Stories like this are slowly making me realize that hoping and trying to get a bubble show saved from cancellation is pretty pointless.
Especially when the head of programming for NBC would rather you watch mindless drivel than good, quality entertainment.
In February we got the awful Knight Rider movie premiere (at least, I thought it sucked) and now word reaches our computer screens that NBC has given it a full-series run this fall season.
The show will likely air on Friday nights, but even if it sucks (and it will), NBC doesn’t care. As long as they have SOME sort of action show in that timeslot, they are fine. NBC co-chairman, Marc Graboff says it all:
“Advertisers don’t care as much about a specific show as opposed to ‘Am I getting the kinds of eyeballs I paid for?’ ” Graboff added.
If we say we have a one-hour drama going into a timeslot, and it turns out it’s not up to snuff, we’ll put on another one-hour drama we have in the pipeline,” he said. “What we won’t do is put on a reality show.”
Wow, at least no reality shows, but the next line is the worst. Because of the economy, the head of programming for NBC, Ben Silverman, feels like it’s best to give the people nothing to think about.
“People need to escape. Ben’s programming strategy is to find some shows where people can tune in and then mentally tune out. That’s his directive, and I think you’ll see that reflected in the programs.”
I don’t know about you, but if I’m watching something, that’s not mentally tuning out. If I want to do that, I guess music videos would do the trick, or Sunrise Earth on HDNet.
The rest of the article on Variety states that NBC wants to have more original programming and less repeats for people.
So why, if they need original programming, do they not renew shows like Journeyman? Obviously you have to think a bit, so I guess that’s ONE reason, but at least it’s SOMETHING to put on instead of repeats, right?
“Repeats don’t work anymore, but we have a finite amount of money to spend,” he said. “We’re trying to do some things that are cheaper so that we can have more original programming.”
Things that are cheaper. I like the sound of that. Ugh.
So while crap like Knight Rider will make it to our televisions next year, the struggle to save shows like Journeyman fall on deaf ears. You have to “use your brain” in order to watch it, and it must cost a bit more than sucky shows.
I’m glad NBC has The Office, 30 Rock and Scrubs, because otherwise it’s going to be a useless station to watch anymore.
And heck, Scrubs may be going to ABC!
It’s just sad in a time when people love good, quality stuff, that thoughtless entertainment is somehow deemed warranted and NEEDED. I thought reality TV already supplied that.
Thanks to io9 for the heads up on this story.
Apparently NBC also has a spinoff of The Office in the works as well, but it’s top secret. Hmmmmm.
Steven’s last blog post..Top 100 Movies: Mars, Sir Anthony, and Mel
Yeah, I was going to try and research it and write about it, but good luck I guess
Sorry Mike, didn’t mean to step on your toes.
Steven’s last blog post..Top 100 Movies: Jack Bauer, The Dark Knight, and The Coens
No, no you didn’t
Just saying, yeah…I want to learn more about that show…
Wonder if it’s secret because one of the cast leaves for a reason, and therefore they don’t want to give away something that happens this season?
Good. I almost didn’t post that comment because I thought you might have a post on it coming up. Yeah, I’m trying to think what it could be, but I’m stumped.
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Heres the problem with Knight Rider making it to a series..EVERYONE and their mom, wanted to see this show, so they tuned in… now even though this show BLEW CHUNKS, NBC said look how many tuned in… this si the winning formula! But the prob is, we will never watch the series if it was like the pilot. We wanted it to be cool, but heck we even wanted it to at least suck, but it had so much suckage it didnt even rate as a suck show it was that bad. So NBC will make it a series based on one pilot show cause everyone tuned in for it to hopefully be cool, all while journeyman got scrapped…LAMEO….I’d rather watch Sunrise Earth, which, is actually pretty cool =) (nice reference Mo)
Thanks Cap’n
I miss Journeyman
Cap’n the Knight Rider movie actually had fewer viewers than the Bionic Woman pilot. And we all know what happened to the viewers of *that* crapfest.
I think Journeyman could have been saved if it too had been an hour long ad for Ford.
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@ R.A. porter LOL…good point. I am pretty sure I still wouldnt watch it even if they had Jaime Sommers driving KITT.
I would never had watched Knight Rider after the horrendous pilot. The fact that it probably has Journeyman’s slot is just salt in the open wound.
Seems like every season there is less and less on NBC worth watching. All I can say is Heroes better come back HUGE!
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Networks are stupid.
We’ll have a story on Heroes soon Scotty, and also, Knight is going to be on Friday nights I believe.
@ Jason – Simple statement, but true
Networks are stupid. What an in-depth statement. Took a lot to think that one through, huh?
I don’t know why you guys still are living in a fantasy world. Knight Rider sucked, but it had more viewers in it’s one showing than Journeyman had it’s entire run. (That’s probably an exaggeration, but not by much)
Sure, blame the networks. But you really need to blame the advertisers. If an advertiser like Coke comes to you and says, “Hey, you put Knight Rider on, we’ll give you 30 million dollars. You put Journeyman on, and we’ll give you 5.” What do you think the networks are going to do?
The fact is that good, solid shows don’t get the audience. It happens everywhere. Free TV is free for you, but it costs a lot of money to create these shows. And they aren’t getting anything from you. They’re getting money from the advertisers, who are the real ones who get the money from you. And the powers-that-be at the networks like to give each other credit for putting these things on the air because they can’t say, “Well, the only reason Knight Rider is on the air is because Toyota paid us a bunch of money.” Not only does it make you look useless, but it alienates other advertisers that have signed on for the same show.
NBC is one of the worst culprits, so I understand your frustration, I just don’t get why you can’t figure out what the real story is. Of if you do know it, why you ignore the facts.
Well, we’re not idiots Michael, we get that advertisers dictate stuff, that’s a given. Giving sports arenas ridiculous names like “University of Phoenix Stadium” is just proof.
Still, the networks COULD try to change things, do something different than trying to dumb stuff down.
I dunno, yeah it’s free, so what can we expect. Perhaps I’ll just stick to cable and HBO/Showtime for good stuff, since at least I’m paying them for the channel rights.
But the point is, we’re not idiots Michael, and you should stop taking insults towards a network so seriously
Excuse me, I think you accusing me of calling you an idiot is a little insulting. I think you guys just hate getting dissenting opinions to your blogs, and that’s ok, but to say I am calling you an idiot is way off base.
“Networks are stupid.” maybe Chaplin didnt understand the statement? …seems pretty self explanatory to me…
I’m curious if that fantasy world we are living in has a midget in little while tux.
The Trousered Ape’s last blog post..American Idol (2008) – Week 7 – Top 3
I dunno, saying we live “in a fantasy world” and “ignore the facts”…we’d kind of have to be idiots wouldn’t we?
I love dissention, but you always come across like we’re attacking you personally when we mention the words “network” and “sucks” together
@Ape.. LOLOL Banana award for making me laugh today =)
@MichaelB – I understand the point you are making and it is valid. However, I stand by my statement that networks are stupid (that is, the people who make the decisions at the networks). There is ample evidence to support my statement.
I think “Friday Night Lights” is a great example. FNL is a program that should appeal to the prime target audience that advertisers crave. It’s based on a best selling book and a hit movie and features a who’s who of up and coming young stars and recognizable adult actors. The writing was compelling with stories that center around family, high school and football (America’s favorite sport). The show received critical acclaim from day one.
So what did the network do? It scheduled it to air on Friday nights…during high school football season…when a majority of the people who the show would appeal to would either not normally be watching TV or would not be watching TV because instead of watching a television show about Friday night football they are actually participating in Friday night football.
That’s the very definition of stupid.
There’s just no excuse for it.
That wasn’t a case of the advertisers saying the show had to appear on Friday nights. If so, the network should have stepped in and explained to the advertisers the ignorance of the demand. Yes, they could do that if they really wanted to.
This was just a case of the network being stupid and then wondering why no one was watching their show.
And I’m sure there are plenty of other examples.
Can’t we all just get along and agree that canceling Journeyman sucked?
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Nope – I never saw Journeyman so I don’t know if it sucked or not.
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Ape, you are always such a maverick… out there in the jungle on your own.
lol – classic
The Trousered Ape’s last blog post..American Idol (2008) – Week 7 – Top 3
I guess I should just tell everyone–I work for a network. So while I may support them, I do so knowing the inner workings. So if someone says Networks are stupid, how do you expect me to react? Especially if the reasoning for such a statement is flawed?
Well, we certainly don’t intend to offend anyone, especially a loyal reader, but I feel that I have valid arguments upon which I have based my previous statement.
Perhaps I should amend it so that instead of saying the “networks are stupid” I could say that the networks sometimes make decisions that the average person often feels is asinine when viewed from a layman’s perspective…?
I still feel my original argument is valid, though. They can make all the shows they want and do whatever the advertisers say and put the shows at whatever times and include whomever the advertisers want to pay them to include…but at the end of the day they still have to get someone to watch the show. The advertisers can make all the demands in the world and the networks can bow down to their every whim, but if people don’t watch the show then the advertisers will walk without thinking twice.
Which is why I encourage people to stop watching crappy shows and encouraging this sort of behavior. The problem is, of course, one person’s crappy show is another person’s “must see TV”. How else to explain all the Flavor Flav and New York whatever shows?
But they CAN’T make all the shows that they want. Knight Rider unfortunately is cheap to make because the freaking car is a product placement right there.
Whatever the networks picked up is dictated on what the advertisers will do, not vice versa. The networks don’t go out and say, “hey, that show looks good, let’s pick it up and see if the advertisers like it.” It’s more like, “here’s a good show we pitched to the advertisers–they liked it, so we’re picking it up.”
American Idol is definitely a lower common denominator show–but it has HUGE sponsorship (and is very cheap to produce) because the audience is so big. If the audience wasn’t big, the big advertisers would stay away and the show wouldn’t be as big as it is now–and in fact, would get cancelled.
I’ll reiterate that I think most television sucks. However, to put all the blame on the networks for it is unrealistic. Where they share the blame is not requiring those shows they do have to up their creative value.
I can definitely agree that they could do more to require their current shows to up their creative value.