Wings was a great show, I think it was on for 8 years...

Two and a Half Men is a terrible show, it has been on for 11 years.

Big Bang Theory is a weak show, it has been on for 7 years.

Better off Ted was a great show, it was on for 2 years

My question I guess is who makes these decisions?? And how do they get the power to put shows on and cancel?? It seems like they are not smart people, all the money in hollywood

They base their decisions on ratings -- the number of people who watch the shows. So the people vote by choosing to tune in or not tune in.

Big Bang Theory is the most popular TV show in the US right now (not counting football), averaging 20m viewers, 8m of who are in the "high priced" demographic of 18 - 49.

Two and a Half Men sustained itself despite the changes, though next season will be its last (it has finally declined enough).

Yes I understand ratings, but it seems like the people in charge or the writers, just not talented people, I guess that's what im asking or trying to say??

I liked Wings.

The thing with sitcoms is that we are getting some excellent serials coming out. The serials take precedence because people want to talk to their friends, or online, the next day about what they saw. Sitcoms can be pushed to the side until there's time to watch something that doesn't typically have a multi-episode narrative. On my part, I also am a lot more critical of comedies than I am of other genres. I don't find most of what other people find funny these days funny myself.

Anyway, I agree that it seems like there aren't that many good sitcoms any more. However, I'm not in the loop as to what even falls into that category any more, so I'm not really the best to comment on what's actually on tv.

I have no idea what you're trying to say here.

He understands ratings, but it seems like the people in charge or the writers, just not talented people. Am I summarizing that right, j.j.?

From one J.J. to another, this thread is...

Exactly!! It just seems like the good old boy routine, that means for example, all you are third cousin twice removed of Aaron Spelling, ok you're hired!! Or all you graduated from UCLA film school, you're hired!! Understand that majorjoe??

The best line I ever heard or saying is. " You cant write if you cant relate." And that's what not happening in Hollywood!!

Sitcoms are actually very expensive to shoot and produce. The reason they still exist is that hit sitcoms can become goldmines in syndication. Top sitcoms are some of the most profitable shows on television, far more than dramas and serialized content. It's why their talent gets such big paydays when they negotiate new contracts. If I am an actor in Hollywood, I target sitcoms as my format of choice.

Logic. Knowledge. Literacy. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in deciphering the j.j. smith enigma.

Crystal. Thank you for explaining further.

I remember reading an article that 'Friends' pretty much killed the sitcom. All 6 actors held out for the same money, and NBC ended up paying them each (I believe) a million dollars an episode in the final few seasons.

Once reality shows started to become popular, networks realized they could get good enough ratings for them without the worry of paying these high priced actors to be in it.

Never watched friends, that show was the one that started all the girly alternative lifestyle shows. There needs to be more manly shows like a cheers or a taxi, will attract all ages.

You want manly sitcoms? There were plenty in my day--when men were men! Y'know like "F Troop," about the cavalry, or "Hogan's Heroes," about soldiers who were prisoners of war--what could be manlier than that? We even had sitcoms about secret agents, like "Get Smart." And one about survival on a desert island--"Gilligan's Island." Even the domestic sitcoms were dominated by manly men: "Father Knows Best," "Bachelor Father," "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet." Herman Munster and Gomez were real men, too. You should have been around in the 1960s, J.J., that would have been your decade.

Things started to get more "girly alternative" with "That Girl," "One Day at a Time," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and..."The Odd Couple." But that's another story.

Odd couple was great!!

And Hogans Heroes was too...

Gold, Jerry! Gold!

Facts? What girly/alternative lifestyle shows did Friends spawn? Maybe this question will derail the thread less than the last.

I don't think it was Friends per se, but Hollywood started shifting all of their mass market entertainment towards gender-neutral entertainment around that time, slightly preferring female viewers. Once the networks realized male viewership was easiest to obtain through sports, most other entertainment programs started shifting towards women.

A classic example is The League among modern comedies. Watch the first season of that show, it's a pure comedy aimed at male tastes. As the show became a popular hit, FX forced them into different types of storylines, incorporating Jenny as a primary character.

The only comedy on television I can think of that doesn't pander to female audiences now is South Park, which remains insulated as a hit started out in a different era of television.

"Girls... gross!" -- allegedly straight guys

Wait, the League doesn't pander to primarily male tastes? It seems to me to be still a very male-centric show, even with more Jenny and kids and whatnot.

As an aside, I STILL have a hard time with the whole Nielson ratings thing and the fact that nothing I watch will actually have an impact on ratings at all.

Citation needed.

Wasn't Jenny always meant to be a main character? I remember pretty early on they made it obvious she was a better fantasy football player than her husband. One of the co-creators of the show is female after all.