Lifetime Shelves ‘Side Order Of Life’
Women’s Net Passes On HBO’s ‘12 Miles,’ Two ABC Series
By Mike Reynolds & R. Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 3/20/2008 8:17:00 AM
Lifetime Television has been in the business of saying 'no' this week.
The women's-targeted service elected not to renew Side Order of Life for a sophomore season. The series, which starred Marisa Coughlanas a photojournalist who reassesses what she wants from own life after she learns the life of her best friend will be shortened by cancer, averaged 2 million viewers during its first season last summer.
Side Order – part of the network’s summer Sunday night original scripted series lineup that also included Army Wives and State Of Mind – performed better than the network’s 1.5 million primetime viewer average in 2007. But it fell well short of the 3.7 million viewers the network’s highest-rated series Army Wives generated in its first season.
State of Mind, which examines the world of a brilliant psychiatrist whose personal problems rival those of her quirky patients, was cancelled last month. That series also averaged 2 million viewers for its first season.
“Although we are not bringing Side Order of Life back for another season, we are extremely proud of the show, particularly its sensitive exploration of the issue of living with cancer,” the network said in a statement. “Lifetime’s commitment to raising awareness about cancer, especially breast cancer, continues and will grow as we begin our 14th year of our award-winning ‘Stop Breast Cancer for Life’ campaign. We are grateful for the contributions of the talented team, both in front of and behind the camera.”
Elsewhere, Lifetime passed on the opportunity to pick up Linda Bloodworth-Thomason (Designing Women) 12 Miles of Bad Road, a one-hour comedy that Home Box Office nixed after six episodes were produced. News of HBO’s decision to drop the series, starring Lily Tomlin as the matriarch of wealthy Texas clan, whose fortune came in real estate, followed Carolyn Strauss's exit as the premium channel ‘s president of entertainment.
Published reports also indicate that Lifetime passed on an opportunity to pick up October Road and Men in Trees, a pair of series on the pick-up bubble for ABC. Lifetime is 50% owned by ABC parent, The Walt Disney Co.
