美国国家公共电台 NPR How The Business Of Buying Canceled TV Show Works

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Reports of the death of the TV show "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" have been greatly exaggerated. Fox canceled the police sitcom¹ last week. A day later, NBC picked it up. Lots of other shows have followed a similar path - "The Mindy Project," canceled by Fox, revived by Hulu, "Community," canceled by NBC, picked up by Yahoo. Michael Schneider is the executive editor of IndieWire and joins us now. Thanks for being here.

MICHAEL SCHNEIDER: Absolutely.

SHAPIRO: If a network cancels a TV show, presumably they think it's not going to be profitable anymore. What does another network see in that show that makes them think differently?

SCHNEIDER: Well, you're right, Ari, in that most shows once they're canceled by a network, that's it. That's the end of the road because the ratings were poor. There's a reason why that show won't continue. But every once in a while, there's still a show that's owned by another network. And in the case of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," that show was owned by Universal Television, which is a division of NBC. So when Fox canceled that show, NBC - knowing that it still has some life in that show, that it internationally performs well for them, and they could squeeze a few more dollars out of it - they decided² to pick it up and put it on their own network.

SHAPIRO: Do these gambles often pay off?

SCHNEIDER: Rarely they do. There have been a lot of shows that have been picked up over the years after one network has canceled them. And generally, they only last one more year, and then they're canceled again. There is a reason why people stopped watching those shows. But every once in a while, a diamond in the rough will be cast off by one network and picked up by another. The best example of that is the show JAG, which was canceled by NBC after one season. CBS picked it up, turned it into a hit. And that show eventually led to NCIS, which is still one of the biggest shows on television and continues to this day. That was a big gamble by CBS that paid off big time.

SHAPIRO: So often, these canceled shows have devoted³ cult⁴ followings that are really vocal⁵ on social media about wanting it to come back. That was certainly the case with "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." How important is it to have a passionate⁶ fan base if that fan base is still pretty small?

SCHNEIDER: Yeah, it's nice. But if they don't have Nielsen boxes, if they're not actually being counted, then it only goes so far.

SHAPIRO: Tweets aren't good for advertising⁷, per se.

SCHNEIDER: Exactly. I mean, these days it does help a little bit with the buzz when it comes to certain outlets⁸ perhaps picking those shows up. And we've seen that happen more often recently. When Netflix and Hulu especially began, they were picking up shows that were cast off by others. But now that those services have matured, they're not looking as much at others' castoffs anymore either. So there has to be a lot more. There really has to be a business reason first and foremost. The buzz is nice. But if a network's not making money on that show, then it can't continue.

SHAPIRO: "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is not the only recent show this has happened to. Just a couple of days ago, the Tim Allen sitcom "Last Man Standing⁹" went through something similar.

SCHNEIDER: Yeah. And that's another example of a show that was owned by one network but actually aired on another network. In this case, Twentieth Century Fox produced "Last Man Standing," but it aired on ABC. When ABC canceled it last year, Fox kicked the tires, realized that they just didn't have a place for it. But then a little show called "Roseanne" returned to prime time and changed everything. Suddenly multi-camera sitcoms¹⁰ are hot again. And you may notice that Tim Allen shares some of the more conservative political leanings that "Roseanne" does as well. So there's a definite Middle America appeal to him and perhaps his show. So Fox is dusting off that show even though it's been off the air for a year. And it's bringing it back to Fridays this fall.

SHAPIRO: Michael Schneider, executive editor of IndieWire. Thank you for talking through this with us.

SCHNEIDER: Definitely.

1 sitcom   

n.情景喜剧，（广播、电视的）系列幽默剧

参考例句：

• This sitcom is produced in cooperation with Hong Kong TV.这部连续剧是同香港电视台联合制作的。
• I heard that a new sitcom is coming out next season.我听说下一季会推出一个新的情境喜剧。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

4 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

5 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

6 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

7 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

8 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 sitcoms   

n.情景喜剧( sitcom的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This is the stuff most stadard TV sitcoms are made of. 这是大多数标注的电视幽默剧所采用的题材。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In most countries, prime-time Monday night television is dominated by sitcoms. 在大多数国家，周一晚上的电视黄金时段都由连续剧所占据。 来自互联网