Money For Parenting

As I write this, the fate of NBC's "Parenthood" is still up in the air, and if it gets renewed for the 2014-15 television season (and a decision may have been announced by the time you read this), it will be for a final season, with only as many as thirteen episodes or as few as nine.

The problem besetting "Parenthood", aside from the fact that it airs on a network that people only watch in large numbers when the Olympics are on, actually has little to do with the ratings.  NBC has been pleased overall with "Parenthood"'s ratings in the 10 PM Eastern time slot on Thursdays, despite the fact that it's up against dramas on CBS and ABC (each of which probably gets more viewers in the Thursday 10 PM Eastern time slot than NBC has gotten for its entire Thursday night lineup of late), as it's done better than anything else NBC has put in that time slot.  The issue is money. "Parenthood" is expensive to produce, the cast members have had a dispute with the network over salaries, and NBC isn't exactly in a position to give them what they want.  But even if the cast agrees to pay cuts, the general feeling, as I see it, is that the show has run its course artistically and a short, final season is a good way to wrap things up.

Those of us who love "Parenthood" had best wake up and smell the coffee.   Whether it gets canceled or returns in the fall, either way its days are numbered and the number is very low.  I'll gladly take an abridged final season over nothing at all.