Originally posted by trader jim:
I think you are right inyour thinking....I think that T.V. people make or build a show just to please the "SPONSORS"...not the AUDIUNCE
I have to disagree with this. All sponsors care about is, "Are people watching the show so they see our ads?" They really don't care about the content, unless some group starts writing them letters saying "Since you support this show, and we don't like the content, we're boycotting your products." Sponsors want a show that draws viewers, especially viewers in the demographic to which they want to sell their products.
And the networks make, or try to make, shows for a large audience. That's where they run into problems. They want every show to be a Top 20 hit, and even then they aren't always satisfied (look at all the Top 10 rated shows over the years between "Friends" and "Seinfeld," or between "Friends" and "Will & Grace," or between the "Seinfeld/Will & Grace" time slot and "ER." They dropped so much of their lead-in audience, NBC canceled them or moved them to another night even though they were a Top 10 rated show). The networks -- at least the big 4 -- won't make a show for a niche audience, a small but loyal audience that will support a show consistently.
Cable was doing that, but after what the Sci-Fi Channel did with "Farscape," I'm not sure that cable is even satisfied with drawing a niche audience. All the cable networks want the next "Sopranos" or "The Shield," a cable show that will draw better ratings than the network shows opposite them.
I understand the networks and cable channels want to make money. They have to be profitable to stay in business. But the business has gotten so competitive the last decade or so, and especially the past 4-5 years, that the networks aren't willing to give a show a chance to find its audience, and develop its characters.
It's first year on the air, "Cheers" was the lowest-rated show on prime-time television. But NBC stuck with it, and it developed into one of the best shows ever, one of the most beloved shows ever, and perennial ratings champ and Emmy-award winning champ. If "Cheers" was released today, it would be cancelled after two weeks.
