Time of Hewitt's "Life": Two Weeks
After just two weeks back on the air, Fox is once and for all dumping Time of Your Life, Hewitt's battered coming-of-age-in-New York drama that--despite the drawing power of its super-cutie star--never seemed to get much love anywhere else.
The Party of Five spinoff couldn't even rely on its predecessor's loyal fans. Life's original 10-episode run averaged a crummy 2.9 rating among adults 18-49, and a 4.1 household rating and 6 share. Meanwhile, its return on June 14 fared even worse, nabbing a 1.3 rating with adults 18-49. (A ratings point represents 1,008,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimate 100.8 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of turned-on TVs tuned to a particular show.)
Fox initially yanked the series in January after just 10 episodes and left it out of its fall TV lineup. And with its summertime stint now cut short, it looks like seven unaired episodes will never see the light of day.
For critics, the biggest complaint about Life was that it was just too damn cute and sugary--especially for New York. "Time of Your Life chokes on its own cutes," complained the Washington Post. "One can assume that producers Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman kept sending back drafts of scripts for rewrite with such notes as 'Not cute enough,' 'Make cuter' and 'You call this cute?' "
Meanwhile, the New York Post griped: "[A]ll of Manhattan has been reduced to a gingerbread backdrop for a sugar-plum fairy of a leading lady. Unless Time takes off its rose-colored glasses and gets real--about life in general, and life in New York in particular--it ain't gonna be around that long."
Besides, cute just doesn't cut it on Wednesday nights anyway--unless Hewitt starts eating rats with that winning smile.
Fox also has decided to give a fair shake to its new summer drama, Opposite Sex, by moving its premiere to Monday, July 17 at 8 p.m. The series originally was set to debut Wednesday at 8 p.m.--directly opposite CBS' ratings smash Survivor (which would have been about as smart as taking your pet hamsters onto the castaways' island).
In their places, Fox is busting out another round of specials, including TV Guide's Truth Behind the Sitcoms 3 and The World's Most Incredible Rescues 3, and the July 5 airing of Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire, which will compete with Survivor and CBS' premiere of its creepiest, er, newest reality show, Big Brother.
The Big Picture
Women Glow & Men Plunder
Britney embraces local culture by eating Vegemite clothes shopping in the land Down Under
Most Commented
- Bitch-Back! Breaking News—Johnny's a Hottie (913)
- Costars and Suits Give Robsten Their Blessings! (650)
- Blab Blab Blab: Is Twilight Sexist? (552)
- Truth, Lies & Ted: Twilight Special (478)
- Why Won't Sarah Palin Go Away? (440)
- Bitch-Back! What's Brad Got to Do With It? (426)
- Is New Moon Even Good? (419)
- Is Ugly Betty Ending? And Who Gets the Girl? (415)
- Adam Lambert: For Your Entertainment—or His? (367)
- Review: New Moon Is Either Just Fine or Way Mopey, Depending On Who You Are (335)
Top 10 Stories
- TLC Lets the Door Hit Jon (Not So Much Kate) on the Way Out
- Jennifer Lopez Stumbles for East Coasters Only
- Michael Jackson's Cash-Strapped Doctor Returns to Work
- Taylor Swift Tops Even Michael Jackson at American Music Awards
- Carrie Prejean the Hot Topic at Miss California USA Pageant
- New Moon Makes a Lot of Money (But Not Quite Batman Money)
- Jon (Plus Flowers) & Kate Reunite to Put Finishing Touches on Divorce
- New Moon Eclipses Dark Knight!
- Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray & More Continue Singing Oprah's Praises
- Michael Jackson's Doc Shipped Propofol From Vegas to L.A., Records Show
Fashion Police
Bring On the DramaLeave it to fearless fashionista Rihanna to make the fiercest statement on the AMAs red carpet
More Photos
Latest Movie Reviews
Get Your E! News Now
0 Comments
Now loading...