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They should put on extra episodes of “Scrubs”!!

NBC Pulls ‘Father of the Pride’ for Sweeps
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Broadcaster NBC has pulled “Father of the Pride,” its expensive foray into computer-animated prime-time comedy, off its schedule for the key November “sweeps” ratings period, the network said.
The move came just days after “Pride” creator DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. launched a successful initial public offering on the strength of such big-screen animated properties as its “Shrek” franchise.
But for all the commercial gains DreamWorks has had with “Shrek,” the much-hyped “Pride” has not fared as well. For the fall season through Oct. 24, the new comedy series about a frisky family of talking lions in Siegfried & Roy’s famed Las Vegas act ranks 42nd in household ratings.
Of 13 episodes initially ordered by the network, seven have aired. An NBC spokeswoman said the show would return to the network’s lineup after sweeps, though she did not pinpoint a date. Voice work has been done for all 13 episodes, though some animation is yet to be completed on a couple of episodes.
The show cost a reported $1.6 million per episode to produce. But some critics have questioned whether its ribald sense of humor, described by the network as “edgy,” was tame enough for kids to watch with their parents or sophisticated enough for adults to enjoy on their own.
Networks traditionally roll out their best programming in November and two other monthlong “sweeps” periods each year to boost ratings, which in turn are used to set local advertising rates. The networks also tend to pull weaker shows off their schedules during sweeps.
The move comes amid admissions by network executives that NBC has struggled this season, with ratings for its target audience of viewers aged 18 to 49 on the decline following years of dominance in that demographic.
“We’ve gotten spanked,” Jeff Zucker, president of the NBC Universal Television Group, told the Los Angeles Times this week, pointing to new hits on ABC and CBS.