Season Finale: Loosely Used

Well as you can tell it's been a few months since my last post. Actually it's been over 5 months...but who's counting. Anyway, a lot has happened. Well actually more of the same but still, it's my life so it's more interesting to me I'm sure. OK, enough of that and on to the real reason that I'm writing this blog. I have decided that the TV executives (those anonymous people that control every aspect of the fate of shows on television) have either absolutely gone out of their minds or are perhaps the smartest people on the face of the planet. Let me explain. First of all they think up this fantastic idea or premise, if you will, of a TV show. Then, when you put that with hot young actors and semi-good writing it turns out to be a hit...at least for a short while. And by short, I don't mean that it's cancelled...I mean that the so-called "season" is short. And I'm using the term "season" loosely. Take for example the shows Wildfire and Beautiful People on ABC Family. These shows are two of my favorites for reasons I may divulge in a later post but for the time being let's just say they're full of what viewers like to see...lust, betrayal, and just plain juiciness. So here are two shows that are on a good run, right? WRONG. These shows started up again in their second seasons in January and their season finale's were about 2 weeks ago. This is what really gets on my nerves about TV shows. And this is just one example. Now, granted, I know that some shows are scheduled for more episodes than others but still...13 or 14 episodes does not make a season as far as I'm concerned. This has been happening more often on TV I've noticed lately. The Bedford Diaries on the WB (not one of the best shows on TV but still holding it's own right now...however, I doubt the 2nd season will be PVRed at my house) has had probably 6 or 7 episodes and they're calling that a season. I don't think it should be termed a season unless it actually runs through an entire season (ex. Fall or spring). I could go on but I'll spare you and just get to my main point. I think that these execs are either crazy or brilliant (there's a fine line there and that's no coincidence I'm sure). I'm actually leaning more toward the brilliant side right now. This is because they can end a show and call it a season after only a handful of episodes and know that people will of course be back for more...but not only that, they'll buy the crappy DVD that comes out during the summer with those few episodes on it. So they make more in DVD sales because they cut the episodes down per DVD and then sell them for a higher price than if the season were longer. And then of course there's always special edition DVD's that seem to come out right after I've bought the one without the extra 3 minutes of commentary by the director on deleted scenes or whatever. My point being that these TV execs are sneaky. They get us to watch a show and we're blissful for a half of a second and then it's the finale and next thing we know...6 months until the new episodes start...if the show is even picked back up (but that's a whole other blog). So I guess to wrap this up with one cohesive thought I would have to say that the TV execs clearly understand the American TV audience. They know that we'll be back in 6 months (especially if the season-ending cliffhanger leaves you screaming at the TV and swearing you'll never watch another episode as long as you live). They know that we'll buy the crappy DVD and the special edition and the super-special edition. They know that we'll want to give the show another chance to be great so we'll watch it in the Fall and then that's when they'll hook us in to where we're obsessed and can't live without it. It's been done before and it's looks like the vicious cycle has started all over again. I guess I'll see 'What About Brian?', 'Wildfire', 'Beautiful People' (and many others, I'm sure) in the Fall primetime line-up as well as the new shows that will continue the never-ending circle that causes so much rage within me. But I guess I should take it easy because I have a new episode of Will & Grace to watch. (W&G by the way will be the topic of my next blog because I'm super-pissed that this show has decided to go out this way.) Until next time...watch a little TV so you can keep up with me.

On to the quote:

Well, I believe in the soul, the c*ck, the p*ssy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days.
Crash Davis in Bull Durham
(one of my all-time favorite quotes from one of my all-time favorite movies)