TiVo Community Forums Archives - Birds of Prey Cancelled?

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Birds of Prey Cancelled?
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Posted by: sschwart

Looks like BOP will run through the end of the month, and then be cancelled, according to this page:

http://www.cinescape.com/0/editoria...55&obj_id=36955

Now I'll have to find a new show for oggling girls :(

-Steve

Posted by: andyf

Bad news! I liked the oggling too.

Posted by: dcheesi

And they were just starting to give the blonde girl proper hair & makeup! Now we'll never get to see her in that black leather leotard! ;)

Seriously, although I've enjoyed some aspects of the show, the cheese factor is still too high. Combine that with the "Lifetime"-style touchy-feely stuff, and I can see why it tanked. Well, that and Huntress' outfit could have been cut lower :D

Posted by: sacherjj

I would be OK loosing BOP if it meant that FOX would keep Firefly. Sadly both will probably go. And we are left with annoying cookie cutter sitcoms...

Posted by: allan

Arrggghhhh!!!!! Yes, I know it was somewhat cheesy, but there's not much that's any better!

Posted by: WinBear

It's in a tough time slot, but it's been the best live action superhero in costume series in decades.

Posted by: grins

the CGI roof top jumping was pretty bad, IMHO.

They probably had to cheapen that stuff to afford all the orange gels for the lights; apparently, it's always either midnight or sunset in new gotham.

Posted by: Mars Rocket

I'm two episodes behind in BoP and find I have to force myself to slog through it. The writing is clearly the problem. I usually find myself drawn to this kind of show, and in the case of Smallville I'm rewarded every week. With BoP I just keep hoping they'll find their groove and it'll start sucking less.

Posted by: Bryanmc

Well this is too bad.

This is the first show in God knows how long that I've liked that's being canceled. I've been lucky the past few years to only pick winners. ;)

I'll be sorry to see this go, I did honestly like it.

Posted by: pcgrrll

No, they can't! :(

Another good show bites the dust....Ok, I know it was a little cheesy but that's what made it fun...

Ok, I admit there was some definite oggle factor there for everyone watching...if only they'd show Reese with his shirt off a little more! :D I'll never forget the sauna scene in "Slick"( Is it getting hot in here?)

Posted by: Philosofy

This show never lived up to its potential. All the "Meta human" crap, wooden actors, little or no character development. It had lots of promise, but I won't be sad to see it go.

Posted by: Rcrew

I too had to slug through the two episodes that were waiting for me. My GF commented a couple of times why did they need the little sex kitten scenes during commercial break. There's no corollary to any actual episode plot.

I will keep the SP for now, but it it goes, I won't miss it.

Posted by: AJRitz

I'll miss this one. It's unfortunate that creative experiments like this one die while re-hashes like CSI:Miami and Law & Order: Whatever Dick Wolf Thinks of Next run forever.

Posted by: Demandred

Yeah that definitely sucks.

Posted by: bullitt

quote:
Originally posted by Mars Rocket
I'm two episodes behind in BoP and find I have to force myself to slog through it. The writing is clearly the problem. I usually find myself drawn to this kind of show, and in the case of Smallville I'm rewarded every week. With BoP I just keep hoping they'll find their groove and it'll start sucking less.

I am in the same exact mode and finally deleted it from my season pass list, just kept making excuses to watch something else. I guess their canceling it has validated my decision.

Posted by: T-Veaux

I have to agree with Phil. Lot of promise in the show's idea.. but poorly executed IMO.

Posted by: JYoung

too bad, I too thought that the show had potential. What I saw wasn't great but I was enjoying it more than Enterprise.
No where near Firefly's quality though.

Posted by: Ladd Morse

quote:
Originally posted by WinBear
It's in a tough time slot, but it's been the best live action superhero in costume series in decades.

Take that back or I'll set the Cleopatra 2525 gals on ya! :-)

Posted by: Big_Daddy

Hey- Long time lurker, new poster here.

I shouldn't be surprised at this news. Although I thought the forced relationship between the cop and Huntress was abysmally bad, and the fact my wife laughed at the goofy super hero names, I kind of liked it. Which, of course was the kiss of death.

ALmost every new show I've liked (and some older ones too) have been cancelled.

Case in point:

Push, Nevada
Farscape
Futurama
BoP

And I'm afraid to watch Firefly as that would surely be it's kiss of death.

What's left? 20-year old sitcoms like Friends, and 30 different versions of CSI?

Argh. WHat do I need TiVo for? There's nothing left to watch. Except maybe Simpsons.

Posted by: TiVoLance

quote:

ALmost every new show I've liked (and some older ones too) have been cancelled.

Case in point:

Push, Nevada
Farscape
Futurama
BoP

Futurama isn't canceled is it? The new season just started 2 weeks ago.

Posted by: TiVaholic

Futurama- not cancelled per say, but they've got what, a little less than 40 episodes in the can (already produced, just need to be televised, and if they start late and end early-(November 11 late enough?) they can have 2 more seasons-this and next) but the writers have been told not to come back (or something to that extent). I know, sad to see that go. I've enjoyed Futurama since the first episode.

As for BoP, I too liked the idea, but I'm on the same train with watching the last 2 episodes last, after my TiVo was pretty empty.

Firefly- I watched the first 2 episodes- too much western.

Posted by: trainman

At the beginning of this TV season, I was the closed-captioner responsible for "Push, Nevada," and captioned all the episodes except for the two weeks I had jury duty.

After that was canceled, I started captioning all the episodes of "Birds of Prey," which means I've done all of them but the first two.

So now the question is, what's the next show that I'll be captioning on a regular basis, and therefore, the next show to be canceled? :rolleyes:

The episode I captioned today, which airs on the 27th and is thus probably going to be the last "Birds of Prey" to air, increases the ogle factor by having an attractive female guest villain. Also,

Spoiler Alert! (highlight to read)
you get to see Barbara Gordon in the Batgirl costume for what I believe is the first time since the pilot.

Posted by: jerobi

I know it is incredible calloused and mean-spirited, but...

Score another win for me! That was one of bubble shows that I never got around to. There is little point in watching a cancelled series (usually), so I saved countless hours.

Okay, so maybe more like 5 hours or so. And I'm wasting some of that time just writing this.

Posted by: JYoung

quote:
Originally posted by trainman
At the beginning of this TV season, I was the closed-captioner responsible for "Push, Nevada," and captioned all the episodes except for the two weeks I had jury duty.

After that was canceled, I started captioning all the episodes of "Birds of Prey," which means I've done all of them but the first two.

So now the question is, what's the next show that I'll be captioning on a regular basis, and therefore, the next show to be canceled? :rolleyes:
SPOILER]

It better not be Firefly :mad: ;)

So I guess there goes my chance of seeing the BC fishnets,,,,

Posted by: Bulldog7

Not good.....I may just have to watch the Victoria's Secret fashion show over and over and over for my oggle fix!!!

Actually, I liked the show, was hoping that it would find it's stride. Not great plots, but good action and eye candy. Oh well....first Dark Angel, now BP. Score two for the forces of unoriginality.

Posted by: Ensoniq

This is what really annoys me about network executives...

Sure, let's all concede that Birds Of Prey was never going to be one of the finest hours on television. But, like Smallville, it had the chance to be a cool little superhero show.

So what do the network execs do? Put it on at 9 PM on Wednesday night, against ALL of the following:

(ABC) The Bachelor - As goofy as it may be, it is a popular show.
(CBS) The Amazing Race - Another fan favorite.
(NBC) The West Wing - Emmy after emmy. Hello...McFly...?
(FOX) Fastlane - Never seen it...but it seems like the same young male audience as BoP.
(UPN) Twilight Zone - Why put BoP against another show with the same sci-fi target audience?

So in this incredibly tough time slot, the WB watches the ratings for this show do less than whatever magical number they deem acceptable. So do they decide to advertise BoP more heavily during the popular Smallville? No. Do they wait for The Bachelor's final episode to air tomorrow night, and then see if BoP ratings improve over the next few weeks? No. Do they even consider moving it to a different time slot, that isn't already so crowded with far too many contenders? No.

Instead, they just pull the plug on what was a fun little show, that clearly has enough of a fan base to keep it going while WB retools/rethinks/rewrites whatever they deem necessary to make the show more popular. But to cut it outright...this is the best possible solution they can come up with? Ridiculous!

Dina Meyer in her Batgirl costume #1!

Posted by: c3po33

The show was ok I enjoyed some episodes. If I was the WB I would have moved Smallville to Wednesday at 8:00 as a lead in to BOP and moved Dawson to Tuesdays at 9:00 as a follow up to Gillmore Girls. I think this combo would have made more sense.

Posted by: edc

quote:

If I was the WB I would have moved Smallville to Wednesday at 8:00 as a lead in to BOP and moved Dawson to Tuesdays at 9:00 as a follow up to Gillmore Girls.

WB wouldn't want to run "Smallville" against "Enterprise."

If I had to guess, the Monday run over the summer was a trial balloon, and the netlet decided the best thing to do was to leave that bit of scheduling alone.

Posted by: cancermatt

Sorry to see you go, sorry to see you go...

NOT. The writing may have been ONE of the many problems, but surely not THE only problem. This coming from a big BATMAN comic, 'toon, movie, fan of inescapably every spinoff possible. Each week I set the SP and watch 5 minutes, automatically delete. Something about wooden acting, forced/unbelivable characterizations, the whole META premise that's been done tons of times previously (and better) by other shows. Cringe factor set to overkill each and every episode. Oh yeah, that and Huntress thinking she was the originator of the whole Dark Knight Detective in tights premise. AK. Who's your daddy, indeed. Had the show aired directly after Smallville, many of those same fans would have watched. Thank goodness for small miracles.

Posted by: rexdart

quote:
Originally posted by Mars Rocket
With BoP I just keep hoping they'll find their groove and it'll start sucking less.

oh we wouldn't want them to do that! :D

bad boy! shame on you Rex! you go sit in the corner!

Posted by: rexdart

quote:
Originally posted by Philosofy
All the "Meta human" crap

not sure what you mean, it is DC canon, not made up for the show. it's sort of a superpower cohesiveness plot in the spirit of marvel's mutants.

of course if you just think its dumb on its own, BOP notwithstanding, you go boy! :D

now this could have all changed by now, meta human was just coming up when I left the wonderful world of comics, so this whole response might possibly make no sense at all! but then, it wouldn't be me if it did!

Posted by: Graymalkin

I think the Smallville creators stumbled badly on Birds of Prey. Smallville works because it's a prequel to the legend, and it has the whole teen angst angle that's never been explored in the comics. But BoP is a sequel to Batman that goes completely against the canon (Batman has a breakdown and abandons Gotham City? Puh-lease!) and highlights the metahuman aspect which has been explored far more extensively, in comics and on film, by the X-Men.

Posted by: Philosofy

quote:
Originally posted by rexdart
not sure what you mean, it is DC canon, not made up for the show. it's sort of a superpower cohesiveness plot in the spirit of marvel's mutants.

of course if you just think its dumb on its own, BOP notwithstanding, you go boy! :D

now this could have all changed by now, meta human was just coming up when I left the wonderful world of comics, so this whole response might possibly make no sense at all! but then, it wouldn't be me if it did!

What makes it dumb is that they do NOT follow DC canon. First off, this is about 25 years after Batman has first appeared (judging by Helena's age.) Yet our Gotham detective has never heard of Batman, let alone Meta humans? It should be common knowledge by then. Also, what's with this "half human, half meta" crap. You're either a meta or you're not. What is it, only Helena's left side can jump 20 feet? :rolleyes: Also, in the DC universe, metas are not persecuted: that's Marvel's mutants. Plus, if metas aren't common knowledge, how can they be persecuted?

I like the little references they throw in (corner of Miller & Varley, indeed!), but the sets don't cut it for me (the couple making out in the car was obviously filmed inside), Gotham (excuse me, NEW Gotham) isn't gritty enough, no explanation why its NEW Gotham. Superheroes aren't common knowledge, dialogue is just plain stupid (see Nightstrike's first conversation with Dinah: "I fought along side the Black Canary, and I mourn her loss.")

RIP BOP

Posted by: rexdart

Points taken Phil, and I understand much better now.

Like so many others, I have at least three eps that are just collecting digital dust on the TiVo at the moment.

If I hadn't upgraded with a 100 gig hard drive trying to keep up with Buffy on FX, they would have been gone along time ago.

Posted by: cancermatt

Phil, I'm not so sure you're right on your point of BoP NOT following DC canon. There is a BoP comic book, that has been around since before the WB show aired, and actually the entire premise of the show was based on a BATMAN trade paperback that before the current comic series. Now, I haven't read ANY of them, but I would assume the current show is an amalgalm of both the trade and the comic series. Still glad the show was cancelled. Just my two cents.

Posted by: Mike20878

Dina Meyer was on Howard Stern last week. She said they have not shut down and everyone's still working. As far as she knows they just have not yet been picked up for the back nine. So who knows what's really going on...

Posted by: dwells

I think the cancellation is now all but official....The Futon Critic
website is reporting that Angel will take over the BOP time slot
in mid- January......

http://www.thefutoncritic.com

Posted by: LoadStar

quote:
Originally posted by dwells
I think the cancellation is now all but official....The Futon Critic
website is reporting that Angel will take over the BOP time slot
in mid- January......

http://www.thefutoncritic.com

Drop the "all but." Zap2It confirms this move.

quote:
"We believe 'Birds of Prey' proved there's a fantasy audience there and a male audience there," WB Entertainment president Jordan Levin says.

The problem, Levin says, was that they failed to find a "strong writing showrunner" who worked well with creator Laeta Kalogridis, a feature-film writer ("Tomb Raider" ) making her first foray into television.

"We think we can attribute the erosion of 'Birds of Prey,' quite frankly, to a failure of execution," he says. "We think we had a very strong concept and just failed to execute it, and audiences abandoned the show as a result."

Posted by: Philosofy

quote:
"We think we can attribute the erosion of 'Birds of Prey,' quite frankly, to a failure of execution," he says. "We think we had a very strong concept and just failed to execute it, and audiences abandoned the show as a result."

What did I tell you? However, it seems that they picked someone who did a terrible movie, move her into television, and then blame it on her help. When an army screws up, you don't fire the army, you fire the general. :rolleyes:

Posted by: TonyD79

I don't get the WB cancelling a low rated show. Who do they think they are? ABC? It is the freakin' WB!!!! Myhope was that the WB would give the show a chance. It was just starting to hit something of a groove and was very faithful to the comic it portrayed.

Ah well.

Posted by: IndyJones1023

RIP BoP!

The show stank from the writing to the acting to the "special" effects. As a high school video production: A+. As a network television show: a solid D.

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

For those of us who kinda liked the show, kinda good news: They're putting together a special two-part finale (which will air together) which will wrap things up nicely, while still leaving it open for somebody else to pick it up...hopefully, somebody who will do a better job of realizing the show's potential.

Posted by: Philosofy

I saw in the episode description they are having Lady Shiva. And from what Trainman told us, Babs gets back in a batsuit.

Posted by: Skittles

It's really a shame. I had high hopes for the show after watching the Pilot, which I thought was incredible. The introduction of Harlequin (with her attempting to reclaim the criminal empire left behind by the Joker) and the potential for a serialized Batman series was a really plus for me. But after the pilot, the show just went downhill. Episodes like "The girls care for an orphaned baby" and "Dina meets her mother...guest starring Full House's Lori Loughlin" just turned me off from the show. I finally deleted the SP last week.

Sorry to see it go. Even more sorry it didn't live up to its full potential.

Posted by: Demandred

quote:
Originally posted by Medieval Guy
For those of us who kinda liked the show, kinda good news: They're putting together a special two-part finale (which will air together) which will wrap things up nicely, while still leaving it open for somebody else to pick it up...hopefully, somebody who will do a better job of realizing the show's potential.

When will it air...any idea?

Posted by: Philosofy

quote:
Originally posted by Demandred
When will it air...any idea?

Tonight. They are airing the pilot and this last episode.

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

No. The finale is an all-new two-parter that was written AFTER the show was cancelled, to wrap things up. They're filming it now, and it will air in December sometime.

Posted by: Philosofy

I stand corrected.

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

Here's the story, from GothamClockTower:

Series Finale Details!
Those of you who are worried that the show will end with many loose ends, worry no more: Birds of Prey is set to end with a 2-part finale which will wrap up many storylines and change the lives of the Birds forever.

At the current time, it is very likely that the 2-part finale will air as a special 2-hour movie.

For more details on upcoming Birds episodes, visit the GCT Birds spoilers page!

Before anyone takes this as definite confirmation things are over, one can assume that if the show were to, say, move to another network that they'd pick up from where this "finale" leaves off. Shows have filmed "final episodes" before to have last-minute reprieves in the past. (Magnum PI and La Femme Nikita among them).

The two-part Birds finale should be filming soon.

Posted by: Philosofy

Here's another thing I don't like about this show: everyone the Birds know is connected to some sort of evil or hero thing. Girl shows up at your doorstep? Why, its Black Canary's daughter! That hot cop you like? His father runs the mob! Your buddy Darkstrike? He morphs into a killer! Your best high school buddy? Why, an assassin of course! I'm glad you're getting help from a shrink. What? She's the Joker's girlfriend? What are the odds? In this show, those odds are pretty good. :rolleyes: (BTW, I didn't even see all of the latest episode yet, but you just know that Helena's chum is Lady Shiva.)

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

Well, to be fair, some of those aren't coincidences at all. Black Canary's daughter inherited her metahuman powers from Black Canary, and it was her visions that led her to Oracle and Huntress. Darkstrike was nobody's buddy; he was a serial killer who came to town and, since he was involved in the crime the Birds were investigating, crossed paths with them. And they've barely begun with Quinn; we don't know yet if her role as Helena's shrink is a coincidence.

Posted by: Jonathan_S

I don't think the shrink needs to be that much of a coincidence. Remeber from the pilot Helena was seeing the shrink as part of a court ordered remidy for (assumed excesive violence). Given Quinn's desire to rebuild the lawless empire of joker, and her desire to recrute muscle/talent for this end, I could easily see her getting herself appointed as the shrink to handle counceling of violent offenders sentanced to counciling by the court. It would be an easy way for her to talk to and evalute as minons people preselected by the courts for her as prone to violence.

Helena continues to see her after the court ordered sessions are over becuase of the existing counseling bond between them.

It still a coincidence, but not that bad. Now the Cop w/ mob father was pretty bad.

While I'm thinking about it Helena's friend assasine isn't that much of a stretch. Remeber that Helena's mom (who her friend knew) was Cat Woman, a villan. And Sandy was already a theif as 'Lady Shiva' while in High School with Helena, so it is entirly possible that Sandy and Henena met because of the villan connection through Cat Woman. So that doens't have to be a stretch. In fact it is more believable that any of Helena's high school friends who were metas were villans than heros becuase Batman had no interaction in Helena's childhood.

Posted by: IndyJones1023

The biggest stretch is believing some of these people were hired as "actors."

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

quote:
Originally posted by IndyJones1023
The biggest stretch is believing some of these people were hired as "actors."

Oh, come on...in a world where Bo Derek and Pia Zadora got work, these women are hardly scandelous! :D

Posted by: Graymalkin

I'd pick Dina Meyer for Batgirl over Alicia Silverstone or Yvonne Craig any day.

Posted by: IndyJones1023

Actually, the worst actor on the show is Shemar Moore (Reese). The others just have to emote with really bad lines.

Posted by: philw1776

We can only hope it STAYS cancelled.

Posted by: damien

yeah the show had its shortcomings but like most shows it takes at least one season to get going full steam. Look at season one of star trek the next generation compared to season 3 its like night and day. Anyways im sad to see it go. Now if theyd only cancel ED.

Posted by: Philosofy

I just finished the latest episode (Lady Shiva) last night, and one thing really surprised me: Dinah's old lab partner! Its the only thing in this series that I didn't see coming. (Not that there's anything wrong with that...;))

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

quote:
Originally posted by Philosofy
I just finished the latest episode (Lady Shiva) last night, and one thing really surprised me: Dinah's old lab partner! Its the only thing in this series that I didn't see coming. (Not that there's anything wrong with that...;))

Which just goes to show how EVIL Hollywood is because Dinah didn't CONDEMN the degenerate and SMITE HER DOWN and the show fosters PERRVERSITY and EVIL and PERVESITY and STUFF LIKE THAT!

Oops. Sorry. Rawhide Kid overload from the comics boards.

Posted by: Philosofy

quote:
Originally posted by Medieval Guy
Which just goes to show how EVIL Hollywood is because Dinah didn't CONDEMN the degenerate and SMITE HER DOWN and the show fosters PERRVERSITY and EVIL and PERVESITY and STUFF LIKE THAT!

Oops. Sorry. Rawhide Kid overload from the comics boards.

Just so we're clear here: I'm not that kind of conservative. :) I'm actually pretty anti-religion, and thus the wacked out morals the Catholic church tried to cram down my throat just never took. I wasn't sure if you thought I was disapproving of that plot point or not. I didn't mind, but I was surprised.

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

No no no, it was nothing to do with you. Just the opposite, in fact; your refusal to condemn EVIL makes you just as EVIL as Dinah and her EVIL little friend.

You see, Marvel Comics is putting out a new miniseries of the Rawhide Kid, an old western character. And the rumor is that he's going to be outed. Dunno if that's true, but in light of the rumor, the art that has been released is hilarious. And all over the comic book discussion boards, people are outraged beyond belief that a minor character nobody remembers is going to be gay. It's being taken as a sign that the wrold is going to hell, that society's morals have crumbled beyond repair, and that (literally) Marvel is evil. I know there have been some nasty arguments over gays here, but these clowns make the worst homophobes here look like Richard Simmons. They're screaming so long and so loudly, that when I saw your perfectly innocent little remark, I had a nasty flashback, and couldn't resist.

So, that's what that was all about. (And let's just hope I'm not sparking anything here!)

Posted by: Philosofy

Oh, ok. There's nothing wrong with that. From those other boards, what are their impressions of Northstar (the gay Alpha Flight hero, not Fist of the Northstar, which is a Japanese comic, IIRC. There must be a joke in there about that charecter with that title, but I'm not going there.)?

Also, isn't the Authority's Batman rip off gay? And in that terrible, overpriced graphic novel "Fortunate Son", didn't it hint at a homosexual affair between Bruce Wayne and Sid Vicious?

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

Haven't read Fortunate Son. Yes, The Authority has Midnighter and Apollo, Batman and Superman clones who are a very happy couple, raising a child together...but I think they slipped beneath the Religious Right Comic Fan (RRCF) radar because they were gay from the start, and The Authority had enough else to bother the RRCF (it was a truly subversive book on many levels, and in my personal opinion, The Absolute Authority, the oversized hardcover slipcased reprint of Warren Ellis' twelve issues, is the single best comic book ever published).

Ironically, there were a lot of RRCF upset over Northstar...until John Byrne pointed out that he, too, was gay all along (apparently, he was "outed" in an especially unsubtle manner a few years ago), and if you reread his earlier appearences with the knowledge that he's gay in mind, things suddenly look very different.

Posted by: Philosofy

For your own sake, do NOT read Fortunate Son. It isn't worth your time, its that bad. I was really ticked: I spent about $25 on it (cover price), but it was shrink wrapped so I couldn't check it out. The art was bad, and the storyline was just plain terrible! (IIRC, Sid Vicious commits suicide because Bruce Wayne won't sleep with him. Apparently Bruce was a punk rocker in the late '70's. I hope that says enough.)

Your post is just a little ambiguous: is John Byrne gay too? ;)

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

Hmmm, I know Byrne's color blind, but I never even considered whether he was gay...I know when I met him, 20 years ago, he didn't have much of a fashion sense... :D

Just out of curiosity, who wrote and drew Fortunate Son?

Posted by: Philosofy

I have no idea, but I don't think it was anyone who was a regular writer or artist. I don't know why it was even published.