Just like it was supposed to be a big year for the movies, it was supposed to be a huge year for the world of television. Instead what occurred was something nobody predicted; the two mediums mimicked each other. Yet as the saying goes "when it rains, it pours," and TV land felt the biggest downpour as the floodgates opened and all hell broke loose. What went wrong? Could the season have been fixed? The answer may surprise you.
When the head of a major network stands up before a group of television critics and says the equivalent of "my bad, we screwed up," that's when you know something went wrong. NBC took the worst hit of the year as nearly all of their new shows have either been cancelled or are hanging on by a very small thread. What else would you expect from a network that took a rebuilding year, one year to soon? With the departure of "Friends" and the expected departure of "Frasier," the net decided to fix its schedule before it collapsed. The problem was that the schedule wasn't broken. With Matt LeBlanc's new show going into the old "Friends" timeslot and the possibility that "Frasier" may pull off one more year, NBC had nothing to worry about. Instead they shifted there schedule around and buried certain shows to make it easier to get rid of them when they needed to make room for a new group.
Take "Boomtown" for example, the critically acclaimed show would have picked up an Emmy nod for sure if it wasn't for the return of "The Sopranos." The show featured a top notch rookie cast and had a killer concept, the problem was that it also was buried on a night where typically people are not home watching TV. "Boomtown" and "Third Watch" should have switched places. This way "Third Watch," another critical darling, could buffer the shaky Friday lineup and support the new drama "Miss Match." Instead of fixing newer shows, NBC focused on strengthening older ones. NBC's former cash cow, "E.R.," began to slip in the ratings and despite being called "rejuvenated" with a newer cast, the show still loses some of its audience to "Without A Trace." Its called competition, it happens, but shows like "E.R." can handle it. Shows like "Boomtown" could not.
ABC, which succeeded in re-igniting its Friday night schedule, was dealt (along with many Americans) the harshest blow of all. On the two year anniversary of the single worst terrorist attack in our country's history, we lost two stars in the blink of an eye. Legendary singer Johnny Cash and comedian John Ritter passed away. Both were inspirations in times of tragedy and the presence of both will be missed. Ritter's ABC sitcom had just gained the momentum of a runaway hit. Yet unlike, NBC, ABC knew how to handle the situation. Defying the critics, the network continued production of the show. It was a gutsy move, but it worked. Using the last three Ritter episodes as a lead in, the show returned in November with the highest ratings it had even seen. It was the perfect tribute to a very talented and very likeable friend to many.
