By James Hibberd,thrfeed.com
November 12,2008
NBC has pulled the plug on freshman tentpole drama "My Own Worst Enemy" and returning sophomore series "Lipstick Jungle," sources say.
The cancellation comes after both shows dropped to new lows in the ratings in recent weeks, with the Christian Slater action series sinking to a 1.8 among adults 18-49 (4.3 million viewers) on Monday night and "Lipstick" falling to a 1.2 (3.3 million viewers) on Friday.
Though the "Lipstick" number was an improvement on the previous week, the show's ratings have been below the line for a while now, and sunk into the red zone after the drama moved to Fridays.
NBC's expectation for the return of "Lipstick" was modest, but "Enemy" was considered an important show. A spy thriller with a grown-up budget inspired by the Bourne movies, "Enemy" received NBC's coveted post-"Heroes" time period. That valuable Monday hour of scheduling real estate has become less worthwhile in recent weeks, however, as "Heroes" shed viewers -- weakening the lead-in for "Enemy" and hastening its decline.
No word whether Monday's episode will be yanked from the schedule, or if the show will solider on for a few more weeks, or what program will take its place. "Enemy" is currently shooting its ninth -- and final -- episode. "Lipstick" has shot all 13 of its initial order. Both are produced by Universal Media Studios; NBC had no comment.
