Apparently the numbers are in for most of the shows returning after the strike and overall they’re down. Have people given up on television? My instinct tells me that it’s not so much that, as folks have started their summer drop off a little bit early. But the world of television is still shifting as people are able to catch things online and on dvd in addition to the watch as you will tivo (I still don’t totally understand how they calculate tivo views which at some point were supposed to be added into the numbers).
Personally over the strike period I didn’t watch any less tv, in fact I think I might have watched more. The timing coincided with my getting used to a little expanded cable, VH1, TNT, etc. and I got to explore some alternate shows. In addition to just surfing a little more I stopped by a little reality, can you say Celebrity Rehab? And picked up a few older series on reruns of the initial season. The Closer had gotten some buzz, and I gave two shows that I initially dismissed another shot, Greek and Burn Notice and found that their cheesiness grew on me. I have to say I know reruns don’t get great numbers but the cable networks aren’t afraid to use them and I like it.
I was also a little nervous that things would be barren for some time so I held on to some shows for a little longer than I normally would. Who knew I would come to be intrigued by the Terminator despite disliking the two main characters. Not all extended stays faired so well, I found myself dreading another episode of New Amsterdam and had to finally cut it loose. I also got readdicted to American Idol, who can fill more time than Idol? Maybe Big Brother but I wasn’t that desperate yet. Though I don’t think I will sit through another entire season of Idol, I mean isn’t it over yet, though it was a fun diversion for a while.
But what about the rest of the public. Are folks forgetting about gems like Pushing Daisies with its early departure and will only stick to previous addictions come fall? Or will folks not tuning in come fall at all? Even if everyone has turned to tv on dvd, which really is a great way to catch things we’ve missed. There needs to be enough viewers to keep things in production long enough to make it to dvd. The point may all be mute pending the agreement on the actor’s contract due end of June. There’s already been reports of walking away from the table over ‘unreasonable’ demands, and hmm, the demands seem to center around dvd and internet distribution, is that ironic?
