I get it. I actually do, get it. I am well aware that when it comes to television it is the Nielsen Rating that is the one all powerful number. The Nielsen's based on a group of probably about 30k people and using their patented formula will turn the viewing habits of that group into what the viewing habits are for the entire country. It's flawed, and I even accept that too. That said, I totally understand that when a show's ratings slides for long enough, the show will probably be cancelled. My problem comes in when networks start worrying more about the bottom dollar then actually pleasing the viewers that follow them. It's ignoring one of the most important, most basic principals of any company, increasing brand loyalty. Don't abandon your loyal customers. In the case of a tv network, give your loyal customers even just a little of what they want. This week I bring this up because of a few very notable sudden cancellations. The biggest news was for the original Law & Order, which had been on for 20 years and then cancelled. This leaves the show tied with Gunsmoke for longest running prime time drama. NBC also cancelled Heroes this week. Heroes had only been on for 4 seasons, but had once been called the show that would save NBC. FlashForward, an ABC show, was another victim of cancellations this week. The problem with these cancellations is that these networks asked viewers to buy into a serial storyline, watch every week, with the belief that these storylines would be resolved. So there is something to be said for letting viewers see these shows have their proper send offs. A few years back, when Arrested Development was struggling with ratings, halfway through the season the creators were told the show would be cancelled. They rewrote their scripts and created the ever popular, Series Finale. Law and Order certainly deserved a Series Finale, Heroes deserved a Series Finale, and as bad as it turned out to be, FlashForward deserved a Series Finale. When you abandon your shows, you abandon your fans, and that does nothing for your brand loyalty.
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