This: Save The Black Donnellys.
And this: Save Veronica Mars.
And this: Save Studio 60.
Every fall, the Internet rumbles with fans complaining that the networks serve up the same recycled ideas. Next stop: CSI: Topeka. Or America’s Next Idol Inventor Who Dances With the Stars of Karaoke.
Last year, there was a glut of dark, dense serialized shows. This year, it's afterlife-themed procedurals.
Well, no wonder Hollywood recycles its “originality” until it becomes a cliché. They’re only reflecting the audience.
Though I bear them no ill will - I didn’t hate the show, though I didn’t watch it - my heart sank when I heard the Jericho fans' save-our -show campaign succeeded.
I mean, good for them. I say that almost sincerely. Jericho fans demonstrated that the show had a larger online fan base than CBS realized. If 10 people had gotten together and sent 100 times as many peanuts, it would have had no effect. But the nuts – and the peanuts, too - made CBS take a closer look at the online fanbase, and the non-Nielsen rated web hits they were getting, and the phone calls and e-mails and blog posts and genuine grassroots support, and, perhaps most importantly, at their lacklustre slate of new shows in production and the spots to fill on their schedule.
But Jericho's success means we’re doomed to repeat the same fan campaign, recycled ad nauseam.
Jericho fans sent nuts? Veronica Mars fans should send Mars Bars! The Black Donnellys fans should send crackers! Studio 60 fans should send ... something smart! Next season, look for Friday Night Lights fans to send footballs, and 30 Rock fans to send rocks.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Andrew
Don't hate Jericho because our campaign was successful. We, of course, have no control over the people that don't pay attention to what we did and try to emulate it poorly.
People don't realize that the nuts, while very effective in the quantity that was ultimately delivered, were a symbol. CBS' switchboard was overloaded every single time that it opened for public calls, letters piled into the mailroom, and real e-mails (i.e. not form letters) swamped their mailboxes. Had it not been for the organized juggernaut of communication from tens (hundreds?) of thousands of people, the nuts would have been largely ignored.
2 - Diane Kristine
That's really my point too, Andrew. I hope it's obvious that I'm being tongue in cheek about hating Jericho, because your success spawned the bad copycat campaigns I really hate (It was the crackers that really pushed me over the edge).
3 - Andrew
Indeed, it's relatively obvious, and I agree with your point of view completely. I felt the need to comment for the sake of the copycats that don't recognize the holes in their strategies.
I have to say that the title of your blog entry is unfortunate to see on Google News, given that CBS has pretty much dumped the onus of improving viewership on the fans, who are trying to get positive media messages out there. I wasn't going to call you on it, though, once I read the insightful reasons behind your choice, and hoped that others, too, would understand the "tongue in cheek" nature that you were trying to impart.
4 - Tracy
Honestly, I don't know why in the world you would post something that you don't really hate, but you do hate. And besides, you haven't even seen Jericho so how in the world are you supposed to have an opinion on it? Jericho is the best show and everyone is proud that the campaign works.. well okay, I would say everyone but apparantly there are some people who don't care about audiences being heard by a station anymore. All I can say is how in the world would you feel if you had a favourite show and it got cancelled, then after a landslide campaign, it was brought back. Just think how you would feel!
5 - Diane Kristine
Oh Tracy Tracy Tracy. Grow a sense of humour and some reading comprehension. And I have seen Jericho, as should be clear if you click on the link where I say I don't hate it.
6 - Rae
Though I actually agree, I have to point out that it didn't start with Jericho fans. If anything, Jericho fans are just as guilty of the copycatting as the other campaigns you listed. I don't really know how far back it dates but I can remember when Roswell fans tried to save their show by sending in bottles of Tabasico.
It's just that the Jericho fans succeeded and, as Andrew already pointed out, there was more to their campaign than the nuts... that's just what got the coverage. So now fans everywhere have something to point at and say, "See, look, we're not crazy, it actually works!"
Oy.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a Jericho fan. I'm happy the show is coming back and fans succeeded in showing CBS there was enough of an audience to justify that decision but I'm with Diane. There's definitely more to why Jericho was brought back than the nuts and the letters from fans. I don't want fans to forever use it as an example of how those type of campaigns can succeed without also acknowledging that there were unique reasons it worked this time.
7 - Jane
I enjoyed the article and thought it was funny. I know that the success of the Nuts campaign has given other fans hope for their cancelled show and had any of them come before Jericho then we'd be called a copycat.
I wish them all success.
8 - Diane Kristine
You're right Rae, the "send stuff" idea didn't start with Jericho, but they did an amazing job of gathering support and getting publicity - that's where the real creativity came in. As Andrew said, the nuts were a symbol, and that's something the copycat campaigns don't seem to get.
9 - Ty
"Jericho fans sent nuts? Veronica Mars fans should send Mars Bars! The Black Donnellys fans should send crackers! Studio 60 fans should send ... something smart!"
Nuts had to do with a line from the season finale. Perhaps you should go to CBS.com and check out Jericho before you comment on it. I know you are not ripping the show, and while I feel it is a flawed show, it has its good moments. You should check it out.
10 - Diane Kristine
I know where the nuts came from, and I did check the out. I even reviewed it before it premiered (check the link in that sentence), I just didn't watch it regularly because it's not my thing.
I'm not only not ripping the show, I'm not talking about the content of any of these shows or whether they're worthy of being saved.
11 - Rahul
I'm actually getting semi-amused that some of my fellow Jericho fans seem to be taking this...personally:D. For crying out loud, read it; half of it is a joke. However, on topic, I agree with the author's point; it seems to be spawning about 10 million "save show" campaigns "inspired" by the Jericho one. Granted, a successful save show campaign inspires hope for the next one, as Jericho fans remembered Star Trek, and other successful ones during our campaign. However, that doesn't mean every cancelled show in the planet needs to be saved. For crying out loud, I've seen talk of more than we have already. Don't we have enough? Whether or not the shows were good, a few people with no time and tons of spare change aren't going to change the networks decision; unless they feel like spending oh, a few million bucks and financing their show's continuation directly.
12 - Grace
I don't find ANYTHING about this article the slightest bit amusing. I am offended by it.
Do you have any idea how hard the fans of JERICHO worked to get their favorite show back on the air?? We had nothing to do with the other campaigns so why are you blaming us? We can't be hold responsible for what other fans do. I didn't appreciate you telling us to 'get a life' or calling us 'nuts'. I assure you that I am quite sane. Sane enough to very much enjoy a different, exciting tv show with heart like JERICHO.
And I HATE the title of your article, WHY I HATE JERICHO. That is all over the web now and it is not right. You are knocking us down for no good reason. Don't you have anything better to do?
I am very, very disappointed in you, Diane.
13 - Diane Kristine
Oh no. Your approval means so much to me, Grace.
Since you seem to not get the nuances of sarcasm and irony, that was both.
Many of the Jericho campaign organizers called themselves "nuts" in their campaign - the humour was part of what made it so effective and got the media to cover it.
But in any case, the humour I find in overwrought comments like yours make the minutes I spent writing this piece absolutely worth it.
14 - Roishana
In the end, the only reason the Jericho nuts campaign worked, was that there was enough fans willing to join the fight to save the show. If it takes fans of other shows a month to get their protest going, or there are only 100 symbols (chocolates, nuts etc) sent, it demonstrates that the passionate fan base is either too small, just accepting of the cancellation, or just not passionate enough (or a combination of all three!!) I doubt there will be many successful campaigns becuase of this.
The Jericho campaign worked because enough people got involved, acted quickly, and were passionate enough to send nuts, emails, phone calls, letters, not once and not just for a week! They have now organized a fan convention! If other shows had the same fanbase, then maybe more shows would be saved (now, and in the future).
What the real stories are from the Jericho fan campaign, is the way CBS is now working directly with fans, how non-traditional data (other than Nielsens)must be counted (and leveraged for advertising), how targetting specific audience segments can work(not just TV for the masses), and how the viewing audience is no longer watching TV at a set time on a particular day while sat on the sofa!!
15 - Josh Lasser "TV and Film Guy"
Congratulations! This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States.
16 - Mel
I think it's silly to base all our success on the Jericho campaign to the nuts. They were a large part of it, yes, but the reason why we were so successful is because this was one of the largest, dedicated, organised, poilte, professional campaigns TV has ever seen. This is the reason why we were so successful and Veronica Mars and others weren't. It's not our fault that we succeeded and other shows didn't, 'fraid to say.
17 - Morgan
The first time I recall fans campaigning for a network to reinstate a TV was in the 60s when NBC cancelled a 3rd Season of STAR TREK. Thousands upon thousands of fans wrote letters protesting the decision, but it took over six months for NBC to reverse that decision. Although STAR TREK returned to the air, Pearl Harbored it by airing it at 10pm Fridays. Of course, it didn't help that some of the worst ST:TOS episodes ever written were aired during the 3rd Season -- "Spock's Brain," comes to mind. Still, STAR TREK endured, spawning feature films and many subsequent series.
Will this happen with JERICHO? Doubtful. As much as I like the series, and fought for its return, I'm not certain CBS will see it as a potential STAR TREK -- although I'm sure they'd love nothing better!
I can appreciate the tongue in cheek humor of your article. I had to laugh at a few of the lines, and I get your point regarding copycat fans for other TV shows. Something like the "nuts" campaign comes along rarely enough that the novel approach works. Then again, NUTS was a great line, and when it's used to spearhead a movement by thousands of people, it's a powerful gimick. But it's still a gimick, and I'm sure even though CBS got tired of receiving nuts, the thousands of phone calls, emails and letters didn't hurt either.
I'm only afraid people will fail to see the humor in your article, and have a negative, knee-jerk reaction. That would be unfortunate, and I hope my fellow JERICHO fans will, as you say, "grow a sense of humor." Thank you for an entertaining article that made me laugh.
18 - ArcticF0X
The subject here is a campaign to save a show directed at a television network who does not employ you. The only way you know about this campaign, I assume, is by reading about it on the web or hearing about it on the news.
You have no involvement in the campaign, no vested interest in the show continuing or stopping, and are not a part of the network who has been targeted with shipments of legumes. So, basically, the impact of this campaign is so insignificant in your life that you probably wouldn't have even known about it had you not come across an article about it.
Considering that you don't care if it succeeds, you wish no ill will towards the show, and that you're not the target of the campaign, I have to wonder exactly how this affects you so much that you have formed a negative opinion about it. Maybe this impacts your life in ways I can't guess - I don't know - but from here, it seems like you're taking time out of your day to intentionally crap on something that doesn't hurt anybody, doesn't affect your life in the slightest, and isn't offensive, mean-spirited, or rude.
I don't care what you think about any of these shows - I'm just trying to understand your problem with the campaigns, other than their perceived lack of originality. I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm thinking that most of these efforts are designed to send a message to a network - not to be a clever vehicle for providing you with entertainment. Next time you feel like being entertained with originality, I humbly suggest you turn your attention to a venue that's designed for it - like a good film or a good book - instead of complaining that you're unhappy with the originality of something that's not only not meant *for* you, not meant to *affect* you, and is a tool, not a work of art. These campaigns were not created to bring a smile to your face, Diane. They're a means to an end - they're purely utilitarian - and have zilch to do with you.
I think it's worth mentioning that if the people who participate in these activities need to "get a life," - if their efforts are useless - then perhaps reporting your dissatisfaction with the antics of people who are only wasting their time is a waste of both your readers' time and yours.
Were you chomping at the bit today to find something to sneer at, or are you just in a foul mood? :-
19 - Diane Kristine
I wish they'd stop sending me emails about all their stupid campaigns, for one.
But if you haven't understood that the issue IS the lack of originality, which makes the "utilitarian" campaigns completely useless, and if you don't appreciate my sense of humour, or get the fun in venting about something completely trivial, there's not much more I can say to you. I can't take your earnestness about this triviality seriously. It makes me laugh, actually.
Man, and I was expecting the Studio 60 fans to harangue me. I called them stupid, and praised the Jericho campaign. I guess that's further proof of the Jericho fans' dedication.
20 - Rahul
The reason you're getting bad comments is the title, "Why I hate Jericho" shows up on google news and the ilk, which means that anyone typing Jericho in Google News gets...you:D. Trust me, Studio 60 fans would do the same to you if they knew of this:D. Seriously guys, chill. It was a humor article, and I found it pretty funny, even though I was originally inclined to get irritated with the author due to the title.
21 - Jane
I must say that I am very disappointed, Diane, in some of my fellow Rangers. CBS commended us for our manners and behavior throughout the campaign. Seems some manners have slipped. It is your blog and your article. What's done is done, Rangers. I don't think Diane is the one in a " foul mood." If you don't like what she writes don't read it. There is no reason to blast her and make all of us look like Nuts.
22 - Sean Paul Mahoney
Well put Jane. A few loud mouthed Nuts make everyone else in your camp look bad. And clearly that's wrong.
I've had my share of backlash like this before, Diane and it's a pain mainly because it puts an end to open and lively discusssion. At least you didn't make a joke about a ceratin male American Idol runner-up. Those fans really go for the jugular.
Still, I thought your article was witty and smart.
23 - Grace
I think she just wanted publicity and this was an easy way to get it.
Forget about all the JERICHO fans who worked so hard to get their show back. She just makes fun of it.
She calls it humor. I call it cr*p.
NUTS to you and your blog.
You could do us a lot of harm with the title of your article. I just hope you will think about that....but you won't because you're too busy trying to prove that you are right and we are wrong.
You have quite an ego there don't you?
24 - AnotherJerichoFan
While I wish fans of other shows success with their efforts, I think there were a couple differences between the Save Jericho campaign and most others. 1) CBS put Jericho on an almost 3 month hiatus after decent ratings for the first half of the season and 2) Jericho is a continuing drama and the season ended with a major cliffhanger. The hiatus was a mistake on the part of the network that, lucky for us fans, they eventually recognized and are willing to give the show another (uninterupted) chance. The ending on a cliffhanger issue was most likely responsible for the larger number of protesting fans than most cancelled shows inspire. Sure the Nuts campaign was a great way to get publicity for "the cause" but I don't think it would have succeeded were it not for the hiatus/cliffhanger issues.
25 - John Hawkins
WHY I HATE DIANE KRISTINE (NOT) SUBTITLED: YOU MISSED THE POINT
Oh Diane Diane Diane. Grow a sense of Internet awareness, loose your dreams of being a Stand-Up Comic, and by all means, please, please, puh_leeze -- keep your day job, at least until you develop more effective writing skills. :-)
I mean honestly, look at what you've written. First the title, is well... Hate? Hate is a powerful word. Learn what it means, and learn to use it purposefully ... not flippantly. But there's more. You state you "didn't watch Jericho" yet you state you "have seen it"(huh?) and that you "bear them (Jericho fans) no ill will" followed by "I mean, good for them. I say this almost sincerely." Almost? ALMOST!?!? This sends very "mixed signals" to many of your readers! Did you even proof read what you wrote?
The effectiveness of your writing skills, are, shall we say, lacking? ;)
When will you newbies ever learn that sarcasm and electronic communications don't mix well? Unlike some language systems, English has no punctuation for written sarcasm. Sarcasm on the 'net should always include a tag like "[/sarcasm]" or at least emoticons to convey the writers emotion. A significant portion of effective communications is non-verbal. But tonal inflection and body language are non existent on the Internet. So use sarcasm sparingly, and always designate it as such.
But most of all, the reason I HATE DIANE KRISTINE most [/sarcasm], is that you have entirely missed the point. Yes, the 'Nuts' Campaign brought Jericho back, but more importantly, it was instrumental to the reevaluation and updating of the Nielsen Ratings System, bringing it out of the dark ages, and into the 21st century with the rest of us.
From Nielsen's Website (click here for the full page)
Maybe you should blog on this new rating system? But if you do, I'd suggest you leave the sarcasm to the Stand-Up Comics for now! [GRIN]