What wasn't meant to be: 'On the Lot'

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TV This Week
What wasn't meant to be: 'On the Lot'
By Diego Vasquez
Aug 14, 2007 - 1:00:45 AM

“On the Lot” might be the summer’s most disappointing new show. It seemed to hold oodles of promise last year when Fox signed Steven Spielberg to produce his first-ever reality show, paired with reality-TV guru Mark Burnett.

Fox even debuted it behind part one of the “American Idol” finale in May, hoping to give “Lot” some momentum going into the summer. It didn’t work, even with the big names and the huge launchpad.

“Lot” enters part one of its two-part season finale tonight at 8 as one of the lowest-rated shows on broadcast and Fox’s lone bummer in an otherwise strong summer. Last week’s “Lot” averaged just a 0.9 rating in adults 18-49, less than half Fox’s summer average.

“Lot” is essentially “Idol” for wannabe film directors. In tonight’s competition, the three remaining contestants screen their movies. Next week, the winner will be chosen.

Fox knew the show was not working just weeks into its run, when the network sliced “Lot” from twice to once a week. In retrospect, filmmaking may have been a bad choice for a talent competition. The nuances of creating and editing great movies don’t make for great television, as they can’t really be captured on camera.

Fox may have been counting on the big names to draw in viewers, but the biggest name of all, Spielberg, did not appear on the show.

And there were other problems. Early on, “Lot” switched hosts without explanation and eliminated several contestants without comment. As even amateur directors should know, that sort of convoluted storytelling rarely keeps audiences engaged.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
TUESDAY, AUGUST 14
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	"Good Morning America" (N)	Reporter David Mendell talks about his biography of Barack Obama.
8 p.m.	Fox	"On the Lot" (R)	Part one of a two-part season finale has the three finalists screen their films.
8 p.m.	NBC	"America's Got Talent" (R)	Also part one of a two-part season-ender, the final eight performs, then are trimmed to four.
9 p.m.	TNT	"The Bill Engvall Show" (C)	With Trent having trouble in school, Bill and Susan question their parenting abilities.
9 p.m.	A&E	"Dog the Bounty Hunter" (R)	Might be a highly rated episode following the recent buzz surrounding Dog and his Mexico exploits.
10 p.m.	Oxygen	"Tori & Dean: Inn Love" (R)	Season premiere. Two new cast members this season: the couple's baby and accompanying nanny.
10 p.m.	Bravo	"Flipping Out" (R)	Jeff and his partner bet on who'll move into a million-dollar mansion first.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	"Today" (N)	The domestic diva herself, Martha Stewart, guests.
8 p.m.	CBS	"Power of 10" (G)	The Drew Carey-hosted show debuted solidly last week, but will ratings hold?
8 p.m.	Fox	"So You Think You Can Dance" (R)	In the first half of yet another two-part season finale, the final four perform for the judges.
9 p.m.	NBC	"Last Comic Standing" (R)	The final six compete in their last head-to-head battle.
9 p.m.	ABC	"NASCAR in Primetime" (N, S)	Series premiere. A look at the popular racing circuit through drivers and their fans.
10 p.m.	FX	"Rescue Me" (D)	Tommy meets a woman at a restaurant who leaves him curious for more.
10 p.m.	MTV	"The Real World" (R)	Trisha is single and ready to mingle after she breaks with her boyfriend from home.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 16
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	"Good Morning America" (N)	Star Jones Reynolds and Lisa Marie Presley both guest.
8 p.m.	Fox	"So You Think You Can Dance" (R)	Season finale. After a summer of dancing, the show's third winner is chosen.
8 p.m.	ESPN	"NFL Football" (S)	More preseason action as the Miami Dolphins take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
9 p.m.	HBO	"Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" (N, S)	Among other segments, an interview with tennis power couple Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf.
10 p.m.	AMC	"Mad Men" (D)	Don wins an award, earning him the cover of a prominent magazine.
10 p.m.	USA	"Burn Notice" (D)	Fiona tracks down a wanted jewel thief who she thinks is innocent.
10:30 p.m.	MTV	"Cribs" (R)	A look at the homes of rapper Bow Wow and NFL star Rudi Johnson.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 17
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	"Today" (N)	Musical group Maroon 5 performs live.
8 p.m.	Fox	"NFL Football" (S)	Two teams with lots of questions, the Vikings and Jets, face off in a preseason game.
8 p.m.	Disney Channel	"High School Musical 2" (K, M)	The popularity of the original should make this a must-watch among kids.
9 p.m.	USA	"Monk" (D)	Monk finds a map in a dead man's car and tries to find out where it leads.
10 p.m.	TLC	"A Model Life with Petra Nemcova" (R)	Petra has the models take pictures of each other so they can see what it's like on the other side of the camera.
10 p.m.	USA	"Psych" (D)	A chef is accused of murdering a food critic by way of poisonous mushrooms.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 18
Time	Network	Program	Description
3:30 p.m.	Fox	"Major League Baseball" (S)	This week it's either Cardinals-Cubs or Tigers-Yankees.
8 p.m.	CBS	"NFL Football" (S)	A preseason showdown between the San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams.
8 p.m.	NBC	"Gymnastics" (S)	Day-one coverage of the U.S. Championships from San Jose.
9 p.m.	CMT	"Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge" (R)	The celebs get on bulls for the first time, and one of them is injured.
10 p.m.	ABC	"Masters of Science Fiction" (D)	Anne Heche stars as a woman in 2077 who goes to court over the fate of an athropoid that may be human.
10 p.m.	National Geographic Channel	"Clash of the Caimans" (N)	Hundreds of giant crocodiles migrate to a hidden lake during the Amazon's dry season.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 19
Time	Network	Program	Description
1 p.m.	CBS	"PGA Golf" (S)	Final round of the Wyndham Championship, won last year by Davis Love III.
8 p.m.	NBC	"Sunday Night Football" (S)	More preseason action as the Giants take on the Ravens in Baltimore.
9 p.m.	VH1	"Rock of Love" (R)	The girls test for who'd be most likely to survive while on a rock tour.
10 p.m.	A&E	"The Two Coreys" (R)	Corey Haim fights with his girlfriend, so he unexpectedly drops in on Corey Feldman and his gal.
10 p.m.	HBO	"Entourage" (C)	Billy finishes the script for Vince's new film, and Eric has a new client.
10 p.m.	Lifetime	"Army Wives" (R)	Trevor wants Roxy to quit her bar job after a fight breaks out there.
10:30 p.m.	HBO	"Flight of the Conchords" (C)	Bret and Jemaine meet a women's water polo team at an airport bar.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.