The past year was an especially turbulent one for television. A myriad of new shows with laughable premises were able to get the green light, ranging from the renovated cult classic "American Gladiators" to ridiculous new reality shows such as "My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad." There were also some new hits, like the overwhelmingly morbid yet intensely adorable "Pushing Daisies," a show dealing with a man who has the magical power of bringing the dead to life, as well as action TV drama "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles."
Of course, for every hit, there were at least 10 misses. To name only a few, there were the reality show messes, including "Here Come the Newlyweds" and "Oprah's Big Give;" a law drama geared for the 60-plus crowd, "Canterbury's Law;" and a couple of disappointing "Sex and the City" knockoffs, "Lipstick Jungle" and "Cashmere Mafia." And while "Jungle" did get renewed, the others were axed long before their seven episodes were up.
There were also a few television-network miracles. "Jericho," a post-apocalyptic dystopia show, was given a second chance after crazed fans sent in barrels of nuts (an idea taken from the first season's finale). Sadly, the show was cancelled by CBS after it continuously failed to attract the Nielsen ratings. Fortunately though, "Friday Night Lights" was picked up for a third season by a lesser-known network, DirecTV's The 101, after getting the boot by NBC.
The real excitement in the TV biz (though for viewers it was the ultimate in doldrums and the epitome of the clichéd cliffhanger) came on Nov. 5. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike due to ignored requests for higher writers' commissions on DVD sales and the controversial subject of royalties for writers of so-called "new media," meaning online-only shows. Writers demanded compensation for the high number of Internet downloads, streaming videos and other "on-demand" online distribution methods.
Another heated debate during the strike was compensation for reality television; networks claim that since the majority of reality TV is "unscripted," writers are unnecessary and thus virtually nonexistent. The writers argued that reality shows needed interesting plots and situations, shaped into narratives with conflicts and character arcs, and without writers, none of these reality shows could exist. Perhaps the genre needs a new name.
The total cost of the strike has been estimated at about $1.2 billion, although estimates range anywhere from $380 million to $2.1 billion. The cost in viewers' hearts, however, is much larger than any billion-dollar loss for the television networks. Not only was there a three- to four-month gap in many popular shows, but also overall, seasons were shorter by about five or six episodes. Some shows, most notably "Heroes," did not return for more episodes after the strike ended, forcing viewers to wait until the fall to be brought back up to speed.
For those who suffered from withdrawal without their favorite shows, the third week of April was a good week. With the strike ending in the beginning of February, writers were back to work. TV favorites like "Grey's Anatomy," "The Office," "House," "Desperate Housewives" and "CSI" all re-aired with an average of four episodes before finales. Talk-show hosts were forced to either negotiate their own deals with the WGA, like David Letterman, or agree to pay writers out of their own pockets, like Jay Leno. Meanwhile, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert proved they could still be moderately funny all by themselves.
The interrupted shows are thankfully now back on the air, but it is already time to tune in to summer reruns for entertainment. The minds of TV viewers faced degradation so far in 2008, not only due to the loss of popular shows, but also because of the drivel that came from the desperation and pressure felt by the networks. Hopefully, next year the old shows will consistently continue to generate a few cheap laughs, while the new shows will improve upon the awful state of television this year.
