CBS' broadcast of the Country Music Awards this week was going to bump Close to Home. Next week, ABC's broadcast of the American Music Awards promised more sweeps month special programming. The underperforming Close to Home, which lost much of its lead-in from The Amazing Race, was destined to take a hit both days, as well as facing the heat from Law and Order: SVU. Instead, CBS moved the Bruckheimer production into Threshold's slot on Fridays, where it has indeed improved its numbers. My guess is that a fundamental sentimentality and a softer female lead make Close to Home a better fit with Ghost Whisperer.
Threshold of course has already suffered a hit from its own network by being, not just moved, but preempted. (Being a serialized show means preemptions directly impact viewers's appreciation.) My guess is that this means that Bruckheimer has more clout than Goyer and Heyman and Braga. My guess is that CBS never had much more interest in the show than it did in Numb3rs: Namely, it appears more a way to sign Goyer and Heyman (and pay off Braga, who was already under contract for production duties, if I remember correctly) than a real plan to build a hit series. It was consigned to a weak time slot on a weak viewing night. I don't think they even promoted it very strongly. The result wasn't quite like Numb3rs, which was an unexpected but unarguable "hit." Threshold's ratings, especially in the 18-49 demographic, probably would have been acceptable to Fox or NBC, and likely would have inspired orgasms in UPN, WB or SciFi execs. But Threshold is on CBS, which is racing for Number One. The show did lose a lot of its lead-in. With two soft spots to work on, CBS chose to sacrifice Threshold instead of Close to Home.
Officially, the hope is that the more proportionately male audience of Amazing Race will provide a more compatible lead-in for Threshold. And that "scifi" will be couterprogramming to cops and lawyers. I'm pretty sure CBS execs don't really think that a show with a woman leader, a geek, Data, a Little Person (read "dwarf,") and Charles Dutton as a Black Suit is wholeheartedly aiming at male audience identification. Even worse, Carla Gugino may be many wonderful things, but conventionally feminine she is not. Further, the one regular (i.e. "manly"...and white) male, while personable enough, is mostly in loyal subordinate mode. I'm also pretty sure that while they would be pleased if the show's ratings jumped, they have continued their planning for the next series. As I understand it, no more than eight first run episodes of Threshold were even scheduled to be aired. Perhaps that was some sort of glitch in the announcements but I think they expected an instant flop.
My guess is that Tuesday will be another disappointment: Up against heavy competition Threshold will score just high enough in the key demographic to merit consideration for renewal, but too low to compel it. I suspect that Goyer's leaks about the future plans are not sitting well with the execs. The idea that the good guys might lose is always a doubtful one in the television world. Not gonna happen on Battlestar Galactica, or SG-1, for instance. So, I expect that some exec will do what a man's gotta do, and axe the series anyhow, risking Goyer's displeasure maybe actually mattering some day. The producers probably already expect an unhappy holiday.
In these times, there is something trivial about Us Under Attack from Powerful But Inhuman Enemies. But, despite the unpromising premise, as these things go, Threshold was just better written than the usual. Cavennaugh choosing not to shoot children, and his appeal to the cadets that being a soldier didn't mean giving up your mind and will and responsibility made a topical commentary without shrieking the moral, yet with a definite point of view. The ironic humor of the "genius" psychiatrist pontificating about the causes of belief in aliens was delightful, and insightful. The usually trite theme, the moral failings of the good guys, was deftly treated. The airline pilots lying about drinks was refreshingly mundane. The idiot cop with the deranged scheme to hide the alienated cop killer from Homeland Security was a loose cannon that for once did not shoot the enemy. (That alone made sport with thousands of hours of TV shows. Well, it feels like thousands.) The Senator playing games with the signal in pursuit of personal and military power showed some genuine ambiguity in motive, something rarely seen. There seemed to be some genuine human feeling reflected in all the characters. The nobody father of the military cadet still had feelings for his son. The dj loved her brother. The alienated agriculture student/seaman went home to Mama. The exwife still hates Data. The restaurant owner worries about going broke. The preacher's congregation believes they share his dreams. (That short montage sequence is hilariously more accurate about real religion than all the hours of fake religions in scifi ever! Dune, eat your heart out.) When the show starts with Molly talking about the plan, you could actually believe there was a plan.
What a shame.
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Threshold of course has already suffered a hit from its own network by being, not just moved, but preempted. (Being a serialized show means preemptions directly impact viewers's appreciation.) My guess is that this means that Bruckheimer has more clout than Goyer and Heyman and Braga. My guess is that CBS never had much more interest in the show than it did in Numb3rs: Namely, it appears more a way to sign Goyer and Heyman (and pay off Braga, who was already under contract for production duties, if I remember correctly) than a real plan to build a hit series. It was consigned to a weak time slot on a weak viewing night. I don't think they even promoted it very strongly. The result wasn't quite like Numb3rs, which was an unexpected but unarguable "hit." Threshold's ratings, especially in the 18-49 demographic, probably would have been acceptable to Fox or NBC, and likely would have inspired orgasms in UPN, WB or SciFi execs. But Threshold is on CBS, which is racing for Number One. The show did lose a lot of its lead-in. With two soft spots to work on, CBS chose to sacrifice Threshold instead of Close to Home.
Officially, the hope is that the more proportionately male audience of Amazing Race will provide a more compatible lead-in for Threshold. And that "scifi" will be couterprogramming to cops and lawyers. I'm pretty sure CBS execs don't really think that a show with a woman leader, a geek, Data, a Little Person (read "dwarf,") and Charles Dutton as a Black Suit is wholeheartedly aiming at male audience identification. Even worse, Carla Gugino may be many wonderful things, but conventionally feminine she is not. Further, the one regular (i.e. "manly"...and white) male, while personable enough, is mostly in loyal subordinate mode. I'm also pretty sure that while they would be pleased if the show's ratings jumped, they have continued their planning for the next series. As I understand it, no more than eight first run episodes of Threshold were even scheduled to be aired. Perhaps that was some sort of glitch in the announcements but I think they expected an instant flop.
My guess is that Tuesday will be another disappointment: Up against heavy competition Threshold will score just high enough in the key demographic to merit consideration for renewal, but too low to compel it. I suspect that Goyer's leaks about the future plans are not sitting well with the execs. The idea that the good guys might lose is always a doubtful one in the television world. Not gonna happen on Battlestar Galactica, or SG-1, for instance. So, I expect that some exec will do what a man's gotta do, and axe the series anyhow, risking Goyer's displeasure maybe actually mattering some day. The producers probably already expect an unhappy holiday.
In these times, there is something trivial about Us Under Attack from Powerful But Inhuman Enemies. But, despite the unpromising premise, as these things go, Threshold was just better written than the usual. Cavennaugh choosing not to shoot children, and his appeal to the cadets that being a soldier didn't mean giving up your mind and will and responsibility made a topical commentary without shrieking the moral, yet with a definite point of view. The ironic humor of the "genius" psychiatrist pontificating about the causes of belief in aliens was delightful, and insightful. The usually trite theme, the moral failings of the good guys, was deftly treated. The airline pilots lying about drinks was refreshingly mundane. The idiot cop with the deranged scheme to hide the alienated cop killer from Homeland Security was a loose cannon that for once did not shoot the enemy. (That alone made sport with thousands of hours of TV shows. Well, it feels like thousands.) The Senator playing games with the signal in pursuit of personal and military power showed some genuine ambiguity in motive, something rarely seen. There seemed to be some genuine human feeling reflected in all the characters. The nobody father of the military cadet still had feelings for his son. The dj loved her brother. The alienated agriculture student/seaman went home to Mama. The exwife still hates Data. The restaurant owner worries about going broke. The preacher's congregation believes they share his dreams. (That short montage sequence is hilariously more accurate about real religion than all the hours of fake religions in scifi ever! Dune, eat your heart out.) When the show starts with Molly talking about the plan, you could actually believe there was a plan.
What a shame.
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