After two weeks of extremely low rated performance and results show, ABC has abruptly canceled The One: Making a Superstar, its American Idol-like reality singing competition that was intended to last ten weeks.
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As such, in addition to leaving ABC to deal with a big hole in its remaining summer schedule and a contract that reportedly obligates it to pay the show's Endemol production company more than $10,000,000 to produce the remaining eight weeks of the show, the sudden cancellation also reportedly leaves the network with one other problem -- how to determine which remaining finalist "wins" the competition.
According to Daily Variety, since The One was, legally considered to be an ongoing contest in which the contest's winner would eventually receive a recording contract with the Interscope/Geffen/A&M Label Group, it is believed that the show must still declare one of the nine remaining finalists to be "The One." Exactly how a winner will be determined is reportedly still being discussed.
While ABC is still expected to take a big financial loss on the failed project, ABC and Endemol are also reportedly expected to reach a settlement that won't require to pay the entire contracted production fee for The One's unproduced episodes. According to Variety, while neither ABC or Endemol would comment on the situation, Endemol (which also produces Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for the network) could allow ABC to "roll over" some of its The One commitment into future projects.
