsider the decision to shut down Eastwick; it's a great show!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jane]

I really like Eastwick please don't cancel it...I hope FOX picks it up or FX

[Beverly Hill]

Eastwick is one of the few good comedies on TV at the present time and as an 82yr old who tapes the show every Wed so I can see it at an earlier time I definitely protest. While the show is wacky it is steadily getting better and deserves to be extended. Beverly Hill molehill@olypen.com

[Anonymous EastWick supporter]

Alright, I'll make this comment quick and short because there isn't much to say. First, you guys are freaking stupid, blind and to top it all off ridiculous. Second, come on ABC money hungry scumbags why not slot Eastwick between seven and nine as people have to work to make a living. This show has legs to run a whole damn marathon, but no you guys won't even give it a fighting chance. Okay, yup, Hank has been cancelled and yay, cuss it kinda sucked, but look at it this way. Push up The Middle to Hanks previous time, Eastwick coming after that then Cougar Town and finally Modern Family. See, now doesn't that sound easy. What? Are you guys gonna give Jay Leno more air time. Hahaha. Sorry, just had to make an obvious point here.

[RC Primak]

Both cancellations (Eastwick and Hank) were good calls.

Kelsey Grammer has done little of merit on TV since he starred in Frasier. Even there, it was the guidance of Charles, Charles and Burroughs who kept Grammer from overacting and ruining the show (as well as his guest shots on Cheers). Without that guidance, Grammer's comic style is simply too big for TV comedies -- kind of like Nathan Lane, who is great on stage, but seems over the top on TV. Now if ABC will fully bite the bullet and dump The Middle, all will be well with Wednesday nights on ABC.

Eastwick suffered from an entirely different problem. Portraying the supernatural on TV is very tricky. Most of the F/X which indicate magical happenings work well on the bigger screens in the movies, but fail to impress as much on the smaller screens of TV. This can be overcome if the actors seem to truly believe in the magic they are portraying (think WB's Charmed, Seasons 1-3), or if the show seems to do a good or truly great job of poking fun at the entire genre (think the CW's Supernatural. Reaper failed to match the campy atmosphere of this show, and never caught on as a result.) CW's Vampire Diaries may have only short-lived success, as the angle here is more Romantic/Sexual, and viewers can tire quickly of that theme. Eastwick achieved none of these possibilities, and died as a result. Add to that the fact that Rebecca Romijn cannot act, and Lindsey Price is weak at best, and the disaster was inevitable. Too bad -- the Witches of Eastwick book(s) and movie(s) were a lot of fun.

One more prediction, if this has not yet happened: "V" will also fail to impress, and even if its initial ratings were strong, it will quickly fade. (I may be wrong, but I don't think so.)

[Trish]

It's like what happened to the show "Related".