Today’s update has nothing to do with my writing or even any of the myriad social justice issues that currently have our world burning to the ground. 

I want to talk for a minute about Network TV and how they keep cancelling everything I like after a season, or sometimes even half a season.

Yes, I get it, viewership is declining and has been for years for a myriad of reasons like cord cutting, preference for on-demand content, etc. However, I feel like at this point, the short shelf life that most networks give their shows is a huge part of the problem. They are shooting themselves in the proverbial foot here.

I never want to give new shows a chance anymore. What’s the point?

I’m sick and tired of getting invested in shows with amazing plotlines and fantastic actors, only to have them cancel after a season or two. 

Look, I get it. We live in a fast paced world of rapidly shifting attention. TikTok videos and 280 character tweets (or whatever we call them now). I suppose the theory is that if you don’t grab a huge share of viewers right away, pivot to something else.

The problem is, these shows aren’t being given the time to build a fan base. And I’m sick of investing in shows that I know are going to end on a bunch of cliff hangers and never come back.

Some of my favorite shows I discovered in season five or six. I went back and binged to get caught up, then became a faithful viewer. With ER, that looked like me watching reruns until I got caught up. With Grey’s Anatomy, it was me streaming three episodes a day for months until I was caught up. How I Met Your Mother was another show that I came in late, went back and caught up, and then stayed until the final episode. Today’s technology should make it easy to keep up with the shows we love. But it’s a double edged sword.

With the advent of the VCR, then later the DVR, and eventually on demand streaming, it became easier than ever to watch what you wanted when you wanted.

The problem is, they don’t count those views.

Don’t get me wrong, they do count live plus three days, live plus seven, etc. But what really counts for selling ad time is the live plus three. And ad revenue is a large part of what drives decisions about what to renew and what to cancel.

I watch almost nothing within the first three days of recording it. That doesn’t mean I’m not invested in it. It just means life is busy. I enjoy letting several episodes pile up so when I do have some downtime, I can binge several episodes in a row. I can love a show, but it will never show up in the ratings because I’m not rushing home or staying up late to make sure I get my views in within the three day time frame.

I guess that makes me part of the problem. But why should I schedule my entire life around what time a show comes on? They gave us all these fabulous things, like on demand and DVR recordings, specifically to draw the viewer in and give you more chances to watch a show, but then they count it against you when it comes time to renew your favorite shows.

I know it’s all subjective. What I like might not be what someone else likes, but so many shows in the past gained and grew audiences over time. Today, shows never get that chance. I’m sick and tired of getting invested in shows with amazing plotlines and fantastic actors, only to have them cancel after a season or two. Whiskey Cavalier, Stumptown, and Prodigal Son, to name just a few. 

I just found The Bondsman, but now it’s cancelled after one season. Found was one of the best shows out there, having a very unique storyline, but it was cancelled after just two seasons, and now it looks like Dr. Odyssey will be cancelled after just one. These were all shows that pushed outside the box. I guess another iteration of 911 is safer for the network, but it’s also boring. I love 911, don’t get me wrong, but there are several similar shows already, and I don’t feel the need to add another one to my watch list.

I see nothing new coming up that feels as interesting as the shows that were cancelled. Found wasn’t even canceled for another show, but to make room for more sports programming.

There’s no point to this post other than my profound disappointment in the continuing decline of quality TV. Don’t even get me started on how many “new” movies are remakes. All is not lost, though. We still have books to read.