PatrickG
02-19-2006, 08:58 PM
Just a general topic that I don't think I've ever seen touched on.
I heard the other day that "The West Wing" is ending this year and while I'm not a big follower of the show, it sounds like a huge waste since the show itself was supposed to veer into a presidential campaign and possibly a new president. That IDEA sounds exciting to me.
Then I got thinking back to other shows over the years. It's no big secret that "Angel" got nixed on the WB largely because the network had plans for another vampire show (a "Dark Shadows" revival that never happened).
And all the time, cult shows get jerked around in terms of scheduling. Shows like "The Office" are always getting jerked around.
Now, maybe I'm a very biased sample but I think it's pretty much impossible for something to be "good" without being at least a bit "cult". But networks often try to kill their own "cult" programming, which I don't understand. It seems very unprofessional, in my mind, for someone to sabotage ANY project in their studio/network/company... But it happens.
The upside? I think DVD sets and online sales may change that. TiVo may change that. Eventually, I think networks themselves will become obsolete as individuals will have the power to program their own TV schedule. No one but the consumer will decide when a show should or should not air or whether or not it will be cancelled. Money will go straight to the production company as "networks" themselves get bypassed altogether.
But still, we'll always have this problem. Comics which sell well but don't fit a company creative direction. (Biggest example I can think of is the '92 JSA series which got canned because certain editors at DC hated the idea of geriatric super-heroes. Even now, DC seems inclined AGAINST publishing a title which stars 80 year-old crime fighters unless it's by Frank Miller.) There's nothing more silly in my mind about an eighty year old man being a super-hero than a thirty year old alien. And I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with being silly. But I doubt we'll ever see a title which stars 90 year-old super-heroes as the principle stars because of corporate age-ism.
The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres reportedly got cancelled by CBS because the CEO's wife was embarassed by CBS being seen as the "hick" network.
Personally, I'm sick of the idea of a middle man. I want the shows I want. I want the games I want. I want the comics I want. And, for me, the bottom line should be if it sells, no matter HOW it fits into the company/network scheme. In fact, I hate the idea of a unifying corporate identity for these content providers.
My message to execs and producers and editors is this:
If it sells, if it gets viewers, let it grow. I don't care if you like it. I don't care if you "get it". I don't care how it fits into a marketing scheme or how it makes your other products look by comparison. You don't have to like it. You don't have to get it. Just don't mess with it. Your job is to make money and if you have something that is on its way to doing that, it's irresponsible to sabotage that.
Anybody else with me on this?
I heard the other day that "The West Wing" is ending this year and while I'm not a big follower of the show, it sounds like a huge waste since the show itself was supposed to veer into a presidential campaign and possibly a new president. That IDEA sounds exciting to me.
Then I got thinking back to other shows over the years. It's no big secret that "Angel" got nixed on the WB largely because the network had plans for another vampire show (a "Dark Shadows" revival that never happened).
And all the time, cult shows get jerked around in terms of scheduling. Shows like "The Office" are always getting jerked around.
Now, maybe I'm a very biased sample but I think it's pretty much impossible for something to be "good" without being at least a bit "cult". But networks often try to kill their own "cult" programming, which I don't understand. It seems very unprofessional, in my mind, for someone to sabotage ANY project in their studio/network/company... But it happens.
The upside? I think DVD sets and online sales may change that. TiVo may change that. Eventually, I think networks themselves will become obsolete as individuals will have the power to program their own TV schedule. No one but the consumer will decide when a show should or should not air or whether or not it will be cancelled. Money will go straight to the production company as "networks" themselves get bypassed altogether.
But still, we'll always have this problem. Comics which sell well but don't fit a company creative direction. (Biggest example I can think of is the '92 JSA series which got canned because certain editors at DC hated the idea of geriatric super-heroes. Even now, DC seems inclined AGAINST publishing a title which stars 80 year-old crime fighters unless it's by Frank Miller.) There's nothing more silly in my mind about an eighty year old man being a super-hero than a thirty year old alien. And I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with being silly. But I doubt we'll ever see a title which stars 90 year-old super-heroes as the principle stars because of corporate age-ism.
The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres reportedly got cancelled by CBS because the CEO's wife was embarassed by CBS being seen as the "hick" network.
Personally, I'm sick of the idea of a middle man. I want the shows I want. I want the games I want. I want the comics I want. And, for me, the bottom line should be if it sells, no matter HOW it fits into the company/network scheme. In fact, I hate the idea of a unifying corporate identity for these content providers.
My message to execs and producers and editors is this:
If it sells, if it gets viewers, let it grow. I don't care if you like it. I don't care if you "get it". I don't care how it fits into a marketing scheme or how it makes your other products look by comparison. You don't have to like it. You don't have to get it. Just don't mess with it. Your job is to make money and if you have something that is on its way to doing that, it's irresponsible to sabotage that.
Anybody else with me on this?