The past decade of television has offered some of the best shows to ever grace the celluloid small screen. Critics and fans agree that shows like LOST, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, DEXTER, 24, THE WEST WING, HOUSE, DEADWOOD, THE WIRE, and THE SHIELD were among this “golden renaissance” era; and they paved the way for shows like THE GOOD WIFE, BREAKING BAD, MAD MEN, DAMAGES, JUSTIFIED, HOMELAND, LUTHER, SONS OF ANARCHY, SHERLOCK, and DOWNTON ABBEY. These are just a few of the multitude of extraordinary shows that sprang up in this creative climate when studios and television viewers were willing to embrace shows that were a little more cutting-edge and outside-the-box than television of years past.
However, that “hey day” seems to be slipping away. It is getting harder and harder to get television audiences to checkout and stick with television shows that are considered “thinking” shows. Back at the height of their popularity shows like HOUSE and LOST commanded 24-27 million viewers. But that was several years ago. LOST fell to below 10 million viewers when it ended its run, and HOUSE is limping out with a weekly average of 6 million viewers. Creatively, these shows have been strong from beginning to end. Instead, what happened was viewer-fatigue. Shows that last more than 5 years are a rarity on television today. There are the procedurals that are still going strong, but as popular and well-done as they are, these are not the type of shows you think of when you hear the phrase “smart TV.” They are along the lines of “safe TV” – well-crafted and consistent, and they resolve their weekly stories in easy fashion.
As much as pains us to consider it, shows like THE WEST WING and LOST would fail miserably in today’s television climate. Why? Because viewers are tired of shows that make them think that hard. [Read more…]
Archives for April 2012
Dispatches From The Couch: When Does a Spoiler Stop Being a Spoiler?
Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll tell you I Tweet a lot — and mostly about television.
Whether it’s live-tweeting GENERAL HOSPITAL every day (at @soapsindepthabc) or pledging my undying loyalty to GAME OF THORNES’ Tyrion Lannister (on @DispatchesFTC), I rarely have an unexpressed thought regarding the endless hours of programming that I consume during any given week. And because of the nature of Twitter, that means that on any given day, I wind up spoiling things for people who haven’t yet watched whatever I happen to be talking about.
Which raises the question… when does a spoiler stop being a spoiler? [Read more…]
On TV Tonight: Thursday April 26, 2012
Buzzing About… REVENGE
TV Ratings: Wednesday April 25, 2012 (Grizzled Vet SVU Sends Upstart REVENGE a Message!)
Time | Network | Show | Rating | 18-49 | VS. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
8PM | FOX | American Idol | 16.48 | 4.6/13 | |
CBS | Survivor: One World | 9.52 | 2.6/8 | ||
NBC | Betty White’s Off Their Rockers | 5.81 | 1.6/5 | ||
ABC | The Middle (R) | 4.94 | 1.3/4 | ||
CW | The L.A. Complex (R) | 721,000 | 0.3/1 | ||
8:30PM | ABC | Suburgatory (R) | 4.49 | 1.4/4 | |
NBC | Best Friends Forever | 2.71 | 0.9/2 | ||
9PM | FOX | American Idol | 16.48 | 4.6/13 | |
CBS | Criminal Minds (R) | 7.63 | 1.8/5 | ||
ABC | Modern Family (R) | 5.82 | 2.2/6 | ||
NBC | Rock Center with Brian Williams | 3.87 | 0.9/2 | ||
CW | America’s Next Top Model: British Invasion | 1.09 | 0.5/1 | ||
9:30PM | ABC | Don’t Trust the B… | 4.88 | 2.0/5 | |
10PM | ABC | Revenge | 6.82 | 2.0/6 | |
NBC | Law & Order: SVU | 6.40 | 1.6/4 | ||
CBS | CSI (R) | 6.64 | 1.5/4 |
A Dance, A Love Triangle and a Goodbye! We Preview Tonight’s Kleenex-Inducing Episode of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
The CW drama series THE VAMPIRE DIARIES knows exactly how to tease its fans and how to wring every bit of emotion out just one episode of television. In the upcoming ‘Do Not Go Gentle’ episode, that last remaining white oak stake has a vital role to play. We knew it as soon as everyone realized it was missing and when it was revealed last week that Alaric’s alter-ego self and Esther possessing-her-daughter Rebekah had teamed-up. So as the evil duo unleashes their plan to take down the Originals, it sets off a chain of events that will leave fans reaching for their kleenex boxes. [Read more…]
Morning Static: MODERN FAMILY, THE FLINTSTONES, MARRIED… WITH CHILDREN & More!
• Duh of the Day: President Obama boosts Jimmy Fallon’s ratings.
• Must Read TV: Broadcasting a World of Whiteness.
• Yabba Dabba Don’t: What killed Seth MacFarlane’s FLINTSTONES TV Remake.
• I Want To Go There: Ty Burrell and three castmates from MODERN FAMILY bring hit TV show to the stage.
• BUNHEADS First Look: Kelly Bishop in Amy Sherman-Palladino’s new Sutton Foster series.
• It’s a Small World After All! See MARRIED… WITH CHILDREN around the world.
GOOD MORNING AMERICA Gets Mashed!
It turns out everything’s better when done mash-up style… including commercials. Our favorite so far has to have been the downright brilliant ad used to advertise the release of COMMUNITY’s first season on DVD. But this week, a new challenger has stepped into the ring thanks to a celebrity-fuelled, catchy-as-all-get-out ad ABC’s been running for GOOD MORNING AMERICA (Airing weekdays from 7-9PM). Any vid that gets the blood pumping and features The Muppets deserves a shout-out!
GREY’S ANATOMY First Look: “Let The Bad Times Roll”
What’s the only thing more unsettling than today’s news that had GREY’S ANATOMY mastermind Shonda Rhimes reveal that fans should brace themselves for “some really shocking, horrible moments,” when it comes to the hit ABC dramas May 17th season finale? How about these first look photos from the equally disturbing May 3 outing. Ominously titled “Let The Bad Times Roll,” the May sweeps episode not only has the residents agonizing over the results of their oral boards, but features Julia asking Mark to start a family with her and Catherine telling Richard that one of his residents has failed. See for yourself, after the jump. [Read more…]
On TV Tonight: Wednesday April 25, 2012
NET | 8PM | 8:30PM | 9PM | 9:30PM | 10PM | 10:30PM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | The Middle (R) | Suburgatory (R) | Modern Family (R) | Don’t Trust the B… | Revenge | |
CBS | Survivor: One World | Criminal Minds (R) | CSI (R) | |||
CW | The L.A. Complex (R) | America’s Next Top Model: British Invasion | ||||
FOX | American Idol | |||||
NBC | Betty White’s Off Their Rockers | Best Friends Forever | Rock Center with Brian Williams | Law & Order: SVU | ||
MISC | Ghost Hunters International (Syfy) | Hot in Cleveland & Happily Divorced (TV Land) The Soup (E!) Monster Man (Syfy) America’s Best Dance Crew (MTV) |