Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

Whether you think it is absurd that what you think is a stupid show is still on or because of lifespan...

The Mindy Project...I think they jumped the shark with the whole baby story.
The Goldbergs...just hate it every time I witness even a little bit.
2 Broke Girls...seems like same jokes over and over.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

Two and a Half Men. I know it just ended, but surprised it continued for as long as it did. Haven't watched it since Charlie Sheen was on it. And even then I bailed well before he left.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

Survivor:
Would have never guessed when I started watching it in the Thailand season that this thing would last 30 seasons. I think I've seen 23 or 24 of the 29 seasons that have aired.

The Amazing Race:
Same thoughts heading into season 26. I've seen every season including the awful family edition.

This is combined 56 seasons of reality competition over the last 15 years!! That's a lot of TV. 2 cycles per year is probably a chore for most to keep up with.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

Two and Half Men
Bones
NCIS shows
Law and Order:SVU

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

They get good ratings and have very charismatic lead actors. Mark Harmon, Chris O'Donnell, LL Cool J and now Scott Bakula are all very likeable and have fans. I think the only way the original NCIS ends is if Mark Harmon decides to retire from acting.

I am amazed that Law and Order: SVU is going into it's 17th season this Fall. That's pretty freaking amazing, especially after losing one of the main lead actors 3 seasons ago.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

I agree the leads are likable and I know NCIS gets around 11 million viewers per episodes. But I wonder when more people will stop watching procedural type shows.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

(scripted shows only) There are plenty of shows I know deserve death without needing to watch them, but sticking to ones I have actually seen:

Under the Dome - Yes, even though it is so comically awful that it has become its own new programming genre
The Last Ship - The show is a 42-minute cliché and will have lapped through every known TV show trope at least three times before the end of season two
All Procedural Dramas - OK I lied, I don't watch any of these and frankly don't understand why anyone else not eligible for penalty-free withdrawals from retirement accounts would either

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

I used to like them years ago. But over time, I got more into serialized shows and I have known others who are the same way.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

The 3 NCIS shows get almost 50M viewers per week combined. That's a huge audience. The average network TV viewer prefers self contained procedural dramas over heavily serialized shows. Most new serialized shows fail. Procedurals are relatively easy to follow and people don't need to watch them in order. And procedural dramas sell better to international networks because of what I just mentioned. Sleepy Hollow turning into a more heavily serialized show has been blamed for it's 2nd season failure. I read comments on it's Facebook page from people who think the show is too confusing.

I just hate it when some people make snarky comments saying that only old farts watch them. Yes, most of them are predictable week to week, but I think a lot of them are still very entertaining even though some have been on many years. The original Hawaii Five-O, which is considered a classic procedural, lasted 12 seasons.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

When there were three networks with procedurals on the other two. So I sort of understand why people who grew up equating prime time TV with procedurals and their captive grandkids might watch them.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

I really like procedurals. They are like the fast food of TV. They require no investment or thought but are enjoyable every once in a while.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

Most of the shows on CBS.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

America's Funniest Home Videos

I ran across it a few weeks ago while channel surfing and was shocked that the guide said NEW episode.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

I like the NCIS/Castle procedural shows. Nice to be able to get a complete story in one sitting. Of course the characters make the show. Sometimes I don't care about case of the week but enjoy the characters interacting with each other.

Serial shows are also good. However it seems a lot of serial shows don't have enough story for the entire season so the end up being ______ of the week a lot of the time. Side story lines that don't add anything to the larger story.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

You have no soul if you don't like the Goldbergs. Especially after this weeks show. -ptth-

anyway
Revenge
Mike and Molly
Any show with a Kardashian

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

Supernatural - How long has this been running? Ten years? Never watched it, but that's impressive for a genre show.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

Probably never. Even the entertainment medium doesn't matter. There is a reason more (living) people have read James Patterson than Leo Tolstoy. Things don't have to be epic to be entertaining.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

I grew up on Law & Order and similar procedural shows, and can still enjoy them once in a while (loved Leverage for example), but after experiencing all the serialized shows I have with 10-16 episode seasons, there is no going back.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

The Middle

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

NCIS, NCIS LA, CSI, H50. I guess nobody should ever underestimate the power of the AARP viewership!

2 Broke Girls & Mike and Molly. Both had great first seasons and then went to shit. We dropped both long ago.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

Because it's easily digestible entertainment. Easy to follow stories. There's minimal story carry over so there's no need to watch every episode. Most people don't take TV shows as seriously as us around here do so it's not a surprise that those procedurals are so popular.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

I think the biggest problem many people have lately is procedurals trying to mix in a little bit of a serial story, then really sucking at it. Nothing wrong with a good procedural, but the ones I listed earlier basically suck these days and it's largely the older crowd that treats them as comfort food keeping them going.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

I prefer serials, don't mind procedurals, but don't like the hybrids. I'm probably never going to be a religious viewer of a procedural. I'll watch it if it's convenient, but I'm not going to record it or rearrange my schedule if it's not convenient. I don't like being tricked into watching a case-of-the-week procedural by adding in some serial story arc.

The only show that I can think of that was a real successful hybrid was probably The Shield. Vic's strike team & family was a serial, but the plainclothes officers and suits were more of a case-of-the-week procedural. And I watched that show for Vic and the Strike Team. I have nothing against Dutch, but his stuff often seemed like filler. Sometimes it was very good filler, but I wasn't binge watching that show to see what kind of crazy case he'd handle next.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

My kids love watching AFV on Netflix. I think those episodes are fairly current but it's amazing how much shitty VHS video from 1995 gets shown. Do new episodes incorporate cell phone and other digital video? You'd think the show would explode with that stuff. Maybe brand new ones do.

I'm honestly amazed American Idol is still around. It feels like it's lost any and all cultural relevance it may have once had. Still making money though...I guess that's the answer.

Re: Shows you're surprised are still on?
 

i did enjoy the riff on FBDO. done very well. i will give it that...