Why did ABC cancel Lois and Clark so suddenly?

[Fenrir767]

All in all I can't see why ABC cancelled Lois and Clark instead of running season 5 like they promised the writers instead they cancelled the show and left us with a cliff hanger.
When it comes to syndication usually the magic number is 100 episodes I'm really surprised ABC didn't just cut the episode commitment do a half season tell the writers they have 12 episodes to finish the show and they sent the show into Syndication and made money off it.

Anyone have any more info as to why the show got the shaft???

[MidgardDragon]

I don't know anything about why it's cancelled, but if I had to guess I would say they probably had a program they wanted to put in that timeslot that they were making more money off of or thought they would make more money off of.

[daniexj]

I believe that there are multiple threads on this particular topic here.

Basically, they had renewed for a fifth season, but since they had put it in the kill spot for the fourth season (and the storylines) it had gotten horrible horrible numbers for the fourth season, so they pulled it. I don't believe that they had anything in the works to replace it with. (What I mean is I'm pretty sure that they didn't pull it for another specific show...)

[1.21 gigawatts]

Not to mention, the board of directors at ABC, the president of ABC and the producers of the show hated having a "sci-fi" show on TV and purposely tried to kill the show from the very beginning even when fans stuck with it.

That's why the scripts got so bad.

[lois3442001]

actually the reason the show was cancelled, is because the ratings for the final season were so terrible. The writing had become hokey and as corny as kansas, it didn't do either actor justice and made them look second rate at best. Ratings are everything and everyone knows that. That is the only reason the show was cancelled. Bad Bad writing and Dead ratings.

[Pal-El]

Originally posted by lois3442001
actually the reason the show was cancelled, is because the ratings for the final season were so terrible. The writing had become hokey and as corny as kansas, it didn't do either actor justice and made them look second rate at best. Ratings are everything and everyone knows that. That is the only reason the show was cancelled. Bad Bad writing and Dead ratings.

The fourth season was terrible in comparison to the first 3. Once Lois and Clark got together, there was no heat in the show, the storylines weren't as good as the previous seasons and I for one got fed up of the endlesss love speeches and cheesy luvy duvy crap. It just made it boring frankly.

[caseybrn]

A Superman centric tale can still create good stories after marriage...but the show was centric on the romantic relationship of Lois and Clark....and although I hate to admit it when that disappeared the show lost its sizzle....

But that's not to say Lois learning Clark was Superman signaled the end of the show....

I thought the idea of the "cat being out of the bag" and letting the Lois character in on the joke made for great stories in season 3...

But they just could have extended the dating..and the engagement out...

Like season 3 could have been entirely Lois coming to terms with the Superman/Clark identity...
Instead they made only, like 5 shows about this...
Than they could have the season finale could have been the end of contact, where Clark decided he was a "jinx" & they couldn't be together
Maybe half way into season 4 they could get back together....
Than the proposal is accepted and Kryptonian saga could be linked to the finale of season 4...
Than season 5 he comes back and...the wedding doesn't happen til season five finale or season 6 premiere....

Than married life could be explored in season 6

I'd say the show should have lasted 6 or 7 seasons...

[coolforkent]

They were just brutal on super hero shows . ..I think it was a mistake that they had him reveal his secret so early and the whole marraige thing could have waited. On a positive note I saw supes returns and I still think nathan lane is the best damn perry white ever.

[caseybrn]

Nathan Lane is the guy from the birdcage..

Lane Smith is the Perry from LnC..the best Perry White ever

[litago]

Originally posted by caseybrn
A Superman centric tale can still create good stories after marriage...but the show was centric on the romantic relationship of Lois and Clark....and although I hate to admit it when that disappeared the show lost its sizzle....

But that's not to say Lois learning Clark was Superman signaled the end of the show....

I thought the idea of the "cat being out of the bag" and letting the Lois character in on the joke made for great stories in season 3...

But they just could have extended the dating..and the engagement out...

Like season 3 could have been entirely Lois coming to terms with the Superman/Clark identity...
Instead they made only, like 5 shows about this...
Than they could have the season finale could have been the end of contact, where Clark decided he was a "jinx" & they couldn't be together
Maybe half way into season 4 they could get back together....
Than the proposal is accepted and Kryptonian saga could be linked to the finale of season 4...
Than season 5 he comes back and...the wedding doesn't happen til season five finale or season 6 premiere....

Than married life could be explored in season 6

I'd say the show should have lasted 6 or 7 seasons...

well Deborah Joy LeVinehad summit like that in mind when she started...she didnt want them 2gether till the 5th season i think it woz....but then she left/got kicked(?) after the 1st season and the show changed.........

but tho things cud b different and stuff i still just love the whole show the way it is!(except from the ending ofc...i soooooo want a 5th season!!!! )

[Angel_Eyes]

I agree with you. They should have dragged it out more. Maybe even had them date for a while longer before she answered him... it seemed kind of rushed...

And ABC moving the show didn't help the ratings. I think they did it on purpous...

[caseybrn]

Some engagements last forever...I just wonder why in the show the engagement was so rushed (the comics had them engaged for what....like 7/8/9 years? =])

[litago]

well it might have been a bit rushed, but then again if they had waited much longer there wouldnt even have been a marriage.......

[caseybrn]

I have to say one of the main reasons I love Lois and Clark is the more "Clark" emphasis...where Superman is just a job and Clark is the more but something LnC brought to light...and moreso in focus from the interviews on season 3 extras...

While Clark is still the...like 90% of the main character's personality...like 10% is still Superman or Kalel

Like they said in the extras...Season 3 is about the unification of the Clark persona and the Superman persona into one being...the person that Lois marries

Its just unfortunate that with the cancelation we only got a few noteworthy episodes where Clark and Superman were unified...

I just hope that someday a writer a Superman form of media understands how important BOTH the Clark and Superman/Kalel happen to be.....

LnC concentrated a great deal on the Clark persona....

Other shows seem to concentrate on the Superman aspect of his persona...

I just hope a show comes around that highlights both...but thats probably wishful thinking

[Angel_Eyes]

"Clark is who I am, Superman is what I can do."

Yeah, I loved that aspect of that. He wanted a life , to be a person, not a two-demensional cartoon character, and that is what I loved about LnC.

I agree with you, whole-heartedly, caseybrn. I would love a show that had Clark and Superman in equal parts, because they are both a part of who he is...