In your column this week you ...
Question: In your
column this week you said, "And speaking of self-fulfilling prophecies, I'll state my contention again that if you choose not to get behind shows out of a fear they'll get canceled, you may only be contributing to the problem."
In recent history, I have tried out
The Nine, Invasion, Day Break, Vanished, Studio 60 and now
Traveler. With the exception of
Vanished (which was wretched), I enjoyed all of them on many levels, with
Invasion being my favorite and
Day Break being my least. (
Vanished doesn't count.) Before those there was
Firefly, Freaks and Geeks, Sports Night, My So-Called Life.... I could go on. I'm just curious how many times I'll have to get torn away from a show without any fulfillment before I can stop trying to feel like it's my fault? I think back on a show like
Homicide, which was amazing and so critically acclaimed despite the fact that it was never a ratings gem, and I wonder if today's market would have even given it a chance; I think we know the answer is no. I wonder how many brilliant shows don't see the light of day because the networks insist on instant mega-success or nothing at all. I still love TV, but more and more I'm turning away from the new stuff and finding other ways to spend my time. It's just not worth investing the time. It's like reading a book and discovering that the last chapter is missing.
Answer: I apologize if it came off like I was blaming viewers for anything. Far from it. But I refuse to give in to a defeatist attitude, and I respectfully disagree that it's a waste of time to give even the riskiest of shows a chance. The truth is, especially where network TV is concerned, the failure rate for shows, good and bad, is high. It's the nature of the business, and your long list of heartbreaks attests to that. But isn't it better to have seen the 19 episodes of
My So-Called Life at all, and to have been stimulated by the full season of
Invasion,
and to have been introduced to those wonderful freaks and geeks, than to deny yourself those experiences altogether? As disappointing as it is when shows like these don't get the run they deserve, there's something to be said for being introduced to these visions, these characters, these stories, even in the short run. That's all I'm saying.
