OK, I know we'll never agree on what shows we like, especially when it comes to SF or fantasy. But I think we all have to agree, by this point, that TV ratings have no correlation on quality. (The proof for the theorem: Firefly. If you feel low ratings for a sci-fi show - or indeed any show - is because the show is bad, you have to therefore conclude that Firefly was a bad show. Didn't think so! 
)
So right now we have Chuck, V, No Ordinary Family and The Cape on tenderhooks because of their ratings. You have blogs saying they're dead in the water, in part because they're not getting 15 million viewers. V scored something like 5.5 million viewers last night, which was apparently a big bounce over last week. NOF did the same.
Meanwhile, Being Human on SyFy scores about a million (enough for instant cancellation anywhere else) and not only are people thrilled, I'm sure Toby Whithouse and company probably already have their second season commission. Likewise, Doctor Who is called the highest-rated show on BBC America, with numbers that are tiny when compared to the UK. But for fans of those shows, there's little to worry about in terms of cancellation (well, DW wouldn't be cancelled regardless what BBC America does - it's the UK ratings that matter for it - but you know what I mean). I bet Torchwood will do huge numbers for Starz, which probably means they'll be happy with a million viewers as well.
I guess the point I'm getting to is, I wonder how long before the mainstream networks in America decide enough is enough. It's pretty clear that the people who watch ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox (ignore the others in this argument; they do cable ratings anyway) are interested in either "real-life" dramas - The Good Wife, Harry's Law; cop shows - NCIS, Hawaii 5-O, CSI; or reality TV and competition shows. They don't want to watch shows about superheroes (maybe blame Heroes for that), lizard aliens, universe-jumping FBI agents - and if there's a 20-episode story arc involved, you might as well turn off the lights. (That last example may be a bit weak because even in SF fandom a lot of people seem to hate long arcs.)
And it really does seem that the media - if not necessarily the networks - continue to think that Neilsen ratings are the only real measurement to go by, even though shows like V have been proven huge in time-shifting and downloads. And the public reads this, decides V isn't worth watching because a) it's bad because the ratings are low or b) it's dead so why invest time to watch a dead show.
If we end up losing NOF, the Cape, Fringe, V, Chuck and the one or two others out there, all at once - and the signs are a clean sweep is possible this spring - is that going to be the end of fantasy/SF shows on mainstream network TV? Maybe it could be argued that SF/F doesn't belong there anyway. If V scored 5 million viewers on SyFy, that would be one for the record books. If Showtime was making The Cape, odds are us fans wouldn't be dreading the next log-in to Zap2It.com, expecting to see "NBC cancels The Cape" on the headlines. I wish they'd just follow the UK model and commission shows a year at a time; even if Doctor Who scored a 1 rating in the UK, the BBC wouldn't cancel it before showing the complete season. We need NBC or Fox to commit to full seasons, not leave us hanging whether a show like The Cape might be gone in 4.
Thoughts?
Alex
)So right now we have Chuck, V, No Ordinary Family and The Cape on tenderhooks because of their ratings. You have blogs saying they're dead in the water, in part because they're not getting 15 million viewers. V scored something like 5.5 million viewers last night, which was apparently a big bounce over last week. NOF did the same.
Meanwhile, Being Human on SyFy scores about a million (enough for instant cancellation anywhere else) and not only are people thrilled, I'm sure Toby Whithouse and company probably already have their second season commission. Likewise, Doctor Who is called the highest-rated show on BBC America, with numbers that are tiny when compared to the UK. But for fans of those shows, there's little to worry about in terms of cancellation (well, DW wouldn't be cancelled regardless what BBC America does - it's the UK ratings that matter for it - but you know what I mean). I bet Torchwood will do huge numbers for Starz, which probably means they'll be happy with a million viewers as well.
I guess the point I'm getting to is, I wonder how long before the mainstream networks in America decide enough is enough. It's pretty clear that the people who watch ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox (ignore the others in this argument; they do cable ratings anyway) are interested in either "real-life" dramas - The Good Wife, Harry's Law; cop shows - NCIS, Hawaii 5-O, CSI; or reality TV and competition shows. They don't want to watch shows about superheroes (maybe blame Heroes for that), lizard aliens, universe-jumping FBI agents - and if there's a 20-episode story arc involved, you might as well turn off the lights. (That last example may be a bit weak because even in SF fandom a lot of people seem to hate long arcs.)
And it really does seem that the media - if not necessarily the networks - continue to think that Neilsen ratings are the only real measurement to go by, even though shows like V have been proven huge in time-shifting and downloads. And the public reads this, decides V isn't worth watching because a) it's bad because the ratings are low or b) it's dead so why invest time to watch a dead show.
If we end up losing NOF, the Cape, Fringe, V, Chuck and the one or two others out there, all at once - and the signs are a clean sweep is possible this spring - is that going to be the end of fantasy/SF shows on mainstream network TV? Maybe it could be argued that SF/F doesn't belong there anyway. If V scored 5 million viewers on SyFy, that would be one for the record books. If Showtime was making The Cape, odds are us fans wouldn't be dreading the next log-in to Zap2It.com, expecting to see "NBC cancels The Cape" on the headlines. I wish they'd just follow the UK model and commission shows a year at a time; even if Doctor Who scored a 1 rating in the UK, the BBC wouldn't cancel it before showing the complete season. We need NBC or Fox to commit to full seasons, not leave us hanging whether a show like The Cape might be gone in 4.
Thoughts?
Alex
