Getting your own TV show must suck......

You would think if you are awarded your own show it would be the best thing in the world but it seems that in today's ratings driven TV culture that having your own show probably sucks.

Why am I saying this?

Well it was announced this morning (or maybe last night) that DRIVE the show I spoke glowingly about in a previous post has been cancelled after only three episodes. This doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me since three episodes is too soon to build an audience IMHO. As a long time Howard Stern fan I remember Jerry Seinfeld coming on the show all the time in the early days to almost beg people to watch his show. Now I am not saying Drive had a chance to be a legendary TV show but it was fun and given a chance I think original shows are always better then running re-runs of other shows.....Drive is being replaced by re-runs of House.

I could be delusional here but I think shows should be given a full season to build an audience....even if that season is only 8 episodes they should get to tell a full story arc. A lot of movies fair far better on DVD then they do in the theatres (and the movie companies love that because they don't have to share the profits with the theatre owners) and TV on DVD is a HUGE category for DVD sales (my own opinion...I am too lazy to look this up) so it is safe to say that a given a chance, a good show could squeak by the first season.....release the DVD real quick and launch season two with a larger audience........something I think that was done with 24 (going from memory.....again too lazy to look it up)

If two episodes into season two there are still no ratings THEN I give you permission to cancel the show but cancelling shows that I like just isn't cool and Drive now falls in the same category as Vanished for me (shows that had long sweeping story arcs that I enjoyed and have no idea how they will end).

Or if it is a show I couldn't care less about then I give you permission to cancel it any time :)

-saul