How Many Viewers Does a Sci-Fi Show Need?
I just finished reading an article on the cancellation of Invasion. Although I was lukewarm to the show in general, it surprised me to learn that it was drawing about 10 million viewers per week.
Let's say it again - 10 million per week.
Granted, Invasion was not able to retain all of the Lost viewers - they were losing a good percentage of those viewers. But, the article intimates that the viewer loss is due to the nature of serial programming. That is to say, if the show has a continuing story, there is somehow a stigma attached to it and the prevailing attitude is that the viewership will not tune into the show.
This is typical network executive drivel. Promote the show strongly before it starts, and run replays of the episodes instead of infomercials in the late night hours. Show the season in order in the offseason, or release the season DVD soon after the initial run has ended. Embrace the TiVo community, rather than try to eliminate their fast forward buttons. These actions would allow viewers to watch even the most complicated serial on a regular basis.
If the networks want to reverse this trend, they should do something inclusive, rather than restrictive. There are evidently ten million of us that would appreciate that.
