If you didn't watch Swingtown this summer, you're not alone.The CBS drama posted low ratings over the summer, despite buzz over its salacious topic. Still, the show gained some fans (including me), who have been waiting on word of its renewal or cancellation.
Now comes news that Bravo will air reruns of the show this fall. The Hollywood Reporter says the deal "essentially closes the door" on the show, with CBS unlikely to produce new episodes and Bravo uninterested in doing so.
It's really too bad, since the show improved steadily over the summer. The characters became more three-dimensional, the storylines became more interesting and the finale ended with a great cliffhanger.
Perhaps if the reruns do well on Bravo, either of those networks will reconsider. Or maybe DirecTV or another cable network could swoop in and save the day? I could totally see Swingtown on HBO or Showtime or even AMC. Plus, if it went to cable, it could be more risque -- which could only help a series about swinging and sex.
Are you a fan of Swingtown? Do you think all hope is gone?
Swingtown' Photos
SWINGTOWN Defying Bruce, Susan attends a free speech fundraiser at Trina and Tom's home which benefits the legal defense of the star of a controversial film in the episode "Go Your Own Way." Janet (Miriam Shor) surprises the Deckers, Susan, and herself, by showing up at the fundraiser and chatting with guest. Airs Thursday, July 3, 2008.
CBS
SWINGTOWN Defying Bruce, Susan attends a free speech fundraiser at Trina and Tom's home which benefits the legal defense of the star of a controversial film in the episode "Go Your Own Way." In this scene, Trina joins some of her guests who are lining up to meet. Airs Thursday, July 3, 2008.
CBS
SWINGTOWN Defying Bruce, Susan attends a free speech fundraiser at Trina and Tom's home which benefits the legal defense of the star of a controversial film in the episode "Go Your Own Way." At the event, neighbor Gail Saxton (Kate Norby) hits on guest-of-honor Harry Reems (Rick D. Wasserman). Airs Thursday, July 3, 2008.
CBS
SWINGTOWN Defying Bruce, Susan attends a free speech fundraiser at Trina and Tom's home which benefits the legal defense of the star of a controversial film in the episode "Go Your Own Way." In this scene, Trina chats with the guest-of-honor, Harry Reems (Rick D. Wasserman). Airs Thursday, July, 2008.
CBS
SWINGTOWN Defying Bruce, Susan (Molly Parker, right) attends a free speech fundraiser at Trina (Lana Parrilla) and Tom's home which benefits the legal defense of the star of a controversial film in the episode "Go Your Own Way." Airs Thursday, July 3, 2008.
CBS
SWINGTOWN Defying Bruce, Susan (Molly Parker, right) attends a free speech fundraiser at Trina (Lana Parrilla) and Tom's home which benefits the legal defense of the star of a controversial film, Meanwhile, Janet (Miriam Shor, center) surprises the Deckers in the episode "Go Your Own Way.". Airs Thursday, July 3, 2008.
CBS
SWINGTOWN When the Thompsons back out on the annual trip to Bruce (Jack Davenport, on sofa) and Susan's two-bedroom cabin, Susan invites Tom and Trina (Grant Show and Lana Parrilla). Just when the weekend is getting cozy, the foursome is surprised with a last-minute appearance by Janet and Roger in the episode "Cabin Fever." Airs Thursday, June 26, 2008.
CBS
SWINGTOWN Bruce (Jack Davenport, on sofa) and Susan's two-bedroom cabin must snugly accommodate six when both Trina (Lana Parrilla, right) and Tom Decker and Janet (Miriam Shor) and Roger Thompson join the weekend getaway in the episode "Cabin Fever." Airs Thursday, June 26, 2008.
CBS
SWINGTOWN Bruce (Jack Davenport, on sofa) and Susan's two-bedroom cabin must snugly accommodate six when both Trina (Lana Parrilla, partially blocked) and Tom Decker (Grant Show) and Janet (Miriam Shor) and Roger Thompson join the weekend getaway in the episode "Cabin Fever." Airs Thursday, June 26, 2008.
CBS
SWINGTOWN Bruce and Susan's two-bedroom cabin must snugly accommodate six when both Trina (Lana Parrilla) and Tom Decker (Grant Show) and Janet and Roger Thompson join the weekend getaway in the episode "Cabin Fever." In this scene, the Deckers lose to Janet at Twister. Airs Thursday, June 26, 2008.
CBS
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-29-2008 @ 3:13PM
Danielle said...
My DH and I are def fans and it would be ashame to see it go. It will def suck if DirecTv picks them up, since we just got rid of them a couple of months ago. LOL Im hoping w/ it being on Bravo, that more viewers will tune in and will be picked up a 2nd season.
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9-29-2008 @ 3:18PM
D-Bo said...
This post should've been titled "Is there hope for TV Squad?"...
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9-29-2008 @ 3:35PM
Christian H. said...
Second that!
9-29-2008 @ 3:46PM
Robert said...
So, what other TV Blogs do you guys read, cause it looks like this one is dead in the water.
9-29-2008 @ 7:04PM
Jake said...
No Joke. Whats going on over at Webogs Inc? I heard on TWIiT that they quit paying people.
9-29-2008 @ 3:30PM
JW said...
I hope some someone picks up the show asap! It has become one of my favorite shows in the past few years. I honestly think CBS or any network should consider counting how many people watch online; If I missed an episode, I would make sure I watched online. Swingtown definitely has potential, but someone has to give it a chance; the networks need to stop relying on ratings and more on feedback. I think one reason the show didn't do so good was because it was simply on in the summer, which means more people are out and about. I would buy it on DVD if they made a second season. Hopefully the networks are reading this because they may have a hit or at least a following of the show.
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9-29-2008 @ 3:25PM
Crystal said...
I really like Swingtown, it made a boring Friday night a bit more lively! Oh, how I hope that there is HOPE! It so deserves a 2nd chance somewhere. Bravo would be a good place for it & not just in reruns. What's up with that?
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9-29-2008 @ 4:11PM
Carissa said...
I knew I would love it and I knew it would not survive. The two seem to go hand in hand. Bravo should pick it up, add a gay storyline and promote the hell out of it. it would be a hit for sure.
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9-29-2008 @ 4:50PM
Racedriven said...
For Swingtown, which I have watched all summer along, to survive, it must be at least on cable, if not Showtime or HBO, Showtime is owned by CBS, so its possible.
Does it have hope? All of the major networks like CBS,NBC,will not take the time to groom a show, its either a hit or cut, so I will give it a 20% chance of returning and that's a high number, too bad, I would have loved to see what happened next with two new couples...
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9-29-2008 @ 5:58PM
MERVE-THE-PERVE said...
Go to http://www.cliqueclack.com/tv. They have all the missing writers and reviews from here. It looks like they just started up over there and they already have a much better site with the same format as this one. It's easy to make comments and find your show reviews like here. You can also look up posts by each writer like here too. I can hear the fat lady singing in this site.
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9-30-2008 @ 1:58PM
Karen said...
Hmmm--that's tempting. Anything to get away from Bob Sassone and his serial inanity!
9-29-2008 @ 10:01PM
matt said...
I LOVE swingtown, and it did improve over the summer. It sucked how CBS under-promoted it on their own station and how only around 3.66 million people watched the finale. Despite what "show officials" said, the finale did not close up the series, and left me wondering what would happen next. Unfortunately, i dont think that it will come back with new episodes because of low ratings (bad CBS!) and the dirty theme. But it was much more than swinging. It had family, marriage, and relation problems and was well rounded. This could've been a really great series. But if Lifetime makes new episodes of it, wouldn't 3 and 4 million viewers be a lot for a cable show?
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9-29-2008 @ 10:08PM
matt said...
Also i felt like Ricky should have switched families with BJ because Ricky and the Millers were more wild, than the reserved BJ and Thompsons. Anyone else?
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9-30-2008 @ 12:09PM
eric f. said...
A show like this belongs on HBO or SHO with a lot of nudity. Otherwise... what's the point?
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11-26-2008 @ 3:42PM
wayne said...
I loved the show. It was much more than a show just about sex and swinging. I thought the show improved as it went along. The characters had depth and showed emotion. I am very disappointed in CBS for not promoting the show any better than they did. I think the only way that the show has a chance of coming back is if they interject some type of criminal analysis as that is the only type of television show that is currently successful. So everybody be on the lookout for CSI Swingtown as it seems the narrow minded producers of television shows are pretty set on what the audience will watch. Signed - Very disappointed in Virginia
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