Hasta La Creative!

NBC has canceled My Own Worst Enemy, Christian Slater’s product-placement-riddled TV series, proving once again that you can’t polish a turd. Abysmal ratings put NBC in fourth place for the hour—an unacceptable situation. Four episodes have shown, and at least five more will air as NBC honors its contract with General Motors, whose Camaro and Traverse brands were “integrated” into the show. I can understand how it seemed like a sure bet. Those little BMW films with Clive Owen were brilliant, and Christian Slater is a pretty big name for network TV. The brands even marginally fit with the plot of Slater as a secret agent who is also a loving father. You may recall that the Traverse is the whipped-man-mobile, and the Camero is … well, bitchin’. But the GM promos claiming that the cars were the real stars of the show, and the heavy PR campaign touting the partnership, removed any trace of integrated, seamless product placement. Despite the show’s fall, GM and NBC remain characteristically optimistic and open to new partnerships, so don’t be surprised if the suicidal robot gets its own talk show.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers