I've seen some beloved shows ...
Question: I've seen some beloved shows of mine —
Angel (still sobbing and boycotting WB) and
Dead Like Me (still P.O.'d, considering Showtime's recent clichéd and unoriginal attempts at drama) — canceled over the last few years. That's why I was so pleasantly surprised to see
The Contender resurrected to air on ESPN next year. Do you think
The Contender will be more successful next year considering it will be on a sports network with lower ratings expectations and with much better opportunities to promote the show (e.g.,
SportsCenter coverage)? Also, isn't it redeeming that in this money-obsessed, ratings-grabbing age of TV a show's producers believed in the show's concept?
Sylvester Stallone vowed to fight for the show. I think it's great that he succeeded.
Answer: I'm not sure I'd classify the resurrection of a reality dud on cable as a triumph, especially since it wasn't so much the quality of the show as the size of the producers' egos (Stallone,
Mark Burnett, et al.) that accounts for its survival. But it's true the next season of
Contender is more likely to look like a hit on ESPN than it ever would on NBC. I think the lesson from last season is that there just isn't much of an audience for a reality show built around boxing. All I know is that since I don't cover sports TV, having this show on ESPN will make it much easier for me to ignore.
