Unfortunately, not enough other people like The Nine. What the hell else are people doing Wednesday night at 10? If you're having sex or reading a book, that's cool, but if you've been watching something other than the Nine I want to talk to you.
Oh, apparently you're watching CSI:NY, currently rated #9 (ouch). Well, I guess that's okay. I like Gary Sinise, I've just never gotten into that show. The writing on all those CSIs is pedestrian at best. You know what's really unforgiveable? CSI:Miami is #2! Unless 18.5 million of you are watching for the unintentional comedy of David Caruso's "I'm not a good actor but it's okay because I'm aware of it" performance, you're all on notice. (I know I don't have 18.5 million readers but it's okay because I'm aware of it.)
The same thing happened with Over There last season. A timely, well-written and -acted drama about the war in Iraq, it was cancelled after one season for lack of interest. How can you not be interested? Again, unless you were either A) watching the show, or B) fighting in Iraq, you're useless to me.
Now I'm hooked on Day Break. Sure, it's totally derivative (think Groundhog Day meets 24), but it's a formula that works. Plus I like Taye Diggs. Just before this season I was literally thinking, why hasn't Taye Diggs done anything lately?, and now he's in a cool action serial Wednesday nights at 10. It's exactly what I wanted, and it probably won't last. It's drawing 2.7 million viewers a week. The Nine was just cancelled for averaging 4.1 million viewers. So do I keep watching Day Break in the hope it will survive, or just quit now? This is the self-fulfilling prophecy that Bill Simmons describes: if viewers fear a show will be cancelled, it almost certainly will be.
With TiVO, PPV and broadband content gaining ground, is this the beginning of the end for commercial advertising on television? At the very least it should be the end of Nielsen ratings.
3 comments:
I'm 100% behind you on this one, dude. I am getting so frustrated by two TV-related things these days:
1) Starting a serial dramaction show, then cutting it loose before telling anyone the ending. See "Vanished", "Invasion", and "The Nine" for further explanation.
2) Letting "The Network" call the shots on the plot of the show. Want to get sick? Like, throw-up sick? Read the interview this week in EW between Stephen King and the producers of Lost. The network execs have too much power. Jack was supposed to die, and all of this was supposed to be in Hurley's head, while he was in a mental institution. All dead leads now, because the Network wanted to keep the show going. Now they have no endgame for the show.
I have two solutions to this:
1) Pay for HBO & Showtime. They have the best shows on TV, and you pay to watch them, so they know you're happy, when you re-up your subscription.
2) If you watch network TV, Tivo everything. Never watch shows live. Ever. Cut the advertisers out of the picture - they're really the ones calling the shots, and they have no motivation to create a good story.
DayBreak is good - Taye Diggs needs to be our next great action hero.
p.s. Dexter. Dexter. Dexter.
Interesting that King calls out The Sopranos. I guess he feels there's no truly safe haven for creativity.
Post a Comment