Thanks to Jovan and A for the heads up.
It wasn’t ABC that submitted the episodes to Sundance; that was done by Legendary, the studio behind the sitcom. In contention for the coveted Tuesday 9:30 pm slot for mid-season, Downward Dog lost out to Imaginary Mary with Jenna Elfman. The network, chock full of successful comedies, had no mid-season slots left to offer, which meant it could only unleash Downward Dog in summer.
Granted, the eight episodes will air right after The Bachelorette, a strong lead in for a show targeting a female demo, but summer bows pale in comparison to fall and mid-season slots. The episodes were given a hearty introduction by Sundance director John Cooper, not by ABC brass. At this point, the hope of the show’s producers is that the Sundance buzz prompts another outlet — ABC has a tight relationship with original programming-hungry Hulu, for instance — to step up and adopt the stray. Seems like the masters of this pooch are intent on howling until it escapes the summer doghouse.
Granted, the eight episodes will air right after The Bachelorette, a strong lead in for a show targeting a female demo, but summer bows pale in comparison to fall and mid-season slots. The episodes were given a hearty introduction by Sundance director John Cooper, not by ABC brass. At this point, the hope of the show’s producers is that the Sundance buzz prompts another outlet — ABC has a tight relationship with original programming-hungry Hulu, for instance — to step up and adopt the stray. Seems like the masters of this pooch are intent on howling until it escapes the summer doghouse.
Source:
We were named one of the top 10 to watch at #Sundance2017! Can we get some champagne to celebrate? And treats for the dog? 🎉🐶🍾 pic.twitter.com/3tPJSykVHf
— Downward Dog (@downwarddog_abc) January 22, 2017
