Why do networks always assume they know better ?
By fred | August 29, 2008
That is, networks must not try to change the show, to make them more appealing to a wider audience, because it won’t work : there are no real wider audience to be found, but it will scare off the devoted audience that won’t recognize its once beloved series anymore. Had CBS kept Moonlight on the air for a couple of years, but not without first ensuring the show wouldn’t be what it was (meant to be), turning it instead into a “more appealing to masses” procedural, people wouldn’t have stick around.
Here’s another example : NBC recently gave a back-nice order for the sophomore season of Chuck. After an abbreviated first season due to the writers’ strike, the show had been renewed with a 13-episode order, but after seeing the six first episodes of the show, NBC’s head of development and current programs Teri Weinberg said that they “couldn’t be more excited with the creative direction Josh [Schwartz] and his team are executing on Chuck. This show has really hit its stride and deserves a full-season commitment to carry out the producers’ vision for this unique series.”
Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? Yes, it sure does… so why have I such a hard time believing it? Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for Chuck and all fans of the show, and I’m sure this is all good news as far as this goes, but it’s also very likely to be because when it came to the show and what the producers had in mind / wanted to do with it, either they completely caved in to NBC’s demands, or they just happened to be sharing the same visions. But what about when the creative minds behind a show do not share the same “visions” as the network do ? Or, what happens when the network want to make the show more open to a “wider audience” ?
Take another one of last season’s newcomers on NBC, another hour-long series that started nicely last season, also got a full-season order that it couldn’t deliver due to the writers’ strike, got renewed as well for a second season (with & 13-episode order) and that, much like Chuck, hasn’t been on the air for months and months. I am of course talking about Life.
It just so happens that I became a huge fan of this little show last season, a show that may look like yet another “cop-drama with a twist”, and there’s way too many of those already out there, but the fact and the matter is : that’s not what Life is, absolutely not. In my opinion, Life is (one of) the best show around, it features amazing talents in all areas - from brilliant writing to excellent acting to superb music selection, and the list goes on and on - and yet apparently, NBC doesn’t see it that way.
So, because they don’t, we don’t see the same kind of support for the show. Instead of declaring how they love & support the “creative direction” of the show, they obviously try to mess with it as much as they can and force their own direction on the show. Based on the different promos I’ve seen of Life so far, pictures and videos, it seems obvious to me that they want to make some changes, they want to sex things up, they want to turn the show into something else.
And it just pains me. Just like when I found out that on the upcoming DVDs of Life, the music selection had been messed with. So now, I can’t (and won’t) even get the first season that I loved so much on DVDs, because it won’t be what I saw, and especially for a show like this one where the music plays such an important role, and where music selection is so carefully supervised, it’s really not the same, it’s a real shame.
While it seems that for Chuck, Schwartz and his crew were lucky to meet NBC’s view on the show, so things worked out for the best, I really wish that NBC would actually get behind their shows and support them as long as the shows are good and have creative minds with a vision, because that’s what’s important, not how much you can use episodes to sell whatever it is advertisers are willing to sell these days.
Posted in News
Shows: Army Wives, Bionic Woman, Brothers & Sisters, CSI, Damages, Dirty Sexy Money, Jericho, Life, Life On Mars, Lost, Mad Men, Moonlight, My Own Worst Enemy, Smallville, The Philanthropist
Firefly is a classic example of execs with their heads up their [3 letter word, tip buy an A].
maybe it’s the way we measure educational worth with degrees. Why aren’t veteran writers studio execs - instead of collegiates with an m.b.a.? That is fine and all,as that is how our society works, but it doesn’t help creatively.
I think the bottom line will always trump creativity on the networks, unless the writer has some success, and even then the writers don’t wear the financial pants.
Fred…you are the best! Talk about hitting the nail on the head, the major networks are now walking around with huge lumps on theirs!! And yes I am one of those left in the network dust with MOONLIGHT’s cancelation. I refuse to become invested in any new network shows, as you said, why bother, they will just cancel it anyway. Why can’t they see what’s happening, it’s not like we haven’t let them know…demographics is what they want well we have lots of money we would be glad to spend on sponsors! Just give us what we want our show(s) back. Keep up the good work Fred, we TV watchers need someone like you in our corner!
Fred, you’ve written what I feel as well. Networks are training people not to watch new shows by cancelling them if they don’t immediately pull in unrealistic numbers from the first episode. Unrealistic because millions of people have already left network TV, and those left think why bother falling in love with a show that is exciting and different when the odds are that it won’t last because networks are scared of different. Why network execs think they are all creative geniuses is beyond me when their purpose should be to simply provide the funding and let the real creative talent do what they do best. This year I’ve finally had enough. Except for a couple of returning show I like and playing DVDs, my TV will be off.
Fred, you are right on the money. One of the shows I watched is Moonlight, and the last episodes (except maybe the very last) were so disjointed, illogical, and full of continuity problems. That’s because the showrunners and writers changed so much, and the last ones were trying to appease CBS and JS, trying to give fans little morsels (like a halfnaked Mick, in-jokes and so on) and forsake the storyline for that. But it changed the show we loved in a way that, had it gone on for another season, I would probably not have watched anymore. I couldn’t stand Talbot (Josh 2.0), I couldn’t stand that the romance went nowhere. So they killed the mood for me, even before the cancellation. I am so torn, because I know that if the show had gone like the first 12, with the exceptional writing and acting and camera work, I would have very much wanted that. But not for the sake of changing it into a sorry image of Twilight or Angel.
IMO if some big network would have the smarts they would hire you and put you in charge of programming. You seem to have a pulse on what viewers want to see and how to handle what and how it is aired. Great article.
The television industry is working with a flawed system to determine what people are watching. They ignore the actual demographics out there, and seem to think that the 18 to 49 year olds out there actually have spending money. In fact, the average age of television viewers has gotten older, and these older boomers are the ones with the disposable income to purchase the goods and services the advertisers hawk between scenes of television programs.
It’s disturbing to see that the actual viewer has no standing in the eyes of television executives.
When you write to advertisers, telling them that because they aren’t supporting your show, you will no longer buy their products, they respond telling you that they have no control over what is on the air. This is a pile of hogwash.
If the networks don’t have sponsors for a show, they will remove that show and put on one from which the sponsors will buy ad time. I’d say the advertisers are the ones to go after, and they can get on these television executives to actually run programs the viewers want to see.
Your mileage may vary, but that’s my take on the situation.
The gradual blending of procedural to serialized in Moonlight was an almost natural progression of the romantic facet of the show. The bait of a serial (i.e. TV-SERIES) is what hooks viewers into sticking with a show over the long run. I’ve found that the quickest shows for me to get too bored with it to remember what day and time to turn on my set - where those plodding procedurals or those made of “stand alone” episodes. Why should I anxiously wait to see the next episode - if I’m not going to miss anything in the Story-LINE… see it’s a story LINE for a reason!
I’m one who’s just refused to turn my TV for 2 separate 5-yr stretches - BECAUSE of the network crap you’re speaking of here. Last year I decided to give TV one more try. Of all of last Fall’s offerings, I loved Moonlight the best! And here I am - betrayed and kicked to the curb by the network again! I’m back to NO TV! They’ve convinced me that whatever joy they promise is not worth the pain they inflict! I truly believe that the main reason networks do this repeatedly is because viewers repeatedly forgive them and allow them to d it again! Networks are not held accountable, and they never pay any serious consequences for what they do. If people revolted, and stopped NEEDING them - they’d probably rethink their methods. So the networks may “scare us way”? Good – that may be what they need to unplug their plumbing! Moonlight filled a “Niche”? The network called us a “Cult” - like because we loved this show we should be degraded. How is insulting viewers supposed to draw them back to your network? I believe the ratings system needs overhauling, too – upgrade it from the 1960’s where it’s stuck!
I’d like to ask you, though. What happened to the idea of shows running for many years? Why do so many of them seem like they’re “disposable” to the networks? I keep having the feeling that Moonlight could end up like Star Trek - where the network screwed with it till it was canned, the fans kept supporting it for years - and then someone decided it could make them money if they did a movie - and that went on to become several… and then they decided it was a big enough money-maker to make a new series - and that went on for YEARS with more movies and several more series on top. WHY - doesn’t TPTB see that they could take Moonlight NOW - and grow it into that from the present? Yeah, Alex is somewhat committed for a year - but that’s only a year. WHY doesn’t some Smart exec. snatch Moonlight and grow it into what Star Trek became - without making us all wait a Generation to do so?
Fred, I think I’m in love with you! Ha Ha! You have written everything I have been thinking regarding tv executives! I used to be a couch potato, but not any more. I am not watching any new tv shows from the so-called “major” networks.
Thanks mostly to CBS and the shabby way they treated Moonlight and their own viewers, I am DONE with tv. I will keep watching my old faves, like Lost, Desparate Housewives, Bones, Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Prison Break. I have already defected to cable tv, mostly TNT(loved Raising the Bar) and USA. Those networks actually leave their shows on the air for years-I know, what a concept! And they actually promote them and care about their own viewers. Imagine that! The big 5 TV executives are stupid and self-important. Eventually, this behavior will doom all their networks. Can’ wait but I won’t be watching when that happens. But, I will enjoy reading about it.
I am so sick and tired of these networks dictating on what the viewers should and shouldn’t watch. They must think the viewers are dumb and would rather watch stupid reality shows and game shows than good quality. Take CBS for example since they are on the top of my hit list. CBS has no integrity. They cancelled lost of good shows that won ratings and keep the ones that sucks big time. Moonlight has won it’s time slot ever week, won a People’s Choice Award, and had became a well popular rookie show worldwide. Look what CBS has done? The head honcho at CBS is not into Genre shows. I didn’t know that shows on CBS was for his pleasure. I thought it was about having shows that attracts the most viewers. If the head of CBS didn’t like genre why in the hell did he accept to air MOONLIGHT on CBS in the first place?
-Michelle
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You are soooo right. I’m sending this to the supporters of Blood Ties to send to the Execs at the television stations. If you’ve never seen Blood Ties you should look it up. I liked Moonlight but I LOVED Blood Ties. Check it out!
You are 100% on the money, Fred! I watched both Jericho and Moonlight and felt 100% betrayed by CBS. I watched Firefly and got burned there also. I no longer have any interest in investing in a TV program because networks won’t give it a chance to grow.
I’m one viewer who can’t stand CSI. Hate procedural dramas and always look for something fresh or unique. But when I find it and fall in love, it gets cancelled. Well, no more for me. I’m not getting screwed over anymore. Until networks start figuring out their audience, I’m not interested in their programs.
Agreeing there! CBS Took Moonlight offlind I bet you my HD TV they regret that dision but those stubborn buttheads won’t do a thing about it. Moonlight fans are still waiting for Moonlight to be relived! I know we would watch it the second it was said to be on. Anyday, anytime Moonlight fans are dedicated watchers and fans. A year later we still love and mourn our show. Miss you Moonlight! And CBS has a heartless lump in their chest when it comes to fans. To CBS “Get it through you thick skulls, You are an idiot.”
I am done with being a faithful watcher of any TV show - Like Monica said, “I’m not getting screwed over anymore.” !!!
Is this part of the dumbing down of America???
It just seems that it is the best, most original shows that get killed off… JMO
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