MovieChat Forums > Ellery Queen (1975) Discussion > Cancellation?

Cancellation?

posted 11 years ago by wapmom
13 replies | jump to latest

Does any one know why this was cancelled ?

[–] ghostfan 11 years ago

Oldest reason in the world -- the ratings weren't high enough, to keep it on the air, and it was more expensive to produce because of the 1940's settings/ costumes, etc., I remember reading that back when the show was cancelled... I was just out of high-school then.

There was some talk, I believe, about changing the format to an hour and a half and making it part of the NBC Mystery of the Week wheel, along with the likes of McCloud, Columbo, McMillan and Wife, etc. but the plans fell through -- (I read about this elsewhere on this IMDB board, but I can't locate the thread...

How sad, that you were not born in my time, nor I, in yours.

[–] wapmom 11 years ago

Oh, ok, thanks. My husband couldn't find anything on line about it and it was driving him nuts.

[–] MsELLERYqueen2 10 years ago

Geez, I wish that the show had run even just for one more season....

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💕 JimHutton (1934-79) and ElleryQueen 👍

[–] ghostfan 10 years ago

But ratings and money go hand in hand... if nobody is watching the show, nobody is watching the commercials, and if nobody is watching the commercials, they aren't inspired to buy the products, or in the old days, nobody wants to sponsor the show for an hour.

How sad, that you were not born in my time, nor I, in yours.

[–] MsELLERYqueen2 10 years ago

I know. But even just one more season would have been so nice...

~~
💕 JimHutton (1934-79) and ElleryQueen 👍

[–] ghostfan 10 years ago

I agree... I think I replied to you when I should have replied to jay... Happy Easter!

How sad, that you were not born in my time, nor I, in yours.

[–] MsELLERYqueen2 10 years ago

Happy Easter to you as well! Geez, too bad that there isn't an Easter-themed EQ episode...

~~
💕 JimHutton (1934-79) and ElleryQueen 👍

[–] jaybabb 11 years ago

I say ratings is the oldest excuse and the most convenient for the network. Just follow the money-a show like this-because of the sets and costumes-it takes more money to produce. It's not so much the ratings were lower than other shows-it just that they couldn't make back the money it takes to produce the show.

Ratings is not the issue-it's all about the money$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!

You may think that but I couldn't possibly comment--Francis Urquhart

Jay

[–] midnight_raider2001 8 years ago

I think the show, if it had premiered on a Sunday night and had been given time to build its audience, might not have been a huge hit but it would have showed promise -- especially since Cher's solo series in the adjacent time slot was slipping badly in the ratings. But NBC had ordered a series called The Family Holvak without considering where to put it (it was a Waltons clone so Thursdays were out), so Ellery Queen got the Thursday slot with a hopeless lead-in in Fay. It was a wonder that Ellery Queen managed to get higher than the bottom 10 during its first weeks. Because of the classy production values and the pedigree of the producers (Richard Levinson and William Link created Columbo, which was still a huge hit), NBC gave Ellery Queen a full season and moved it to Sundays. The ratings did improve, but after Sonny rejoined Cher and their new show surged to the top of the ratings, Ellery Queen had no real chance of being renewed. Murder, She Wrote, from the same producers but somewhat less refined, was also a Sunday early-evening show and became a 12-year hit a few years later.

[–] midnight_raider2001 8 years ago

How interesting about the possible Sunday Mystery Movie pickup! I hadn't heard about that... I would have gladly watched it again.

[–] Jes' Sayin' (6398) 2 years ago

They changed nights and we didn't know where to find it anymore.

[–] roger1 (3703) a year ago

Ellery Queen had no real chance of being renewed. Murder, She Wrote, from the same producers but somewhat less refined, was also a Sunday early-evening show and became a 12-year hit a few years later.

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Ellery Queen came from the same creators as Columbo -- Richard Levinson and William Link -- who would also go on to make Murder She Wrote in the 80s.

I don't know the exact history -- it may be that Murder She Wrote had a different original creator and Levinson and Link just "signed on," I don't know, but I DID read this from Levinson and Link about one reason why "Ellery Queen" failed where "Murder She Wrote" succeeded.

What Levinson and Link said was this(paraphrased): They learned that their mysteries on Ellery Queen were too hard for most audiences to SOLVE. The clues were too obscure, for one thing. SO: when Levinson and Link went on to guide the writing of "Murder She Wrote," they made the mysteries MORE EASY to solve -- with more obvious cluse. According to L and L, audiences weren't so frustrated by Murder She Wrote and made it a hit where they could not fully understand the Ellery Queen mysteries.

I have no idea if that is true, but Levinson and LInk thought so, and supervised the writing of Murder She Wrote accordingly.

[–] CarolTheDabbler (575) a year ago

They learned that their mysteries on Ellery Queen were too hard for most audiences to SOLVE. The clues were too obscure....

At least in the early episodes, the EQ clues are generally presented as the victim's dying attempt to name the killer, but I find it hard to believe that a dying person would come up with those convoluted clues -- or that any investigator would understand them. They're just a bit too clever for their own good. I wouldn't say that the MSW clues are easy or obvious, but most of them are inadvertently left by the killer, and thus seem more plausible to me.