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We are in that portion of the year when the pickings are slim in old TV land. For a television junkie like me, that can cause some serious withdrawals once you’ve been spoiled by the cornucopia of quality shows that are usually available during the earlier part of the year.
Well maybe “quality” is too strong of a word. Shall we say better instead? Perhaps it is an effort to get us all off of the couch and into the movie theatres, but the absolute garbage that is thrust at us during this time of the year is mind-boggling.
Not that there isn’t a substantial amount of trash littering the landscape during the sweeps season of the year. For every “Heroes” or “Lost” on the air you are thrown a “Dancing With The Stars” or “The Bachelor”. The sad part of that is that the latter shows generally get the higher ratings, which is a pitiful commentary about the viewing habits of the public at large.
The bottom line is that after a hard day at work most people don’t want to think. Most want to come home and not be challenged mentally during their entertainment time. How else can you explain shows that have some brains attached to them, like “Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip” getting cancelled after one season?
“Studio 60” was one of the smartest shows on television during the last year. Written and produced by Aaron Sorkin of “The West Wing” fame, it was better than most of the pabulum that is released in the theatres, but obviously far to highbrow for most of the reality TV crowd. Sadly, that crowd is the one who is dictating what the rest of us are watching.
For those of us who like to watch something we can think about and be entertained by real entertainers this equation has become incredibly frustrating. Especially when you lock into a new show and that show gets cancelled because it had 25 less viewers than it did the week before. That aspect you can’t just blame on the multitudes that watch every piece of reality crap that is thrown out there, the axe that falls is firmly in the hands of the suits that sit in the front offices at the networks.
Those suits and their knee jerk reactions are the ones that leave so many of us high and dry after we have made a commitment to a new program. Programs that they pull out all the stops to get us to watch in the first place. To me, there is nothing more frustrating than to invest an hour a week on a new show, get to know and like or hate the characters, and have no closure as to what happens to them.
Such was the case twice this season with shows that we bet on and got burned. First was the aforementioned “Studio 60”, they really got us on that one because they never told us it was doomed until the season was almost over. Now after a little break and with the season being over, they are showing us the last few episodes that they had completed.
The second was another great show called “The Black Donnellys”. I am not quite sure if it is more or less frustrating to be shown only six episodes, instead of thirteen, I do know that both suck. I absolutely hate unanswered questions and unresolved stories.
The one story that isn’t unanswered is why shows are so unceremoniously pulled by the suits. The answer is easy. They are not entertainers or artists, they are businessmen. Businessmen who are more concerned with the numbers on the Nielsen ratings sheets than with the artistic integrity of its shows or the audience who bought into those shows. Quality be damned as long as the numbers are there.
Being businessmen you would think that they would take more pride in and stand behind the product that they are selling. The lack of those business qualities doesn’t make them businessmen as much as it makes them snake oil salesmen.
So what do these snake oil salesmen have in the back of their wagons for us leading into the drought of the summer? Well not a whole hell of a lot. As a matter of fact the only things of any substance, which are few and far between, are on the cable stations. So if you are one of those last few hold outs who still don’t have cable, now would be an excellent time to invest.
As far as the network stations go, well it’s more of the same old reality crap. “America’s Got Talent”, “So You Think You Can Dance?”, “American Inventor”… oh lord just shoot me now. Of course I could try to catch a repeat of “CSI: Wherever” or a “Law & Order” and hope it wasn’t one of the three that I didn’t see during the last season, but that usually isn’t the case.
 The only reality show on now that I actually enjoy is “Hell’s Kitchen” primarily due to the head chef Gordon Ramsay. He definitely embodies the anger I am feeling about the current situation on the airwaves. I fantasize about me being him and the apprentice chefs are the network suits. Just as Chef Ramsey does to the contestants, I picture myself torturing and berating the suits with every stupid idea they come up with.
Now that I think of it, that might be a great idea for the next reality show. You know those suits would be up for participating in it if there was a buck to be made and the ratings were good enough.
Well it might not be good enough for the regular season, but for sure as a summer replacement series.
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