First, I just want to thank ...
Question: First, I just want to thank you for all of the excellent shows you've championed through the years. If it weren't for critics like you, I doubt we'd see half of the great programs we currently enjoy. That being said, I just have to weigh in about the supposedly "struggling" NBC comedy lineup. There are times when somebody just has to stand up and declare, "Who cares what the numbers are?" Sheesh! If HBO had listened to market demographics alone, we wouldn't have
The Sopranos,
Deadwood,
Curb Your Enthusiasm, etc. If NBC had listened to the Nielsens back in the '80s and '90s,
Seinfeld would be a forgotten experiment and so would
Cheers. And another thing: Does anyone really believe the accuracy of Nielsen numbers in an age of TiVo and cybercasting? How do you really measure who's watching what and when anymore? It's amazing how "popular" a show can become when a network simply says, "This is fantastic programming, and we're going to air it." Isn't there some truth in the maxim: Build it and the audience will come? I realize this may sound idealistic, but I think HBO has proven that quality can succeed. I think the current NBC comedy lineup is the best thing we've seen since the glory days of CBS when you could watch
All in the Family,
Mary Tyler Moore and
Bob Newhart on Saturday night. I used to say, "Those were the days." Now I can say, "Hooray for Thursday nights!"
Answer: I love the Thursday lineup, too, but NBC only wishes it had the ratings muscle of CBS' legendary lineup. Will any of NBC's current comedies evolve into
Seinfeld/Cheers-level blockbusters? It's hard to see how. NBC is to be applauded for sticking with these shows and delivering such a great night of comedy, but you're only reporting half the story if you ignore how this once-dominant network (on Thursdays in particular) is trailing the competition. And HBO will be the first to tell you they're in an entirely different business from the networks. It would be nice if everyone had their creative freedom, but that's just not the case.
