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i'm sure pretty much most shows are micro-managed by the network to some extent
sabotage comes in when the network actually has a good show and they dont promote it or time slot it properly
people wont know a show is good unless they know its on and can watch it
excessive breaks, day/time swapping, etc etc will kill shows
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FOX is proof that standing behind shows will go a long way i distinctly remember the show 24 and The OC was promoted heavily by FOX, they aired the pilot multiple times when the shows first came out trying to get folks to watch and advertised alot. both shows were very successful
FOX cancelled Gang Related... i really dont care about ratings, at some point a tv executive needs to stand behind a show that they know is good and figure out a way to get more viewers. Dont put new shows up against popular shows on other networks and expect to win the ratings game. if you are an executive you should have a lil common sense and know what time slot will work the best
and cmon, these people have cancelled shows after 1 episode aired. it was that bad? yet you greenlit the show..wtf?
I enjoyed Longimre. Too bad. A&E was at one time a genuine Arts & Entertainment network. Too bad. The character Longmire is portrayed as being a real man in the sense that is under disparagement by current popular culture. His presence will be missed.
The reason that shows with an older audience get canceled is because research shows young people are more apt to try new products and/or switch brands than old people. The best example, in my opinion, was the Regis Philbin hosted "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" The show had stellar ratings but unfortunately, every year it was on, the audience got older and older. TV shows make their money based on how much they can charge for advertising. Shows that appeal to younger audiences can charge more for advertising even if the audience is smaller than a show in the same time slot.
So, you might think maybe I should watch more TV series on pay channels like HBO and Showtime because they don't have advertising but then you run into a whole different problem. Yes, those pay channels don't have advertising. They make their money through new subscribers by touting their "award winning" series...and who votes for those awards? Hollywood. So, they make series that appeal to Hollywood types that do the nominating and voting. Longmire, for example, would never even make it onto HBO not because of the age of its viewers but because Hollywood would never vote for a series that appeals to "flyover country."
And then there is the change of higher up management. CBS replaced their long time programmer with Fred Silverman.... and he started the "rural purge". The man who played Mr Haney on Green Acres (which was one of the ones cancelled) said CBS killed every show that had a tree.
Petticoat Junction was cancelled in 1970, and it had lower ratings because of Bea Benederet's death. Soon after they took off Green Acres, Beverly HIllbillies, Mayberry RFD, Hee Haw and Lassie.
It was felt that these programs were pure escapism, and didn't deal with the realities of the day. Yeah -- sort of. IN reality, these shows appealed to older viewers... and older viewers meant just what it means today.
BUT -- these programs are still on the air SOMEWHERE... so there is an audience. And hubby and I love to watch Hee Haw on RFDTV.
I can't see the Partridge Family lasting more than a few years even if it were the most popular show in its time slot. Teen idols are a nine-days' wonder under the best of circumstances. The network didn't kill the Partridge Family; the fickle nature of preteen girls did.
It's possible because it was getting old and adding a newer, younger character (The Brady Bunch did this too)hurt, not helped it. However, I suspect it could have gone maybe another year if it wasn't pulled away from Friday night.
Gee, 2 pages in & I'm suprised no one has mentiioned the most obvious hit job on a network's own show: The Smother's Brothers Comedy Hour. They were one of many shows that CBS had put in that slot to try & stop the multi-year ratings colossus that was Bonanza over on NBC. Bonanza had trounced them all including pros like Jack Benny & Judy Garland.
The Smothers came in & tried for the younger demographic & it took off. As they became more topical they featured performers that had not been allowed on TV before including Pete Seeger who had been banned by the networks since 1950. This worked & suddenly Bonanza was no longer #1 in the ratings & the Smothers are taking off... but the powers that be apparently didn't like giving Seeger, Harry Belafonte, David Steinberg, The Who & people who spoke out against the Vietnam War a prime time presence. So they came up with a patently bogus lie about scripts being late & cancelled the show.
I suppose it's not incidental that Bill Paley, the head of CBS at the time, wanted to be appointed to a diplomatic post by Nixon...
Yeah that was an obvious ploy to rid people with counter culture ideas off a television show. Not long ago I saw them on some special and they were talking about this.
A&E pulled the plug on Longmire because the viewing audience was "to old" for them. The age group they are trying to target with TV shows are the ones with the least amount of disposable income.
Actually all of the disposable income is in the 18-49yr old range. That is why it is called a "key demographic". Many cable shows shoot for the 25-54 demo. In both cases if "Longmire" is skewing to 60yrs old it is outside both demos so I can see why it would be cancelled. Advertisers dont target 60yr olds.
Actually all of the disposable income is in the 18-49yr old range. That is why it is called a "key demographic". Many cable shows shoot for the 25-54 demo. In both cases if "Longmire" is skewing to 60yrs old it is outside both demos so I can see why it would be cancelled. Advertisers dont target 60yr olds.
I'm not in the 60 yo group & I enjoyed the show. Plus folks I know in the 18-49 yo range are raising families, paying college loans, shuffling bills and trying to keep up with the Joneses. Not all but a lot of them don't have disposable income in fact several 20 somethings are living with parents because they can't make it one their own in this economy.
So this is a rural show primarily & I live in a rural state mostly so different age groups did enjoy this show. It sure beats the reality junk that is taking over TV.
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The age group they are trying to target with TV shows are the ones with the least amount of disposable income.
