What IS wrong with American TV?

POSTED BY: Ruthie
UPDATED: Monday, August 10, 2026 16:40
VIEWED: 19611
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RUTHIE

Thursday, June 3, 2004 6:19 PM

Companies, executives, audiences - as a mere UK-er, I don't have a hope of understanding the American system.

But I've just found that yet ANOTHER series that I was watching was cancelled mid-series. This one was Jake 2.0. I'm not saying that it was the greatest thing ever or anything, but it had caught the attention of my 11-yr-old son, and we were enjoying watching it together.
But it's usually on on Thursdays, saw it wasn't on tonight, looked it up on the internet to find why - and found that last week's was the last made, and even at that we've had 4 more eps shown in the UK than were shown in America. Sound familiar?

It's this buisness of being cancelled mid-series that really gets me. It must be SO frustrating to the makers to only be able to tell half the story - and I KNOW it makes the audience frustrated. Imagine if every book we were enjoying had the last 25% of the pages ripped out!

I understand that American TV companies are under greater commercial pressure than our good old BBC, but I think that part of the problem is that American series are expected to have so many episodes. Usually 22-24 per series.
Why not fill the same time with 3 different 6-8 episode series? That's what the BBC does.
That way, 3 different things can be tried in the same time-slot, the popular ones get chances at more series, the writers KNOW how many episodes they have to fill with their story before they even start (always leaving room for that hoped-for further series, of course), and they never get cancelled mid-series.
Actors have more diversity of work - they don't face the year-long grind of playing the same character that seems to wear down so many actors on the American series, and audiences get to see more different faces.

The BBC does a lot of good stuff, but it really doesn't have the money to put into as much production as the whole of America.
We have to suppliment our home-produced stuff with the best from other countries.

But I just don't know how many more of these cancelled mid-story dissapointments I can take :(

*******************
Ruthie
*******************
By the data to date, there is only one animal in the Galaxy dangerous to man - man himself. So he must supply his own indispensable competition. He has no enemy to help him. (R.A.Heinlein)

SIGMANUNKI

Thursday, June 3, 2004 7:11 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Ruthie:
I understand that American TV companies are under greater commercial pressure than our good old BBC, but I think that part of the problem is that American series are expected to have so many episodes. Usually 22-24 per series.
Why not fill the same time with 3 different 6-8 episode series? That's what the BBC does.

Well, there is the mid-season switch, which incidentally is how Buffy got it's start. Something got canceled and they got in. At least that's how I think it happened (got that info through the grape vine).

Quote:
Originally posted by Ruthie:
The BBC does a lot of good stuff, but it really doesn't have the money to put into as much production as the whole of America.
We have to suppliment our home-produced stuff with the best from other countries.

I've seen some UK productions and although it is obvious that the UK doesn't put as much money in their TV shows, in general they *are* better... *a lot* better.

I think the same about the recent Canadian TV shows that have come out. I was pleasantly surprised when I watched to find such quality writing

Quote:
Originally posted by Ruthie:
But I just don't know how many more of these canceled mid-story disappointments I can take :(

Me too.

I think the major problem with TV is that it isn't there to provide entertainment. It's there to provide companies with loads of money. And when ratings = money they tend to go with the cheapest to make (ie reality TV), which currently get the most viewers (*a lot* of people are of a quality that like this type of "entertainment"

).

Things may change, but, for the foreseeable future the people who like quality TV (ie clever writing, etc) are in for a bumpy ride

----
"Canada being mad at you is like Mr. Rogers throwing a brick through your window." -Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

HELL'S KITTEN

Friday, June 4, 2004 2:56 AM

What's wrong with American TV? Instant gratification isn't instant enough for the corporate folks.

JUMPY

Friday, June 4, 2004 3:38 AM

I know what you mean. but even so. I think the whole direction television internationally is going is extremely, well f'd up.

Reality TV(which I despise with every inch of my body) I feel is like the plague of television, its really a disease (just my opinion, I'm not being aggressive).

Yeh and of course there's great shows (like firefly) that get cancelled abruptly.

So yeh, Reality TV and the cancellation of good shows - GORRAM IT, GORRAM IT TO THE SPECIAL KIND OF HELL.

__________________________
There's no show I'd rather see, than the one with Serenity.
You can't take the sky from me...

SERGEANTX

Friday, June 4, 2004 3:47 AM

What's wrong with American TV?

Americans

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

PEACE

Friday, June 4, 2004 5:50 AM

The basic problem with American TV (and the American film industry, same continuum) is that it is generally run by lawyers and accountants. I am currently working with a screenwriter on a project (he's a pro with real credits, not a wannabe like me), and he compares most studio execs to George Castanza (sp., I know, but I never watched the stupid show) on Seinfield-- weasely little puffballs who wouldn't know a good show or concept if it bit them in their engine pod. There are exceptions to this, but this is his general observation. That's one problem.

The other is, you're right, that American networks are under a lot more commercial pressure. If I recall the British system correctly, the BBC doesn't have to sell commercial time to advertisers. American TV is, in reality, nothing more or less than an opportunity for advertisers to get their product some attention. This attention is measured statistically, and if the advertiser doesn't think they're getting the audience share, they will be all over the network that has let them down. (This system, wacky as it is, dates back to radio in this country). Consequently the networks are constantly scrutinizing the demographics they are getting for any show-- and there is tremendous pressure for a show to perform quickly and in the short-term. Networks (not just Fox) are notorious for not allowing shows time to get they're feet under them. The network execs who say "This show's not performing so good right now, but it's a great story, so we'll carry for a while", are as rare as hen's teeth, partly because of the dunderheaded nature of most of them, as noted above, and also because any exec who made such a decision would be in serious danger of being fired by some dunderhead over him/her who doesn't know the show's intrinsically good, and only bows to the Great God Demographic (I think they sacrifice writers to this deity by the full of the moon).

And, yes, another part is that, in general, Americans seem to have a high tolerance for low-grade entertainment. Everything from wrestling (which has a long pedigree on the American tube) to dating shows to every variety of reality TV has been consumed and enjoyed by the viewing public over here. Why is a mystery I am perhaps too close to to judge-- and Americans have supported quality TV in the past. Maybe somebody's done a paper somewhere....

All of this combines to push American TV toward the lowest common denominator. It is a wasteland, as someone put it years ago-- but it makes you appreciate the oases even more....

Oh, bugger! Now I have to wait for someone to wake up!

RUTHIE

Tuesday, June 8, 2004 10:30 AM

(LOL - I thought I'd lost this post - it must have been moved!)

Yes, that's an interesting point about Buffy - one thing had to die, so something else could live.

It just seems to me that there is no good reason that ALL TV series made in America should be expected to have 20+ episodes.

Some, yes - something like 24 just wouldn't be possible under our system.

But there is obviously a system that doesn't work very well - so why not experiment with change? (Don't expect any network executives are reading this, but still...)

Does the American public have any way of letting the networks know when they are not happy, apart from just not watching?

*******************
Ruthie
*******************
By the data to date, there is only one animal in the Galaxy dangerous to man - man himself. So he must supply his own indispensable competition. He has no enemy to help him. (R.A.Heinlein)

SCOTTISHBROWNCOAT

Tuesday, June 8, 2004 12:43 PM

Hello Ruthie,
I think your observation is accurate.

One 6-8 episode show that comes to mind for me is Ultraviolet, an interesting show that probably fell in that tri-show season you spoke of.
I did notice with it, there was more of a conclusion at the end of it's episodes.

Although American TV when done Good is Great, and this no one can Deny...Firefly anyone????

SBC
P.S. I am a American born and bred Ulster-Scot(And Catholic too, Go Glasgow Celtics!!! ).
I am from Evansville, Indiana(where our Shepherd Book is from, in fact that was the only reason I started watching the show, to see a fellow E'Ville native.)
However it always warms the heart when one of my Brother or Sisters from the homeland finds us out here in the 'verse.

EST120

Tuesday, June 8, 2004 2:25 PM

in my opinion, american television is too focused on fad shows and instant gratification. if a show is not a hit within a few episodes, it inevitably gets cancelled. also, popular shows spawn numerous rip offs that are usually not as good and detract from the original series which was popular, sometimes dragging it down with them. reality tv is also a problem because it feeds so many negative stereotypes that simply eat away at whatever moral base is left in this country. also, when a network finds a good show, they inevitably milk it for every dollar it is worth by creating spin offs. now, normally i do not have a problem with spin offs, but the latest thing is to make spin offs while the original show is still on (like law and order or CSI). what is the point of creating an other identical show when the original is still on? they are saturating the viewers with too much of the same thing. finally, there is too much emphasis on marketable shows rather than well done shows. there were many shows that were well written, well acted and well designed that never made it because there was less of a market for advertisers or for product lines like toys or DVDs.

my two cents (well, it was kind of long, so maybe 5 cents).

FREAKYSINS

Tuesday, June 8, 2004 2:39 PM

I'm with SergeantX on this one... the trouble is Americans. Face it, if the public didn't buy in to the shameless marketing hype being spoon fed to us via the networks, they'd HAVE to produce quality television... otherwise, they wouldn't have an audience to promote the latest disposable pine-scented floor-wipe to, because God knows, it would be barbaric to actually wash out a dust cloth and RE-USE IT!!!

/rant off

Peace

... if your hand touches metal, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet I will end you.

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