At the British Dominion and Social Club in Garden Grove, reaction to the news of the show's cancellation brought more than one whist game to a halt on Wednesday night.
"My wife will go bleeding nuts when she finds out," said bar director Malcolm Evans.
"I'll send in a donation if they'll keep it on for life," said Beryl Robert of Westminster, as she compared notes with her table partners on the latest plot developments.
"It's got a humor you normally don't see in American shows," added Sharon Jones of Westminster.
Richard Nadine, program director for San Jose PBS station KTEH, said officials there "wouldn't think of dropping 'EastEnders,' " which he said is one of the top three moneymakers for the station during pledge drives.
KTEH got a solid indication of its "EastEnders" audience during a recent pledge drive when they bumped the show to broadcast a basketball game. "The phones were all ringing and we thought everyone was calling to support the basketball game," Nadine said. "But they were calling complaining that 'EastEnders' wasn't on. It was the first time we preempted the show and people were totally outraged. If we were to cancel it up here, we'd be in deep doo-doo."
Said KOCE's Groenveld: "A series like this develops a cult following of very loyal viewers. It is written so professionally. . . . It's a quality show, I recognize that."
\o7 Times staff writer Jan Herman contributed to this article. \f7
