No one watched the show to see favorite characters face challenges, overcome diseases or feel heartache.

However, the show faced tough competition with the Fox's fifth season of 24.

And the shows, too, have faced a fate similar to so many of those initial public offerings.

Kandell compared the characters' pressure to meet the city's expectations to those the show faces now that they have been renewed for a fourth season.

The Hills is one notable example; the show faced allegations that its plots are scripted ahead of time.

The show could face additional competition from the World Series on Fox.

But the show has faced an uphill course.

Heeding industry concerns, however, the agency defined such commercials narrowly and the shows have faced few problems.

The show also faced opposition to its recent story of a transgender character in 2006.

But the show faces a number of obstacles, including a glut of reality programming.