Why do these shows get made in the first place?

Fox canceled Drive after airing only 4 episodes (and that's generously counting its two-hour premier as two separate episodes), according to TV Guide.

I understand why a show like Black Donnelly's gets made, because it seemed interesting despite its quick cancellation. But why do shows like Drive - where the premise is completely unappealing - make it to the air? Isn't there a better way for the networks to figure out "Hey, no one will like this, and we will only be able to air 3 episodes because the ratings are going to be so bad."?

Then again I guess House and Bones are both hits for Fox so I guess you can never tell what crap will become a hit.

Here's a couple more quickly canceled shows with pretty bad concepts.