"Kidnapped": A Network Betrayal

On October 9th, I wrote about “Kidnapped”: “I applaud NBC for promising to air all 13 episodes so that fans can see how everything turns out—even if it is on the dead zone known as Saturday nights.”

Well, now I see how much my praise means to NBC…

The network has pulled “Kidnapped” off its schedule permanently. This comes after the show drew a disastrous 1.2 rating in the beloved 18-49 demo Saturday night. NBC says the remaining eight episodes will be made available at NBC.com.

“Kidnapped” will be replaced by a rerun of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” beginning this Saturday.

I recognize that the ratings were bad, but it’s Saturday night, so who cares? What was the harm in airing the final eight episodes? Do we really need another “Law & Order” rerun that badly?

I didn’t watch “Kidnapped,” but I totally feel for all of you who now feel betrayed by NBC. You may still get some resolution; but now you’ll have to get it in streaming video on your computer screens. It’s really not the same.

I also have to believe that this is a bad sign for “Vanished,” since it may make FOX think twice about their plans to let the show wrap up its story. But I’m hoping that unlike NBC, FOX will do the right thing.