Three Shows I Hope They Renew (Spoilers)

[jimsumner]

Add me to the list of folks seriously bummed about the cancellation of Jericho. And talk about leaving us hanging. New Bern invading Jericho, the Army showing up to do what, and who exactly is in charge anyway? Plus, we still don't really know what happened. And they leave it at that!

Seems like they owe the people who watched the show some kind of closure. Not that I'm holding my breath.

[Deslok]

I will be watching a grand total of 1 1/2 hours of CBS TV this coming season.

Then again, I am under the age of 60, so I am not in CBS' target demo.

-Jason "CBS sucks!" Evans

That's 1 1/2 hours more than I'll be watching of ABC's lineup(and 1/2 an hour more than I will watch of CBS's).

[Reisen]

Ditto what everyone else said. Seriously, what the frick is up with these idiot execs. I'm tired of investing time and emotion in new series, only to have them pulled out from under me mere months later.

It would be like starting an effing Harry Potter novel, and then having it just end mid-sentence 8 chapters in. Jericho is a perfect example of this. One of the better dramas on TV that had a unique setup, and "poof". I also thought the Class was funny in a creative character-driven way as well (although the wife hated it).

Thank god they renewed How I Met Your Mother, which is probably my favorite comedy on television these days. Seriously, sometimes I wonder what's going on with these ratings and target demographics. With the move to time-shifted viewing, I really wonder how accurate they really are. I time-shift everything, but never miss an episode of Jericho, Heroes, Lost, HIMYM, etc. Now we're just left with a ton of the same old crap, and a bunch of crappy new shows. This is the first year I can remember being bummed about a fall lineup...

[JDSBlueDevl]

Kid Nation?! You have to be kidding me! The execs at CBS are NUTS!!! From now on I will only watch CBS for football, basketball, and local stuff. That's IT!

Psst, Jason, I hear there's a rumor about TNT trying to get the rights to Jericho. Is there anything to that, or is TNT a completely different department in the Turner empire?

[JasonEvans]

Psst, Jason, I hear there's a rumor about TNT trying to get the rights to Jericho. Is there anything to that, or is TNT a completely different department in the Turner empire?

Different department, though I know someone who works there. I'll ask him about it. I am skeptical though.

As an aside, I have it on good authority that CBS is aware of fan outrage at Jericho's cancellation and has been talking about a special mini-series to end the Jericho storyline. It will be shot over the summer and will air this fall. If you want to know what happens, here it is...

New Bern's better-armed forces are closing in on the Jericho line of resistance set up at Stanley's farm. All the main characters are there to help in the fight.

Meanwhile, the military is moving in to stop the battle (and look for Robert Hawkins and the bomb).

This is what happens next...

The Jericho guys all die. They are massacred. They did not have a chance against a larger, better-equipped, force that had been training for months to take them out. It is not even close. The military gets there too late and everyone is dead. Meanwhile, one of the stray mortars from New Bern has rocked Hawkins' property. The final shot of the series is the burried bomb reactivating because of the blast and beginning to count down to the nuking of Jericho and all the surrounding community.

It will all be handled in a 5 minute special to air in between the debut of Cane (the drama about the hispanic family that owns a rum farm) and Moonlight (the show about the vampire private detective).

-Jason "wink wink" Evans

[ehdg]

According to Variety ABC did pick up October Road for 13 episodes. They have moved it to Monday night's and it will air in the winter before giving way to The Bachelor. So hopefully October Road does well and continues.

[TheGodfather]

Viewers have sent CBS over two thousand pounds of nuts in a bid to get Jericho back on the air. A description of the campaign and a picture of the nuts are at Ain't It Cool News.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/32748

[dukemomLA]

I haven't seen any mention of one of my FAVORITE shows.

"Deadliest Catch" on Discovery channel is awesome. I also never miss "Dirty Jobs." Thank God for tivo.

[DevilAlumna]

I haven't seen any mention of one of my FAVORITE shows.

"Deadliest Catch" on Discovery channel is awesome. I also never miss "Dirty Jobs." Thank God for tivo.

We're big Mike Rowe fans in our household as well. Did you know he used to be an opera singer?

Sig and Edgar are great on Deadliest Catch; the unlikely TV star, Sig, even made it on to The Daily Show.

[dukemomLA]

Yeah, I knew Mike Rowe sang opera in S.F. (...go figure). I agree that the Hansen's on Deadliest Catch are stellar -- I always root for them. Also, FYI, Sig is one of the executive producers, which means the whole show might have been his idea. Kudos!

[billybreen]

http://community.tvguide.com/blog-en...erge/800016482

Looks like there's a potential deal in the works that sounds larger in scope than the suggested 'tie up the loose ends' episode.

[Reisen]

CNN is carrying the story on their front page!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/0...ap/index.html

To me, this is about more than just a TV show, but the trend towards serial dramas and the irritation is causes cancelling them without any sort of followup.

[billybreen]

I think another major factor is the outdated methods networks use to monitor the ratings of shows. As the CNN article you linked mentions, they don't adjust for online viewing, especially damaging for a show such as Jericho with a tech savvy young adult audience.

Also, DVRs tend to be excluded, and recent studies have shown that global ratings drops are non-existent when DVR viewership is considered. I'm sure that trend is also more pronounced for Jericho given their demographic.

[Reisen]

Question: With the growth of digital cable and the introduction of HD television over fiberchannel (ie. Verizon's FIOS TV), isn't it possible for the providers to know EXACTLY what EVERYONE is watching?

The Nielsen system made sense back when you had TV broadcasts that were strictly one-way. Now, with digital cable, it's increasingly normal for the signal to come over a "two-way" channel. Seems it would be very easy for the networks to collect and aggregate "real" viewership ratings that account for trends like time-shifted viewing.

I suspect this would be very relevent for those of us with dual-tuner DVR's, where I consistently watch two big shows (Heroes and 24, for example) that go up against each other.

[billybreen]

Question: With the growth of digital cable and the introduction of HD television over fiberchannel (ie. Verizon's FIOS TV), isn't it possible for the providers to know EXACTLY what EVERYONE is watching?

Not necessarily. The best case scenario for networks to keep track of these things is through streaming services, direct to the computer, operated either by the networks themselves or by a third party such as Google. They can get a total accounting of viewership in that case.

HD from digital cable or FIOS is a different situation -- the upstream provider is between the user and the network, and they do not to my knowledge have facilities to report viewership back to the networks. In fact, I doubt they can in most cases. The TV experience is not as two way as you may think, with only 'On Demand' or PPV type requests making the trip back to accounting infrastructure at the provider.

Most digital cable is a one way feed tuned exclusively on the user's side. I have a Tivo Series3 with two CableCards, but those cards use the version 1.0 spec that is inherently unidirectional. For that reason, I can't use On Demand or PPV from Comcast through my TiVo. Most of the current infrastructure is like that.

I suspect this will all change (assuming the networks can convince the providers to tackle the significant task of getting true accounting out to the clients) because the need for more granular and accurate accounting will only increase as the TV viewing experience continues to splinter. But for now, the networks don't have much visibility, and it's hurting shows like Jericho.

NOTE: I am in no way professionally educated in this area and reserve the right to be completely wrong on anything I said above.

[Patrick Yates]

I watch way too much tv, and I follow gossip on E!, TVguide, and other outlets. Unfortunately, many of the decisions that we deride are based on sound economics and rational thinking, as well as long term risk reward thinking.

Jericho: I didn't watch, but mosel tov on getting the 8 eps next year. My understanding is that if it goes well, it could continue indefinitely, so watch.

And I do mean watch. Live. Not on DVR or online the next morning. Frankly, nets don't care if we watch shows, they care about who watches the ads, which is where they make their money.

There is rampant speculation that Nets completely discount DVR viewers because they tend to skip commercials. Ditto for the online viewers. Even if, like me, you go to the Net homepage, where you have to sit through commercials, it is still not good. Apparantly, they only make a few cents on the dollar compared to live airings if you watch it online. This says nothing of those of us who illegally download when all else fails (Smallville, I can only find you on dailymotion.com).

Unfortunately, many of the young, tech savy viewers watch this way. If they are not going to watch commercials, then the nets cannot chase them as viewers.

Reality tv is excrement. Everyone associated with reality TV like bachelor, American Idol, Survivor, etc, should be shot. Not only those who make it, but those who watch it. That would do wonders for the American gene pool.

Also, as much as we hate procedurals, and I hate them with a white hot fiery passion, they make sense.

Both of these excerable types of television have one huge benefit. They are cheap. Extra cheap.

Reality shows have low production costs, almost no writers, and "actors" that are replaceable. Forensic procedurals are the same. The benefits to these type of shows is that the actors cannot negotiate huge raises, because the story is the star, not the actors.

Contrast this with a show like Lost. Even though Lost seems willing to kill off recurring characters, Evangeline Lilly, Fox, and the actor who plays Boone are not going anywhere. They are absolutely necessary for the show to play out, and their agents will proceed accordingly.

Look at HIMYM. I love this show. Barney is legend...wait for it...dary. He is the key component to the show, along with Ted. You could replace the others, (Robin moreso than than Ted's roomies) but not Ted or Barney. Thus, if the show continues beyond next year, it will get expensive. Year 4 is when shows go through the roof. Getting to year 4 means syndication, and potential big time $. Salaries skyrocket accross the board.

For instance, Friends lost a lot of money its last 2-3 years. But, it was a tentpole that NBC could use to launch new shows, so NBC ate it, knowing that they would at least break even in syndication and dvd's. When a show is a definite hit, Nets know they will make $, even if it is not a lot of $. For HIMYM, not a huge hit, it gets dicier. If CBS commits to the show, Ted or Barney could essentially hold the show hostage, secure in the knowledge that the show dies without them. CBS would have to poney up big time or lose everything.

Fact is, CBS, and Fox really, have gotten fat off low cost shows. A few years ago, a couple of CBS stars on CSI had a sick out. CBS fired them, and then rehired them after handing out a miniscule raise. Fox's two big scripted shows are House and 24. On 24, only Jack is sacrosanct, with maybe Audry. House, well, only House. Both shows do not have to give raises, cause the other actors are easily replaced. The sole stars become producers, essentialy profit sharers. 24's production values are large, but if it underperforms, like this year, it gets overhauled.

Jericho was rumored to be ruinously expensive. Same with my beloved Firefly. It a show is expensive its first year, without being a definite hit, then Network execs get worried. I am of the school that early on CBS decided that Jericho would be popular enough to renew, but that it might never be a huge hit and would continue to be a money pit. Thus, they killed it. Also, keep in mind that CBS has not had to really market a show (a la Heroes), in nearly half a decade. I am sure they looked at the cost, vs simply throwing a CSI whereever, and kvetched. Hard. They saw all this money going out, and none coming in, and said no. Also, as viewers got invested in various actors on Jericho, their asking price would skyrocket. Fie on that they said.

I like scripted serials. Heck, I love them. But they are very expensive. The very nature of the shows requires that actors and show runners must be kept in place long-term, and that is pricey. From a network's perspective, cheap, successful shows are good. Pricey, moderately rated shows are nightmares. (Flops are easy, kill them and move on)

As much as I love VM, when under 2 million are watching, it has to go.

It is fun to gripe, but Nets are not evil, nor are their execs. This is a numbers game, and profits have to be made, regardless of quality. Walk around out side and look at the people populating this country. Many are mentally incapable of following a serial. Those of us that are tend to be too busy to regularly watch TV. Thus we are doomed to a dearth of quality TV. Nets aren't to blame. The viewing public is at fault. Give the people what they want.

Patrick Yates

also, it is about timing. With Sports Night (tied for gone before their time with Futurama for best ever), look at the time frame. ABC got Fat off of the dirt cheap Millionaire, and didn't need this show's borderline numbers. Two years later, when their entire lineup crashed and burned, you better believe Eisner would have sacrificed his first born son to get Sportsnight's numbers.

[DevilAlumna]

It is fun to gripe, but Nets are not evil, nor are their execs. This is a numbers game, and profits have to be made, regardless of quality. Walk around out side and look at the people populating this country. Many are mentally incapable of following a serial. Those of us that are tend to be too busy to regularly watch TV. Thus we are doomed to a dearth of quality TV. Nets aren't to blame. The viewing public is at fault. Give the people what they want.

Patrick Yates

Thanks for that insight.

Thanks also for reminding me why I still pay for HBO -- because I'm willing to pony up for its smart, serial shows, and not have to worry (so much) about those shows competing for airtime with the favorites of the general/"So you think you may be smarter than Dirt"-loving network-viewing public.

[billybreen]

Reality tv is excrement. Everyone associated with reality TV like bachelor, American Idol, Survivor, etc, should be shot. Not only those who make it, but those who watch it. That would do wonders for the American gene pool.

You just condemned to death a large portion of the off topic board community. I don't necessarily disagree with you (maybe not the killing, but definitely the scorn).

[alteran]

It is fun to gripe, but Nets are not evil, nor are their execs. This is a numbers game, and profits have to be made, regardless of quality. Walk around out side and look at the people populating this country. Many are mentally incapable of following a serial. Those of us that are tend to be too busy to regularly watch TV. Thus we are doomed to a dearth of quality TV. Nets aren't to blame. The viewing public is at fault. Give the people what they want..

Interesting post.

For my money, I never really thought CBS was evil for canceling Jericho, I was just disappointed. I was actually fairly impressed that CBS immediately started making noises about figuring some way to finish the Jericho story, rumored to be by TV movie or miniseries, because it's hard to imagine it wouldn't be a money-losing proposition.

I love "highly serialized" drama, and have just learned to deal with cancellation. Murder One, Angel, VM, Firefly, I could go on. Jericho was unusual in that the fans were left in a complete and total lurch-- almost akin to canceling "Dallas" after the first half of "Who Shot J.R.?"

Probably the "safest" place to watch serialized drama is HBO because their economics are so different and it's hard to imagine them canceling something without a denouement.

Your theory is the first decent one I've heard to explain why CBS put Jericho against Idol after having it start with such respectable numbers-- because it was expensive. But this begs the question-- why okay the pilot in the first place, then? My only guess is that okayed it with the understanding that they'd keep it only if it was a Hero's-like smash, which seems a pretty poor strategy.

Yeah, kudos for the fans for getting CBS to change it's mind. Heck, maybe they ought to build this into the the marketing: "Famine, Disease, Nuclear Bombs, even Network Cancellation-- Nothing Can Stop Jericho."

[billybreen]

Heck, maybe they ought to build this into the the marketing: "Famine, Disease, Nuclear Bombs, even Network Cancellation-- Nothing Can Stop Jericho."

Alteran for the win!