Knight Rider, Fringe First New Shows to Get Full Season Orders

Posted by Dominic Messier Oct 30, 2008

I've kept asking myself in past weeks, what it is about certain shows compared to others, that give them this certain momentum, which pushes studios to just go ahead and order full seasons of 22 episodes...

Most TV fans would assume that networks like NBC, ABC and CBS, base the future of their shows on popularity and fanbase. Not so. If the last television season has taught us anything, it's that even the best of show concepts, be they filled with time travellers, vampires, or angst-filled immortals, none of those supernatural/paranormal elements can survive a fight against the most dangerous of enemies: The Nielsen Ratings.

Last year was one of the most saturated Sc-Fi TV seasons, mostly born from the overwhelmingsuccess of NBC's Heroes. Even so, though massive campaigns were mounted by certain shows' fans, most if not all of the freshmen attemps from 2007-2008, met with most unfortunate cancellations, drawing the ire of fanboys and fangirls everywhere (yours truly included).

Gone are shows such as New Amsterdam, Journeyman, and Moonlight. Those shows all had decent premises, yet never had a fighting chance, in a reduced TV season replete with cost-saving measures, by network execs hellbent on recouping their losses, from millions in lost revenue, again courtesy of the WGA-caused writer shortage.

The one exception to the rule, regarding last year's Sci-Fi slaughter, is Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Despite a first season of only 9 episodes, the show made enough of an impression to survive the axe, and return this season for a full order.

This brings us back to what makes for a show that returns for further seasons, as opposed to those who dissapear into obscurity. Are they are teetering over the precipice, solely based on the ratings? Not necessarily.

Sci-Fi topic aside, sheer fan demand brought back the popular cartoon Family Guy from the cancellation netherworld, and the show has thrived since. Why couldn't this happen to popular Sci-Fi shows?

Let's admit it, the Terminator show has much going for it, namely an established mythos backed by three full length movies, plus an upcoming sequel next summer. This likely pushed the show's chances for renewal, based on sheer name recognition. The show itself received a full order recently, so it's second season also seems secure. That being said, many critics are panning the show as of late, claimnig that they would soon run out of ideas as to how to continuously manage the character relationships, since it is mainly composed of just the four main characters (John, Sarah, Derek Reese and Cameron the good Terminator). The show's cast isn't exactly on the size of Heroes or Grey's Anatomy, so the possible permutations are finite.

As for the other shows recently given full season orders, Knight Rider and Fringe, both shows again benefit from precedent success in similar veins. While Knight Rider has cleverly reinvented itself (hiring Val Kilmer as the voice of K.I.T.T. was a nice touch), its cast is just slowly getting its bearings, much like any other show in its freshman season. Fringe benefits from having been compared to similar cult hits, such as The X-Files, Millenium, with a touch of Alias thrown in. TV fans know the works of JJ Abrams (Lost, anyone?), and are willing to give it a go.

Now we wait and see how well these shows fare in the remaining months of this current season, and hope to see similar success with upcoming shows, namely the repeatedly delayed Dollhouse, by Buffy creator Joss Whedon.