Hey Network Execs, Save My Show!
While fans of NBC’s Chuck (and even Chuck himself) are hungrily chomping down on Subway foot-longs in an attempt to save the well-received but low-rated show from extinction, dedicated fans of other shows on the brink are working the Web trying to ramp up populist support to keep their favorites from going the way of Joey.
Chuck fans are hoping to follow the lead of Shaun Daily, the talk-radio host who drove fans of CBS’ Jericho to send 8 million peanuts to the network. CBS agreed to bring the cancelled program back (though ratings continued to be dismal and the show was gone shortly thereafter).Fans of Fox’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles tried to drum up Save Sarah support with an online petition but only garnered 113 signatures out of a 2500 name goal. [Editorial Note: Thanks to our readers for pointing out there are actually a number of Save Terminator petitions online, two of which have accumulated more than 17,000 signatures each.]
Dollhouse fans had an inkling the show was going to be in trouble even before it hit the air. DollhouseForums.com formed a spin-off blog this month that includes an open letter to Fox asking that the network think of the fan base which “may be small, [but] they are strong in spirit.”
In addition to Chuck at NBC, Medium and cop drama Life are both on the bubble. Not all three are likely to survive, especially given NBC’s plan to move Jay Leno to 10 p.m. on weeknights, taking out five hours of possible scripted programming.
At ABC, new shows Better Off Ted, The Unusuals, and Castle are all on the bubble.
A number of CBS’ procedurals appear in jeopardy of not retuning including Cold Case and Without A Trace. While both shows draw high audience numbers, the network is considering axing one of the two due to high production costs. Freshman drama Eleventh Hour is also endangered along with Numbers and The Unit.
But who has been drumming up the most support? Every year E! Online runs the Save One Show contest in which visitors vote on which show they most want to see return. Of all the endangered shows, the five that survived the first round of voting are Chuck, Dollhouse, Life, Privileged, and Terminator. And the battle is getting a little testy.
One fan of Chuck commenting on the E! page sent out a message saying that fans of Terminator were cheating. A fan of TSCC (shorthand for Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles for those in the know) jabbed right back, saying Terminator was edging forward in the poll not because of robots or malware, but purely out of the time-tested efficiency of people having nothing else to do: “TSCC fans are not cheating…some of us simply sit here and vote by hand, hundreds of times a day.”
What shows on the brink can you not do without? Get in on the discussion with BC Beat on Twitter or post a comment below.
laurlcrown commented:
Dollhouse MUST be saved!!!
dvikib commented:
I can't do without Eleventh Hour and I hope I don't have to do without it!
THE RESISTANCE commented:
TERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATORTERMINATOR TERMINATOR
starkiller commented:
It's not cheating when the eonline poll cookies expire on closing the page. All you need to do is open a new page to vote again. It's supposed to gauge dedication of fans as well as numbers of fans. The Sarah Connor Chronicles is the most intelligently written show on TV. Please help us keep it on the air. The rest of the shows on TV are making my brain melt into mush.
There is NO FATE but what we make for ourselves. Will you join us? On your feet soldiers, ON YOUR FEET. Today is the day!
Lisa commented:
SCC is getting cancelled no matter how many people cheat on polls or fill out petitions 200 times each under different names. HA HA!
robert commented:
The one poll you mentioned for saving Sarah Connor Chronicles must have been an obscure poll, our fans flock to any poll they get wind of.
Jason commented:
I'd like to see "Better off Ted" come back. It's the only new or bubble series I've watched on a consistent basis.
"Fringe" and "Dollhouse" are shows I meant to give a shot and just didn't get to. (though I'm sure a Friday night slot doesn't help "Dollhouse")
LoveChuck commented:
I love Chuck. It is such a fun and funny show!! DO NOT CANCEL it! Its the best sitcom on TV in a LONG time.
grimmy665 commented:
this dude has no idea what hes talking about because whatever petition he has looked at its the wrong one. When i signed the petition there were over 2000 signatures to save TSCC.
Do your research properley before you write an article as bad as this
rich commented:
Sarah Connor is one of the best shows on television today. It has a huge fan base that DID NOT CHEAT on anything! This is complete garbage and mis information, and a complete waste. If any Television show deserves to come back thats in danger it is Terminator. It has so much more intelligence than any of the above mentioned shows.
AprGrad2004 commented:
NBC has been in trouble for a while in regards to ratings. I was a huge fan of Heroes from the start of it, but it sucked from the beginning of this season, I heard it got better, but I gave up on it by then (and it takes a lot for me to give up on a show that I am invested in).
I love Chuck and I know many people who love it, but they changed the day and time it comes on to compete against House. DUMB move!!
NBC is not the only one guilty of this, changing the days the a show comes on from week to week is something they are all guilty of and I HATE THAT.
gallamine commented:
Hey, why the hate for TSCC fans? It's about the smartest scifi show on TV these days ... since BSG finished up (tear). Killer robots are freakin' awesome.
coding_wizard commented:
The_GodfatherSJP is correct, but the links are wrong ... most of them need .html added to the end of them.
TimT commented:
If TSCC gets canceled fans are going to send pancake mix to fox. A homage to Sarah. until then vote on the E! poll and keep calling fox president Kevin Reilly and Preston Beckman.
310-369-1000
kevin.reilly@fox.com
preston.beckman@fox.com
gothamite66 commented:
Like all the previous posters have said, I think you need to finish your research before posting incomplete information.
Then after you've done your research, then do some more research and then a little more research.
As a fan of TSCC, I don't mind if you dislike the show but I really want all the so-called bloggers, reporters and "researchers" to at least do your job correctly. It's not that hard to use google.
Schmacky commented:
Who are you and why is what you say important at all?? You're completely wrong and have the worst "journalistic integrity" I've ever seen. Wait, that's a lie. That Lanie Grace has horrid integrity as well. You wouldn't by chance be related, would you?
If you're going to write about things and show them off as fact, you might want to actually research it first before posting it.
aelysian commented:
Wow. Way to be biased. Why is the success of T:SCC in polls always questioned, as if it's impossible that this show could have a strong and loyal fanbase? A fanbase that is then maligned by groundless accusations and implications that are somehow deemed fit to publish. Furthermore, as the previous commenter pointed out, there are other petitions for the show (listed here: www.savethescc.com/petitions.html) not to mention several other campaigns ongoing to Save Sarah Connor. And this one petition is all you could come up with in your research efforts?
Objectivity, where are you?
Last_Stand commented:
Who allows this to be posted? It's total misinformation. What cheating, what 113 signatures?
I just don't have decent words, to comment this article.
The_GodfatherSJP commented:
*AHEM* David, I'm afraid you're petition source for TSCC is a little off, my friend. There are 5 separate petitions that fans like myself have started. This one (www.petitiononline.com/scc2009/petition) has 17,200 signatures. This one (www.petitiononline.com/scconfox/petition) has 17,193 signatures. This one (www.gopetition.com/petitions/the-sarah-connor-chronicles) has 5,828. This one (www.youchoose.net/campaign/terminator_the_sarah_conner_chronicles) has 1,395. That's 4 separate petitions with over 40,000 signatures between them.
As for the E! Online poll, we're simply doing what every one else is doing: voting. There's no script or bot. The "Chuck fan" who posted that we were cheating, Smokey, is a known alias of a troll who used to post on the TSCC wiki board. Seems to hate the show and goes out of his way to run it down, to the point of sending a link to a blatantly false "spoiler review" of the season finale which turned out to be nonsense.