• New York Times via International Herald Tribune, Tuesday, October 24, 2006 12 PM

Few new television shows seemed to have as much promise this fall as "Smith," a CBS series about a career thief out for one last big score. In most seasons, it would have been considered a hit, with its debut attracting 11 million viewers, and for the first three episodes, an average audience of over nine million. But it was yanked after just three weeks--despite the fact that the producers were well on their way to completing four more episodes. The quick demise underlines how, like the movie industry, TV is now a business where there is little room for modest success.

Combined with NBC's plans to cut back on expensive programming, the "Smith" case shows how costly serializations with large casts and complex plots change the rules of engagement. Viewers can't easily dip in and out as they can with a comedy or game show. So the nets have to decide on more expensive series based on very small samples.

But Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment, says that "Smith" was not the victim of networks' looking for quicker results. "One of the things we do very well is continue to work and develop a show well into its first year and second year," Tassler says.

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