Odds are good that your newly finished spring break involved some sort of Netflix streaming. If not, you probably know someone whose last words before locking the door behind them as they made their way to the FlyAway were, “Can’t wait to catch up on “˜30 Rock!'” Watching TV online, whether on Hulu or network-sponsored websites, is as college as Top Ramen and Pop-Tarts.
The only problem with this time-honored practice is that our preferred method of TV watching is dooming quality programming before it has a chance to extend its various runs.
While Netflix has become a valuable stop on the road to pop culture enlightenment, it has often been the place where good shows go to die. Case in point: the late Starz comedy “Party Down,” where all 20 episodes of its two-season run are just a click or Wii Remote aim away. But while the show has garnered a growing cult following in the months since its July 2010 cancelation, the ratings that preceded its demise look downright laughable in retrospect. Only 74,000 viewers watched the Season 2 finale when it originally aired. To put that in perspective, 93,963 people were on hand to watch this year’s USC–UCLA game at the Rose Bowl, according to the Los Angeles Times.
It’s a bit of a stretch to think that a concerted effort on the part of solely UCLA students would have saved shows like this or “Firefly” or “Arrested Development,” other shows in the brilliant-but-canceled pantheon that “Party Down” has now ascended to. But college students are in the coveted 18-49 demographic, an advertising cross-section prized among marketing folk. Word of mouth is a funny thing, and whether it starts in a Rieber Fireside Lounge, down at Elysee or in line at Diddy Riese, a recommendation could be worth as much to the longevity of a quality program as actual viewership.
In the weeks to come, I hope to shine an objective light on those shows, movies and other forms of entertainment that are on the edge of being canceled by giving a helpful rundown of what a newcomer might need to get acquainted with the show. There’s usually never one reason why shows like these might be struggling, but I’ll try to point those out as well, whether those issues stem from quality or airtime. After that, it’s up to the individual to either hop on board the train or ignore it as it runs out of track.
There is growing hope that niche-based audiences can thrive. “The Walking Dead” and AMC have done an exemplary job of nailing down a reliable base (fans of the original comic book and other zombie enthusiasts) and catering to their viewer appetites. However, the leashes of cable executives, even ones that gave the fatal tug to the likes of “Party Down,” are longer than those of network bosses. The number of viewers delivered by the “Lost” finale failed to meet the proportional hype offered by its “TV Event of the Century” buildup, a development that has led some to believe that serialized dramas may be phased out of broadcast TV altogether.
As shows descend to platforms of decreasing universal access, the strength of small groups will be more pronounced.
The best way to ensure that shows, both comedy and drama, even stand a fighting chance in the wacky world of television is to watch them as they’re airing. “The Office” has never finished higher than the 40th most-watched show in the past year. Yet, it has consistently ranked as one of the highest-rated scripted shows in the coveted 18-34 age demographic, which includes the overwhelming majority of UCLA students.
Underneath all this fatalism is the possibility that it may be irrelevant in just a few short years, as the models for distribution are definitely changing. Netflix recently announced that it will be producing “House of Cards,” a new government conspiracy series based on a British drama from the early ’90s. With the anticipated actor-director combo of Kevin Spacey and David Fincher, this shows that Netflix is bent on bringing the production quality of Emmy-winning programming to an Internet-direct, on-demand format. More original content may be coming from unconventional new media sources rather than the old standards of broadcast or cable.
But whatever form comes out on top in the years ahead, viewership will always be the valued currency. Let’s put our chips on the shows that matter.
If your Arrested Development movie beard is becoming unsightly, email Greene at sgreene2@media.ucla.edu.