When network tribes play survivor

Yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer featured an article by their resident TV reviewer Jonathan Storm discussing this spring's crop of shows on the cusp of being cancelled due to poor ratings and his estimates as to their chances of being renewed. He also mentions a couple past fan campaigns to save shows.

While there may be some quality shows worthy of renewal, frankly I just have not sampled most of them for one reason or another. Of the shows Mr. Storm mentions there are only three that I watch regularly, two of which I really feel are worth saving: The CW's Veronica Mars and CBS's The Class. (I've heard that NBC's Friday Night Lights is quite good, but I've never tried it myself.)

I also watch CBS's Jericho, but that's mostly due to a convenient time slot and enough curiosity about the premise to want to see where it might go in a full season as far as explaining what's going on. Assuming it gets renewed, but depending on time slot, I may not continue watching if the season finale does not satisfy with some sort of idea as to exactly what's happening and why. If it ends up being cancelled, though, I won't be horribly disappointed.

Personally I don't put much stock in fan campaigns to save certain shows and the article confirms my belief...

All five network chiefs say the campaigns are fun, but there's only one sure way to keep a show on the air: Get more people to tune in.

"It really comes down to numbers, and how many people are watching these shows," says ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson. "If the writing's already on the wall, it's very difficult to resurrect."

But, McPherson says, "if they can motivate people to watch and bring the numbers up, then they can have an impact."

I would add that just getting folks to watch is nice, but probably not enough—somehow getting actual "Nielsen families" to watch is what's really needed. Also, I suppose in theory that a push to purchase products/services advertised during your favorite shows could help, but I can't imagine the impact of that being anything but miniscule. I would think too that for it to have even a tiny chance of any impact at all folks would have to somehow notify the advertisers to explicitly tell them that they purchased their product/service—providing a recently dated copy of a receipt for documentation—as a result of seeing their advertisement during whatever show.

Note that Inquirer articles are usually available free online for only a limited time (a week if I recall correctly), so the above link will probably soon be useless. For that reason I decided to directly post the info regarding how to contact the networks to plead for your favorite shows...

Jonathan Storm—Contacting the Networks

Friday Night Lights fans could send NBC truckloads of footballs to help get their show renewed, but the networks prefer postcards, phone calls or e-mail. Here's the best way to contact each one:

ABC
Renew (Name of Show)
ABC Inc.
500 S. Buena Vista St.
Burbank, Calif. 91521-4551
or
http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html

The CW
Renew (Name of Show)
The CW
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, Calif. 91522
or
feedback@CWTV.com

NBC
Renew (Name of Show)
NBC Television Network
3000 W. Alameda Ave.
Burbank, Calif. 91523
or
http://www.nbc.com/Footer/Contact_Us/

CBS
212-975-3247 or 3248
or
audsvcs@cbs.com

Fox
ask.fox@fox.com

Here also is Mr. Storm's assessment of various low-rated shows and their chances of renewal for another season...

Jonathan Storm—The Safe and the Shaky

It's obvious that many series—including The Nine, Kidnapped and Daybreak—won't be around next fall. Others, such as Prison Break, Ugly Betty, Men in Trees and Shark, already have been picked up or are shoo-ins for renewal.

But a lot of shows could still go either way. Here, with a percentage prediction of their chances of survival, is a list of endangered series:

ABC
The Knights of Prosperity—Network honchos like low-rated laugher. 40 percent.
According to Jim and The George Lopez Show—Tired sitcoms fading. 30 percent.
Six Degrees—Back soon for a second chance that will determine its fate. 30 percent. (DimSkip here... It's actually back now as ABC has this slotted on friday nights at 9.)
What About Brian—On two seasons, never found an audience. 25 percent.

CBS
Rules of Engagement—What passes for a hit in the current sitcom world. 90 percent.
How I Met Your Mother—Seems safe. 80 percent.
The New Adventures of Old Christine—Doing decently. 65 percent.
Jericho—Ratings dropped precipitously after long hiatus, but has strong executive support. 50 percent.
The Class—Another show with inside support, but low ratings. 40 percent.
Close to Home—No buzz at all, mediocre numbers. 30 percent.

The CW
Gilmore Girls—Virtually certain Alexis Bledel (Rory) won't return full time. Lauren Graham's (Lorelai) contract is up, too, but network may try to forge ahead if she re-signs. 35 percent.
7th Heaven—Out of gas. 25 percent.
All of Us—Ditto. 25 percent.
Veronica Mars—Microscopic audience, even for the little network. 20 percent.

Fox
'Til Death and The War at Home—Both sitcoms on shaky ratings ground. 30 percent.

NBC
30 Rock and Friday Night Lights—Network bosses see promise in both underperformers. 70 percent.
Medium—Mediocre ratings, but it's younger than Crossing Jordan. 65 percent.
Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent—One's almost certainly going, which makes the odds 50 percent.
Crossing Jordan—Tired. Amy Brenneman working on a new pilot. 35 percent.
Scrubs—Too expensive for NBC's tastes, but ABC might pick it up, if discarded. 35 percent.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip—Suits don't see much hope for this one. 20 percent.