Blake Undying by Jason Cook: Stand Up and Be Counted
Stand Up and Be Counted
Last night it was announced that Joss Whedon's new show Dollhouse has been renewed for another half season run. Joss has managed to craft another interesting and provocative series, that was almost cancelled due to low ratings and some creative difficulties with the studios at Fox. Still on the bubble is the fate of another favorite of mine Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, whose fate has yet to be determined. If renewed, it too will likely receive only a partial order of shows, essentially keeping the show on life support with the studio's hand on the plug. With this in mind and the major networks presenting their upfronts next week, I think I need to have a word with the Americans in the crowd, and share with them my radical plan for saving my favorite shows.
Stop watching television.
This may seem counter-intuitive to you now, but hear me out and you'll see there is a method to my madness. As a Canadian my primary source of television comes from networks in the United States, and for those of you who are not aware, the life and death of television shows in the US is based on their Nielsen Ratings. A group of 10,000 American homes dictate which programs live and die with a click of their remote controls. This tiny sliver represents the watching habits of approximately 114.5 million American households with televisions, resulting in a sample size of approximately 0.087%. High ratings means the network can charge more for commercials aired during that program, which means higher revenue. Unless you are one of the 10,000 however, your votes just don't count.
Over the years I've seen just as many promising shows struck down in their prime as I've seen mediocre shows drag on for season after season. Intelligent shows with a serialized narrative like Firefly, Journeyman or Day Break are cast aside in favor of nonsensical car chase fodder like Prison Break. So how do we reverse the damage and stem the tide of unrelenting mediocrity? How do we make our voice heard?
Easy. Stop watching television... on television.
Streamed Content is arguably the most powerful tool in our arsenal, simply because it has the most immediate effect. It is cheap for the studio to provide, as any bandwidth costs incurred are immediately offset by internet ads and click-throughs, plus they get an immediate appreciation for how well a particular show is doing, rather than a vague and potentially misleading ratings and share calculation.
This is why my plan is mainly directed at Americans, because most of these sites are blocked to foreign (i.e. my) IP addresses, preventing the average user from accessing the content from abroad. So, I must direct the battle from the tent, trusting you faithful few to stand up for the shows that you believe in, not just to save your favorite shows that are in trouble but to make them better. Higher ratings means that shows can ask for bigger budgets, which means more special effects or location shooting, giving writers the creative leeway to deliver more ambitious scripts rather than limit themselves to what is cost-effective.
I leave it in your capable hands, America. Go forth and protect the thought provoking dramas, the challenging science fiction, the confounding mysteries of our airwaves. Some day that might be the "Blake Undying" television series you're protecting.
How do you think a Nielsen family is going to react to that?
(If you happen to be a Nielsen family, please ignore this plan and go about your day. ;)
Stop watching television.
This may seem counter-intuitive to you now, but hear me out and you'll see there is a method to my madness. As a Canadian my primary source of television comes from networks in the United States, and for those of you who are not aware, the life and death of television shows in the US is based on their Nielsen Ratings. A group of 10,000 American homes dictate which programs live and die with a click of their remote controls. This tiny sliver represents the watching habits of approximately 114.5 million American households with televisions, resulting in a sample size of approximately 0.087%. High ratings means the network can charge more for commercials aired during that program, which means higher revenue. Unless you are one of the 10,000 however, your votes just don't count.
Over the years I've seen just as many promising shows struck down in their prime as I've seen mediocre shows drag on for season after season. Intelligent shows with a serialized narrative like Firefly, Journeyman or Day Break are cast aside in favor of nonsensical car chase fodder like Prison Break. So how do we reverse the damage and stem the tide of unrelenting mediocrity? How do we make our voice heard?
Easy. Stop watching television... on television.
- Downloads - Buy the shows via iTunes or Amazon.com, indicating to the studios that these shows will continue to drive DVD and Blu-Ray sales after airing, justifying their continued investment.
- DVD / Blu-Ray - When released, make sure to pick up the season boxed sets, either for yourself or as a gift for someone else who you think would enjoy the show and needs to catch up.
- Streamed Content - In the information age, more and more studios are offering their content streamed through the internet via their own websites or services like Hulu. Networks have access to real time statistics for all traffic on their site, giving a more accurate picture of the popularity of programs that may not appeal to the mainstream.
Streamed Content is arguably the most powerful tool in our arsenal, simply because it has the most immediate effect. It is cheap for the studio to provide, as any bandwidth costs incurred are immediately offset by internet ads and click-throughs, plus they get an immediate appreciation for how well a particular show is doing, rather than a vague and potentially misleading ratings and share calculation.
This is why my plan is mainly directed at Americans, because most of these sites are blocked to foreign (i.e. my) IP addresses, preventing the average user from accessing the content from abroad. So, I must direct the battle from the tent, trusting you faithful few to stand up for the shows that you believe in, not just to save your favorite shows that are in trouble but to make them better. Higher ratings means that shows can ask for bigger budgets, which means more special effects or location shooting, giving writers the creative leeway to deliver more ambitious scripts rather than limit themselves to what is cost-effective.
I leave it in your capable hands, America. Go forth and protect the thought provoking dramas, the challenging science fiction, the confounding mysteries of our airwaves. Some day that might be the "Blake Undying" television series you're protecting.
How do you think a Nielsen family is going to react to that?
(If you happen to be a Nielsen family, please ignore this plan and go about your day. ;)