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TV This Week

Goodbye, again, to ‘American Chopper’

The veteran Discovery Channel reality show has been canceled

By Louisa Ada Seltzer

December 3, 2012

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There aren’t many shows that can claim to have been canceled twice, but “American Chopper,” which ends its 10-year run with three episodes starting tonight at 9 p.m. on the Discovery Channel, is one of them.

“Chopper” was first axed in early 2010 after fighting between the Teutuls, the father and son team of motorcycle builders, made the program impossible to continue.

After the Teutuls’ feud cooled slightly, Discovery sister network TLC revived the show a few months later, pitting the two builders against each other in “American Chopper: Junior vs. Senior.”

It proved so popular that Discovery eventually grabbed back the rights to the show.

But viewership has fallen off for the program this season as the Teutuls, who have now reconciled, face continued financial problems for their company.

The most recent episode of “Chopper” last week averaged just 1.5 million total viewers, according to Nielsen, compared to 2.83 million the same week last year.

The show wraps up with a series finale tonight, followed by a two-part special next Monday and Tuesday in which the Teutuls take place in a live build-off.

Viewership will undoubtedly spike for these final episodes with the show now going off the air.

Of course there’s always hope for another revival. If returning from one cancellation is rare, returning from two is almost unheard of, though Fox’s “Family Guy” did it during the early 2000s.

A look at this week's top TV draws
MONDAY, DECEMBER 3
Time		Network	Program			Description
8 p.m.		CW	"90210" (D)			In the show's 100th episode, Naomi wants to throw a lingerie show at the Playboy Mansion.
8 p.m.		Fox	"Bones" (D)			The team thinks the soul of a dead boy may still be alive.
8:30 p.m.		ESPN	"Monday Night Football" (S)			Good NFC East matchup between the Giants and Redskins.
9 p.m.		Discovery Channel	"American Chopper" (R)			Series finale. The workers try to finish a trio of bikes, and someone pulls a prank.
9 p.m.		CBS	"2 Broke Girls" (C)			Caroline and Max hire an intern to work at their new cupcake shop.
10 p.m.		NBC	"Blake Shelton's Not-So-Family Christmas" (A)			A holiday variety show hosted by the country singer.
10 p.m.		MTV	"Teen Mom" (R)			Leah considers a nursing program and Kailyn and Jo head to court.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4
Time	Network			Program	Description
8 p.m.	CBS			"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (K)	The 1964 classic, narrated by Burl Ives.
8 p.m.	ABC			"Shark Tank" (R)	On a special night, country singer John Rich guests for an update on a guitar invention.
9 p.m.	Fox			"New Girl" (C)	Jess and Winston try to talk the others into getting a bathtub.
9 p.m.	A&E			"Storage Wars" (R)	In the winter premiere the bidders face off in Compton, Calif.
10 p.m.	FX			"Sons of Anarchy" (D)	Season finale. Jax comes up with a deal that could help him get rid of his problems.
10 p.m.	Travel Channel			"NFL Road Tested: The Cleveland Browns" (R)	Series premiere. New show looks at the traveling aspect for Browns' road games.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5
Time	Network			Program	Description
8 p.m.	Fox			"The X Factor" (R)	The season's finalists all perform.
8 p.m.	CW			"Arrow" (D)	Oliver starts training the Huntress, but Diggle doesn't trust her.
9 p.m.	CBS			"Criminal Minds" (D)	Male bodies are found in what are thought to be a series of connected murders.
9 p.m.	Investigation Discovery			"Final Cut" (N)	Series premiere. New program looks at murders in the entertainment industry.
10 p.m.	CBS			"Grammy Nominations Concert Live" (A)	Nominations are revealed during a concert hosted by Taylor Swift and LL Cool J.
10 p.m.	A&E			"Duck Dynasty" (R)	Phil and Missy Kay host a holiday party in the winter finale.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6
Time	Network			Program	Description
8 p.m.	CBS			"The Big Bang Theory" (C)	Sheldon takes care of Amy when she's sick, while Wolowitz goes fishing with his father-in-law.
8 p.m.	TNT			"NBA Basketball" (S)	Good doubleheader starts with Knicks-Heat, followed by Mavericks-Spurs.
8:20 p.m.	NFL Network			"NFL Football" (S)	AFC West battle between the Broncos and Raiders in Oakland.
9 p.m.	HBO			"In Vogue: The Editor's Eye" (N)	A look at the 120-year history of Vogue magazine.
9:30 p.m.	NBC			"Parks and Recreation" (C)	Jerry throws a holiday party, but not everyone gets an invitation.
10 p.m.	MTV			"Jersey Shore" (R)	Vinny and Jionni make up, and Mike tries to do the same with Snooki.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7
Time	Network			Program	Description
7 p.m.	ESPN			"NBA Basketball" (S)	The Celtics take on the 76ers, followed by a good one between the Lakers and Thunder.
8 p.m.	HBO			"24/7: Pacquiao/Marquez 4" (R)	Season finale of the reality show, followed by live coverage of the weigh-in.
9 p.m.	History			"WW2 From Space" (N)	Looking back at key moments from World War II.
9 p.m.	Spike TV			"VGA Ten" (A)	The 10thh annual video game awards show, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson.
9 p.m.	Sundance			"Restless" (D)	First half of a two-part miniseries about a woman who learns her mother was a British spy during World War II.
9:30 p.m.	TBS			"Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse" (C)	The show ends its second season with an episode titled "The Big Day."
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8
Time	Network			Program	Description
3 p.m.	CBS			"College Football" (S)	The 112th meeting between Army and Navy in Philadelphia.
8 p.m.	Fox			"UFC Fighting" (S)	Benson Henderson and Nate Diaz face off in Seattle.
8 p.m.	NBC			"The American Giving Awards" (A)	The second annual event honoring charities and community leaders, hosted by Joel McHale.
9 p.m.	Syfy			"The 12 Disasters of Christmas" (M)	Strange instances in a small town make a teenage girl believe the end of the world is near.
9 p.m.	Nickelodeon			"How To Rock" (K)	The series ends its run with a Christmas-themed episode.
10 p.m.	TLC			"Secrets of a Trophy Wife" (N)	Looking at young women who are married to older rich men.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9
Time	Network			Program	Description
8 p.m.	CBS			"The Amazing Race" (R)	Season finale. The three remaining teams make a final push for the $1 million prize.
8:20 p.m.	NBC			"Sunday Night Football" (S)	NFC North matchup between the Lions and the Packers.
8:30 p.m.	ESPN			"College Football Bowl Mania Special" (S)	Breaking down every bowl game for the 2012-13 season.
9 p.m.	Lifetime			"All About Christmas Eve" (M)	A party planner tries to balance work and a romantic holiday getaway.
10 p.m.	History			"Bamazon" (R)	Series premiere. Following a group of Alabama construction workers looking for gold.
10 p.m.	TLC			"Sin City Rules" (R)	Series premiere. Looking at five wealthy women in Las Vegas.
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.