Nooooooooooo!

Looks like one of the greatest shows in the history of that most cursed of technologies, the television, will be going the way of the dodo, the great auk, and Miss Waldron's red colobus monkey. Yes, Arrested Development, like the aforementioned species, is about to become history thanks to human greed and stupidity.

[Arrested Development star Jason] Bateman said it would be a "complete shock" if [the show] were to be asked back for the 2006-07 season. In its new Monday home this fall, the show's chronically low ratings have gotten lower.

[...]

Arrested Development premiered on Fox on Nov. 2, 2003. To date, it has won six Emmys. Proving the comedy to be star-crossed, viewers responded to the award-show success by not watching in even greater numbers, as ratings slipped 5 percent following Arrested's Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2004.

It seems that, generally, two fates befall great shows: either they are chronically underwatched and are cancelled prematurely (ie, Arrested Development); or, they become successful and remain great for many seasons, but eventually "jump the shark" and become crappy (i.e. The X-Files' last couple of seasons, or the last five or so seasons of The Simpsons.) Actually, these are all FOX shows-- so maybe it only applies to FOX?

Tangential postscript: The FOX empire carries with it so many contradictions. How do such great shows (Simpsons, X-Files, Arrested Development, Malcolm in the Middle, Family Guy, etc.) stand among so much filth (Average Joe, Man vs. Beast)? And how do you explain FOX News?