Drama for ''Guardian'' -Series'' fate is in balance

From:NY Daily
Date:March 16, 2004
By RICHARD HUFF


It's going to be a tough several weeks for fans of "The Guardian."
The series is being shelved by CBS to make room for the new legal drama "Century City."

Making matters worse: For the first time in its three-season history, the cast, crew and producers do not know whether they'll be back next season.

"I'm cautiously optimistic," said executive producer David Hollander. "I believe that our show creatively has plenty of juice left in it, and I believe there's an audience for it."

CBS executives, so far, aren't so sure.

CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves said recently the show is on the bubble for renewal, not the kind of confidence-building news that sends folks on the show buying bigger homes.

"The Guardian" is built around Simon Baker, who plays a lawyer forced into community service after a drug bust. Baker, an Australian hunk, has been a strong draw, and the series has gotten generally favorable reviews.

The bad news is, there's little buzz about the show. It has averaged 10.5 million viewers this season to rank No. 43 overall. Last season the show averaged 11.8 million and finished No. 31.

"We're doing very well. We're just not doing great in terms of numbers," said executive producer Mark Johnson. "But, CBS has a lot of shows doing really well."

Lately, CBS has been riding high on forensic crime series like "CSI: Crime Scene Investigations," "CSI: Miami" and "Without a Trace" and the reality hit "Survivor."

If history is any indication of the future, the chances of a three-year-old show picking up ratings steam or buzz at this point are limited. Typically, viewers make decisions early, and rarely go back after they've decided.

Moreover, CBS executives, like their counterparts everywhere in Hollywood, are now weighing program choices for next season. It's a time for gambling on their part: Renew a show with a smaller, albeit consistent, audience or try something else.

And the usual avenue of getting a big-name celebrity to appear in a stunt-casting role to draw attention to the show is not an option.

"You need to have a certain zeitgeist going," Hollander said of guest stars. "When you're on CBS, Tuesday night at 9, it's a tricky thing to accomplish."

For now, everyone connected to the show will continue working - two episodes in the season remain to be shot - and wait for the call from the CBS executives, who hold the show's fate in their hands.

Hollander isn't ready to say its over, but he's writing an episode that could serve as a series farewell.

"I'm not even considering it," Johnson said of the end. "I refuse to be that apocalyptic to the show. Too much more needs to be said. I do believe we are a hit show. We're not exactly standing with our hat in our hands."