Captain Obvious

It bugs me when entertainment media gets it as wrong as the networks do.  I'd like to break into development because I feel the need to play the role of Captain Obvious.

An article from The Wrap makes the same sweeping generalizations as the networks seem to make about why certain shows didn't work this year.

One common theme the article identified in failed shows is how many of them took place in the past.  The article cites the failure of Pam Am, Terra Nova and Alcatraz as examples.

Those shows did not fail because of their setting.  They failed because they were boring.  The characters were flat, and the weak plots did nothing to encourage me to tune into the next episode.  The shows the author called surprise hits were Once Upon a Time and Grimm.  Those shows are awesome, regardless of their settings.  Therefore...not cancelled.  

I've got to give the writer, Tim Molloy, some credit for pointing out some of the obvious flaws of this shows later in the article.  However, in regard to The Playboy Club's cancellation, he left out one crucial fact.  The Playboy Club aired directly after The Sing Off, and opposite of the season premiere of Two and Half Men.   

This means that their lead-in audience was a completely different demographic than the target audience for The Playboy Club, and their target audience was really eager to watch a show on another network.  I tweeted about this months before the show aired.

I honestly believe that NBC set that show up to fail, and was more interested in generating publicity about the network through the show.  Maybe it's me.