If you are an avid television fan, like I am, I know you are just as frustrated about the “season” changes all the stations have recently adopted. The old days of new shows beginning just after Labor Day and ending sometime in May or early June with reruns in the summer so you could catch up on what you’d missed are very much over.
Now there is this convoluted programming schedule that no one understands.You get interested in a new program, watch it for maybe three or four weeks, and poof, it’s gone on hiatus and a new show is in its place.
You don’t know if the original show you were watching is going to come back or not. If it does it usually returns on a different day and time so you can’t find it. Sometimes you are lucky enough to see an ad telling you when it will be back but more likely you are left wondering.
Shows that are wrapping up for good don’t feel the need to resolve all the issues that amassed as we all watched and just leave us hanging and wondering. I really dislike that! (Oops, sounding a bit Andy Rooneyish aren’t I?)
All the stations are worried about ratings and cancel new shows sometimes after one showing. That’s so wrong. The old Nielson rating system is way outdated and does not take into account that most people now have DVRs, VCRs and DVD recorders. They go by what is being watched, but don’t take the other ways people become avid viewers into account so it looks like nobody is watching when millions actually are. Then add in the fact we can’t find our favorite shows and you have a real mess.
Someone has to come up with a better system.
At the moment I have one television I always watch and 2 VCRs (attached to televisions in other rooms that I use to record other programs. They are on the plain cable line so I can set them to record multiple shows on many different channels. If I can find them I don’t miss my favorites and I do manage to see most new shows to gage if I’d like them or not as well.
I know you think that is obsessive, but I really enjoy television. Naturally during sweeps weeks all the channels have favorites on the same nights. With the summer and winter replacements you don’t know if you’ll ever see a rerun when you miss a showing. This works for me but the channels could make it easier by putting the “season” back the way it was. OK, I hear you saying that with the new way more programs can be given a chance but there are only so many that can possibly make it in this ratings driven business.
Overwhelming the public with too much isn’t the answer either although I must admit that many good lasting programs have come from these replacements.
The good old days of only three channels made all this so much easier but I sure don’t want to go back to that ever. But I would be happy to return to the old season/rerun schedule starting today.