Dear ABC:

[yendi]

You cancelled a show that could give us scenes like this:

"WKRP "As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly" Thanksgiving" (Watch on YouTube)

If there's anything approaching karma out there, the executive responsible will get a case of syphilis from his or her next prostitute. Preferably a mutant strain of the sort that David Cronenberg would dream up for his early movies.

Comments

[terracinque.livejournal.com]

Nobody was watching it, Adam. Networks aren't funded by an NEA grant.

[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

No one who's ratings value the sponsors wanted to watch was watching it. This is not the same as no one watching. Unless you are in the 18-35 age group your viewing habits are not cared about by the ratings people and the sponsors. This is the great American Stupidity.

[ex-gnomicut.livejournal.com]

I'm in that age group, and I was watching it. And worshipping it.

[poobah103.livejournal.com]

I'm 23, but no matter how many letters I write to TV executivies, none of them will put "Firefly" *or* "I'm With Busey" back on the air.

So, yeah, they apparently don't value *my* viewing habits all that much either.

[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

Do you have Cable tv? Are you a Neilson Family? Are multiple people watching the TVs in your residence? If the answer to any of these is No, then yes they don't care. Same is if you can answer yes to 'Do you watch shows as played or TIVO/Record them'?

One rating company pretty much dominates what is 'truth' (and no longer counts anyone that doesn't have cable). Nielson only counts recorded shows as a partial value (even if multiple people watch them they only count as 1/2 a viewer total if it was recorded.

We were a Nielson family a few years ago, though we are sure to have annoyed them with our limited viewing of anything... we lasted one round through the ratings book and then they decided we didn't fit their demographic group, so we've never heard from them again.

[yendi]

If I had even the slightest reason the believe that the ludicrously out-of-date (and ineffective even in its prime) ratings system was in any way effective or that ABC had done anything to promote the show, I might buy that.

I would say that the current ratings system is a joke, except a joke would actually be funny...

[cscottd.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid that until/unless the ratings system is updated to accurately take into account modern viewing habits (TiVo, Internet, etc), this kind of thing is just going to keep happening.

Other than my father (who refuses to let us pay the monthly subscription fee and so only uses the TiVo we gave him for pausing and rewinding live TV), I don't know anyone who actually watches television live any more.

Re: I would say that the current ratings system is a joke, except a joke would actually be funny...

[yendi]

Yup. And the networks will continue to scratch their heads and claim to not understand what's happening. The only winners here are the Nielsen folks, who continue to have everyone conned (or at least pretending to be conned).

[unwilly.livejournal.com]

Yep, Olive goodness, gone forever.

Sis #2's company does post production work on PD, and the cancellation likely means many people will be getting fired.

[yendi]

Ack! That really sucks.

[creentmerveille.livejournal.com]

:(

Agreed and agreed.

On the bright side, now there's less reason than ever for me to get that flat panel uberwide superscreen I couldn't afford for Christmas. Because TV for me was Pushing Daisies and Doctor Who... and there's only a few of THOSE left, too. :/

Oh, think of what I can do with the savings. *sigh*

[yendi]

True. And I can download Dr. Who the day it airs in England, without scenes being cut.

[yndy.livejournal.com]

Because only those of us with an IQ over that of rocks watched it and because it was so amazing...

[poobah103.livejournal.com]

I tried to watch it, but I couldn't figure out how to work the remote and ended up slamming my massively oversized forehead against the buttons repeatedly instead.

Those things are complicated for people with the IQ's of rocks!

[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

And here just last week a friend had convinced me that I should watch this show... gone before I ever saw more than the clip you linked to.

Generally Good Shows Die Young, crapfests, like all the 'reality tv shows' go on forever....

[ex-gnomicut.livejournal.com]

CANCELLED WHAT?

[yendi]

They pulled the plug on PD, Dirty Sexy Money, and Eli Stone last month: http://www.thrfeed.com/2008/11/abc-no-pickups.html

[creentmerveille.livejournal.com]

Oh? How?!?!?! *dies of jealous*