The Return of Jezebel James Cancelled
TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello is reporting that The Return of Jezebel James has been cancelled after its third episode aired. The show, scheduled on a Friday, was getting just over 3 million viewers per episode. Which is not bad, particularly for a Friday half-hour sitcom, but on the low side for a FOX show. But, the reviews were decidedly not in favor of the show.
FOX has yet to release a statement to confirm the cancellation, but the spoiler photos for future episodes have been removed from the press site, so I am confident that the official news is coming.
So, if the news is accurate, what killed Jezebel James? The writing? The Friday time slot? Parker Posey? The laugh track (which is just horrible for any sitcom)?
I am sad for Amy Sherman-Palladino and the Jezebel James cast members for not seeing this show become a hit. After the success of Gilmore Girls, it may come as quite the shock that this show couldn’t find a good footing.
Ironically, the failure of Jezebel James is drawing so much more attention to just how amazing Gilmore Girls was, and how critical Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel were to that success - the writing is only so good as the actors’ ability to convincingly deliver their lines and live their parts. I think, in part, that Season 7 of Gilmore Girls lost some of this, and that is what we saw again with Jezebel James.
Photo Cr: Michael Lavine/FOX © 2007 Fox Broadcasting Co.
Tags: the return of jezebel james, jezebel james, gilmore girls, amy sherman palladino, scott cohen, parker posey, lauren ambrose, lauren graham, alexis bledel, cancelled, new tv, fox, sitcom, comedy
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POSTED IN: Amy Sherman-Palladino, Scott Cohen, Television Shows, The Return of Jezebel James, Where are they now
35 opinions for The Return of Jezebel James Cancelled
adrienne
Mar 26, 2008 at 11:26 am
thank god!! i hated this show!
gg movie?
barbara
Mar 26, 2008 at 11:30 am
the show wasn´t extraordinary but c´mon people! u didn´t even give it a chance! u didn´t even give a chance for people to realise the show was on, to route for something or someone, to hate that particular character, nor even to form a real opinion about the show…
three episodes is a really short time. during thee first eps u have to form a stroyline and make it clear for the audience, which takes about 1h…
i think they made the wrong move..
and poor amy! she must be kicking herself for leaving GG when she did. maybe if she had continued on board, we´d be enjoying our girls eight´s season…
Hallie
Mar 26, 2008 at 12:47 pm
To be honest, I never saw it. I was out of town when it first came on and then when I got back, I was too busy. So, I have no personal feelings for it, but i really feel bad for Amy! But maybe, like Adrienne said, there could be a….Gilmore Girls movie??
Rayc
Mar 26, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Honestly, it was good except for the laugh track and Parker Posey.
sherry
Mar 26, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I am sorry for ASp that her show was cancelled however now maybe she might get to work on the gilmore girl movie-hey maybe fox will agree to do a gilmore girl movie if she asks???? THAT WOULD BE SO GREAT…….
Jessica King
Mar 26, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Poor Amy,I’m so sorry heard about that.I’m lucky I did not watch this show.
-jo-
Mar 26, 2008 at 2:50 pm
i only saw one episode and i didn’t even watch the whole thing, so i shouldn’t be quick to judge, but for me i think what killed this show was the lousy laugh track and the lack of comidic timing. **props to lauren and alexis for their extroardinary talent in the comidic timing department =D**
i really hope there is a gg movie
Teresa
Mar 26, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I actually didn’t think this show was that bad, but I think Amy & Dan do better with a show that isn’t in front of an audience/laugh track. If Gilmore Girls was filmed as a sitcom like that, I don’t think it would have done as well as it did.
jennifer
Mar 26, 2008 at 5:15 pm
i pray that she realizes how much better she could do if she focused her attention on making a gilmore girls movie!!! i would really like that!! im so curious how they would start the movie out though and what they would do, they just have to tie up the ends from stupid season 7!
Rayc
Mar 26, 2008 at 7:16 pm
I’m not keeping my hopes up for a GG movie…
I’d rather have ASP do another dramady… I hate sitcoms…
Pamela
Mar 27, 2008 at 6:19 am
Not surprised by the outcome. Parker Posey was definitely not for the part. Scott & Lauren were good. I hope that ASP has something else in the works.
Lisa
Mar 27, 2008 at 12:34 pm
I have a rule with new shows: three episodes to decide if it’s worth my time or not. I didn’t even make it to three with this one. I LOVED Gilmore Girls, and am a huge fan of Paladino-Sherman’s writing style. The writing on this show was almost as good as it was on GG, but in this writer’s humble opinion, Posey and Ambrose frankly were not able to pull it off. The quick little quips that we enjoyed between Lorelai and Rory were partly due to the writing, but also the phenomenal chemistry that existed between Lauren and Alexis. The way they played off of each other made you get the feel that they really were best friends, and it made the show not only enjoyable, but believable. I haven’t seen a “dramedy” on par with it since, and doubt I will again. I hope Team Palladino keeps working, and brings us the Gilmoresque microcosm we’ve all been longing for since that last scene in the diner. A movie might be a fun idea, but I look forward to seeing her next project. Incidentally, Lauren Graham has started her own production company and has 2 show in the works–it would be interesting to see a Palladino project come through Good Game productions…Cheers, all!
Lisa
Mar 27, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Just a quick edit–I mixed up Amy Sherman-Palladino’s surnames. Sorry!
Nil-Wren
Mar 28, 2008 at 12:51 am
Gilmore Girls should never have been canceled. Not at this time.
The remake of a show can’t never be so good as a genuine idea that is still alive, but not on screen.
leo
Mar 28, 2008 at 3:14 am
My god, guys. Get over the cancellation of Gilmore Girls! I can’t believe there is actually all this people thinking there will actually be a movie. How can the Palladinos make a movie if Warner bros. dismantled and sold the sets of Stars Hollow???!!! How???? Do you ever think of that when you say you want a movie? I mean, it’s insane. All the sets, the interiors, props everything was given away and/or sold. Not to mention that Amy did say she doesn’t want to get involved with Warner Bros. ever again, I bet Warner Bros does think of it pretty much the same exact way as response. There are no concrete facts saying there will be a movie sometime. When Amy said that, she was the usual joker. She was making fun of the whole situation. And she shouldn’t be that proud for not seeing Season 7, ’cause I think she would be pretty surprised with what was done and I bet she would say “mmmh… the ending is not so different from what i was gonna do some time soon if I was given the chance”.
Frankly, Jezebel James for me was something more than a sitcom. I loved it and now I want to see the rest of it. This hatred towards laugh tracks and Parker Posey is infantile and ridiculous. I’ve seen Parker playing more difficult characters and she was amazing. The sets, the laugh track and the acting on ‘Jezebel James’ is so blatantly diverse from Gilmore Girls, since that was naturalastic while this is extremely theatrical and stylized. I like it for that. I hope something will be done and I hope Amy will fight for her new creature. She just can’t give up something she was working on like that. She’s gotta do something like finding another network to air the remaining episodes or she could do it herself. Please, guys, do something and be a more indulgent audience.
Lisa
Mar 28, 2008 at 5:17 am
Leo, calm down. You’re going to have a stroke if you keep using that many exclaimation marks in one sentence. I don’t think any of us were aware that you were close, personal friends with ‘Amy’, but clearly, you two go way back. And no one said thay hated Parker Posey. THe hate the laugh tracks, and aren’t fans of Posey’s acting style, at least not on the show. Personally, I like Posey, just not in this project. Though in my opinion, she seems to play the same type of character in every role. I’ve yet to see any true acting ability or diversity. It’s just her, playing someone just like her. If she’s played more difficult roles than this and was successful, that doesn’t mean she’s right for this role. Not everyone has proper comedic timing. And if your friend Amy wrote it to be ‘extremely theatrical and stylized’, (though in my opinion annoyingly over the top and unenjoyable) she succeeded. Berrating people you don’t even know on a message board aout a TV show is, in itself, infantile and ridiculous. As far as doing something to save your precious show, I’m sure there is a petition online somewhere that you can sign. It’s probably right next to the one that was most likely gathered to save shows like ‘The O.C.” and “Dawson’s Creek”, signed by every 13 year old girl in the country. Join their ranks, and perhaps you can give your beloved another shot at life in primetime. Aside from that, remember that it’s a free country, and if people don’t like something, they have a right to say so, whether you happen to be a fan or not. We’ll be the “indulgent audience” to things that we like and are worth our time. This isn’t it.
JCsHands
Mar 28, 2008 at 9:22 am
Well I thought that this new show was great. I was just talking to my wife about how I hope that they dont cancel it. I like the fact that the whole thing is goofy and is not suppose to be taken seriously. So, not like it is going to change anything but, I like it and hope that they at least give them another season to let her have her kid.
murttie
Mar 28, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I am an avid Gilmore Girls fan and was sad when it was taken from the air. I was soo excited to hear that there was a new show out. I watched out excitedly and thought that it was great. Except Parker Poesy! Though I did not think she was terrible some one else could have done better with the part. I am bummed to hear that Jezebel James will not be on air any more.
Violet
Mar 28, 2008 at 10:20 pm
F U Fox! Bring back the show or you’ll lose more viewers. Why didn’t they cancel unhitched?
jennifer
Mar 29, 2008 at 8:31 am
leo…find a different website. hmmm your on a gilmore girls fan website and your surprised to see a lot of people wanting a gg movie? we can DREAM!
Nil-Wren
Mar 30, 2008 at 12:10 am
A GG Movie!
YES, that would be great!
Why?
We like to sea the last four words when we read a book.
We like to see the implicit mark: THE END.
But unfortunately,
There still isn’t any ending to GG.
Which is really sad.
Anything must come to an end of course,
But like a true piece of art,
That’s what GG really is.
A movie would show respect to all the incredible
Actors,
Creators,
All that worked for the show,
The CW,
And of course,
The fans.
sherry
Mar 31, 2008 at 2:58 am
I’m really hoping to see a gg movie and think that now would be a great time for Amy and Dan to work on the GG movie,their fans deserve a movie because most of us were faithful veiwers like me and I own all seasons of this beloved show of which was full of great humor and a awesome cast…..there are some storylines that need to be tied up so that the show is completed and I personally would like to be able to feel like it’s complete after watching for a long 7 years…….I need a complete ending…
kkkkaaaaaaa
Mar 31, 2008 at 12:23 pm
The show was like gilmore girls in the way that u needed to watch a few episodes to get hooked. The laugh track sucked and Parker Posey couldn’t pull off the whole talking fast thing but fox didn’t give it a chance putting it on a friday timeslot. It sucks that Fox had a hit and they didn’t even know it.
shanel
Apr 2, 2008 at 6:42 am
I loved this show and I’m just devestated that it is cancelled. I never did like the gilmore girls, I thought the acting was bad and the show was flat. I didn’t even notice the laugh track I enjoyed this show so much.
shanel
Apr 2, 2008 at 6:44 am
Oh, I must also say that I loved Parker Posey. I thought her acting was right on for this role, Amy was alittle off though.
shanel
Apr 2, 2008 at 6:47 am
Sorry, I thought Amy was the red haired girl. The red haired girl was alittle off in her role but I loved Parker Posy
SAMANTHA JEAN MANER
Apr 4, 2008 at 3:01 am
I loved the show!! I’m really upset that they just up an cancelled it!!!
Rachel Johnson
Apr 4, 2008 at 7:05 pm
I thought the show was great! I think it is disappointing that Fox decided to cancel the show with on warning. When I came home to my Tivo and it said The Return of Jezabel James but it was some other show, I was highly disappointed. I hope that they reconsider.
Lindsay
Apr 6, 2008 at 5:50 am
The writing was fine…
The laugh track was… horrible.. just horrible.
ashley
Apr 6, 2008 at 8:36 pm
i really like the show, aside form the fake laughter, i couldn’t wait to see another episode with lauren ambrose. i loved her in six feet under and she was my favorite character to watch so far. i wish they would bring it back…maybe if they actually advetised it more it would have done better.
LadyJ
Apr 30, 2008 at 2:42 pm
I loved this show please bring it back.
Maybe it was too smart for the public…
Well dumb it up and bring it back!
Joy
Apr 30, 2008 at 2:44 pm
The witty banter is so refreshing.
A smarter side to FOX was nice too.
Please bring it back!
Janet
Apr 30, 2008 at 2:47 pm
I LOVED THIS SHOW!
FOX PLEASE BRING THIS SHOW BACK!
ONE LITTLE SEASON! I promise I’ll watch every friday!
Jose
Apr 30, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Bring back this show! When I found out about it I got 3 or 4 people interested in it and it was already canceled! Parker Posey is great and there should be a lot more smart comedies out there!
Raquel
Apr 30, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Bring it back! The Return of Jezebel James is the exact program FOX needs to balance out its lineup and to keep up with the likes of “The Office” and “30 Rock” and Parker Posey is the perfect gal to do it.
HER FANS CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF HER! Please bring back the show! It’s so awful to have something so wonderful torn from you! WE WANT THE RETURN OF THE RETURN OF JEZEBEL JAAAAMES!!
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