Rating Systems...

Can someone take the time to explain how the rating system works in terms of the amount of viewers it take for a pilot project to get a go-order for series! How does a pilot get the green light for series? How does the fans influence a shows go ahead? How come the Sci-Fi channel won't give the show a green light since there "Babylon 5" is a proven success and the fan base is very strong...This new series will no doubt be awesome...JMS has already proven his success in producing quality shows..."Babylon 5" "Crusades"...his comic book line...Why can't the sci-fi channel, if, for some reason, don't want to commit to a full 22 episodes...why not commission 13 episodes first...It doesn't make any sense to me...I am asking for some info...to shed some light on this subject...Thanks people!

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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Acid_Freeze:
Can someone take the time to explain how the rating system works in terms of the amount of viewers it take for a pilot project to get a go-order for series! How does a pilot get the green light for series? How does the fans influence a shows go ahead? How come the Sci-Fi channel won't give the show a green light since there "Babylon 5" is a proven success and the fan base is very strong...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>The reasons for ordering a pilot vary from show to show. In most cases, it's so the production team can prove they're capable of delivering the show on time and on buget. There's lots of money involved, and it's fairly reasonable for them to want a safeguard, especailly in cases where they're dealing with a newly assembled production team (like in this case).

As for what happens to a pilot - sometimes it just has to be delivered on time. Somtimes it aired and the station looks at the ratings report. And sometimes it's shown to a test audience, who give the station feedback as to what they like and what they don't like.

Jms has indicated that SciFi could order the series based on the rought cut (that's the footage assembled without any music or effects). Rumour has it that unless the pilot is completly awful, SciFi will order a full 1st season. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>This new series will no doubt be awesome...JMS has already proven his success in producing quality shows..."Babylon 5" "Crusades"...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Chris Carter created the X-Files. It's in it's 8th season and still getting good ratings. He also created Harsh Realm, which flopped and was cancled after 3 episodes.

Thanks for the detailed response! The point about "Harsh Realm" is interesting. I remember that tv series. The idea was good, but the actual story was quite weak, unfortunately..."The X-Files" is a brilliant concept...great characters...Good points!
Thanks!

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The reasons for ordering a pilot vary from show to show. [/QUOTE]

Would you know how such a screw-up is possible like the one with that unnamed network? How could a station order a pilot and a season, like "Crusade", and immediately begin work to destroy it?

(BTW, I'm still boycotting that unnamed netowork for that. And I was lucky enough to be a "Neilson family" last year, and had a chance to tell the ratings folks exactly what I though about that unnamed network.)




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[This message has been edited by hypatia (edited May 13, 2001).]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by hypatia:
Would you know how such a screw-up is possible like the one with that unnamed network? How could a station order a pilot and a season, like "Crusade", and immediately begin work to destroy it?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>In "unnamed network"'s case it happened that the show was oredered by the LA office, that normaly handles the new programing. Then the Atlanta buisiness office got a ratings analasys showing that the B5 fans weren't watching anything else, and their standard audience weren't watching B5.

So they wanted to dump Crusade. Since contracts were already signed, they couldn't just stop production. Instead they started to pull the show apart, hopeing to piss jms off enough so that he'd walk.

The rest is histroy.

I heard a rumor that Ted T. wanted scantily clad women on spaceships, and JMS is way above that, so he tore the show apart. I bet Black Scorpion will be a "That Network" Hit one day!!!

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That's pretty much it. They wanted lots of sex and violence, no matter what. For instance, a character whose job it was to find out about other alien cultures by having sex with them, and shootouts with aliens aboard the Excalibur every episode.

A Western Porno set in space.

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As I said... more recent information has strongly suggested that they were just coming up with the most outragous demands they could think of in order to get jms to stop the show.

I've always laugh extra hard at, what I assume to be, the inside joke J.M.S. played....
When the Hyperspace Alien tries to mate with the Excalibur, I can just hear Mr. Straczynski saying "There TNT, freaky deaky alien sex stuff just like you wanted" LOL

Not to mention Max's choices for viewing pleasure, The Seven Narn's indeed

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[This message has been edited by The One That Was (edited May 14, 2001).]

The Well of Forever will go down in my memory as one of the few times I couldn't stop laughing to take a breath of badly-needed air. The look on Gideon's face as the Fen tried mating with his ship; Mattheson's stunned look, and Galen's obvious uncomfortableness as he explained was just a doozy to watch.

*chuckle*
*laugh*

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"So where does the power come from to see the race to its end? It comes from within."