Secrets to Saving Underrated Television Shows Revealed

Tom Goldman

Crying on the inside.
Aug 17, 2009
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Secrets to Saving Underrated Television Shows Revealed



Writing a letter isn't the best way to save a failing television show you love, but that doesn't mean the situation is hopeless.

Craig Engler, general manager and senior vice president of Syfy Digital, wants you to know exactly how you can save your favorite television shows that might be on their way out. Working at Syfy, which has saved a show here and there, he's got the secrets we need. Primarily, he tells us that everything we think is right, is wrong.

Writing letters is great, but actually, it's really not. Everybody writes letters about everything, he says in a great article on Law & Order: Criminal Intent [http://www.boingboing.net/2010/05/06/how-to-really-save-y.html]," he reveals.

So put away that pen, and the pencil, and you're going to have to return that case of Cool Whip. So how can you save your favorite shows? A strong offense is the best defense, or something. A preemptive attack is the best way to go. If you like a show, make it known, and make it known in a huge way. As Engler says, "it's going to take a few hundred thousand new viewers to make an impact," so you've got to do a lot more than write an email or tell a friend about the show.

"Instead of talking to us, talk to the critics and TV bloggers out there who have the most readers and try to get THEM to talk about the show. Do something so unique that your "save the show" campaign gets covered on the homepage of CNN. Find a way to get Jon Stewart to joke about your campaign on his show. Use tools out there like Twitter and Facebook that let you reach people on a mass scale."

Do it quickly too, because once a show is canceled, it's just about too late. The actors have mostly moved on, and the sets may have been dismantled, making it a "HUGE financial hurdle" to get the show going again. According to Engler, you want to mount a "pre-save" campaign for any show you like that might not be doing as well as you'd hope.

I'm going to take his advice, but in the opposite direction. Far too many people watch this "Glee [http://www.amazon.com/Glee-Complete-Season-Matthew-Morrison/dp/B0032JTV6U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1278514987&sr=1-1]," and it's making me a little scared.

Source: Boing Boing [http://www.boingboing.net/2010/05/06/how-to-really-save-y.html]

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Starke

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Mar 6, 2008
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When it comes to Glee, I year ya.

Still, interesting stuff, which makes a lot of sense. I did not know about the dragonflies with Lexx...
 

scnj

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Nov 10, 2008
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People need to start doing this for Caprica I fear. The ratings have not been kind.

Meanwhile, shit like Glee which ruins damn good songs attracts millions of viewers. No justice.
 

Tagball

Super Sexy Short Stuff
Nov 25, 2009
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Perfect, I can now resurrect Lost for a seventh season! YES! HOORAY!

Sun, Jin, Sayid and Lapidus dying, my ass!
 

CoverYourHead

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Dec 7, 2008
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Any people watching Glee is too many people watching Glee.

I can't think of any shows of mine that need saving, but I do need to make a time machine to go back and save Firefly. Like... right now.
 

ENKC

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May 3, 2010
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I'm willing to sign up for the "Don't Save Glee" campaign. What do you need me to do?

Also... too late to bring back Arrested Development?
 

jad4400

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Damn, I wish we had know this when Firefly was circling the tank. we need to start compiling a list of shows we need to save.

scnj said:
People need to start doing this for Caprica I fear. The ratings have not been kind.
I'd sign up for that, I love me some Caprica.
 

DaxStrife

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Nov 29, 2007
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So, the real reason shows die is the networks don't want to advertise them, they want the fans to do it.
 

samsonguy920

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Mar 24, 2009
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So we are supposed to take advice from someone who works with Syfy? The network that is currently culling its schedule of anything science fiction, imaginative, and exciting and replacing it with boring and demented fiction? I don't think so.

I seem to recall a certain series was facing cancellation into its second season. One person started a letter writing campaign which changed the mind of a studio which would have been more than happy to kill that series whether it was making money or not. Today we can't turn around without bumping into something that was influenced by that series.

I will grant a certain imagination helps, but telling studios directly that you and others are great followers of a certain show, and would sell your firstborn to see it continue, is always good medicine.
 

sneakypenguin

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Tenmar said:
Can someone tell me what the heck is Glee?
A kind of musical high school drama. Its not really that bad, it usually takes some sort of event/drama (teen pregnancy, whos daddy, love interest, typical high school stuff except very lighthearted in this version) adds in some stuff from the glee club and one or two musical numbers some of which are pretty good and there you have it.
 

Starke

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sneakypenguin said:
Tenmar said:
Can someone tell me what the heck is Glee?
A kind of musical high school drama. Its not really that bad, it usually takes some sort of event/drama (teen pregnancy, whos daddy, love interest, typical high school stuff except very lighthearted in this version) adds in some stuff from the glee club and one or two musical numbers some of which are pretty good and there you have it.
There's also an exceedingly bitter coach of somethingerother that deadpans some fantastic one liners. But she's not enough to cut the sacrine levels down to watchable.
 

Gildan Bladeborn

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Aug 11, 2009
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My family keeps trying to get me to watch Glee with them, claiming I'd "really like it". Clearly my family is insane!

Now of course I'm left thinking my stance (ie, not watching Glee) is far too soft, and that I should be doing everything in my power to make other people not watch it too. Darn it all, I was comfortable with my apathy.
 

Phantomess

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Sep 19, 2009
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*is now really, really unhappy and sadlike because Vincent D'Onofrio will no longer be Bobby Goren*

I almost didn't get past that bit... but I agree, this would have been useful to know around the time we lost Firefly. We could have saved the Captain! DX

*starts crying over the injustice of, well, everything*
 

Unrulyhandbag

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Chronamut said:
Firefly isn't underrated though last I heard, the show just costs a lot of money to make.
what? It's ratings were terrible. Firefly got shown in the wrong order and had it's timeslot changed on a weekly basis and was barley advertised. so the ratings were bad because the network didn't want it watched. Obviously they thought they were getting another buffy. *rolleyes*