Golden's dad likes to watch trivia game shows. I like watching them, too. This past weekend we watched several episodes of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on the Game Show Network, as that is apparently his ritual in the early evening. As I was watching TV with him, I started thinking about the year or two when game shows were the shows to watch in primetime.
There was Millionaire, Greed, 21, Pyramid, and a myriad of others. If game shows were so popular then, why aren't they popular now? Tastes in television can't possibly be as fickle as tastes in clothing, can they? I know that if there is a style of show I like now, it is likely that I will like that style of show next year and the year after that. That is exactly how I feel about cotton t-shirts as well, though, so maybe I am not the best example.
I think I know why game shows are no longer popular. When ABC realized that Millionaire was getting great ratings they determined that they could drop half their primetime lineup and fill in the blanks with the one game show. If people like watching Regis once a week they'll love seeing him three times a week. I remember thinking that was so stupid because rather than having a show that would perform well for several years in a primetime slot, everyone (including myself) got sick of one more night of game shows on the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire network (A.K.A. ABC). I would probably still have watched the show if it were only on once a week, but two or three times became overkill and I stopped feeling like tuning it in.
I see this happening today as well. The Apprentice got great ratings for three seasons, so NBC decided it was time to add a new Apprentice to milk more money out of the franchise. They shouldn't have been surprised when ratings for both Donald Trump's and Martha Stewart's versions of the show disappointed.
There is one exception that I have noticed to what I am talking about, and I don't understand it. There are concurrently three different versions of Law & Order and CSI on the networks in primetime this season. How they get people to watch all three, I'll never know.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I find that I only watch one of the CSI regularly.
For a while, I switched from the original Vegas Series to the Miami spin-off and even dabbled in the horrible NYC take-off; but in the end I've returned to the original ... and now Nick has a mustache! What's up with that!?!?
yeah, I'm not a fan of the spin off's of law and order or csi. They do seem to be doing better then I ever thought that they would. Moving a show kills it too. They did that to Jag. Moved it from Tues to Friday (show's are not watched on Friday's HELLO) and What's up with the West Wing on Sunday now. That won't last long either. They shouldn't mess stuff up when they have a winning combination. I guess they pay someone to decided these things and if everything stayed the same all the time, that person would be out of a job.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire did well for it short time because of Novelty and Hype. The network was pretty smart by playing it several times a week when it became the hype around the country because the novelty was bound to wear off soon.
I believe it was a mid-season show to fill some timespots for their other cancelled shows. It was only meant to be a temporary primetime spot and to run it one half season.
If the show was on only once a week, it would still not be on today. (in primetime.) Honestly, it's not a show to plan your night around, it's now old hat.
I know people who love all the CSI shows.
It's not a game show, but I heard the other night that Alias will not be back in the spring. Say it isn't so.
I think I've heard the same thing too.
Post a Comment