Fox cancels 'Lone Star'

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118024752.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&ref=verttv

Fox just adminstered some cruel Texas justice on "Lone Star."

The critically acclaimed drama received this fall's first bullet, succumbing to ratings so low that even Fox's spinmeisters couldn't find the silver lining.

"The viewers have spoken," said one network insider.

Fox will now air "Lie to Me" in the Monday 9 p.m. slot starting Oct. 4. "Lie to Me" wasn't originally scheduled to return to the air until November, when it was set for Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Few expected Fox to hold on to "Lone Star" beyond this week. Fox execs were worried that they might be faced with a dilemma, had "Lone Star" shown a slight uptick over its dismal 1.3 rating among adults 18-49 last week.

Turns out there was no need to worry -- according to final national ratings, "Lone Star" averaged just a 1.0 rating and 3 share on Monday night, down 23% from week one.

"Lone Star" also appeared to be dragging its lead-in, "House" (3.8/10) down. And even as "House" declines, "Lone Star" still just held a stunningly low 25% of the "House" lead-in audience.

In its second half hour Monday night, "Lone Star" posted just a 0.9 rating with adults 18-49 -- below the CW's "Gossip Girl."

That was the final straw for Fox execs, who had seen enough.

Fox had to act fast: It's shaping up to be a competitive fall, and Fox wound up in fourth place this premiere week, narrowly behind ABC and NBC. In a world where a tenth of a rating's point can make a huge difference in primetime standings, Fox couldn't afford to keep "Lone Star" around any longer.

It won't be for lack of trying on the part of critics -- who gave "Lone Star" some of the best reviews of any new show this fall -- or creator Kyle Killen, who took to the Internet last week in a last-ditch effort to stir up support for the show.

"For us to survive we're going to have to pull off a minor miracle," Killen wrote on his blog. "Statistically, new shows tend to lose viewers in their second week. We're aiming to gain them. In fact, screw it, let's just double our audience. The good news is, our audience was so small that if my Mom and my Dad watch it we'll pretty much be there."

Unfortunately for Killen and fans of the show, it didn't quite get there.

"Lone Star" reps one of the earliest fall TV cancellations in recent memory -- but it likely won't be the last in the coming weeks, as the networks mull other changes to their skeds. ABC, for example, may want to do something with "The Whole Truth" if it posts another low number this week, while it's pretty much a given that NBC will shift "The Apprentice" to another night -- likely Friday -- after this week.

Five episodes of "Lone Star" have already been produced; it's unclear whether the three remaining segs will be screened elsewhere (perhaps online). The show centered on con man Bob Allen (James Wolk), who manages to infiltrate a Houston oil company, get in good with the boss (Jon Voight) and marry his daughter (Adrianne Palicki). While playing that ruse, dreamt up by his dad (David Keith), Bob is also living a double life in small town Midland, Texas, where he's got a girlfriend and more marks.

From 20th Century Fox TV, "Lone Star" comes from exec producers Killen. Chris Keyser, Amy Lippman, Kerry Kohansky, Paul Weitz and Peter Horton. Marc Webb directed the pilot.