Gail Shister | It's official: 'Hack' won't return to cruise Philly streets

By Gail Shister
Inquirer Columnist

The megabucks meter has run out on Hack.

As expected, CBS yesterday dumped the Philly-based drama from its fall lineup. Over two seasons, Hack added more than $65 million to the local economy, according to Greater Philadelphia Film Office boss Sharon Pinkenson.

Did we mention the additional $2-million-plus in lost city wage-tax revenue?

"I'm bummed," says Pinkenson, just back from the Cannes Film Festival. "I really thought we had as good a chance as we did last year. We're going to feel a real hit."

Hack, starring city resident David Morse as Mike Olshansky, a disgraced Philadelphia cop turned crusading cabbie, was the first network prime-time series to be shot entirely here. Andre Braugher costarred as his former partner.

Sentenced to a time slot where most shows go to die - 9 p.m. Saturdays - Hack averaged just 8.3 million viewers this season, tying it for 77th place among all Nielsen series.

Whacking Hack "really came down to the network deciding to go in a new direction Saturday night," says CBS rep Chris Ender.

This season, with various specials at 8 and Craig T. Nelson's veteran The District at 10, "we were doing OK with the ratings, but very poorly with the demographics," Ender adds, referring to the 18- to 49-year-old viewers that advertisers crave. Also, the total audience didn't grow from year to year, he says.

CBS's new Saturday schedule will start off with 48 Hours Mystery at 8, followed by the popular "reality" series The Amazing Race at 9, and repeats of such crime dramas as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Cold Case at 10.

Compared to original episodes of scripted series, those shows cost about a nickel to produce. Naturally, they reap gobs of profits for the networks.

"They only care how much a show costs and what the return is," Pinkenson says. "If I were in CBS's shoes, I'm not sure what I would do.

"In terms of the direction that TV is going, they clearly made a mistake. In the end, people are bored with reality TV. It's extremely shallow and not meaningful. They have no writers, producers, actors or crews. They cut corners everywhere."

For local thespians this season, Hack provided paydays to more than 150 principal actors and a total of 4,400 days' work to extras, according to casting director Diane Heery.

"Intellectually, I never could be banking on Hack coming back," she says. "It's always a crapshoot. We have to look forward. The show opened people's eyes to what a great city this is to shoot in. That will bring other people around."

Pinkenson would like to second that, but she isn't so sure.

"It's always better to be a winner. In any business, it's easier to attract more work when you're working. Nevertheless, this means we have the crews and actors to support this show, so another show can come in."

Thus far, no nibbles from any programs, Pinkenson says, but several from feature films.

Production-wise, Hack's standing sets - Olshansky's diner hangout, the taxi-company garage, and police squad room - have yet to be struck, says location manager Patricia Taggart. All are at the Civic Center.

Hack was on the bubble all season. Only 18 episodes were ordered - four fewer than for a normal season. Also, CBS did virtually no promotion for the drama, another bad sign.

"It's never fun to cancel a show, especially a well-crafted, well-acted show," says CBS's Ender. "Philadelphia is still a great city."