Ramblings of a
Liberal Hypersomniac

I wrote this diatribe on Zunetips blog called "Why are my favorite TV shows getting canceled?". In it he says:

"Jericho was canceled after one season, but was brought back due to a huge campaign by it’s fans. However, it seems that Jericho still has low ratings with weekly viewership, and appears to be on the path for cancellation again. Why is that? Who are the people or families that are determining the TV show ratings? Who are these “Nielsen Families” that are determining what programming stays on TV and what shows are canceled? I’ve never been asked what shows I watch on a weekly basis, so who are these people that are governing viewership of shows?"

"So I guess I’ll have to accept the fact that most shows that I deem as being “good” will only last one season. I guess that’s truly reality."

I totally agree with him and wrote a response to his blog in the comment section. It was kinda long and I was on a soapbox so I figured I would share my soapbox rant it with you. I wrote:

I totally agree with you. I am a Jericho and Lost fan in a big way. I just started watching New Amsterdam but am hesitant to like it for fear the networks will cancel it. So I will have invested time on a show to see how the story unfolds and then be left hanging mid-unfold.
I hate to say it about the Nielsen Families (cause my father is one of those Dancing with the Stars viewers) but I believe they are mindless drones. They don't want intelligent TV. They want empty shows that pretend to show reality. Really those shows are just another example of our society's obsession of watching other peoples lives self destruct so we can feel better about our own lives ie Our obsession with Britney, Lindsey Lohen...ect.
I get that people work hard and may turn to TV for mindless distraction from their lives but why can't we also have an option for people who like to watch a show and think?? Are the two things mutually exclusive? You can't have both?
Also I think the networks have to realize that they aren't going to get the HUGE audiences they use to because peoples view habits are different. We have many choices between Network TV, Cable TV, the Internet, Tivo, DVR and DVDs. So totally viewership for a show like Jericho maybe skewed between Network, the Internet, Tivo and DVR. I definitely think that the way Networks and other TV executives rate shows need to change to reflect the viewing habits of the CURRENT times. We aren't in Kansas or the 1970s anymore peeps. Get with the program!