Sunday, August 20, 2023

Cancellation League Launch!

 

Courtesy Amadeus3000.

This is a cancellation league, not a success league. The contest begins on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023.


Contestants are to pick five shows as his or her “team." Only programs from or mostly part of the Big Five (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and The CW) airing on those networks (NO EXCLUSIVELY STREAMING SHOWS!) with set or expected premiere dates between September-December (or January-April, for winter semester picking) are allowed.

The following shows are eligible as of Sunday, Aug. 20: America's Funniest Home Videos, 60 Minutes, Big BrotherDancing with the Stars, The Golden Bachelor, Loteria Loca, Kitchen Nightmares, Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, The Voice, The Irrational, Celebrity Jeopardy!, Bachelor in Paradise, Big Brother, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Celebrity Name That Tune, I Can See Your Voice, The Voice, Found, Judge Steve Harvey, What Would You Do?, Survivor, The Amazing Race, Quantum Leap, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, Press Your Luck, The $100,000 Pyramid, Buddy Games, The Challenge: USA, FBOY Island, Hell's Kitchen, Lego Masters, Dateline NBC, Shark Tank, 20/20, Raid the Cage, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, The Wall, 48 Hours, Masters of Illusion and World's Funniest Animals.

The SimpsonsKrapopolis, Bob's Burgers and Family Guy are not eligible because they have already been renewed. Magnum P.I. is ineligible because its cancellation points were already given last season.

So, yeah, everyone's ballots will be filled with the kind of stuff I hate. 

Contestants who make their choices between now and 8 p.m. EST Monday, Aug. 28 will be allowed “Early Bird” privileges, namely the ability to change his or her team before the deadline of 8 p.m. EST, Monday, Sept. 11. After that time, no ballot changes or new contestants will be allowed until the weekend of Sunday, Dec. 31 (with a deadline of Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024).

Ideally in January, current contestants will be allowed to add up to five scheduled midseason programs (premiering or returning) to his or her team, and have the opportunity to remove one program from his or her ballot.

Sometime in March or April, all contestants will have the option of dropping a midseason program from his or her ballot. In the event of a drop, whether during the fall of midseason semesters, all points gained from that series will be forfeited, and all points lost will be renewed.

Contestants who replace a dropped program with one from its semester will only receive points for the replacement program from that day on. This applies only after 8 p.m. EST on Monday, Sept. 11.

The league will continue until Sunday, May 26, 2024.

On Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, I may hold a "Turkey Lurkey" poll for contestants and onlookers. This would determine the biggest turkey of the fall programming. A majority winner is worth 125 points for those who chose it, 100 points if it’s on your ballot but not your choice, or it’s on your ballot and you aren’t participating in the poll. A similar poll will take place after the majority of new midseason programming has debuted.

In April 2024, contestants will have the option to Pick-a-Pilot, trying to determine if their choice will make the 2024-2025 schedule. In the event it has a set fall premiere date and time slot, it’s worth 300 points (with a bonus 50 for the correct time slot chosen). 200 points for correctly picking a midseason show with a set premiere date and/or timeslot. 100 points for correctly picking a show scheduled for midseason or the summer without a set premiere date or time slot. There will be no points or penalty for shows that don’t wind up on the schedule.

Cancellation-related points apply to a show's status on its network. For example, if a show is axed on NBC but gets moved to Peacock, it still counts as cancelled for the purpose of this league.

If a new show is cancelled before airing, it’s 900 points. After one airing, it’s 800 points. After two airings, 700 points. And so on, down to a baseline of 100 points.

De Facto/Twice Dead Cancellation occurs when a show has ended production (or announces it), or is not listed on upcoming schedules. It’s worth the points gained for how many episodes/seasons it’s aired, which will be doubled when the cancellation is made official. De facto/twice dead points will not be given to shows that first receive official cancellation notices.

The same principle (but in reverse -- points are lost) applies for “Twice Alive.” This occurs when a series has an additional season pickup before any episode as aired. It could also be something like a fall show finishes its run, then airs a promo to tease a second season, even if that decision wouldn’t be made for months.

If a debuting series isn’t renewed, and has finished its run without a prior cancellation announcement or removal from the schedule, that show will be worth 75 points. One and Done points are only awarded to programs that premiere in the fall semester.

Back Five-Nine points are eligible for fall debuts and the points are only taken once. If a show’s back five-nine episodes are ordered between Aug. 20-Oct. 31, it’s -175 points. If the back five-nine episodes are from Nov. 1-30, it’s -100 points. If the back five-nine are ordered from Dec. 1 onward, it’s -75 points.

If an ineligible show is chosen to air its final episodes as winter spackle, then everyone receives points. Strattlers are exempt from the “cancelled without warning” rule.


If a network has, say, three new shows, the show with the best preview is worth 10 points, second worst is worth 20 points and most worst is worth 30 points. The same principle applies no matter how many new shows the network has. Consideration is given to length, especially lame humor, surplus of plot information and resemblance to a movie trailer.


Kitty points are eligible for special events or freshman shows that aren't on any contestant's ballot.

Other rules include (these apply to debuting and returning shows)
-- Show renewed before May: -500 points
-- Show on unscheduled hiatus/removed from schedule (not eligible for official cancels): 50 points
-- Show’s showrunner fired/leaves: 50 points
-- One of show’s lead actors replaced/fired/leaves: 100 points
-- One of show’s supporting actors replaced/fired/leaves: 50 points
-- Show gains cast members: 10 points cast member
-- Show is retooled: 200 points
-- Show’s production order cut: 30 points
-- Additional scripts ordered: -5 points
-- Additional 1-4 episodes ordered: -15 points
-- Network airs multiple episodes on the same night: 25 points/occurrence
-- Network burns off episodes, whether on air or through streaming: 10 points/episode

-- Premiere pushed up: -10 points
-- Show is preempted during Sweeps (November, February and May): 10 points/occurrence
-- Show is preempted for sports: 5 points/occurrence
-- Scripted show airs new episodes between Dec. 26-Jan 1: 5X scripted show per week
-- Network/stars/personnel deny or avoid comment on rumors of cancellation: 50 points
-- Metacritic review grade of a new show is 26-50: 50 points
-- Metacritic review grade of a new show is 51-75: 30 points
-- Metacritic review grade of a new show is 76-100: 20 points

-- No Metacritic score: 50 points
-- Show’s title is changed: 30 points
-- Show cancelled with no pre-season warning: 100 points/season aired

-- Show cancelled with pre-season warning: 50 points/season aired
-- First contestant to clear his or her ballot: 50 points
-- Show is shopped to/bought by other networks, streaming: -100 points

-- Show isn’t or is barely promoted during special events: 50 points

-- Show is excessively promoted during special events: 50 points
-- Show is airing in Canada: -10 points
-- Show isn’t airing in Canada: 20 points

-- New or returning show has a poor premiere demo: 50 points


And so it begins. Ballots, questions, suggestions and appeals are welcomed.

No comments:

Post a Comment