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MAY 2015 TV THREAD


RIPPA

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Fox has always has the double edge sword of being willing to try things that are further off the beaten path than the other networks, but also having a really quick hook

Hence why they're known for killing good shows.

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Now let's rewind 25 years.  Remember when Seinfeld got dogshit ratings it's first year?

 

How did Seinfeld get dogshit ratings in its first year?  Seinfeld's first season aired in the summer and drew around 20 million viewers for each ep.  In June.  Season 1 wasn't ranked because the ratings season ends in May and summer shows don't make the official rankings (didn't back then, anyways.  Not sure about now), but 20 million viewers put you in or near the top 20. 

 

It's hard to compare, anyways.  25 years ago, networks had very little competition for viewers and ratings were higher across the board.  20 million viewers might not land you in the top 20.  Seinfeld first season in the rankings had it at #42 with 17 million viewers per episode.  For comparison, NCIS - consistently one of the top shows on tv - averages about 17 million and is usually top 5 or so.  NCIS has rarely drawn 20+ million for a first-run episode.

 

I get the argument.  From a viewer's perspective, I'd like to see shows get more time to find their footing.  That's not possible in a lot of cases, though.  It could be worse.  Networks seems less willing to yank failures from the schedule and sit on unaired episodes.  10 years ago, you saw a lot of shows pulled after two or three eps and the unaired eps only appeared if a DVD set was released.  Backstrom probably wouldn't have lasted six weeks if it had aired several years ago.

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Cheers' first episode was dead last in the ratings for the night, if I remember correctly. Nowadays, the show would've been canceled before the episode was even done airing.

That has actually happened before. Some show in the 50a,I believe.
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I've heard that too.  But Wiki only lists two and both were cut off for objectionable content.  Coincidentally according to Wiki, one was cut off and switched to a rerun of CHEERS.

 

As far as shows that were massively hyped and then cancelled after just one episode, does anyone remember EMILY'S REASONS WHY NOT?

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New shows are a toss up if you could have bet that Last man on Earth would get a second season while Backstrom didn't you would have made a lot of money.

 

I've heard that too.  But Wiki only lists two and both were cut off for objectionable content.  Coincidentally according to Wiki, one was cut off and switched to a rerun of CHEERS.

 

As far as shows that were massively hyped and then cancelled after just one episode, does anyone remember EMILY'S REASONS WHY NOT?

Isn't that the one with Rollergirl?

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Almost Human's cancellation pissed me off because it actually was getting solid ratings. Not amazing but it was doing well. It basically just came down a licensing rights squabble between WB and Fox.

 

So on network tv not only do good shows with bad ratings get cancelled, good shows with good ratings get cancelled too. Frustrating.   

 

Angel was a similar deal too. It came down mostly to politics.

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Cheers' first episode was dead last in the ratings for the night, if I remember correctly. Nowadays, the show would've been canceled before the episode was even done airing.

That has actually happened before. Some show in the 50a,I believe.

There was the show that was a laugh in knock off that lasted 1 episode.

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They showed this a while ago on the BBC. Two un-narrated hours of a tranquil boat ride. It's an idea they got from Norwegian (I believe) television. Personally, I love it. It's great to have on in the background while you're doing something else, or to doze on the couch to, or just to watch for a while and unwind.

 

I'm sure the possibilities for American versions are endless too.

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So NBC rolled out it's fall schedule.  Yeah.... this is going to be an amusing car crash.  14 new shows and a total of two comedies on the fall schedule - and the comedies are relegated to the 8-9 PM Friday night slot.  Oh, and the Blacklist is still on Thursday, bookended by new shows, even though it lost a good chunk of its audience when they moved it away from Monday.

 

Maybe this will be the year CW jumps ahead of NBC, lol.

 

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/10/nbc-schedule

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Seriously. I've heard people say "Eh, not watching new shows because there's a chance they'll get cancelled is absurd."

 

But how would you feel about starting to read a book and knowing there was a 50% or so chance it would stop halfway through and you'd never get to finish it?

I'm not going to tell anybody else how to enjoy their TV shows. But for me, I've watched a number of shows that got cancelled after one or two seasons and still enjoyed them. Carnivale, Rubicon, Jericho, Young Justice, Zero Hour, Almost Human... I would have liked to have seen more of all of those and gotten more resolution, but even still, I'm glad I saw what I did.

But if you watch a season of TV, enjoy it as you watch it, then it gets cancelled and you regret having ever watched it... so be it. I don't totally get that, but different people are different.

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Jesus!  So in this ongoing arms race of which is the best Sunday night show tonight we get the following bombs dropped:

 

SILICON VALLEY opens with

 

A monkey jacking off with its new robot arm.  This is a phrase that one should not even be able to conceive of outside of living in the world of ARCHER and yet there it is.

 

to which VEEP immediately replies with:

 

HUGH MOTHERFUCKING LAURIE!!!!!!

 

They're giving us so much.

 

also: "So, prostate not principle."

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Seriously. I've heard people say "Eh, not watching new shows because there's a chance they'll get cancelled is absurd."

 

But how would you feel about starting to read a book and knowing there was a 50% or so chance it would stop halfway through and you'd never get to finish it?

I'm not going to tell anybody else how to enjoy their TV shows. But for me, I've watched a number of shows that got cancelled after one or two seasons and still enjoyed them. Carnivale, Rubicon, Jericho, Young Justice, Zero Hour, Almost Human... I would have liked to have seen more of all of those and gotten more resolution, but even still, I'm glad I saw what I did.

But if you watch a season of TV, enjoy it as you watch it, then it gets cancelled and you regret having ever watched it... so be it. I don't totally get that, but different people are different.

 

 

To be fair, it's not as bad if they get a chance to rap things up. Even Firefly got something like that.

 

Cliffhanger endings that never get solved are just awful though. 

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So NBC rolled out it's fall schedule.  Yeah.... this is going to be an amusing car crash.  14 new shows and a total of two comedies on the fall schedule - and the comedies are relegated to the 8-9 PM Friday night slot.  Oh, and the Blacklist is still on Thursday, bookended by new shows, even though it lost a good chunk of its audience when they moved it away from Monday.

 

Maybe this will be the year CW jumps ahead of NBC, lol.

 

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/10/nbc-schedule

 

Blindspot sounds kinda interesting...but I do tend to like mysteries and thrillers.

 

Heartbreaker is tough because I'm a huge Melissa George fan...but this sounds like the most generic medical show ever. People are Talking sounds terrible too.

 

Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris might mark the point NHP went from endearing to annoying, if the oscars didn't already do it.

 

I didn't know Jennifer Lopez was coming back to TV.

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Veep was so fucking good. Amy FINALLY owns Selina and her friend and it's as good of a moment as when Selina and Gary had it out. With Selina's staff dropping like flies, I wonder when we'll get the inevitable putting the band back together.

Also, TOM MOTHERFUCKIN JAMES. Read Piranesi's spoiler if you're curious.

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I'm assuming Last Man on Earth will get a larger order too, since it's being moved to the fall lineup instead of a midseason premiere.

 

EW article on Fox's fall schedule:

 

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/11/fox-schedule-2015-2016

 

New showrunner for Sleepy Hollow.  Probably necessary after s2's creative disaster, but Fox execs have already said they want the show to evolve into a procedural, so it may not make much difference.  Also, Sleepy Hollow inherits Backstrom's death slot (opposite Scandal and Blacklist).

 

No X-Files till January.

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