Hugh Jackman is one of the most popular performers around, and his work as Wolverine in the X-Men franchise turned him into a household name. Not only is Jackman a legend of the superhero genre, but he has also thrived in successful musicals like The Greatest Showman.
During the 2000s, Jackman landed a role on the series Viva Laughlin. Not ringing any bells? That’s because this show went down in flames faster than 99% of television shows in history, making it one that only lives on in infamy.
Let’s take a look at the show that was cancelled after just two episodes.
Jackman Appeared On ‘Viva Laughlin’
Thanks to his time in the X-Men franchise and other successful projects on the big screen, it can be hard for fans to imagine Hugh Jackman taking part in a television show. However, back in 2007, Hugh Jackman was one of the performers taking part in the series, Viva Laughlin, which has the dubious distinction of only being on the air for a total of two episodes.
Viva Laughlin was a musical dramedy series that was an American adaptation of the British series, Blackpool. Now, these adaptations have had a mixed degree of success throughout the years, but the ones that have been super successful have made the risk worth it for some studios. The Office, for instance, is the perfect example of an adaptation that turned into a major success.
Despite the success that Blackpool found overseas, Viva Laughlin would come nowhere close to matching what that show was able to achieve. Hugh Jackman was the biggest name attached to the project, and performers like Lloyd Owen and D.B. Woodside were also featured performers.
The show seemed to have a lot going for it, but nothing is guaranteed in the business. As the folks making Viva Laughlin would soon find out, some shows simply lack the ability to find an audience that keeps them around for longer than a few episodes.
The Show Was Cancelled After Two Episodes
Normally, a show that flops will at least run for a full season before getting put on ice by the network. However, there are times when a show is so underwhelming that it winds up either not being aired at all or it gets canned after a few episodes. In the case of Viva Laughlin, the show was pulled off the air after just two episodes.
Jackman’s wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, talked about the cancellation, saying, “We are obviously very disappointed, but you have to take risks in this business. Doing a drama that is a musical is going to be a huge risk… but if you don’t take any risks, you know… If I’m going to fail, I want to fail spectacularly, and it seems like we did.”
“Hey, that’s showbiz. The fact that it got cancelled after two shows, it happened fast and you’ve just got to dust your knees off and get on to the next one. We’re still looking at scripts and still developing and you just keep going,” she continued.
It’s not too terribly uncommon for a show to not take off on the small screen, but as we mentioned before, show’s either get scrapped altogether or they are able to run for at least one season. In the case of Viva Laughlin, its cancellation turned it into one of the shortest-running shows of all time.
It’s One Of The Shortest-Running Shows Ever
Viva Laughlin’s forgettable run on television is certainly a warning to networks that they had better do their due diligence with a show when bringing it to life. Unbelievably, there have been shows that have been canceled after airing just a single episode, meaning that Viva Laughlin doubled their time on television.
These single-episode cancellations are some of the rarest events on television, and it’s always a shame to see a show get canned so quickly. Even shows that feature known performers have trouble getting off the ground. Emily’s Reasons Why Not, for example, starred Heather Graham and was axed after just one episode.
In a bizarre turn of events, The Xtacles, which was an animated show that aired on Adult Swim, aired its only two episodes on the same night before being cancelled. Not only did the show last for a single week, but the studio that brought it to the small screen wound up shutting down.
Despite having Hugh Jackman on board and being based on a British series, Viva Laughlin wound up going down in flames.