The Will
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220809028
2008-06-21T18:06:47Z
Franko1212
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{{Infobox Television
| show_name = The Will
| image =
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| creator = [[Mike Fleiss]]
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| country = [[United States]]
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| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 6 (5 unaired)
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| network = [[CBS]]
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| first_aired = [[January 8]], [[2005]]
| last_aired = [[January 8]], [[2005]]
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| website = http://www.cbs.com/primetime/the_will/
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'''''The Will''''' was an [[United States|American]] [[reality television]] series on [[CBS]] that lasted only one episode, shown on Saturday, [[January 8]], [[2005]]. It centered on the 'Benefactor', a multi-millionaire from Arizona named Bill Long. Ten of his friends and relatives competed in a series of challenges to win the right to inherit his "prized possession", a huge Kansas ranch.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/07/arts/television/07will.html?ex=1189915200&en=af6c8a56ff5a7c34&ei=5070 One Aging Rich Guy, 10 Heirs, and All Sorts of Plastic Surgery]</ref>
The show was created by [[Mike Fleiss]], who produced ''[[The Bachelor (TV series)|The Bachelor]]'' for [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. ''The Will'' is one of only a handful of series in American history to be [[List of television series cancelled after one episode|pulled after one episode]]. <ref>[http://www.realitytvworld.com/index/modules.php?file=index&name=News&op=modload&topic=155 CBS cancels 'The Will' after only one episode broadcast]</ref>
In the case of ''The Will'', cancellation was due to very low ratings. Despite receiving a heavy promotional push from CBS, the program averaged only 4.2 million viewers during its 8:00-9:30PM [[North American Eastern Time Zone|ET]]/[[Pacific Standard Time|PT]] time slot, which made it CBS's lowest-ranked show of the week. The following Saturday, the network replaced it with a re-run of ''[[Cold Case]]'', a crime drama.
The quick cancellation of ''The Will'' was lampooned on an episode of the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] late night talk show ''[[Jimmy Kimmel Live]]'' with a montage of clips from the show, and the message "Will Miss You--January 8, 2005 - January 8, 2005."
It has been reported that the remaining five episodes may appear on a US cable network in the future, but as of spring 2008 there has been no official announcement to this effect. It was formerly seen on the [[In2TV]] website. The series aired in [[New Zealand]] from December [[2005]] in an evening slot. New Zealand audiences were able to witness the show's contestants being whittled down to Penny, Billy, Bette and Scott in the final week, with Long's wife, Penny - largely considered the villainess of the series - winning the final round.
==Episodes==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Protected Heir
!Cut from the Will
|-
!rowspan=2|Episode 1:
|<Center>Josh
|<Center>Mickey<BR>(Bill's Best Friend)
|-
|<Center>Billy
|<Center>Kristin<BR>(Ashley's Ex-Girlfriend)
|-
!Episode 2:
|<Center>Penny
|<Center>Danielle<BR>(Trusted Employee)
|-
!Episode 3:
|<Center>Bette
|<Center>Crystal - Withdrew<BR>(Close Family Friend)
|-
!Episode 4:
|<Center>Billy,<BR>Josh
|<Center>Ashley<BR>(Penny's Son)
|-
!Episode 5:
|<Center>Bette
|<Center>Josh<BR>(Bill's Adoptive Son)
|-
!rowspan=3|Episode 6:
|rowspan=3|<Center>Penny<BR>Sole Heir<BR>(Bill's Wife)
|<Center>Scott<BR>(Penny's Brother)
|-
|<Center>Bette<BR>(Penny's Mother)
|-
|<Center>Billy<BR>(Bill's Son)
|}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==See also==
*[[List of television series cancelled after one episode]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Will, The}}
[[Category:2000s American television series]]
[[Category:2005 television series debuts]]
[[Category:2005 television series endings]]
[[Category:American reality television series]]
[[Category:CBS network shows]]
{{US-reality-tv-stub}}