Above, Brian Austin Green poses hard as Derek Reese in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, a show that was recently renewed, in spite of the fact that it’s falling behind in the ratings. Knight Rider, Private Practice, and T:TSOC were all picked up this season despite fairly low viewership. We must say, people should tune into Private Practice just for a quick look at Taye Diggs.
Dig Diggs after the jump:
We watch these shows for obvious reasons (see Diggs' picture). Except Knight Rider; we can’t abide by Knight Rider . . . That talking car creeps us out, and, you know, it’s also just not good. But, we watch and write about T:TSOC with a fervor (for hilarious recappage, click here). But facts are facts, the ratings for these shows are fairly low. The Hollywood Reporter suggests that our national economic hiccup (read: meltdown) may be a factor in these unusual pickups:
The economic crisis, combined with the cost of marketing a new series, the lack of new programming inventory because of the WGA strike and the anticipated difficulty of locking down new advertiser commitments, has networks inclined to play it safe.
"From the networks' standpoint, they're loath to cancel since the cost of finding something to replace a show may not be worth it," said Shari Anne Brill, vp and director of programming at Carat. "And advertisers still prefer to be in a quality scripted series to an inexpensive reality show," she said, adding, "I'm in the camp that believes it's a mistake for an advertiser to disappear during a recession because you need the consumer awareness so sales won't grind to a halt."
Listen, we’ve got no problem continuing to follow the Connor family's adventures, or envying Kate Walsh’s perfectly styled hair on Private Practice. But, The Hollywood Reporter seems to suggest that we’re stuck with these shows instead of inventive fresh alternatives. So not only are our wallets empty, but our programming is stale. The economy strikes again. Damn you Dow Jones, damn you.