I guess NBC is getting the last laugh. Sort of. Well, not really. Nevertheless, when they first launched The Singing Bee in 2007, the FOX copycat machine was in full effect. In fact, NBC had to push up the premiere of Bee to try and get an edge on FOX's Don't Forget the Lyrics. But while Lyrics has been canceled, Bee is still going strong. Just not on NBC.Actually, by broadcast network standards, it's still doing horrible, but its 1.5 million viewer debut back in June on CMT was enough to make it the highest-rated series debut ever on the network. CMT is so excited with The Singing Bee, they've asked for 20 more installments. The show went country when it switched to CMT, dumping Joey Fatone in favor of Melissa Peterman (Reba) as host, and focusing more on the sad, sad lyrics that make up country music.
If I were NBC, I'd go ahead and get excited about this. Sure, they canceled the show and it was performing horribly for them. But by doing so, they created a big hit for CMT. And they can still claim that their show outlasted FOX's copycat. Sort of. Well, not really.
The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more
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The Prisoner -- An early look
