It won’t die!
Article here from Delhi Newsline (didn’t know I was so jet-set, did you?) on the way TV networks keep shows on the air long past their prime. To quote Paul Buchman of Mad About You (a good example), this is what I’m saying.
As they point out, ratings (=advertising rates=money) is what decides these things, not storytelling. But they shouldn’t put all the blame on the networks–there’s enough to go around for producers and fans, too.
David Gerrold once said a TV producer was “a human being who has made the mistake of falling asleep next to a green pod filled with money. When he awakes again, he has been tranformed into an alien being that feeds on power, talent, and the blood of the innocent.” Whenever I see someone who clearly is (or has been) a supremely talented writer continue to push their wares well past their sell-by date…I think of that quote.
You can all think of at least one example, can’t you? I know I can.
And as I’ve discussed here before, few things in pop culture make me scratch my head as much as those who seemingly will accept any old crap, as long as it has the right brand.
So yeah, TV shows in this country go on too long. But just blaming the networks is too easy. It reminds me of what I’m told David Mamet once said about people who complain they were treated badly in Hollywood: It’s like a guy climbing out of a boxing ring accusing, “He hit me!”
At least the networks will tell you that rating$ matter more to them than storytelling. TV producers (some not all) will insist to you that they’re going into their eighth season simply because they had more stories to tell. Just saw Ray Romano (who produces as well as stars in his series) do it in TV Guide today. The one million+ per episode he was offered doesn’t enter into it at all.
