VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, [3], 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 09:43:05 02/25/02 Mon
Author: Islandgirl
Subject: An interesting AP column

I got this off the AP Entertainment Wire at work and thought I'd share. I totally agree with the paragraph in re X-Files. While I don't watch the other shows mentioned on a regular basis, I agree with the general thesis of the article; most TV shows nowadays just drag on too long. It seems like back in the 1980s, even the shows that were considered major league hits (i.e. "Moonlighting", "Miami Vice", Remington Steele", etc.) were only on the air for four or five seasons.

****

Hit shows are aging — and not gracefully|
|By Diane Holloway|
|c. 2002 Cox News Service|
AUSTIN, Texas — If, as expected, Rachel gives birth during May sweeps, the viewing public will see the tot’s first birthday next year in the show’s ninth season finale.
‘‘Friends’’ has not only stayed on the air a long time but enjoyed its highest ratings ever this season. That’s why NBC recently agreed to pay the six-member cast $1 million apiece per episode to return.
Critics have complained that the serpentine romantic relations on the show, topped off by Rachel getting pregnant by Ross but loved by Joey, signal creative bankruptcy. The same complaints have been lobbed at ‘‘ER,’’ which has saddled Dr. Greene with a brain tumor, a seriously sick baby and a seemingly shattered marriage in this, its eighth season.
But as long as viewers keep watching, the networks keep bringing these shows back, upping paychecks while padding lucrative syndication prospects.
‘‘The economics of commercial television mitigate against this problem ever being solved,’’ says Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University’s Center for the Study of Popular Television. ‘‘The problem with American television is the inability to stop when you’re finished, to tell a story and then shut up.’’
Television networks in other parts of the world rarely keep series alive beyond a year or two. In England, 13 episodes is a long run. But American networks figure they’ve invested millions in promotion, salaries and future syndication. So, no matter how exhausted the shows become, they’re going to keep them on the air.
If, as some experts have said, a series’ life expectancy can be measured in dog years (roughly 7 to 1), we’ve got a lot of old dogs on the air right now. Excluding nonfiction programs such as ‘‘60 Minutes,’’ which is in its 34th season, almost a dozen series are in the 7- to 13-year-old range.
‘‘The X-Files,’’ in its final season after nine years on the air, died creatively when David Duchovny’s Fox Mulder ceased full-time participation two years ago. ‘‘NYPD Blue,’’ which is the same age, died for some when Jimmy Smits’ character wheezed his last breath. Another ninth-season show, ‘‘Frasier,’’ is beginning to sag, while ‘‘The Drew Carey Show,’’ in its seventh season, is as funny as a wreck.
Ted Frank, senior vice president of current programming for NBC, says there’s a ‘‘prototypical life span’’ of five to seven years for U.S. series.
‘‘Whatever rating there is in the first season, you hope to see growth in the second, peak in the third and then start to fall off around the fourth,’’ Frank said. ‘‘There’s a curve you can draw, and around five to seven years, it begins to fade. Our job is to try to turn shows into those exceptions on the plus side.’’
But at some point, the expense may not be justified by the sinking ratings. (With Kelsey Grammer earning $1.6 million per episode, this makes ‘‘Frasier’’ vulnerable.) When cost overtakes profit, the ax finally falls. Sadly, this often happens when a show is far past its creative prime. ‘‘L.A. Law’’ was practically a parody when it limped off the air.
‘‘There’s a tremendous incentive to keep successful shows on the air, and the hope is the creative juices are there, too,’’ Franks said. ‘‘But if you keep a show when the creative people aren’t excited about doing it anymore, you end up with a faded show.’’
Why do people watch shows that have been on forever? In some cases, it’s viewer loyalty and genuine affection. This season, it could be a response to the trauma of Sept. 11.
‘‘Comfort — shows that have longevity and familiarity breed a lot of comfort,’’ said Frank.
But sometimes people watch shows out of habit.
‘‘It may be just something you do on Thursday nights,’’ Thompson said. ‘‘Most of our TV diet is stuff you reasonably like but don’t expect much from, stuff that’s just good enough. Shows can coast on general likability for a long time.’’
Of course, there are exceptions to the ‘‘old and tired’’ TV adage. ‘‘Law & Order’’ is in its 12th season and still blooming creatively. It’s also attracting its biggest audience ever. ‘‘The Simpsons,’’ in its 13th season, may not be at its peak, but it’s better than most comedies on now.
Daytime soap operas seem immune to old age. (‘‘The Guiding Light’’ has been on CBS for 50 years and on NBC before that.) So, apparently, are nonfiction programs such as newsmagazines.
What keeps some shows fresh? Change can be a good thing.
‘‘Law & Order,’’ which doesn’t have a single member from its original cast, has galloped through nearly a dozen actors. Ensemble dramas can get a boost when worn-out characters depart and new ones arrive. NBC hopes that will happen on ‘‘ER,’’ when Anthony Edwards (Dr. Greene) bids farewell in May.
Sometimes, but not often, sitcoms do the same thing. ‘‘Cheers’’ didn’t collapse, as predicted, when Shelley Long left midway through the show’s run. Instead, her replacement, Kirstie Alley, breathed new life into the series.
But it’s hard to imagine a successful cast change on ‘‘Friends,’’ which is heavily invested in six distinct characters and the actors who play them.
Quirky, high-concept shows that catch fire quickly, such as ‘‘Miami Vice’’ or ‘‘Twin Peaks,’’ are at greater risk for quick burn than slow bloomers. And shows that are really odd, such as Fox’s ‘‘24,’’ may be too challenging and thus doomed from the start.
Although ensemble dramas are easy to change, comedies have a plus, too: They’re easy to consume.
‘‘Comedies tend to be more user-friendly,’’ Thompson said. ‘‘You don’t really have to sit down and watch from beginning to end. You can drop in from time to time. They’re perfect for the way many of us live and watch TV.’’
In a perfect TV world, viewers would stop watching shows that are lifeless. In an even more perfect (and improbable) world, the networks and creators would pull the plug before the peak becomes a pit.
‘‘Seinfeld’’ bowed out at the end of its eighth season. Jerry Seinfeld, who was already making more than $1 million an episode, didn’t want to wear out his welcome and chose to leave while his show was still on top both in quality and popularity. He was already so rich he was able to turn down the additional millions NBC threw at him to stay, but ‘‘Seinfeld’’ is an increasingly rare exception.
‘‘There are very few instances of a TV show leaving a healthy, young body,’’ Thompson said.

Diane Holloway writes for the Austin American-Statesman. You may contact her at dholloway(at)statesman.com; 512-445-3608
Story Filed By Cox Newspapers
For Use By Clients of the New York Times News Service

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]
Post a message:
This forum requires an account to post.
[ Create Account ]
[ Login ]
[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.