Perhaps the only thing more challenging than getting a television show on the airwaves is keeping it on, especially when it comes to being renewed for a second season. We all know the story: Ratings are fickle and network executives are likely to pull the plug on a show as soon as it underperforms even slightly. Sometimes this is a tragedy, chiefly when a fantastic show gets cancelled too soon, and these shows often become “cult classics” with small but amazingly passionate fan bases.
This brings us to what is referred to in the entertainment industry as the “bubble watch.” When a show is just barely, tenuously hanging onto its time slot, the fantasy-football-like guessing game begins as the industry attempts to predict which shows will make it and which will get cut. Fans of writer Bryan Fuller’s work will be familiar with what can happen when a critically acclaimed show does not appeal to mass audiences. The writer has had a number of masterpieces cut short, from “Dead Like Me” to “Pushing Daisies” to “Wonderfalls.” Most likely you have either never heard of these shows or, if you’ve watched them, you’ve treasured them.
It seems the same tragic fate may strike yet again with Fuller’s latest series, NBC’s “Hannibal.” Arguably the best new drama on a major network, “Hannibal” has received critical acclaim but seems endangered after only four episodes due its small fan base. The show has received some flack for being too graphic for its time slot.
For the most part, shows that stay and shows that go are determined not by artistic merit or quality of content, but by viewership and viewership alone. Unfortunately, the greatest appeal is for the lowest common denominator and the vast majority of shows that are continually renewed are reality competitions. Everything from “The Amazing Race” to “The Biggest Loser,” “Dancing With the Stars” to “Hell’s Kitchen” and popular singing competitions like “American Idol” and “The Voice” will be returning to TV screens next season.
Among the renewed-show victories this year are the popular sitcoms “New Girl” (FOX), “The Mindy Project” (FOX) “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS) “2 Broke Girls” (CBS) and “Parks and Recreation” (NBC). Dramas are judged more harshly, as it is harder to hold a viewer’s attention span for an hour-long program, but Fox’s “The Following,” starring Kevin Bacon, is a sure thing.
Shows that remain “on the bubble,” in addition to “Hannibal” include “Body Of Proof,” “The New Normal,” “Happy Endings” and “Beauty and the Beast.” For some of these shows cancellation is predicted—and this is exactly where viewership matters. Only a serious spike in ratings is enough to keep these unstable shows afloat.
Occasionally, television executives are actually merciful in cutting off shows before they have a chance to become total train wrecks. You may remember my review of “Do No Harm” which was cancelled after its second episode when it crashed and burned in both ratings and reviews. Similarly, shows like “Smash” and “The Office”—both of which were great at one point, and then faltered—are being removed before they alienate viewers completely.
The same cannot be said about the many shows that have hit a plateau in their development. Series like “How I Met Your Mother,” “Bones” and “Supernatural” seem to have stalled out, but are returning anyway. Some dead-man-walking shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Criminal Minds,” “Glee” and “Two and a Half Men” keep making episodes while quality continually declines.
While ratings are sometimes a good measure of standard, such as returning dramas “Arrow” and “Bates Motel,” which have had high enough ratings to stay on the air, the massive franchise-style shows often steal thunder from programs that deserve better. TV is probably better off without cancelled shows like “The Carrie Diaries” and “Gossip Girl,” but the flip side of this is that sometimes even the strongest fan bases just cannot keep a show in business, as the cancelled “Fringe” and hanging-by-a-thread “Hannibal” can attest. In order to receive a new season, a show must find a way to appeal to the masses.
In the end, television shows are dependent on fan support to keep their momentum going. Even the shows that seem to be a sure thing could be in danger soon. Fans of shows like “Castle,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Scandal,” “Revolution” and “Parenthood” should stay dedicated if they want to ensure that these shows keep showing up on the airwaves. Show your support and the TV executives will have no choice but to take notice.
