Greed is ruining TV-shows! (rant)

[Ranger REG]

Lost at least as I have heard things has been planned out for a 5 year run with cut outs built into the series in case of premature cancelation.

Or when an actor or actress suddenly leaves production, which Michelle Rodriquez might be if she's convicted of DUI for the second time.

 

[sniffles]

Ya, look at reality TV. All that is greed, they don't pay writers or actors and the people that are staring in it they use up and throw away. Greed has been a problem for a long time though.

It's not entirely true that there are no writers for "reality" shows. They are scripted almost as much as regular scripted tv (which just confirms why the "reality" label is so false).

But that said, I'm still inclined to agree with Psionicist. I am perpetually frustrated that tv shows linger on and on, far beyond the point where they are fun for me to watch anymore, just because the networks think they can milk a few more advertising dollars out of them. But I don't blame just greed. It isn't greed; it's profit. Without profit, tv might not exist. And I wouldn't like that.

I think some of the blame does lie with the viewers. If people would stop watching the shows that were once good but aren't anymore, instead of hanging on because they watched all the previous episodes, the general quality might improve.

The networks are all obsessed with syndication rights, and the idea that you can't syndicate anything that doesn't have at least 48 episodes in the can, so that's another factor in the mix. It would be nice if syndication packages could include multiple shows in a sort of anthology format, so shows that didn't last as long could still get into syndication. Then the networks might be more willing to let them die a natural death in first-run instead of keeping them on life support forever.

 

[Ranger REG]

But that said, I'm still inclined to agree with Psionicist. I am perpetually frustrated that tv shows linger on and on, far beyond the point where they are fun for me to watch anymore, just because the networks think they can milk a few more advertising dollars out of them.

Like daytime soap opera? Isn't Guiding Light one of them long-running show that got its start in the radio?

You could say that the TV networks are milking them, but they wouldn't if the shows aren't getting fans to watch them. While you could say you're done with Desperate Housewives, there are at least a thousand viewers that say the opposite. I could say that Enterprise should have been cancelled anytime during the first three seasons, but the TV network decided to gamble in the hope that new viewers will slowly caught up to the show. Of course, when they finally got their groove on the fourth season enough for me to say, "Okay! This is good Trek stories!" The TV networks somehow got a temporal playback device and listened to my past message and complied with it. And I'm like, "What da hell you doin'?!?!!! You haven't been listening to my message during the first three seasons, but you are now?!?!!!"

TV suits are stuck in their own world and time period. One of them should donate their body and brain to science so we can study how out-of-touch they are.

 

[Desdichado]

Umm... Are you pissed they canceled Star Trek: Enterprise? For me, yes and no.

Umm... He didn't even mention Star Trek: Enterprise, dude.

 

[Ranger REG]

Umm... He didn't even mention Star Trek: Enterprise, dude.

I thought I offered an example, dude.

 

[sniffles]

TV suits are stuck in their own world and time period. One of them should donate their body and brain to science so we can study how out-of-touch they are.

Agreed, totally agreed.