By Buzz Byrne

CBS has stopped production on the mind-boggling mess known as VIVA LAUGHLIN. The show has obviously been cancelled but the network will only say it has been pulled according the Eonline.com. Look for some bizarre marketing strategy down the line to sell the season on DVD, even though the season would be around eight episodes at this point.

Hard to imagine that a murder mystery show set in a casino as a musical would be a failure after one episode. Most people with a pulse could see failure from the first promotional clips. Most people who have ever seen TV before could see from the description the show was going to tank.

Part of the appeal of the show was going to be based on the star power of Melanie Griffith and Hugh Jackman in recurring roles. This is confusing as well as Melanie hasn’t had a significant acting job this century and Jackman’s draw is seeing him fight Sabertooth and Magneto, not express his love for the American Musical as an artform.

Comparisons to COP ROCK were inevitable as that was the last primetime drama to rely heavily on musical numbers and one has to think that the producers of that show are relieved to be usurped as the punching bag their show became. COP ROCK at least lasted eleven episodes. VIVA LAUGHLIN aired twice.