ABC's V on Hiatus Until 2010

ABC’s rebooted and dolled-up sci-fi drama V debuted to an impressive audience of 14.3 million viewers on Nov. 3, and despite the criticisms about mediocre writing and humdrum story lines, it still kept 10.7 million viewers for its second week—not half bad for a show still in its infancy. Still, these numbers aren’t enough to make the network rethink the series’ preemptive hiatus, one that’s been planned from the beginning. After next week’s fourth episode, V‘s alien visitors won’t be returning to primetime until March 2010.

The show’s nearly four-month break is a part of ABC’s strategy to present V in small increments. “It’s important for the audience to know that this was the original intent – to broadcast this thing in a unique way,” said former Party of Five star Scott Wolf to NYDailyNews.com, who plays the show’s ambitious reporter, Chad Decker. “Because of the size and the scope and the intensity of the story, a standard series broadcast didn’t seem like the right fit, and so ABC and Warner Bros., from the beginning, thought they wanted to give it a special treatment. As opposed to a regular series with a gap in the middle, they want to tell the story in chapters.”

The hiatus will also keep V from competing against NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage, which is sure to draw in a strong viewership. In the meantime, Wolf is confident that ABC will keep its large audience by the series’ return. “We hope our biggest problem is that people can barely wait for it to come back.”

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7 Comments

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By Dallas on November 19, 2009

Interesting.
I hate it when networks do things like this. Why didn't they just wait out the premiere until March or next fall?? No one wants to see a show in installments. They did something like that with Lost and the viewers hated it.

By jerrycizz on November 27, 2009

wtf would they put this show in small increments

DUMBEST IDEA I'VE EVER EVER EVER HEARD

GET A CLUE PRODUCERS

YOU LOST A DVR'd EVERY WEEK WATCHER WITH THIS CLUELESS MOVE

By Nick from Radelaide on November 29, 2009

This is what they did with the first V. It was presented as two mini series. V and V: The Final Battle. I guess in some sick and twisted way it makes sense to do it again.

By u suck on December 2, 2009

U SUCK!

By Adam Narcross on December 2, 2009

Don't you just love when network executives show their appreciation for high ratings for a promising show by rewarding those viewers with utter sanctimonious contempt?
"V" isn't a bad show, its not say, Battlestar Galactica by a long shot. Its more or less formulaic with predictable plot points and one dimensional characters that so far lack much complexity. Well Hollywood isn't known for its courageous writing when it comes to efforts to keep advertisers happy with abbreviated episodes to fit in nearly 20 minuites of commercials.
Did anyone mention to the person or people who thought the hiatus was a silly idea that in the interum there was a strong possibility of backlash, and that despite real life, in TV absence doth not always make a heart grow fonder. And the other big possibility that another show with better writing and an original idea might just come along and take the V audience away by nurturing the audience and the show along stable expectation?
Apparently not.
Back when the original V aired cable TV was much in its infancy. (13 channels) so you could afford to pull mini series stunts like the original V. Today hundreds of channels are available each highly motivated to obtaining the highest viewership possible. And somehow some clever group of people thought a hiatus for a successful show is a good idea. (How many sci-fi fans really care enough about sports anyway?)
ABC once again drops the ball and if the audience doesn't bother to show up because there's something better that they can depend on to watch (like say Caprica or Tru Blood)the network has only itself to blame.

By Chase on December 5, 2009

AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!

By Lauren on December 8, 2009

I was one who watched it every time it came on. And now that we have until March until it comes back on, I'll be honest... I will most likely not care anymore and will have moved on to another show. I enjoyed the first four episodes but to draw it out that long makes it lose some of the drama. Will Jack die? Will he survive? Who cares?! I am watching The Office!