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Goddamnit, NBC!

May 14, 2007 1:21 PM

aving worked at an NBC affiliate, I have to say that it's been sorta disappointing for me to see NBC's ratings go down the shitter in recent years, alhough it hasn't been exactly surprising. I mean, with the loss of Seinfeld (one of the greatest shows ever) and Friends (not one of the greatest shows ever, but I guess people liked it), NBC took a huge hit. And it hasn't helped itself with the new stuff it's been offering, either: I mean, as much as I love them, how man Law & Orders can people take? NBC has also apparently refused to partake too much in the reality show nonsense, which I respect but which has apparently hurt them.

This whole thing is kind of strange because there are only three shows that I really like on network television right now, and they're all on NBC: Heroes, The Office, and Scrubs (although Scrubs is about to be over). Of these, however, Heroes was the network's only new hit this season, despite the much-publicized debut of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a show I was really excited for but which ultimately disappointed me.

NBC announced its fall schedule today, and I'm not impressed. In fact, it seems to me that NBC might be endangering it's only hit--and my current favorite TV show--Heroes. This season, Heroes suffered a significant loss of viewership when it went on hiatus. NBC's solution? Heroes: Origins. Apparently, there will be six episodes of this spin-off series, each one centering on a different new hero discovering his abilities. At the end, the viewers will get to pick which one they'd like to see come back for season 3 of Heroes. While I'm excited that NBC seems to be pretty firmly committed to a third season of Heroes, I don't see any way that this spin-off won't come off as a stupid, contrived, gimmicky way to try to keep people tuned to NBC when they don't have any real reason to. And, worse, this runs the risk of diluting the Heroes brand and diminishing that show's credibility.

To make matters worse, NBC's adding more supernatural sort of shows featuring characters with extraordinary abilities. Don't these people know anything? The thing that made Heroes so awesome was that it was new and innovative for a prime-time network TV series (not to mention that the writing is awesome). Yes, Heroes borrowed a lot from Lost in terms of ensemble casts and mystery-and-revelation-based storytelling, but Heroes's subject matter is altogether new. So the worst thing NBC could do is essentially rip itself off. But here it goes.

Also, Studio 60 is now completely dead. Not entirely surprising, but still kind of sad--I hate to see Aaron Sorkin fail. I hope he'll still have enough West Wing credibility to get another show and kick ass again.

Anyway--I can't wait for the new episode of Heroes tonight.



4 Comments


dicta said:

it's beyond my comprehension how anyone could not like the office. i dont understand the low ratings. in fact, i hate anyone that doesn't like that show.

May 14, 2007 6:19 PM



Santi said:

Have no fear Ishmael, Scrubs is coming back! (and I think ABC was willing to pick it up if NBC hadn't)

I also agree with the previous comment: Eff anyone who doesn't like the office.

May 14, 2007 6:57 PM



Jesslyn said:

You got to push it—this essentail info that is!

July 9, 2011 7:50 PM






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