NBC has ordered a full season of "Knight Rider," even though it's consistently finishing in third place in its timeslot. Why would Ben Silverman do this to us? Three reasons: 1)At least "Knight Rider" is doing better than "Pushing Daisies" head-to-head (sigh...); 2)NBC has trouble in so many places, and so little ready to plug in immediately, that they can't just cancel everything; and 3)Silverman is apparently an "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" fan and has decided to usurp Charlie's role as the wild card.
Or 4) No matter how bad you think TV is, there is always 'Knight Rider' to under-perform it all...
ReplyDeleteOh good, now when FNL gets canceled after a horrible NBC run this winter, I'll be able to scream "BEN SILVERMAN PICKED UP KNIGHT RIDER, BUT NOT THIS!?"
ReplyDeleteI'd wager that Ford's heavy integration into the show (both in the show itself and the surrounding commercial pods) are a solid source of revenue, and possibly make the show profitable enough to keep it alive despite the somewhat dismal ratings. Silverman's track record so far is one of being focused on the money and the reputation of NBC among advertisers (ie: how willing they are to do whatever the advertisers want), not show quality or network respectability among viewers.
ReplyDelete-Lance
Next up in NBC development... "Ow My Balls!".
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if this makes it more or less likely that "Life" will get a full season order. I think I saw some product placements on their last show, and for once the placements didn't make me want to throw up. (I'm assuming that's what's important to the head honchos at NBC at this point.)
ReplyDeleteThe ratings are obviously good enough for Ford to keep paying the Sheinhardt Wig Co its product placement fee that makes it profitable enough to keep Knight Rider polluting the airwaves, no matter how bad the show.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is a good sign that NBC will pick up the American version of Top Gear (and that said version won't suck, as most US adaptions of British series tend to)
Or, maybe Maureen Ryan is right and Ben Silverman simply hates us.
Maybe kids like it? Maybe Silverman REALLY likes Deanna Russo? Maybe Yancey Arias made some deity angry and this is his punishment?
ReplyDeleteAlright. Everyone's missing the real key element. KITT can transform. Into anything built by Ford. Anything.
ReplyDeleteWhat you don't realize is that the Ford Motor Company had an unsuccessful offshoot into the, ahem, marital aids business back in the go-go '80s. Every Friday night, KITT heads over to Silverman's house and transforms into...
I daren't say it on a family blog.
I don't care about Knight Rider, but since it's an NBC show, it seemed like the most appropriate place to ask if you watched last night's My Own Worst Enemy (after your review of the pilot, it didn't seem likely there would be a seperate post). Despite the horrible pilot, I watched the next episode, and found it quite a bit more compelling. Once the rules were finally laid down in a way that made sense, the concepts they started playing with became a lot more interesting.
ReplyDeleteHaven't watched "My Own Worst Enemy" episode 2 yet. May get to it tonight (along with Heroes), but I've been occupied with other things.
ReplyDeleteI cant think of a network that has ever had worse shows than NBC. They are unwatchable.
ReplyDeleteI cant think of a network that has ever had worse shows than NBC. They are unwatchable.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet NBC is also the home of 30 Rock, and The Office, and Chuck. (All greenlit under previous regimes, of course.)
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ReplyDeleteWell. Now I know how the fans of KR comport themselves.
ReplyDelete@anon, "comport" means "act" or "behave".
The former is a word you heard a lot as a kid in the phrase, "Timmy was acting up again today."
The latter in the phrase, "Timmy just won't behave."
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ReplyDeleteRich, this same guy has been showing up repeatedly in the "Dexter" thread to make the same hilarious comment, and I keep deleting it, over and over again. And I can keep doing so.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy Knight Rider and disagree with your assessment.
ReplyDeleteFriday Night Lights has heart, but Knight Rider has football in the groin.
ReplyDeleteAnd the intelligent Journeyman that didn't pick up steam until right around the writers strike wasn't picked up for the second half of its first season- half of this season.
ReplyDeleteWhat a freakin joke.
Alan: Thank you for the shoutout on the "wildcard." Please feel free to insert more "Sunny" references into your future blog postings.
ReplyDeleteNext up in NBC development... "Ow My Balls!".
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, George C Scott is no longer available.
Blogger Nicole said...
ReplyDeleteNext up in NBC development... "Ow My Balls!"
nope, that's ABC.
have you never seen America' Funniest Home Videos?
oh, oops. also meant to gripe that this has not happened for Chuck
ReplyDelete