The first casualty of the 2011-2012 TV season is NBC's The Playboy Club.
The cancellation is a distinction most shows would rather do without.
Lives, fortunes are won or lost in the span of hours -- in this case, three. After three episodes, the show didn't garner enough viewers to sustain, nor justify, the incredible amount of money being spent.
Let me take you back a few months to how this all probably began. The above-the-line people -- actors, writers, directors, producers are hired first. The actors were secured for the pilot sometime in January/February. The pilot was shot February/March. Quickly followed by editing, focus groups and of course, the TV Upfronts in May. NBC picks the show up to series mid-May, and the hiring frenzy begins. The writers are hired May/June, with crew quickly following. Production starts in July.
It's pretty much a marathon after that, because television is a grind. A company of professionals are tasked with producing the best TV possible in the shortest amount of time. Think about it, one hour dramas are basically mini-movies. One hour shows are shot in 8 business days. Eight. Most feature films have weeks, months to shoot, but TV crews get it done quicker, faster and sometimes better.
I'm concerned with the below-the-line staff, the crew. The technicians you don't hear about in the tabloids or aren't feted or admired in televised award shows. These are the people who truly work 12 plus hour days.
The crew, and to some extent the cast, are out of jobs and have to look for work in this economy, at this time of year when the marketplace typically slows down.
My heart goes out to those who are facing the holidays without a job.
Good luck to you all.
Filed under: Entertainment
Tags: cancellation, employment, Playboy
