TV Year in Review 2008-2009
I think it’s safe to say no one expected the shakeup that occurred with the announcement of shows returning for the Fall 2009 season.
Shows barely on the bubble are returning while steady old venerable are being cast aside, even after their annual consistency of success. This is almost unheard of.
It didn’t start out this way. Low-rated Nielsen shows were being cast aside with nary a thought, despite fan outcries to spare them. And then something happened. A realization. Even acceptance.
The internet caught up with television, in fact was the preferred outlet for televisions shows, especially serial dramas. And backed up with this new tool the fans cried and cajoled and raised awareness, in some cases money, toward their show. And the network suits listened. And they delivered.
It’s an exciting and nervous time for television right now. Reality shows are still the big money-makers. Cheap to produce, easy to advertise, and they rake in the viewers. A network suit’s wet dream.
But with DVR recording increasing exponentially and more and more fans watching their shows on Hulu or any of the network websites, the Nielsen ratings no longer offer accurate data. There are viewers not being counted, but hopefully this awareness will bring about changes for the better for television. Entertainment Weekly recently published an article about the postmodern Golden Age of Television coming to a close.
Not going gently, that’s for sure.
Here then a look back.
Shows I will miss most:
Pushing Daisies
The thing no one likes to admit about Pushing Daisies is how much of a losing battle and uphill struggle the whole show really was. The premise guaranteed that the show would have a short shelf life. Granted it did technically last for aa season and a half. But the first season was actually abbreviated because of the writer’s strike. And week by week ratings went down. So if there was no writer’s strike then it’s very likely that it would have lasted for one season at the rate it was going. Honestly, I’m really not sure how long you could stretch out Ned and Chuck’s quirky, non-contact romance.
And to be honest the story didn’t have the compelling arcs I usually like. It was more of an entertaining distraction for me than anything. But I could always count on enjoying the hell out of it with a huge, goofy guileless grin on my face. All the other shows I enjoy are very angst and uber-dramatic. But Pushing Daisies (at least until Chuck’s father came back) never made me anxious. Every episode was like a mini fairy tale with its own weird world and set of rules that I could lose myself in for an hour. Winnie-the-Pooh’s voice was the narrator, for Pete’s sake
A show is only as good as its cast and Daisies was arguably the finest ensemble on television. Anna Friel and Lee Pace made an incredibly funny and bittersweet pair of romantic misfits. Chi McBride Han Soloed with wry and sarcastic commentary about just how absurd the whole situation of a resurrecting pie-maker really was. And then there was Kristin Chenoweth who better damn well win an Emmy. Olive Snook may have had an evil sounding, antagonistic name, but Chenoweth’s character was anything but with her infectiously peppy attitude even as she pined hopelessly in the background for her pie-maker love. It was Olive the audience fell and felt for the most. The every person who occasionally burst into song. It was that kind of show and we’ll never see it again.
And in perhaps the biggest insult, the brilliant creator Bryan Fuller is back on Heroes trying to administer life-support when he should consider euthanasia.
TallGent
Tomorrow: Don’t fear the Reaper and a trip to the Dollhouse
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