Posted by sean at 206.30.92.135 on February 22, 2000 at 15:20:48:
In Reply to: Kevin: A REPLY FROM ABC!!! posted by Neil Juan Luis on February 22, 2000 at 12:01:47:
: "OK, as an ABC 'suit' let's take a look at this situation... I think Kevin Smith needs to stop and think before sabotaging his own show before it gets a chance...
Well, at least we know that if the show fails, ABC won't be taking any responsibility.
: gone are the days that only repeats and loser shows run in summer. In fact, it makes perfect sense to me to run an 18-24 year old show in summer. It's a great way to get younger viewers to sample the network when there's nothing else on.
... while they're out hanging out with all the friends they haven't seen all year 'cause they're only home in the summer (for college people), celebrating their liberation from school with their friends (high school and college), or working (post-college ... maybe). I don't know, seems to me like you've got a better chance of getting them to watch when they're already watching. Put it with shows that go well with it. [I keep saying "Norm", but that's really only 'cause I like the show, plus it started off late in the season and is still on.]
: Take Drew Carey's "Whose Line is it Anyway" and "Millionaire" as examples of our biggest success stories in the past couple of years.
Two shows based on British shows? That's your proof? [And, while I do like Millionaire, the American Whose Line Is It Anyway is unwatchably bad.]
: Both launched in the summer (Whose Line in '98 and Millionaire in '99). Now they're both regular series on the schedule.
: Instead of complaining, why doesn't he use his website to rally all of his fans to watch the show so that he can show ABC that he was right."
Um, shouldn't you both be right? Shouldn't ABC be trying to make the show popular too? That's the part that scares me. "Well, maybe you're right, it might be popular, wouldn't that just teach us!"
And what's the point of rallying in February if the shows not on till the end of May? Rally in May, sure, obviously (I don't think Kevin needs to be told that).
: I think this person has a point. This might be a blessing in disguise. Why debut the show right before Sweeps? If anything, it will face too much competition and get lost in the mix.
So, yeah, debut it when nobody's watching 'cause nothing is on anymore.
: Kevin, you're right that viewership drops off after Sweeps, but never say die. Last summer 'That 70's Show' benefited from new episodes in the Summer... and ratings were strong because there was very little competition. The show held onto that momentum, and is now strong enough to anchor its own night.
To be fair on two levels ... (1) That '70's Show was an established show for an entire season (post-Simpsons, no less) ... and (2) Fox almost steadfastly refuses to cancel anything. [Ironically, they did cancel "Action", which I didn't watch but some people swear by, and "Family Guy", which was already pretty far downhill by the time they cancelled it. Or is it cancelled? Does anybody know?]
: I don't think that Clerks is going to be a huge Top 10 hit, and I have a feeling ABC probably agrees.
Obviously not, hence the "prove us wrong" line.
: I sincerely doubt it will pull in Friends/ER-esque ratings. And even though HUT levels might be down (Households Using Television), you do stand a better chance of attracting a larger share of the audience when you don't have Must See NBC bullshit to compete with.
: In fact, I think that the best chance for success for a 'small' show like 'Clerks' is to roll it out in the very beginning of the Summer. That way ABC can afford to give it breathing room, if need be. Networks have no fucking patience these days. If a show doesn't succeed in 3-5 episodes, it is yanked (Action is a great example, and hopefully Freaks and Geeks won't be another).
There are only six episodes, though, as of now. And NBC seems to be standing really hard behind "Freaks and Geeks". If they haven't cancelled it yet, they just might allow it to re-run (which would be great, I missed the early episodes and will tape them if I can). NBC did *not*, notice, bother to put F&G up in Sweeps, especially against the aforementioned That '70's Show, because they knew it would be slaughtered.
: At least during the summer the opportunity cost for the Networks is greatly diminished. Like you said, less people are tuning in. So they can afford to give Clerks a little more of a chance than they might during the season... ESPECIALLY during Sweeps, when every time slot counts, and there is no room for low-rated programming (which is why NBC was so quick to yank Freaks and Geeks for the next few weeks).
I see you noticed ;)
: I work at Comedy Central, and we debut our big shows during 'Summer Premiere Week' in mid-June, specifically to avoid the stampede of Sweeps. Yes, I know that it isn't exactly apples-to-apples to compare Network to Cable, but hopefully you see my point.
I really want to mock Comedy Central programming here, but I won't because it already seems like I'm attacking you, which I don't mean to, and I know you don't do them anyway, so it'd be unfair.
: Granted, shows like Robert Altman's 'Gun' and 'Maximum Bob' never appeared after their Summer runs on ABC, but those were both hour-long dramas that were buried on Saturdays at 10pm (if memory serves correct). There's no reason to think that an animated half-hour sitcom will follow that path.
I believe Maximum Bob was either in NYPD Blue's slot or it was the next night (putting it opposite "Law and Order" ... there's a smart plan).
: My point? I realize that I have no business telling you how to act, but why make an enemy out of ABC? At this point you can either put a smile on your face, play the hand you're dealt, and make the most of it; or you can bitch and moan and piss off ABC, giving them no reason to promote the show.
Okay, based on that, here's an impression of ABC:
"Damn that Kevin Smith, he's talking about our network on his website. Well, I guess we shouldn't even bother promoting the show that we invested in and sold commercial time for, even though it's running opposite all re-runs in it's time slot, because phooey on him."
They own the show, they put money in the show, why, pray tell, would they not promote it? I doubt, heavily, that ABC actually wants the show to fail (though between the time slot and the "prove us wrong" thing, I'm starting to wonder).
Oh well. Silly beauracratic nonsense.