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NBC Cancels ‘Smash’ and ‘The New Normal,’ CBS Passes on TV Version of ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ from Shawn Ryan and Eddie Murphy

May 11, 2013  •  Post A Comment

The headline from Deadline.com says it all: "SHOCKER: ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ Gets Pass At CBS, Likely To Be Shopped Elsewhere." 

In other big programming news, NBC cancelled two more series, the much-hyped and very expensive "Smash,’ and "The New Normal." 

Regarding "Smash," The Hollywood Reporter writes, "Despite the infusion of Broadway stars, an arc by Jennifer Hudson and cameos from Rosie O’Donnell and Liza Minelli, among others, the once lauded series is averaging a measly 0.8 among adults 18-49 and just under 3 million total.

"The high-profile drama was a passion project for the NBC entertainment chairman, Bob Greenblatt, who brought the drama with him from his former post at Showtime. The episodic cost of Smash was said to in the neighborhood of $4 million, largely in part to pricey production numbers and a large ensemble cast.

" ‘Smash,’ which counted Steven Spielberg among its executive producers, will complete its 17-episode sophomore season on May 26…..[This season’s] final episode was crafted as a series finale."

As for CBS not picking up the pilot of "Beverly Hills Cop" and making it a series, Deadline writes, "It is likely that the project, which had multiple suitors before landing at CBS in a bidding war last fall, will be shopped elsewhere. ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ originally was produced by Sony TV. After it had already been picked up to pilot at CBS, Paramount – which is looking to enter the TV business — exercised an option to buy into the show, creating an odd pairing between former corporate siblings Paramount and CBS and making odd bedfellows of Les Moonves and Brad Grey."

The Deadline article notes that "Cop" "stars Brandon T. Jackson as Axel Foley’s son and Eddie Murphy reprising his signature role as Axel."

11 Comments

  1. Sad to see this one go. My wish (or pipe dream) is that Netflix will pick it up.

  2. “SMASH” was too good for the Peacock Network in today’s microsecond world.
    Mr. Tartikoff, would have retained it I’m sure.
    Considering all the cheap, profitable garbage scattered throughout the schedule, it could have been continued and the Peacock would have had something to “crow” about.
    I, as much as anyone, understand “it’s a business”, but without creative, progressive product the animal, (in this case the beloved Peacock), will wither away.
    Too bad for The Peacock…too bad for us.
    Peter Bright

  3. Amen, Mr. Bright, but then Tartikoff would have made sure it became a hit with decent promotion and not moved it twice before cancelling it. But just like with movies, there needs to be a way to contain runaway budgets beyond the talent involved with the show. Otherwise, we’ll lose a chance at more potentially great, complex to produce, shows. You’d think that music downloads would help offset their bottom line.

  4. No offense to the fans of SMASH but I hear the “wasn’t given a chance to find its audience” tirade from fans of a series every season when the truth is that some series really DID find their audience, it just wasn’t very big. SMASH might have done better on pay cable and might even do better for an online outlet like HULU or Netflix but I don’t think with one of those options could withstand a $4 million per episode budget. At least fans are getting some kind of a finale, which is better than most of us ever got when our favorite under(Nielsen) rated show got the axe. Be happy with what you got and move on to the next series that you will be an undying fan of forever.

  5. You are so right, Mr. Burton, Brandon would have scheduled it properly and promoted it likewise.
    PB

  6. And Warren Littlefield would have made the show cover itself i.e. downloads, i-tunes, DVD sales or find ways to trim the budget. Could the IMDB list of 21 ‘producers’ of various contributions be a place to start?

  7. SO sad to see SMASH go. SO good to see talented people on the television. I do hope someone picks it up. I don’t know why people don’t watch NO idea why but i love it and the charaters, storylines and it shows my reality of what becoming a working actor in NY is probably like. Not easy but hard work. NOT glitz and glamore but more down to earth.

  8. my husband and I love this series and really wish some other network like channel 5 would pick up this series maybe run it aftewr glee because one is about kids struggliung with music and contests , and Smash abouty young adults dealing with same thing on higher leval like Broadway shows.pl..ease concider strongly. mr & mrs s Miller & daughter

  9. my husband and I love this series and really wish some other network like channel 5 would pick up this series maybe run it aftewr glee because one is about kids struggliung with music and contests , and Smash abouty young adults dealing with same thing on higher leval like Broadway shows.pl..ease concider strongly. mr & mrs s Miller & daughter

  10. my husband and I love this series and really wish some other network like channel 5 would pick up this series maybe run it aftewr glee because one is about kids struggliung with music and contests , and Smash abouty young adults dealing with same thing on higher leval like Broadway shows.pl..ease concider strongly. mr & mrs s Miller & daughter

  11. Maybe NetFlix will pick up Smash and run in as a streaming program?

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