Remember how only a few days ago I was grumbling that TV networks no longer give new series a chance? Well, here’s proof of my point: CBS has cancelled the promising new science fiction/legal drama Century City after a mere four episodes.
I only caught three of the four episodes, not really enough time for me to even attach names to the characters, but I liked what I’d seen so far. Despite its outward resemblance to every other law-firm series ever aired (I’m sure the pitch for this series went something like “L.A. Law in the year 2030″), Century was perhaps the purest example of science fiction to make it onto network TV in years. As it was originally conceived, the science fiction genre is about the impact new technologies make upon the human condition, and that was the axis around which this series turned. Each episode that I saw explored the ethical quandries arising from genetic manipulation or some other biotechnology. Although the show’s handling of these issues was superficial in the eps I caught, I believed that it had the potential to provide truly important commentary on the coming changes to our society and perhaps even to our species.
In addition, the characters seemed to be likable and interesting (Ioan Griffud and Hector Elizondo were both doing some impressive work), and I really enjoyed the overall positive spin that the show was giving the future. Unlike the largely dystopic views that have predominated SF in the last few years (i.e., The Matrix, The X-Files), Century was doing the same thing that the original Star Trek did back in the 1960s by daring to say, “Look, we are going to get through these difficult years without destroying ourselves. Technology will introduce many problems in the next few decades, but we will learn to handle them and, in general, the world will remain a decent place to live, and maybe even become a better place than it is now.” I believe that America could really use that sort of series right now, something that honestly explores the ramifications of all those scary new things that are coming (no matter how hard the religious right tries to stop them) while simutaneously saying that we will survive the War on Terrorism and global warming and outsourcing and the gasoline crisis and cloning and…
Well, you get my point. I believe we need such a series, just as the 1960s needed a series like Star Trek. The difference is that in the ’60s, networks gave shows a fair chance to prove themselves. Not anymore. Making a decision after four episodes is a joke.
Oh, as if that wasn’t enough to get my knickers in a knot, it seems that another promising new series, Wonderfalls, has also been axed, killed by that shining exemplar of television’s potential, American Idol. (I should say that I don’t dislike AI — it’s harmless enough entertainment, and Anne would kill me if I dissed it outright — but let’s be honest. It’s not exactly an exercise in intellectual stimulation, is it? Nevertheless, it garners such huge ratings that it appears no scripted drama can stand against it. God forbid the competing networks should ignore ratings for once and take the higher road by providing content that appeals to the crowd that doesn’t care about the next synthetic teenage pop star/has-been-in-the-making.)
I imagine that Stephen King’s Kingdom Hospital will be next on the block, now that it’s finally starting to get interesting. Honestly, I’m about ready to just stop watching TV, and I haven’t even mentioned the cancellation of Angel…
I agree with you on everything but one point. How can you say that AI killed Wonderfalls when they were never shown at the same time (impossible since they were on the same station) and therefore were never in direct competition with each other? (I’m not even sure if Wonderfalls and a reality show on any station were shown at the same time. I think it’s more fox’s fault for airing it on 8:00 on a Friday night. Most people I know are out on Friday nights.) I admit that the reality shows are an abomination on the earth and are destroying serious, dramatic viewing. But the marketing people need to realize this and schedule a drama like Wonderfalls right after something like AI. I bet if they had done that and done a bit of promoting for it during AI, it wouldn’t have been cancelled.
Good points, dear, and you were right to call me on the American Idol thing. I wasn’t entirely clear in my thinking when I dashed off this post (that’s what I get for writing them at 1 AM). I think what triggered my anti-reality rant was this paragraph from the article about Wonderfalls:
“The series, which debuted March 12, ranked 103rd for the week of March 22-28 with an audience of 3.3 million. By comparison, an airing of top-rated ‘American Idol’ that week attracted 27 million viewers.”
In my befuddled wee-hours state, I must have misinterpreted what was being said there. However, you can make a pretty good argument that the unbelievable success of AI and other reality shows has inflated expectations for all programming. If something doesn’t score the same kind of ratings as the extremely popular, easily accessible kinds of shows that appeal to a general audience (which an offbeat little fantasy show is never going to do), it’s deemed a failure. I don’t know enough about the ratings numbers to say, but for the type of show that Wonderfalls was, 3.3. million viewers might have been a very good rating. I remember reading something about the ratings on the original Star Trek series, which legend has always said were poor, were actually very good if viewed through the modern lens of demographics. (Of course, Wonderfalls’ ratings mihgt have just plain sucked regardless of how you parsed the data; like I said, I don’t know enough about how these things work).
I think you’re absolutely dead-on with the suggestion that the networks use the successful reality shows to try and boost viewership of their more challenging fare. Maybe if Seacrest was promoting the new dramas as much as he pushes that stupid “texting” technology, some more folks might have tuned in.
Oh.. the time to watch episodic television…
Wonderfalls was Joan of Arcadia meets the Coen Brothers. Great premise and actually an enjoyable show.. at least the episode I saw…
As for AI…much like Survivor, Big Brother, The Bachelor, Average Joe and all of the other supposed “reality” television.. ratings dictate that people want mindless frivel. Sad to see what few quality shows there are on the tube axed due to the trailer park demographic.
Exactly why I hate tv and pretty much just watch movies.
🙂
Cheno, I think you captured the spirit of Wonderfalls perfectly with your description. I like Joan of Arcadia very much — it consistently surprises me with its honesty and characters that I genuinely care about — but Wonderfalls looked like it was going to offer an interesting variant on the formula. Maybe that’s partly why it failed, because it was too easily seen as a variation on a theme.
As for the reality shows, I don’t like them myself but don’t mind their existence, in general. What frosts me is that the networks are providing fewer and fewer alternatives for those who don’t care for them. I may be fooling myself, but it seems like there used to be much greater variety in the types of shows that were available.
Maybe it’s time to finally consider getting cable…