When will we be able to see the first season of Life again?
Or Chuck, or Pushing Daisies, or Private Practice for that matter. With the announcement that FOX was going to offer a marathon of The Sarah Connor Chronicles starting on August 10th I got to wondering about the other freshman shows that made an impression on viewers before the Writers Strike abruptly ended their seasons. Many of these shows haven’t been seen since the end of last year.
For Life, the last original episode to air was December 5th. With the second season premiere slated to air during the first week of October, it will be nearly a year since viewers had a chance to bond with Detectives Charlie Crews and Dani Reese. That’s a bit of a concern when it comes to this show. On the surface Life is a criminal procedural. However, underneath there has been an second story about Charlie’s quest to clear his good name for a murder he didn’t commit. While the first arc of this story was completed in its “season finale,” there is plenty of story to tell.
Question is, who is going to watch Life when it returns? Fans may or may not come back to the show just to see how the story wraps up for Charlie. But, what about new viewers? Will they hook on to a show that already has an underlying story that they need to catch up on? Especially in its new time slot of Friday of 10 pm?
That’s why a rebroadcast of the first season of this, and other freshman shows, is most important for this upcoming season. Due to the Writers Strike, there was much more retention when it came to primetime schedules, which means shows like Private Practice, Chuck and Pushing Daisies were given second chances to prove themselves. If the networks don’t promote these shows by airing their first seasons ahead of time how will they be able to make any headway with their fans and new viewers?
Sure, you could argue that viewers could go online to watch these shows to get some idea about characters and plot. However, the image they would get of some shows would be incomplete. Take Chuck, for example. Doing a search on Hulu, this show only has three episodes available for viewing — all of them from the beginning of the series. As the tone of the show changed from those first few episodes viewers may not be able to get a feel for what the new season will be like. Then, there’s the intimacy issue of watching these shows online. While Hulu offers all 11 episodes of Life’s first season on their site, there are still viewers who would rather watch the show in the comfort of their living rooms rather than on their laptops.
Despite the opinions of some experts, television is still very important when it comes to the popularity and life of primetime shows. By airing the freshman seasons of these programs the networks have a chance of bringing in both the advertisers and the fans for the new season. By not airing these shows sometime during the summer, the networks run the risk of losing the fans they already have and filling empty spots that, due to the Writers Strike, they just don’t have the material for.
Barry Watson on the Return of Samantha Who?
It's back!
Tonight, ABC's Samantha Who? returns to the tube with an all-new episode that is one of the series’ best so far. Not only do we get some good, quality Sam (Christina Applegate) and Todd (Barry Watson) time, but the writers make good use of the girls who often steal the show: Jean Smart (Regina) and Melissa McCarthy (Dena).
To celebrate, I checked in with Barry, who tells me the cast and crew are relieved to be back after the strike put the freshman hit in a holding pattern. “I feel like we were just starting to get some momentum going when everything had to stop," he said. "But things run so smoothly on this show. Everyone’s having a great time. Except for Jean. She and I just don’t get along. They have to separate us during table reads.”
Oh, if only that were true! Then SW could also be a scandalous reality series. But for better or worse, Barry was only joking and said he's hoping to branch out and work with some of the rest of the cast. “I think there is an effort to get Todd in some scenes with Jean and Kevin [Dunn] later this season, and hopefully I’ll get to spend time with the doorman too, since he does stand right outside my building.”
And is there hope for young Todd and his ex, Sam, now that he’s got a new lady, played by Lost’s Kiele Sanchez? “I think so,” said Barry. “More so now that Sam is good, instead of the [awful person she was pre-amnesia] whom he’d probably been trying to break up with for quite some time.” Christina's title-role character and series-regular status should help out, too!
Korbi Ghosh
Breaking! Happy Day: Chuck, Life Get Full Seasons
Great news, kids. Inside sources tell me two of my new faves, Chuck and Life, have both gotten "back nine" orders from NBC, meaning when the strike ends they'll get full seasons!
Now, what does this delicious news mean in the grand scheme of things?
Well, about a month ago, I heard from a source very close to Chuck that the network was not going to pick it up until after the strike was over. Talks resumed today, and rumor has it things are looking very positive. Could the bosses over at the Peacock net know something good about the strike ending sometime soon? Let's hope so!
Also, what about NBC's other freshman shows? Sadly, it seems like Journeyman will only finish 12 episodes before going off into that good night. And Bionic Woman? Well, despite everyone's highest hopes, it continues to struggle, and today, a blogger reported that Katee Sackhoff has left that building…
What do you guys think? Should Journeyman and Bionic Woman also get full-season pickups? Or are you just so happy about more Chuck and Life that all the other shows don't matter? Post your thoughts in the Comments section!
Exclusive! Moonlight Gets Four More Scripts
Jason Dohring and Moonlight fans have something to smile about!
Sources tell me CBS just ordered four more scripts of the freshman vamped-up drama that's been airing—and building a fan base—on Friday nights. And while that isn't the best news possible (the best would have been a full order of the "back nine" episodes), it is certainly a signal the show is heading in the right direction.
Anyone happy about this? Holla in the Comments section.