The TeeVee Dead Pool, 2007 Edition
Back in the dawn of time, when we started this site, we continued playing a classic game we’d been playing throughout our college years — a contest to pick the first show to get cancelled. Winner gets a steak dinner. Which when you’re in college is pretty swank.
Anyway, after a while of playing it in public, we asked our readers to play along. And after a brief hiatus — no, the TeeVee Dead Pool was never cancelled, just placed on hiatus — we’re back.
It’s been a while since we’ve played the game, so let’s go over the current rules:
1. Pick three shows out of the 26 network series premiering in the next few months and send them to us at teevee at teevee org by the end of the day on Monday, September 24. For tie-breaking purposes, also tell us the day you think the first show will be cancelled.
2. The readers with the top scores will win Valuable Prizes (disclaimer: not actually valuable) from the TeeVee Prize Closet. Yes, this means you may win a “K-Ville” hoodie or a rare TeeVee T-shirt.
3. If you won prizes in a previous Dead Pool and we never got you anything, drop us a note and we’ll send you something. And, uh, sorry!
How the Scoring Works
To win you need a top score. Here’s how you get one. Our own Philip Michaels has handicapped all the premieres, providing you with reasons why a show will be the first to go, why it won’t, and odds it will die a quick death. Every show has got one, which you can read from the links below or by reading our guide to all the fall premieres, which has been updated to include Dead Pool ratings.
Then you pick three shows. If they get cancelled between now and Thanksgiving Day, you get points. How many points depends on which show you choose. Shows from the “red zone” (see the chart below) are the ones we think are most likely to be cancelled. Choose them right and get 1 point. Shows in the “yellow zone” are in the middle of the range, and are worth 3 points. Shows from the “green zone” are ones we think are unlikely to be cancelled, but if you bet against us and are right, you’ll get 5 points. You can pick shows from any zone. So three red-zone shows will give you a maximum score of 3 — which might not be enough to win. Who knows? So choose your shows wisely.
It’s that simple. So assess your risks and drop us an e-mail at teevee at teevee.org. And tell your friends! Also, if you want to share your strategies, feel free to do so in the comments attached to this post. TeeVee: we have comments now! Publishing 11 years on the Web and it took us till now, but there you go.
The Shows, Sorted by Failure Odds
| Shows | Odds of Failure |
| Cavemen | 3-2 |
| Kitchen Nightmares | 9-5 |
| Big Shots | 2-1 |
| Gossip Girl | 2-1 |
| Viva Laughlin | 5-2 |
| Nashville | 5-2 |
| The Big Bang Theory | 3-1 |
| Moonlight | 3-1 |
| K-Ville | 7-2 |
| Pushing Daisies | 7-2 |
| Journeyman | 4-1 |
| Reaper | 4-1 |
| Kid Nation | 4-1 |
| Samantha Who? | 5-1 |
| Carpoolers | 5-1 |
| Aliens in America | 7-1 |
| Life | 7-1 |
| Women’s Murder Club | 7-1 |
| Bionic Woman | 10-1 |
| Chuck | 10-1 |
| Cane | 10-1 |
| Dirty Sexy Money | 10-1 |
| The Next Great American Band | 10-1 |
| Life is Wild | 10-1 |
| Back to You | 12-1 |
| Private Practice | 25-1 |
That’s it! So study our data if you choose, pick your poison, and let us know (at teevee at teevee dot org) who you think will be the first to go by the end of the day on Monday, September 24.
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