Don't worry this isn't an article that's going to make you feel bad about your awful taste in TV and media ( even though you should ) and go on about my impeccable taste in it ( although I do ). However you don't understand TV and that's okay, it's why I am here.
This is a crash course in understanding TV ( in this case the main 3 I am privy too , Nollywood , Hollywood and Anime ). People tend to be shocked when their favorite shows get cancelled, their worst shows going on forever , or the show shockingly changing direction.
The main goal for TV shows is first and foremost and most importantly profit, not quality or being special , that might be the goal of the writers/producers/directors and actors but the studios who actually finance the show , they just want a popular hit that's profitable.
That's the main goal , and all that matters. Profit is tied into ratings, the more popular the show is , the higher they can charge for advertisements. Which is why sitcoms and procedurals are super popular, they are relatively cheap , cause they don't require dynamic sets and appeal to alot of people, which is why we have a lot of comedies , cop shows , and the likes. Important to know, when a breakout show comes along other networks can try and copy/emulate the shows.
Next is quality , easiest way to fish out quality is through two ways , the history of the network airing the show and reviewers. Networks like abc , THE WORST do not even bother with those shows, and then networks like HBO , FX, AMC are reliable for great TV shows, the CW will try interesting things once in a while but in general average TV, they usually don't have the budget,actors or writing to make truly great shows. Netflix and amazon are hit and miss , they are just throwing anything at the wall to see what sticks ,so you can get quality shows like House of Cards and garbage like Sense 8 ( YEAH I SAID IT, okay it's not trash, but it's not that good ), but they have a good budget so at least they can hire good actors and great looking shows at the least, same goes with FOX . Reviews are simple , don't use Rotten Tomatoes for shows , they tend to be extra generous , you will see even average shows score 100% rating, however the average score is a good indicator , anything over 8.5 on average is at least doing interesting things. Metacritic is a good indicator, any score from 80 upwards is a show that's doing some good things, 70- to 75 is just okay , 69 and downwards is pretty bad or at best mediocre. The hang up on reviews however is that they mostly review the first few episodes, so the show might get better, worse or stay on the same level.
Overtime you should also look out for something important , the escalation problem. The best shows are usually slow paced and measured , building up to events and hinting towards future events. Shows that rush too many events to be exciting will always end up bad after a few seasons , due to the show trying to outdo itself , therefore forcing more improbable events to try and do better. Comedies can also suffer this problem over time, making the characters worst aspects more and more pronounced to make them "funnier" to the point they may end up caricatures. Now the show might start out slow but it pays off better in the end.
Nollywood is a little different , they get popular actors to the best of their ability and try to get as much sponsorship as possible or a network to buy it , our TV industry isn't well developed enough and has way too many issues. It relies more on getting sponsorship to succeed.
Now even if the ratings are weak , getting alot of streams and high DVD/digital sales can save the show, the studio just has to recoup the costs at the end. Merchandise sales being strong can also save a show , but for live action tv shows those are few and far between.
Anime and cartoon is simple , ratings and merchandise sales. The show can be popular but if toy and merchandise sales are low or below expectations it can still get cancelled, so it's not just having alot of viewers, they also have to buy merchandise to support the show.
What is the point of this article in the large scope of things ? None really but if you're favorite gets cancelled or you keep wondering why a show you despise keeps going on for ages , this answers it and you won't go to your grave haunted by such deep mysteries.
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