Fox has cancelled its quasi-live, Ryan Seacrest-hosted series Knock Knock Live. This is unsurprising: the first episode was an offensive mess, and in terms of viewers, the answer to “who’s there” on Fox’s Knock Knock Live was “pretty much no one.”
Despite the presence of Justin Bieber on Tuesday’s episode, or maybe because of it, ratings dropped 17 percent among viewers 18 to 49. Only 1.6 million viewers watched.
The Hollywood Reporter reported the cancellation and noted that the show suffered because of “a lack of circulation for Fox’s low-rated summer schedule and a time-slot rival in NBC reality juggernaut America’s Got Talent on NBC.”
Yes, there’s that, but the show itself was barely watchable. As I wrote, I think the show smartly assembled the right elements, but now stands as proof that checking boxes off a list isn’t enough. To implement those elements, you need a coherent, engaging narrative or structure and relatable, developed characters, whether you’re a game show or a multi-episode reality competition.
Knock Knock Live had nothing approaching any of that, so it’s no wonder those who answered last week fled this week.