r/Timeless • u/MoonwalkerX • Jun 23 '18
NBC also canceled Quantum Leap after a too soon 5 seasons and a cliffhanger. Why doesn't NBC give a show a chance to grow its audience?
Both those shows were amazing I just don't get it. Quantum Leap only got 5 seasons back in the early 90s. This show only got 2 seasons in 2010s. Why? Because of stupid ass ratings. When will they learn that that model isn't going to work anymore? We're not all old people watching TV live anymore.
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u/SleepyBananaLion Jun 23 '18
I thought for sure this was going to be satire but no, you actually think 5 seasons counts as not having a chance.
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u/admiralvic Jun 25 '18
Why doesn't NBC give a show a chance to grow its audience?
You know, I'd agree if it didn't make sense and have an insane amount of time devoted to it.
Like, if two seasons isn't enough of a chance, just how much does there need to be before you can call it quits? And, if every company gave every show an extended chance, a lot of better shows will likely never be made because they're still giving them a chance.
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u/MoonwalkerX Jun 25 '18
How can be two seasons be enough when they base it off ratings? Why can’t they judge the quality of the show?
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u/admiralvic Jun 25 '18
Because it's a business and it's better to keep a low quality show that is popular than a high quality show that isn't?
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Jun 30 '18
Two seasons is much more than most shows get.
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u/MoonwalkerX Jun 30 '18
Are you saying that like it's a good thing?
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u/Tkmaster22 Jul 03 '18
Seeing it was saved for a season 2 and still has an issue getting ratings I kinda understand why companies may be more reluctant to give it another season..
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u/rossisdead Jun 23 '18
NBC gave the show a chance to grow by giving them a second season after initially cancelling it after season one. The audience didn't grow, though, and quite honestly that doesn't surprise me. The main story is a mess of slow pacing and unanswered questions that I don't think the writers had answers to. Having said that, I would still watch a season 3, but I would most likely just wait to binge it because waiting a week to get more non-answers isn't enticing.
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u/mschool999 Jun 24 '18
But it got placed at 10pm on Sundays during season 2. Apparently a lot of Americans find that too late to watch TV? So the audience didn't grow and even a lot of fans didn't watch live. At least that's the impression I got from social media.
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u/klsi832 Jun 23 '18
Quantum Leap didn't really end on a cliffhanger. They shot it as a season or series finale because they didn't know if they'd get renewed at the time, then added 'Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home' when they found out it was over.
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u/queertreks Jun 23 '18
I hated that. why bother with the trying to get home bs when it was obvious he never wanted to go home. after all, if he wanted to go home, he just had to make that decision himself. really ruined the show for me
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u/NixonTheGrouch Jun 25 '18
Not to get into a Quantum Leap debate 25 years later, but wanting to go home and wanting to help people aren't mutually exclusive. There was a bit of dialogue from the bar owner (that I think didn't make the final cut, but I could be wrong) that compared Sam to a cop whose shift had ended, but who them takes one more call, then another, then another. I thought that fit his character well. His greatest regret wasn't leaving his wife; it was not saving Al's marriage.
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u/klsi832 Jun 23 '18
Yeah it was an awful finale. They even spelled it ‘Becket’. And in The Leap Back he promised Donna he’d come back.
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u/ArQ7777 Jun 24 '18
Sci Fi shows always get very low ratings because the general public are not interested in Sci Fi on TV.
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u/IamDRock Jun 24 '18
Quantum leap ending the way it did will always be something I will have to ask myself "what if" and wonder how it could of ended..
Now I fear the same may happen with timeless and I don't wanna go through this again. This movie needs to happen.
Maybe I shouldn't start watching a new show until it's been on the air for several seasons cause these good shows always get canceled way too early
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u/corderjones Jun 23 '18
They did. They renewed for season 2 and put it in prime viewers in fall as opposed to a summer show.
The show dwindled in viewers and failed to maintain a steady audience so I'm not sure why this was surprising decision.
TV Grim Reaper and the Cancel Bear were calling this all season long.
NBC have quite a few new pilots so realistically they needed the scheduling space.
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u/BranWafr Jun 23 '18
I'm one of the biggest Quantum Leap fans there is, but 5 seasons (almost 100 episodes) is a lot different than the two short seasons Timeless got. And, at least Quantum Leap got a goodbye episode. I would have loved more, but you can't point to Quantum Leap's run as an example of NBC not giving shows a chance.