Today’s guest clacker is Carissa Pavlica, a wanna-be writer, who (for today) gets to be. A self-proclaimed entertainment junkie and couch potato.
I don’t trust network television. There it is; I’ve said it. The big four should consider themselves lucky I even watch. I have been let down so many times, the fact I tune in at all is amazing. Jericho, Moonlight, Invasion, Dirty Sexy Money, Swingtown, The Inside, Tru Calling, Drive — I bet you recognize some of these. They sucked me in, promised me I would love the show, and promised me episodes (in some cases, even seasons, as Tru Calling was given a full second season that was cut repeatedly until it only aired six episodes in the US). If a show isn’t an instant ratings success, they just chuck it out the window.
Cable seems to be the antithesis of network TV, and they don’t expect a ratings bonanza. Mad Men, Battlestar Galactica, Saving Grace, Rescue Me, Eureka, Burn Notice … these are great shows, and they’re all across the board. As a bonus, if I miss an airing on Monday, I can usually catch it again later in the week, sometimes more than once and at varying times. Cable really wants me to get involved in their programming. It seems to work; most cable shows that are picked up air for more than one season. It’s like an award for my involvement. I like being rewarded. Why don’t I get that from the big four? What I do get are unexpected hiatuses, night-switching, cut seasons, broken promises. Those “rewards” suck!
I still watch network television, but I’m not invested. I know a show can be gone at any moment, so I refuse to fall in love. I’m gullible, but I’m not stupid! With the history, I’m surprised they haven’t broken in and yanked some shows while they’re on the air. “We interrupt this program to cancel it. Sorry! See if you like this one instead!” I can almost hear the network suits snickering about the time I’ve wasted watching when they had no intention of keeping my favorite around. (I still can’t believe they run commercials for shows they’ve already canceled – WTF?)
Gone are the days of the scripted mega-show; rarely do the shows generate buzz, let alone chats around the water cooler the next day. “Talent” shows — sophisticated Gong Show remakes like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars are the news makers now. In one of the worst moves ever, they had a gaggle of reality “hosts” hosting the Emmys last year. Turns out hosts of reality shows actually have less talent than those of us who do nothing but watch. How pitiful is that? If you don’t like reality, what other option do you have for quality that lasts than cable ? I don’t think the networks have left us much of a choice. If the scheduling of Jay Leno at 10 PM on NBC every night of the week is any indication, network television is dying a long, painful death.
Clacked by Keith McDuffee 
on Dec 18, 2008 @ 17:05 EST5EDT
Great post. I don’t watch any new shows on the big 4 until their 3rd year starts. I did break that rule for Life On Mars this year, although they’ll probably cancel it now that I watch it. I will continue to boycott all new shows on the big 4 nets until there is either ratings reform or the big nets hire someone with a brain to run them. I was hoping the big 4 would die but then I changed my mind when I thought of them getting billions of dollars in a bailout.
I’m starting that 3rd year rule beginning next Fall. I’ve finally had enough of the networks screwing with me.
People need to remember that TV is a business, and if a show is not making money, then it’s only rational that it gets cancelled…
I don’t believe networks should work at a loss, but how is it that cable shows with far fewer viewers still attract advertisers and the networks continue to thrive? There must be more to the equation…but what is it? Just that they can offer advertising at lower rates by running reruns of other shows?
If television production is anything like any other business, start-up costs for new productions have to be huge. The advertising for their new programs alone would be biting into advertising income.
I have a feeling they run their business like auto makers, which seems to be done quite poorly.
True. But when a show is not making money because of an antiquated, outdated, and broken ratings system and/or mismanagement and incompetence at the top of the big nets, then there is a problem. Also there are a lot of shows that make money that are rated somewhere in the middle that are very good that are cancelled because the networks get greedy and want to find that instant hit show that will bring in 15-20 million viewers right away. There are also good money-making shows that are canned because a new network exec comes in and wants to bring in his/her own shows or doesn’t get along with one of their current shows execs. I have no problem with a crappy show getting axed that makes no money at all that has very low ratings and has no buzz anywhere on the net or you never hear anyone talking about anywhere.
Agreed – underperforming shows need to be cancelled but there does need to be some closure for the millions of displaced viewers of serialized or semi-serialized shows(even the lowest rated shows on the big four reach millions) so perhaps the networks can at least notify producers with sufficient time to produce some sort of concluding episode that at least ties up some loose ends. Or short of that, if the cancelation follows production ceasing for the season allowing them a 2-hour movie of the week wrap up, etc.
OTOH, producers probably need to come to the table with a 6-, 13-, and 22-episode plan to get to resolution, which seems at best unwieldy.
why do you have to bring up my tru love? i really loved this show, this is probly the first time i was heartbroken by a shows cancel. then Drive, watched jericho last month for the first time and its awesome =[, my own worst enemy was a good show. i realy hate fox. im sure im missing some other show i loved that got canceled
Maybe they need to use a different format, the Brits go for maybe 10 – 14 episodes per season.
Frost is one of my favs however they do last almost 2 hours
Ahhhh… Invasion and Moonlight. What great shows, gone too soon. American Gothic was another great show cancelled before a full season.
Really, what the big four need to do is stop programming like it’s 1998. The television industry just *does not* work the same way it did ten years ago, no matter how hard the execs try to deny it. Between DVDs, Tivo, online streaming, Amazon & iTunes video-on-demand, and Bittorrent, very few people are actually sitting down and watching a full night of primetime television. The execs need to wake up to the fact that time-shifted viewing is here to stay and to judge ratings and audience interest accordingly. There are hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people paying $15-25 a season to have their favorite show(s) delivered to their laptop/PC/iPod/Tivo to watch whenever they want. The experiment’s been a success, guys. Get away from the sponsor model and get on board with the pay-for-play model.
Personally, I’m willing to bet that television as we know it won’t last another 10 years.
I hear where you’re coming from, but Time Shifting usually means, or at least I think the networks see it this way, that the people aren’t watching the commercials.
The Nets don’t make money from us watching the shows, but from advertisers buying time. Granted, their is a revenue stream from the ITS, Amazon, etc, but (and this is an assumption, and not based on fact), it can’t be nearly as much as the ad revenue, can it?
AMEN!! to this article and everything it said!!