04-18-2002, 03:56 AM
When the current TV season ends in a couple of weeks FOX is losing two of what used to be the biggest shows, first the prolific 'time to prepare for a proper send off' X-Files (commentary coming soon) and now it appears as if Ally McBeal, a show that was once so big that FOX spunoff it into a half hour best of series entitled "Ally," which was quickly cancelled but it still won an Emmy for best comedy series. But, while I never watched the show, I figured some people might be interested that FOX just cancelled it (though the article said that "Kelly agreed" which pretty much means he had no say in it whatsoever) with really doesn't give it time to "prepare" a proper send off.
To the best of my knowledge this is only like the second really high profile show to be going off the air this season, the first being "The X-Files."
And now, the article.
Fox Cancels 'Ally McBeal'
The Associated Press
Apr 17 2002 10:47PM
LOS ANGELES (AP) - ``Ally McBeal,'' the Emmy-winning TV series that set feminists spinning with its depiction of a flighty, man-hungry attorney, is ending its five-year run on Fox, the network said Wednesday.
The decision was made by Fox, and creator David E. Kelley agreed, according to a source close to the show who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Kelley made the announcement on the set Wednesday.
``There were tears. It was emotional,'' said a spokesman for producer 20th Century Fox Television. The final episode of the Emmy-winning series, which had slipped in the ratings, will air May 20, the network said.
Calista Flockhart starred as Ally, a smart but emotionally needy lawyer who focused as much on her love life as her case load. With her biological time clock ticking, she was bedeviled by an image of a dancing baby.
``Ally McBeal'' became a hot water-cooler topic. In 1998, a Time cover displayed Flockhart opposite feminist icons such as Susan B. Anthony and asked in its headline: ``Is Feminism Dead?''
The actress took exception.
``I mean, this is a comedy about an exaggerated character, and to compare her to Susan B. Anthony is outrageous,'' she told TV Guide at the time. She also said she was offended that people confused her with her neurotic character.
McBeal's colleagues at her fictitious Boston law firm were equally quirky. One man had a fetish for throat wattles; another went by the embarrassing name of ``The Biscuit.''
Kelley, one of Hollywood's most prolific TV writer-producers, had a hand in creating most of the scripts. The show reflected his offbeat, often dark sense of humor and romance. It won the best comedy series Emmy in 1999.
He had characters break out in courtroom song, had Ally visit with her dead boyfriend and generally created a world where fantasy, if not happy endings, ruled.
McBeal's great love was portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., whose own real-life troubles with drugs led to his departure from the show.
Musical stars were also a fixture of the show, with Elton John, Barry White, Barry Manilow, Mariah Carey and others making guest appearances.
Kelley told the AP last fall that he knew the character-driven ``Ally McBeal'' was a more perishable commodity than his other legal series, the more plot-oriented ``The Practice'' on ABC.
``I always thought the series would end after six years,'' he said then.
Fox and Kelley decided against another year as the ratings fell. The show, which once scored close to the top 20, recently finished 43rd in the ratings.
To the best of my knowledge this is only like the second really high profile show to be going off the air this season, the first being "The X-Files."
And now, the article.
Fox Cancels 'Ally McBeal'
The Associated Press
Apr 17 2002 10:47PM
LOS ANGELES (AP) - ``Ally McBeal,'' the Emmy-winning TV series that set feminists spinning with its depiction of a flighty, man-hungry attorney, is ending its five-year run on Fox, the network said Wednesday.
The decision was made by Fox, and creator David E. Kelley agreed, according to a source close to the show who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Kelley made the announcement on the set Wednesday.
``There were tears. It was emotional,'' said a spokesman for producer 20th Century Fox Television. The final episode of the Emmy-winning series, which had slipped in the ratings, will air May 20, the network said.
Calista Flockhart starred as Ally, a smart but emotionally needy lawyer who focused as much on her love life as her case load. With her biological time clock ticking, she was bedeviled by an image of a dancing baby.
``Ally McBeal'' became a hot water-cooler topic. In 1998, a Time cover displayed Flockhart opposite feminist icons such as Susan B. Anthony and asked in its headline: ``Is Feminism Dead?''
The actress took exception.
``I mean, this is a comedy about an exaggerated character, and to compare her to Susan B. Anthony is outrageous,'' she told TV Guide at the time. She also said she was offended that people confused her with her neurotic character.
McBeal's colleagues at her fictitious Boston law firm were equally quirky. One man had a fetish for throat wattles; another went by the embarrassing name of ``The Biscuit.''
Kelley, one of Hollywood's most prolific TV writer-producers, had a hand in creating most of the scripts. The show reflected his offbeat, often dark sense of humor and romance. It won the best comedy series Emmy in 1999.
He had characters break out in courtroom song, had Ally visit with her dead boyfriend and generally created a world where fantasy, if not happy endings, ruled.
McBeal's great love was portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., whose own real-life troubles with drugs led to his departure from the show.
Musical stars were also a fixture of the show, with Elton John, Barry White, Barry Manilow, Mariah Carey and others making guest appearances.
Kelley told the AP last fall that he knew the character-driven ``Ally McBeal'' was a more perishable commodity than his other legal series, the more plot-oriented ``The Practice'' on ABC.
``I always thought the series would end after six years,'' he said then.
Fox and Kelley decided against another year as the ratings fell. The show, which once scored close to the top 20, recently finished 43rd in the ratings.
} That's two shows in one week. First Once and Again and now Ally.
}