Frequent TV Cancellations Altering Viewing Behavior (1 Viewer)

[Malcolm R]

The seemingly increasing number of quickly cancelled shows seems to be changing viewer behavior. I know I'm one of those that when looking for a new series will look for something with at least 2-3 seasons completed rather than taking a chance on a new show.

I'm not sure about some of the shows they list here, as most ran several seasons, but I do find the one-and-done nature of a lot of streaming shows to be a deterrent to watching a brand new series.

https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/frequent-tv-series-cancellations-affect-viewership-1235553780/

Also annoying is when they announce a renewal for another season, so you think it's probably safe to watch the first season, only to have them later cancel the renewal. This seems to be a fairly recent occurrence, as "renewal" used to be a near guarantee of another season. Now you can't even believe that.

 

[jcroy]

Not surprising.

I've found that shows which end on a crappy finale or abruptly (ie. unresolved cliffhangers, etc ...), it pretty much "spoils" ALL the earlier seasons for me. It is as if the later crappy stuff retroactively "taints" the better/excellent earlier seasons.

For example, some sci-fi shows like Dark Matter, Continuum, Killjoys, etc ....

 

[ChristopherG]

you mean most sci-fi shows....

 

[Richard Kaufman]

This is a big DUH. Who wants to watch a show that ends on an unresolved cliff-hanger? And I'm not referring to pieces that are written as ambiguous, but series that are designed to have a second season and then simply don't. The streamers are sabotaging these series.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

It becomes a vicious cycle where shows get canceled because not enough people are watching, and in some cases not enough people are watching because too many people are waiting to see whether the show gets canceled or not first.

 

[Malcolm R]

Plus some of the biggest TV hits in history were not popular right out of the box. The Big Bang Theory ranked #68 in its first season, not becoming a Top 10 show until Season 5. Same with the original Night Court which did not become a Top 10 show until Season 4. Seinfeld was not Top 10 until Season 5. The X-Files' first three seasons were ranked #105, #63, and #55.

The streamers love to tout their original programming, but their quick trigger finger for cancellation isn't beneficial to anyone. They expect to set new records with every debut and seem to cancel if they don't.

 

[Jake Lipson]

It sucks when one of your favorite shows is cancelled. We all know the feeling.

However, I have never subscribed to the theory that fear of cancellation should make me avoid a show. That's absurd. There are plenty of shows that I like that should have run longer, but I never felt like I was wasting my time watching any of them.

I can't think of a single cancelled show that I like where I would not have watched it if you told me cancellation was imminent. I still enjoyed those stories and got something out of them while they were on, and no cancellation can take that away.

 

[Matt Hough]

If the show has enough elements to draw me to it in the first place, I'll watch and enjoy how ever many episodes I get. Do I get angry and frustrated if a loved show gets the shaft too early? Naturally, but I'm not going to deny myself whatever pleasure a show might give me before it gets the sack. I watch what I want to watch and hope for the best.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I can't think of a single cancelled show that I like where I would not have watched it if you told me cancellation was imminent.

The only shows I've dropped when it became clear that cancellation was imminent were shows that I was already lukewarm about anyway.

 

[Wiseguy]

If the show has enough elements to draw me to it in the first place, I'll watch and enjoy how ever many episodes I get. Do I get angry and frustrated if a loved show gets the shaft too early? Naturally, but I'm not going to deny myself whatever pleasure a show might give me before it gets the sack. I watch what I want to watch and hope for the best.

And if I would finally decide to watch it I could feel overwhelmed if I had a large number of episodes to watch to catch up whereas if I had watched it from the beginning there would be no reason to catch up. I only have two options: watch it or don't.

 

[bmasters9]

Plus some of the biggest TV hits in history were not popular right out of the box. The Big Bang Theory ranked #68 in its first season, not becoming a Top 10 show until Season 5. Same with the original Night Court which did not become a Top 10 show until Season 4. Seinfeld was not Top 10 until Season 5. The X-Files' first three seasons were ranked #105, #63, and #55.

The streamers love to tout their original programming, but their quick trigger finger for cancellation isn't beneficial to anyone. They expect to set new records with every debut and seem to cancel if they don't.

And Hill Street Blues was not a big hit right off the top for NBC in 1981, but as more viewers came to appreciate what it did for police/cop series (many of its qualities were found in later shows like HBO's The Wire), its ratings improved steadily (albeit it never made the top 10; the highest it got was #23, in the third go [1982-83]).

 

[TJPC]

Most streaming shows only run 10 episodes a season. So it's not like you take a lot of time or put your heart and soul into it.

 

[DaveF]

Another perspective I’ve seen on this is that previously, broadcast TV era, lots of pilots were produced and canceled. But now we no longer have pilots episodes, we have pilot seasons, and so lots of entire first seasons are produced and cancelled.

There’s also so much more money sloshing around in the TV industry that shows are made and killed indiscriminately pursuing the next Stranger Things or Squid Games. Presumably, 40 years ago, a show was made, and was kept going because the money didn’t allow new dozens of entire new seasons to be made and canceled every year by the 3 or 4 broadcast networks.

What I haven’t seen yet is actual quantification of shows created and canceled today versus 20 years ago. Is it really different? I think so, but I’m not positive.

 

[DaveF]

It changes how I watch shows a bit. If something looks good and I have time, I’ll watch it at release. But if I don’t get to it, and then it gets cancelled, I’ll find out if it’s worth watching in its partial state.

Counterparts: knowing it’s reasonably concluded in its two seasons, I watched it. (And I recommend it as a solid complete story and it has JK Simmons.)

1899: Friends said it’s not a satisfying single season, ending on a huge cliffhanger. So I don’t give it time — there’s so many other great shows to go watch.

 

[Richard V]

One of my favorite one and done series was Invasion, which ended on a huge cliffhanger. I remember how the network kept moving the show around and taking huge breaks between episodes, I never could keep up with when and where the show would be broadcast. Some of my favorite actors spent time there: William Fitchner, Evan Peters, Veronica Cartright, Elizabeth Moss. What a shame. Network execs are a sad bunch.

 

[Wiseguy]

One of my favorite one and done series was Invasion, which ended on a huge cliffhanger. I remember how the network kept moving the show around and taking huge breaks between episodes, I never could keep up with when and where the show would be broadcast. Some of my favorite actors spent time there: William Fitchner, Evan Peters, Veronica Cartright, Elizabeth Moss. What a shame. Network execs are a sad bunch.

Came out the same season as CBS' Threshold, a similar invasion-type series, which didn't even get to finish the whole year with a few episodes unaired (Syfy/Sci-Fi later aired all the episodes filmed).

 

[TJPC]

What about “Terra Nova” which had an incredible cliffhanger to set up a season 2 that never materialized?

 

[DaveF]

One of my favorite one and done series was Invasion, which ended on a huge cliffhanger. I remember how the network kept moving the show around and taking huge breaks between episodes, I never could keep up with when and where the show would be broadcast. Some of my favorite actors spent time there: William Fitchner, Evan Peters, Veronica Cartright, Elizabeth Moss. What a shame. Network execs are a sad bunch.

Invasion was renewed for a second season

Apple TV+ renews global hit series “Invasion” for season two

Apple TV+ today announced a second season pick-up for “Invasion,” the character-driven science fiction drama series from Simon Kinberg and David Weil.

www.apple.com

Everything We Know So Far About Invasion Season 2 - /Film

Invasion season 2 is set to return to Apple TV+.

www.slashfilm.com

My impression is Apple rarely one-season cancels shows. Not never. But they seem to be judicious in starting a show and then give it at least two seasons.

 

[Jake Lipson]

What about “Terra Nova” which had an incredible cliffhanger to set up a season 2 that never materialized?

What about it? I watched that show and liked it. I would have liked more, but I don't regret watching it for a second. Even if I had known going in that it would end after a single season, I would still have watched it because I got a lot of enjoyment from the episodes we did get.

 

[B-ROLL]

Plus some of the biggest TV hits in history were not popular right out of the box. The Big Bang Theory ranked #68 in its first season, not becoming a Top 10 show until Season 5. Same with the original Night Court which did not become a Top 10 show until Season 4. Seinfeld was not Top 10 until Season 5. The X-Files' first three seasons were ranked #105, #63, and #55.

The streamers love to tout their original programming, but their quick trigger finger for cancellation isn't beneficial to anyone. They expect to set new records with every debut and seem to cancel if they don't.

Then there was that little scienti-fiction show that was so nice they cancelled it twice ...

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