Question: Why is it that networks rarely grab each others' shows after they are canceled? This year there were a few cases where this would have made a lot of sense. For example, a show like The Class had average ratings, but it was canned because CBS didn't have many hours available. Wouldn't it have made sense for ABC, which is starving for even a marginal comedy, to pick it up instead of renewing According to Jim or Notes from the Underbelly? Traveler and Masters of Science Fiction are other shows that I think have some cult following despite the lack of network support and might prove profitable elsewhere. Why do networks put their faith in ratings-challenged or untested shows rather than something that can obviously improve their present situation?
Answer: The reason this rarely happens is the same reason situations like Jericho's (being resurrected after cancellation) are so rare. When a show fails on one network, there usually isn't a clamor elsewhere to keep something alive that
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Two of my first Trivial Matt'rs blogs were dedicated to my early thoughts on the 2006-07 TV season, and at long last I have a few minutes here to revisit that "forecast" and see how I did. This is literally the first time I have looked back at those blogs, so here we go.Brothers & SistersI said: "Expectations were modest" given "foreboding backstage shuffles," but "by the end I was pulled in." Outcome: Lotsa critical acclaim and an early Season 2 pickup by ABC!The ClassI said: "The cast threatens to be unwieldy, but... I smell another [How I Met Your] Mother." Outcome: Some avid fans, some "decent" ratings, but no renewal yet. (Oh, and they shed one cast member.)RunawayI said: "The concept is nifty" and "good casting."Outcome: Far from a runaway hit, it was shelved after just a few airings.VanishedI said: "I need more answers, or at least hints of answers." Outcome: Fox's answer was, "Nope," and Vanished... quickly did just that.HeroesI said: "This show will be full of surprises...
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Question: After reading all the speculations regarding the current CBS Monday night sitcoms, I just had to write. First, why would a network pull the plug on a good show just to fill it in with a new sitcom in the fall? Ever heard of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? I was shocked to hear that How I Met Your Mother could even be remotely considered to be taken off the air. It's bad enough that The Class was sent packing too soon and will likely not return because Rules of Engagement had a following. How does eliminating a really great sitcom (Mother) for a more mediocre one (Rules) benefit the network? It surely would not benefit us viewers. Second, since CBS seems to have more sitcoms than time slots, did the powers-that-be ever stop to consider rotating the shows? I would vote yes to more new episodes (not just during sweeps months) of any sitcom they have than to suffer the loss of any of them. Why not alternate The Class with Rules instead of bumping one for the other? I am quite ...
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Question: Regarding the debate on what should air after Heroes or why nothing has thrived after Lost, I really think the networks are airing the wrong type of program after those shows. My second job has me busy most Monday nights so frequently I was TiVoing How I Met Your Mother, The Class, Heroes and Studio 60. When I got home each night, I always tried to watch the show that the typical watercooler buzz would otherwise ruin for me. So I'd watch Heroes, then I would be so tense that I would unwind by watching Mother and/or The Class. I didn't want to think so hard anymore — I just wanted to be entertained. Is there some sort of unstated industry guideline against airing half-hour comedies at 10?
Answer: More like a tradition. The conventional wisdom about a schedule's flow is that you start early with lighter, happier fare and then end on the drama. It probably harks back to the "family hour" days, when sitcoms ruled the early hours and the more "adult" dramas closed the night. There
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Question: As a person who has been in and around the TV industry as long as you have, I am hoping that you might be able to shed some light on the issue of what drives a network to renew shows that aren't huge hits but smaller cult and/or critical favorites, such as Friday Night Lights, Supernatural, Veronica Mars and The Class. Is it really just ratings and demographics, or do other factors such as merchandise and future marketability go into the thought process as well? Also, do you foresee a change in the current (and in my opinion, antiquated) ratings system in light of the onslaught of TiVos and other DVR systems?
Answer: Wow, you make me sound like a graybeard. (Maybe if I grow one, I'll be one.) I'll duck the larger ratings question. I really can't say where audience measurement is heading, but for now, we seem stuck with this system. On the renewal issue, when a network takes a chance on a marginal performer, it often says more about the network than it does the show. For the
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