In regard to DJ's recent ...
Question: In regard to DJ's recent
question: I am not against retooling old shows and trying to make them new again, but shouldn't
Bionic Woman have made NBC want to shy away from this concept rather than embrace it so wholeheartedly? It seems like
Ben Silverman doesn't support any show that is unique or different but wants to go back to the yesteryear of television. But then I also wonder why he's picking such average shows to retool — why not show support for the original programming already on his network (of course I am referring to
Friday Night Lights) or take a cue from NBC's sister networks? I've often noticed how similar
Monk and
Psych are, including similar storylines (actor killed with real knife they thought was a prop knife, for example), but each show has such a unique and interesting voice that it make both of them big successes and draws people in. I worry that by taking shows that have already been done, he's trying to capture a voice that no longer resonates with today's TV viewer. Also, completely unrelated: Why do you think people have a harder time letting go of television shows now than people did, say, 20 years ago? There weren't campaigns and sending nuts or light bulbs to studios to show fan support. People just moved on to whatever was next. I think it's a strange phenomenon, fighting so hard for something that will eventually end. No show goes on forever (please, please, prove me wrong,
Law & Order!) I wonder why there is such a strong emotional attachment to shows nowadays.
Answer: On your first point, a remake doesn't have to be schlock. Look at Sci Fi's
Battlestar Galactica. Now there's a lesson Silverman could learn from one of NBC's cable cousins. The
Knight Rider example, though, along with the revival of
American Gladiators (harmless, but still) is a very troubling sign of where NBC appears to be headed, down a slippery slope of stinky cheese. On your second and very interesting point, don't fool yourself that fans have ever been less than passionate about TV. It just wasn't as viral as it has become since the digital/online revolution. I was there when Viewers for Quality Television was formed in the wake of successful grass-roots campaigns to keep
Designing Women and
Cagney & Lacey (among others) on the air. The current frenzy to keep every show alive, whether it's
Jericho on CBS or (more recently)
Wildfire on ABC Family, has a lot to do with the Internet and the rise of websites and message boards where fans can talk and commiserate among themselves, often convincing each other that their petitions and complaints can carry the day. The hard truth is that many shows are shut down for a variety of business (and sometimes, but less often, creative) reasons, and it's rare once the ax falls for the PTB to reverse their decision. But it can happen, and examples like the
Jericho resurrection and the current efforts to keep
Friday Night Lights' lights on will likely only encourage fans to take an even more activist role in their favorite shows' fate.
