Why are TV shows cancelled anymore?
Just saw that Jericho was canceled and there is a massive online campaign to get it back, so it's at least fairly popular.
With hundreds of networks on cable, satellite, and the internet why don't popular shows just move to another venue?
My guess is that the major networks contractually forbid this when they buy from the production companies, but why would production companies continue to accept this? Is this just a racket?
With hundreds of networks on cable, satellite, and the internet why don't popular shows just move to another venue?
My guess is that the major networks contractually forbid this when they buy from the production companies, but why would production companies continue to accept this? Is this just a racket?
Comments
The networks will figure something out, though. They have to.
Well for me there are 4 shows that should never have been cancelled...
All 3 by Joss Whedon, and one by Matt Groenig.
Buffy
Angel
Firefly
Futurama
If a new network could resurrect those four shows (and not have to pay the stars a gazillion bucks) it would be the most popular network ever.
Fox is a big red bloody turd of a network.
From Futurama:
TV Guy: "Oh my God!!! You've knocked FOX off the air!!!!"
Fry: "Like anyone on earth cares..."
Oooooh, that's my list too! Although Buffy was because Sarah Michelle Gellar wanted to move on, if I recall correctly. Angel was cut down in mid-stride and Firefly was never given a chance to develop its mythology, although it was never anything but excellent from the first episode.
Futurama has got some weird deal going where Fox bankrolled something like 4 "DVD movies" and Comedy Central is going to air chopped up versions as new episodes (Matt Groening is doing the chopping, so it's not evil).
I've got the Futurama DVDs, and I like it even more now than when it aired. It's got a sweetness to it that really draws you in.
I don't understand why something like Firefly isn't picked up by, say, SciFi. Seems like a perfect match for them.
For that matter, why does Joss Whedon not have a show on television? He's one of the great auteurs of the medium-- and it's not like his shows are anything but entertaining.
I never got into the shows that followed it.
Firefly was awesome, no doubt. Mostly because I discovered Morena Baccarin, but also just in general...
I'm a Jewel Staite man myself, although obviously Morena Baccarin is smokin' hot. It's just something about a girl with a wrench in her hand.....
I would imagine it's because the networks aren't sure how they'll make money if a show is moved to an online distribution model. Even if there are hundreds of thousands of viewers of Jerico, their purchase of the show at $2 doesn't equal the millions that advertisers paid for spots when it was on the teevee.
But the show has been cancelled so there is no money comming from advertisers. Why not collect that $2?
But the show has been cancelled so there is no money comming from advertisers. Why not collect that $2?
Because that $2 is likely to produce far, far less revenue than adverising would have.
Perhaps if there is still a substantial audience for a show, but not enough to garner advertiser support, some shows could be downsized for 'lonleygirl' sized audiences on YouTube or by direct sales through iTunes.
Bingo. For maybe $0.99 a pop there could be something between YouTube and a 42/44(?) minute full-blown TV show.
Online-only $0.99 Futurama Season 5 and 6, say 20 episodes per season, each episode 15 minutes in length, ...?? maybe??
Hell, people are paying $1.99 for a 4-6 minute music video. Which costs hundreds of thousands to make each video. (But yes I guess revenue is realised in song sales, MTV, etc. etc...)
it only requires one tv exec to TRY it...
Well, Futurama, for one is coming back. Groenig has made/is making 3 feature length movies for Fox that will be split and edited into episodes that will be shown on Comedy Central starting next year.
But I agree that Whedon HAS to do someTV project at some point...
But what's this about Veronica Mars (not Whedon but apparently Whedon likes it)? Is it any good? Never heard of it.
Yeah, I think some Buffy writers were on it? Started out as a sort of modernized Nancy Drew, intrepid wise cracking girl investigator with real investigator dad, and has dealt with some pretty heavy shit, so you can see why Whedon might dig it. Never really watched it enough to speak to its quality, however. Not enough of the undead for my tastes.
In Feb, I delivered a paper on Lost at a conference and there was a woman on my panel talking about Veronica Mars. She made it sound really quite fascinating.
How are yo finding Lost these days, to venture a phrase?