Jan 29 2009
Eli Stone Final Episodes to Air in Summer…Probably
I’d given up hope of ever hearing about the fate of Eli Stone’s final episodes, but apparently I gave up just before the news broke mid-month. E! Online and other news outlets report that ABC is planning on airing the remaining episodes and finales of Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money, and Pushing Daisies in June–at the earliest. The reason for the delay? Apparently the largely crap fill-ins are getting the same or better ratings as the canceled shows they replaced. That’s right, the stupid candid camera show that ran in Eli Stone’s time slot got twice as many viewers.
According to the slew of blog posts and comments on every article talking about Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money, and Pushing Daisies, someone was liking these shows. With such a large outcry, and continuous outcry, it’s hard to believe the numbers. I get hits every day to my blog from people looking for Eli Stone cancellation and final episodes news.
There are lots of theories why these shows fail and the crap that replaces them does better. One of them is that the sensationalistic reality shows seem to get promoted a heck of a lot more than the scripted programs like Eli Stone. Another is that the Nielsen ratings are completely outmoded and useless, using too small a sample to truly judge the viewership and not allowing for DVR and online viewing numbers that get larger each day.
With the way networks schedule popular TV shows against one another to try and cancel them out, DVR and online viewing can become a big part of a TV show’s viewership. The audience doesn’t want to miss out on a quality program, so they watch one in real time and then watch the competing show later. That’s the beauty of current technology. You no longer have to choose–you can watch both.
But how many people will DVR or view a reality show online? Except for competition shows like American Idol or Dancing with the Stars, I would guess not many. So I theorize that while Eli Stone may have had 4 million real time viewers and 4 million online viewers, the candid camera show only had 7 million viewers in real time and nothing else. The problem is that the networks don’t care about DVR and online viewing because it’s not helping their ad money. Less commercial viewing equals less money. So they’d rather have 3 million real time viewers watching commercials than 20 million loyal online Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money, or Pushing Daisies viewers. It’s all about the dollar.
Another problem is the self-fulfilling prophesy problem. Shows get canceled at the drop of a hat these days, so viewers have become skeptical when new shows hit the air. Will it last? Should I bother? A commenter on E! Online dubbed ABC: “Already Been Canceled.” We’re battle-weary. I wanted to check out Pushing Daisies last year, but I kept hearing about low numbers and possible cancellations. Not wanting to get my heart broken for the umpty-ninth time, I skipped it. Other viewers no doubt did the same with Dirty Sexy Money and Eli Stone. Wary of cancellations, people don’t watch the shows. People don’t watch the shows, so they get canceled. It’s a vicious cycle, and won’t end until the networks stop pulling the rug out from under us.
Check out the E! Online article on Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money, and Pushing Daisies here .
I guess everyone has to make a dollar, but why couldn’t they do a marathon of these shows on a Friday or Saturday night when all they’re doing is showing reruns or crap they don’t care if anyone sees? A three-hour block of shows might actually be an event that would make fans happy and draw in other viewers curious about what the big deal is.
I’m still smarting over My Own Worst Enemy. I was really getting to like that show, and Slater was worthy of taking a chance on.
Yeah, the smaller networks seem more dedicated to their fanbases. They’re more concerned with dedication, I think, than just the big raw numbers.