Fans Take Action Over 'Joan' Cancellation
By DAVID BAUDER
..c The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - Even God is vulnerable to low television ratings. CBS'
decision this month to cancel the drama ``Joan of Arcadia'' after two
seasons has baffled and angered its fans. Many are peppering CBS and
anyone who will listen with e-mails trying to find some way to keep
the series alive.
It's a long shot, at best. The series where God appeared to Amber
Tamblyn's title character in the guise of average people won critical
praise and an Emmy nomination, but couldn't reach beyond a dwindling
cult of supporters.
Fans said they appreciated a drama that talked about spirituality
without being preachy, that included God but didn't take religious
sides. Several parents wrote that it was one of the few quality shows
on television they felt comfortable watching with their children.
``I liked that it gave my daughter and I ethical things to talk about
without having to bring them up, things like premarital sex and
spirituality,'' said Dawn Richards, 44, who watched regularly with her
14-year-old daughter at home in Boca Raton, Fla. ``It's a great
springboard.''
Angela Williams, who works at a domestic violence shelter and lives in
Boody, Ill., organized an e-mail and telephone campaign to support the
show. The 24-year-old scheduled her Friday nights around the series
and said a lot of her friends did, too.
We feel your pain, say the folks at CBS.
``It was one of the toughest programming decisions we have had to make
in the last couple of years because qualitatively, everyone here loved
the show and was proud of the show,'' said Chris Ender, CBS
entertainment spokesman.
But they couldn't ignore its ratings decline, he said. During its
first season, ``Joan of Arcadia'' averaged 10.1 million viewers,
respectable numbers for Friday, a quiet night for television. This
year, viewership sank to 8 million, according to Nielsen Media
Research.
That was lower than ``Father of the Pride,'' ``Dr. Vegas'' and
``Hawaii'' - all series that went to their graveyards long ago.
The most important number may be this one: 53.9.
That's the median age of the ``Joan of Arcadia'' viewer, nearly three
years older than the typical CBS viewer.
There was a time CBS was more accepting of its older audience. Not
now. CBS narrowly missed being the most popular network among
18-to-49-year-old viewers this year, an achievement once unthinkable,
and its executives hunger for that victory. Four of its five programs
with the oldest-skewing audience, including ``Joan,'' were canceled.
It's not a stretch to think that in another year, ``Joan of Arcadia''
might have gotten a reprieve.
``Up until the very last minute I just felt that there was no way that
we'd be canceled,'' said Barbara Hall, the series' creator. ``The
response to our season finale had been really big. I really didn't
understand how much demographics played into this, more so than
ratings.''
CBS is replacing ``Joan'' with ``Ghost Whisperer,'' featuring Jennifer
Love Hewitt as a young wife who communicates with the dead.
A much-publicized quip by CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves - ``I think
talking to ghosts may skew younger than talking to God'' - really
riled the ``Joan of Arcadia'' fans. Liana Hix, 36, of Antioch, Calif.,
called it blasphemy and ``really, really thoughtless.''
``I talk to a lot of moms,'' Hix said, ``so it's not good to
disappoint people like me.''
The ratings slump baffled both CBS and Hall, who struggled to turn it
around. CBS wanted more scenes with God, so Hall complied. Partly at
the network's request, she introduced the evil character Ryan. The
third season was to see Joan and this devilish character face off.
``She was going to be engaged in all these metaphysical battles,''
Hall said. ``She would get to know God on a whole new level.''
Hall said she wished CBS had promoted the series more, and didn't take
it off the air so frequently. Ender said CBS tried, hiring a firm to
promote ``Joan'' in churches. It sent people into cities to do good
deeds - buying a cold person coffee, for instance, and handing them a
card saying the random act of kindness was ``brought to you by `Joan
of Arcadia.'''
In the end, Hall said she understands the business and doesn't hold a
grudge against CBS. She's also read many of the messages of support
from the audience and found them very moving.
And frustrating. Viewers don't realize the important role they play,
she said.
``Yeah, I hear how much the audience loves it,'' she said. ``Prove it
by turning on the television Friday at 8 (p.m.). A lot of people ask
me, `What can I do?' Nothing now.''
There's a better chance of seeing Los Angeles paralyzed by a July
snowstorm than CBS changing its mind. There's still a slim hope that
Sony Pictures Entertainment can sell ``Joan of Arcadia'' to another
network, and it is trying. With the actors' contracts expiring June
15, the window of opportunity is tiny.
Tamblyn, who said on ``The View'' Thursday that she was ``very
shocked'' by the cancellation, sounded like she was already moving on
in a statement given to The Associated Press.
``I am so grateful to CBS and Barbara Hall for the opportunity to have
played this character for two seasons,'' she said. ``I will miss
everyone but I am looking forward to the next adventure.''
Hall had planned to be in New York two weeks ago for CBS's
announcement of its fall schedule. She went anyway, despite learning
of the cancellation the day before from Sony. She has an apartment
near Carnegie Hall, where Moonves presented the schedule to thousands
of advertisers.
Hall went downtown to shop for shoes.
``I didn't want to be in that part of town,'' she said.
On the Net:
http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/joanofarcadia
http://www.savejoanofarcadia.com/
EDITOR'S NOTE - David Bauder can be reached at dbauder``at``ap.org
05/30/05 06:48 EDT
Copyright 2004 The Associated Press.
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