On the origin of the "Gimmick Episode" in SNW...(Spoilers)

[eschaton]

Hardly. The Berman era's ONE major ratings success was TNG. Period.

EVERY other show produced during the Berman era LOST viewers overall week to week.

That's how TV normally works, though, particularly with spinoffs. Ratings start high, because people who were fans of the previous thing tune in, then they slowly fall as people realize it's not for them.

TNG was a real anomaly, as ratings started out okay, only declined a bit during the first two seasons, then started improving considerably during the middle of the series.

Kurtzman Trek had two streaming hits.

Star Trek Discovery

and

Star Trek Strange New Worlds

And hell, Kurtzman Trek was at least inventive enough not to just try and redo TNG ad nauseum for two decades.

We don't know the viewership of the Kurtzman Trek shows, and may never know them, unfortunately, as all the studios are very, very opaque on these metrics.

 

[Noname Given]

That's how TV normally works, though, particularly with spinoffs. Ratings start high, because people who were fans of the previous thing tune in, then they slowly fall as people realize it's not for them.

TNG was a real anomaly, as ratings started out okay, only declined a bit during the first two seasons, then started improving considerably during the middle of the series.



We don't know the viewership of the Kurtzman Trek shows, and may never know them, unfortunately, as all the studios are very, very opaque on these metrics.

Well, we do know that P+ bought out Netflix for S4 on of ST: D so it was probably doing VERY WELL.

Also, SNW has been on the Neilson Streaming Top 10 chart the most of any Trek series tracked.

(And two episodes of PICARD S3 also made it onto the Neilson streaming Top 10.)

 

[eschaton]

Well, we do know that P+ bought out Netflix for S4 on of ST: D so it was probably doing VERY WELL.

I didn't see anything about Discovery getting "bought out." Instead it was announced that a deal fell through to continue coverage on Netflix only two days prior to the release of Season 4. As Paramount+ wasn't ready to go live in Europe until mid-2022, this meant that European Trekkies had to wait quite a long time, if they weren't willing to pirate the show or use a VPN.

There was also a notable dropping off of Discovery-related discourse from international fans from Season 4 onward. It's clear the audience shrank, though I guess even if only a small fraction of the international Trekkies signed on to the service to get coverage, it might have come out ahead as an exchange for Paramount.

Also, SNW has been on the Neilson Streaming Top 10 chart the most of any Trek series tracked.

(And two episodes of PICARD S3 also made it onto the Neilson streaming Top 10.)

A lot of that just comes down to the given week that stuff drops. Yes, it says something, but what it says in aggregate isn't as clear.

 

[Mage]

Calling something a "gimmick episode" is just a thing disgruntled fans do.

They're not gimmicks.

Sometimes you and I clash. Sometimes we vibe. This is a true vibe moment.

 

[Noname Given]

I didn't see anything about Discovery getting "bought out." Instead it was announced that a deal fell through to continue coverage on Netflix only two days prior to the release of Season 4. As Paramount+ wasn't ready to go live in Europe until mid-2022, this meant that European Trekkies had to wait quite a long time, if they weren't willing to pirate the show or use a VPN.

There was also a notable dropping off of Discovery-related discourse from international fans from Season 4 onward. It's clear the audience shrank, though I guess even if only a small fraction of the international Trekkies signed on to the service to get coverage, it might have come out ahead as an exchange for Paramount.



A lot of that just comes down to the given week that stuff drops. Yes, it says something, but what it says in aggregate isn't as clear.

ViacomCBS CEO Explains Netflix ‘Discovery’ Buyback, Calling Star Trek “Core” Global Franchise

CEO Bob Bakish says Star Trek is "working" for Paramount+; talks up 'Discovery' season four numbers.

trekmovie.com

‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Exits Netflix Tonight; Set For 2022 Launch On Paramount+ Globally

Just days before the fourth season of the Sonequa Martin-Green led series is about to launch, some big changes are coming to Discovery

deadline.com

Bottom line: Paramount ended the deal because Discovery WAS popular and they wanted to get money from viewers outside the U.S./Canada directly.

 

[BillJ]

TNG was a real anomaly, as ratings started out okay…

Here in the US, TNG was a hit out of the gate. Renewed for a second season six weeks after it debuted.

 

[Noname Given]

Here in the US, TNG was a hit out of the gate. Renewed for a second season six weeks after it debuted.

That's when they made the announcement, yes, BUT GR wouldn't sign unless they agreed to two seasons out of the gate - so that was part of the initial agreement; and Paramount's 'out' if TNG bombed was that they'd just add the 2 seasons to their TOS Syndication package.

 

[BillJ]

That's when they made the announcement, yes, BUT GR wouldn't sign unless they agreed to two seasons out of the gate - so that was part of the initial agreement; and Paramount's 'out' if TNG bombed was that they'd just add the 2 seasons to their TOS Syndication package.

Never heard that before.

 

[eschaton]

Here in the US, TNG was a hit out of the gate. Renewed for a second season six weeks after it debuted.

It really is astonishing people stuck with it so doggedly, considering how awful the beginning of Season 1 was. Hell, I remember as a kid watching Encounter at Farpoint with my parents them talking about how much the new Star Trek sucked. Though we kept right on watching.

Expectations of Trekkies must've been really low at the time.

 

[BillJ]

Hell, I remember as a kid watching Encounter at Farpoint...

I was fifteen when it premiered. Watched it three times in the first week alone. People were hungry for new Trek after 18 years off of TV.

 

[Noname Given]

It really is astonishing people stuck with it so doggedly, considering how awful the beginning of Season 1 was. Hell, I remember as a kid watching Encounter at Farpoint with my parents them talking about how much the new Star Trek sucked. Though we kept right on watching.

Expectations of Trekkies must've been really low at the time.

As a TOS fan back then - it was the first live action Star Trek series on weekly TV in 18 years so yeah - we were very hopeful; and I watched S1 each week hoping there would be something I'd like, but was pretty disappointed each week until Conspiracy; and the first 20 minutes were good - but yeah after we got to the evil mustache twirling aliens at Earth Star Fleet HQ it went downhill fast.

 

[eschaton]

I was fifteen when it premiered. Watched it three times in the first week alone. People were hungry for new Trek after 18 years off of TV.

I was eight. Sitting around the TV with my parents/brother became a normal part of my life in that era.

Ironically, even though I was a much bigger fan of DS9 when it came out, by the time it got more than a few seasons in I started having better stuff to do than schedule my life around the weekly release time, meaning I didn't catch all of the show until the Netflix era.

 

[BillJ]

Ironically, even though I was a much bigger fan of DS9 when it came out, by the time it got more than a few seasons in I was a teenager and started having better stuff to do than schedule my life around the weekly release time, meaning I didn't catch all of the show until the Netflix era.

I taped it weekly on our VCR.

 

[fireproof78]

It really is astonishing people stuck with it so doggedly, considering how awful the beginning of Season 1 was. Hell, I remember as a kid watching Encounter at Farpoint with my parents them talking about how much the new Star Trek sucked. Though we kept right on watching.

Expectations of Trekkies must've been really low at the time.

Yeah, that surprised me. My dad tried it maybe once but it was not for him, though he loved TOS. I tried a couple of other episodes but not for me

So, my surprise was great when I moved and my new friends and classmates loved TNG and didn't like TOS.

 

[BillJ]

So, my surprise was great when I moved and my new friends and classmates loved TNG and didn't like TOS.

My daughter likes TNG better than TOS. I clearly failed in my duties as a parent and have to carry that to my grave.

 

[eschaton]

My daughter likes TNG better than TOS. I clearly failed in my duties as a parent and have to carry that to my grave.

My kids won't even watch a single Star Trek episode. Hell, they'll barely watch any sci-fi.

 

[BillJ]

My kids won't even watch a single Star Trek episode. Hell, they'll barely watch any sci-fi.

My boys (all are adults now) generally wouldn't watch it unless they happened to be in the room with me. Both like sci-fi, the youngest even likes older sci-fi and horror. Won't touch Trek.

Which makes me wonder if Trek truly does have a future or if it is something that will die out as the youngest fans from the TNG-era die out.

 

[fireproof78]

My daughter likes TNG better than TOS. I clearly failed in my duties as a parent and have to carry that to my grave.

Dishonor! Dishonor!!!

Take this down, Criki. Dishonor on you, dishonor on your cow here

 

[eschaton]

My boys (all are adults now) generally wouldn't watch it unless they happened to be in the room with me. Both like sci-fi, the youngest even likes older sci-fi and horror. Won't touch Trek.

Which makes me wonder if Trek truly does have a future or if it is something that will die out as the youngest fans from the TNG-era die out.

They both fall on the fantasy side of the sci-fi fantasy thing only. Daughter is a big reader. My son unfortunately isn't, but he's been getting big into playing D&D.

 

[ichab]

Never heard that before.

Me neither. I'm going to need a source for that claim.