"Kidnapped" To Be Released On DVD
First NBC announced it would wrap the production on its lackluster abduction drama "Kidnapped", then it moved the show to The Death Zone a.k.a. Saturday night and now the show is gone for good following dismal numbers it posted in two weekend airings. Only 5 of the 13 episodes have aired before the network decided to swing the axe. Still, the fans of the show may see how it all ends after all and the studio that produced it may even come out profitable.
Although Sony Pictures Television shelled out 40 million dollars to produce the series, expensive license fees for NBC as well as aggressive international sales are about to recover the costs. Furthermore, all 13 episodes will be released on a special DVD box set in 2007 making the entire project profitable despite the abrupt network cancellation.
Normally, studios see their return on investment only after 4-5 years of production and 80-100 episodes in the can, which is why this business model may not work for all the expensive series that fail to find an audience. As evident in NBC's recent 8pm strategy, the networks will also be more cautious when greenlighting such costly projects.
