Fresh Question #49: Network Jumps

[Nightwing]

Greetings citizens. I know the past week has been more than intolerable on our emotions, but I'm sure the best thing we can do is stay strong, and keep pushing foward. Now how about a delicious fresh question:

With the unballance of good and evil TV networks out there, a lot of shows get tossed around. We've seen it happen to Buffy, and Batman Beyond for starters. So consider this. Does a show's odds of cancellation increase dramatically when it jumps away from it's comfy home network into new territory?

Frankly I've lost Buffy and I'm worried very much about both Buffy and Angel, now that the creative team has been separated by a different network bar.

[sun]

A lot of it depends on the quality of the new shows. The question also involves if the total creative team moves too, the budget, and of course, most important the ratings. If the ratings improve, or stay at a high level, then the show will be ok.....Now this is going back a very long way, so I don't know how many will know or care, there was a great show on radio, (which later successfully switched to TV) called, The Jack Benny Show, and he switched radio networks, and was totally unaffected; his audience stuck with him, his time was the same, and his creative team didn't change at all. Ratings were still near or at the top. I cannot remember exactly, but there were a number of outstanding Animaniac eps produced after the change from Fox to Warners. And for a while, I do not believe ratings were too much affected..Someone on the board will know that. Maybe Brian, or Colin. Only time can really tell what will happen. I haven't followed Buffy, but lots of people, like it, and maybe I will take a look...good luck.:)

[Calhoun07]

I think it hurts ratings, for the most part. Tho Sabrina the Teenage Witch is getting great ratings now that it's at the WB. Does anybody else know of any other successful network jumps?

[BourgeoisBuffoon]

It depends on the quality, I suppose. A! was a good example.

Still, I'm inclined to say it hurts for the most part. Usually there's a new team or part of one working on the show, and they often have no idea what to do...other times the new network doesn't treat the show with respect...

...but even then after hearing these examples I have to say I'm torn now....but, uh, I say it doesn't help...

[DR. BELCH]

....it depends on whether the show is still relatively fresh or getting put out to pasture like an old horse at the knacker's yard. Animaniacs and Batman were still in their prime when they left Fox for KWB. On the other hand, after Family Matters and Step by Step left ABC for CBS, they died very quickly, because, to quote Ralph's son in Plotz's vision of the future, "That Urkel kid's getting too old to wear his pants that high!" Not to mention they replaced the actress who played Mrs. Winslow, who was their link to the parent show Perfect Strangers...and oddly enough Bronson Pinchot had a new show about that time on the station--some lame donkey about a morphing alien that was ALF meets Mork and Mindy....

[Failure]

I think it depends where the show's moving to. If the show's moving down the network ladder, then the chances that it'll stick will probably be better. For example, I think Buffy's ratings will go down on UPN, but only because UPN has less reach than WB, but at the same time, I'm pretty sure UPN exec's arent expecting Buffy to help them challenge NBC or ABC or even FOX. As long as a show like Buffy, that holds high expectations, does pretty well, it should stick.
A show's probably more likely to get cancelled if they make a lateral shift in networks. Say like from CBS to NBC. There the stakes are high and if there's no big impact, it's easy for them to let it go.
You rarely see a show move up the network ladder though. I know there are some, but I cant think of any right now.

[Calhoun07]

What about shows that make the jump from networks to syndication. This actually saved Baywatch.

[optimal321]

Originally posted by calhoun07
I think it hurts ratings, for the most part. Tho Sabrina the Teenage Witch is getting great ratings now that it's at the WB. Does anybody else know of any other successful network jumps?

I think The Hughleys is doing better because the censors aren't as strict on UPN as they were on ABC. But yeah, for the most part they just go downhill from the network change. Because usually, it's not only the network that changes.

[Samhaine]

Sister, Sister lasted for one season on ABC. I think on WB it went for 5 or 6 more. The key is to not really change anything, continue making the show. Drastic changes (such as set changes, actor changes, etc) will hurt a show during a network switch.

Can anyone think of some more network-switch shows?


And I didn't know Family Matters was a spin-off of Perfect Strangers...

[sun]

Star Trek. It did much better in reruns, than original network..and gave birth to 4 additional shows (one starts next week) with similiar thems and ideas, and I think 9 full length movies. I guess there is always hope, if there are enough fans out there to support it.

[Calhoun07]

Didn't Mystery Science Theater also find new life going from Comedy Central to Sci Fi?

[Maxie Zeus]

Originally posted by calhoun07
Didn't Mystery Science Theater also find new life going from Comedy Central to Sci Fi?

I'm not sure I'd call it "new life." CC treated MST3K in exactly the same way KWB treated "Batman Beyond." Though it was doing spectacularly well--both in terms of ratings and quality--a new programming chief decided it wasn't capturing the audience he wanted, so he dumped it.

[DR. BELCH]

bloodone:
I didn't know Family Matters was a spin-off of Perfect Strangers...
Harriet Winslow, the mother on FM, was an elevator operator at the building where Larry and Balki worked. She was fired after the buiding updated and got a mechanical elevator, and the character moved into her own spinoff. Of course, when Steve Urkel came along about a season in, he pretty much stole the whole show. Jaleel White may find it life after the Urk-man pretty hard--already he's had one UPN sitcom tank and I haven't heard anything about him in months. I wonder if his catchprase will have to be updated to, "Got any government cheese?" ;)

[joker]

i like it when a show i like on a network i dont like moves to one i like. and vise versa

[Calhoun07]

Originally posted by joker
i like it when a show i like on a network i dont like moves to one i like. and vise versa

sorry...but what did you say?

[The Mad Hatter]

Don't forget Married With Children. It started out on ABC and flopped, but then Fox scooped it up and made it their flagship show for years.

[James Harvey]

MARRIED WITH CHILDREN was on ABC? Really? Wow...the things you learn...As for NETWORK changes it doesn't really bother me. As long as I get the network I don't whine.

[Calhoun07]

Originally posted by The Mad Hatter
Don't forget Married With Children. It started out on ABC and flopped, but then Fox scooped it up and made it their flagship show for years.

Where did you get that from? I watched Fox on their very first night of programming, and Married...With Children was the first show they aired. I don't ever remember it being on ABC. Did they air the pilot? According to http://epguides.com/MarriedwithChildren/, MWC has been on Fox since the pilot episode on.

And that episode guides site does indicate when a series jumps networks. An example: http://epguides.com/SabrinatheTeenageWitch/

[James Harvey]

I think what joker is saying is that he doesn't mind when a show he enjoys moves to a different network.

[joker]

Originally posted by calhoun07


sorry...but what did you say?

sorry, lets try again:

when a show i enjoy, such as batman be example, is on kids wb but then moves over to cartoon network i think that is good because i peronally like cartoon network better than kids wb and cartoon network will treat batman better than kids wb. ok now when i a show i enjoy lets say dexters lab, if that went from cartoon newtork to kids wb, that would be bad beacuse i like cn as a newtork more and i dont like kids wb.

am i making sence?

[Calhoun07]

Originally posted by joker


sorry, lets try again:

when a show i enjoy, such as batman be example, is on kids wb but then moves over to cartoon network i think that is good because i peronally like cartoon network better than kids wb and cartoon network will treat batman better than kids wb. ok now when i a show i enjoy lets say dexters lab, if that went from cartoon newtork to kids wb, that would be bad beacuse i like cn as a newtork more and i dont like kids wb.

am i making sence?

Perfectly! :)

[The Mad Hatter]

I swear it was indeed first aired on ABC. It lasted barely a season in complete obscurity, then Fox nabbed it when it first started up. I learned this from watching it in syndication... the kids are REALLY young (the short guy... what the heck is his name?... is only 12), and the credits have ABC logos on them.

[Calhoun07]

I am not saying you're lying or not remembering right, but I cannot find confirmation on any sites about the show. Of course, I have only checked a couple, but still....you'd think there would be something. Is it possible your ABC affiliate had to show Fox shows at first cuz you didn't get a Fox affilate right away? At first Fox was something like UPN is now, not on in every market in the country. I dunno...just askin. And as for the ABC logo in the credits, that just may have been where the show was filmed? I dunno either, I am just guessing. You really got me wondering about this now!

[The Mad Hatter]

No, I didn't see the ABC logo on ABC... it was when it was on syndication on Fox. And I remember reading in a newspaper article when the show ended that it started on ABC. But, of course, I can't find anything to back that up.

[sun]

It is one hard job, and it waill take a lot of time but, it will prove what was on on, when,it is the old method sort to speak.....Go to NewYOrk Times Index, Check index for tv reviews, check year, go to article, then read actual article, WE may be talking about using microfilm, yes, it is still available in libraries...Furthere, one may not know what year a show was on, so try the beginning reviews of TV show starts, September and October I suppose, for several potential years. The New York Times Index will have it, or Readers Guide to Periodical Literature, both go back at least 80 years, in Readers Guide, I think one of the publications that is referenced is TV Guide, (not sure) and they too will have TV reviews and dates of premieres...good luck Also, a number of very good tv books (one that I have) that give total history of TV shows and their runs. good luck,,,,If I was at home, (I am not, I use the libraries computer) I could refer you to exact book, not sure if Merried With Children is indexed in that book. Good luck

[svendawg]

(First post here. Hope everyone's nice)

One of the best examples of a positive network jump recently was JAG, which started out (I believe) on NBC during the first season before CBS rescued it from the scrap pile and it went onto become a moderate hit. Of course, the show was entirely overhauled after the pilot anyway.

There's more famous examples out there, but as an occasional JAG watcher (hey, it fills the space between A&E's Law and Order reruns nicely) that's the first one that comes to my mind.