Good Grief

[shipperx]

At exactly what point do fandoms lose their collective minds?  In case you haven't heard (or haven't seen it to begin with)  Tim Minear's and Nathan Fillion's "Drive" has been cancelled.   While I can certainly understand fans of one or both saying "bummer!"  there's a line between being bummed and being wanky.  Some of those people on the TVGuide thread are the latter.

First, I don't really believe that "Drive" itself has inspired this kind of loyalty in just three episodes (which had only mixed reviews).  This loyalty is coming from Minear's and Fillion's pre-existing fanbases.  And, like I said, I can empathize with being bummed. But, people, please!  Fox is not out to destroy Minear and Fillion!  Back in the real world, there are many, many actors trying for pilots.  There are also many, many show pilots. And, what's more, there are many, many script writers.  That FOX has given Minear and Fillion more than one show to begin with is a sign that they aren't aligned against these people!  They gave these people chances to find success.  You can't ask for much more than that. 

Let's state a few hard, cold facts:

Firefly didn't have great ratings, and it had mixed critical reviews.  Wonderfalls didn't have great ratings, and it had mixed critical reviews.  And, finally, Drive didn't have great ratings and it had mixed critical reviews.

These are not facts that make up a conspiracy theory.  This is the kind of information that people who aren't Dawn Osthoff use when making a decision of whether or not it is profitable to keep a show on the air.  It's not because Fox is evil  and  out to destroy Minear and Fillion, 'k?

Comments

[jerrymcl89.livejournal.com]

I think what happened to "Drive" isn't really too difficult to figure out. It was greenlighted when "Lost"-type shows were all the rage, and that rage ended before it made it onto the air. And unlike "Wonderfalls", in particular, FOX put the show in a timeslot that gave it a fighting chance, so there weren't too many options for improving the ratings once it didn't grab much attention initially.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I think that Drive always had a problematic premise with a cross country race. And while I can see sadness in the passing of a show we like, I just don't see where people can make solid case that FOX is so much more evil than other networks.

[mlgm.livejournal.com]

Brave of you to post on that thread. I wouldn't dare post my opinion - Fillion is a crappy actor who is constantly doing a bad Harrison Ford imitation and that Minear has fallen in love with his own cleverness instead of his characters.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Don't ignore the fact that in addition to taking a swipe at fanatical Browncoates, I tossed something the over-the-top VM fandom way as well.

Yeah, I didn't have enough sleep all week last night and I'm grouchy. :)

[(Anonymous)]

It's really time to tell sister the house she imagines just ain't ever going to happen and you're going back to having a life.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Once I hand that set of plans over to her (hopefully soon) I'm leaving it all in her hands. I'll be done with it.

[mlgm.livejournal.com]

That was me, sorry. Darn computer upgrades signing you off while you're not looking.

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Your logic is harshing my buzz, man.

Seriously, I'm sorry to see it go, but if FOX had it in for them, they wouldn't have made and aired it in the first place! Crikey Moses, people are idiots.

[paratti.livejournal.com]

Sums it up.

And it's not like Fox is a charity and its execs don't have a duty of care towards the shareholders which they'd breach by throwing good money after bad ratings.

[meko00.livejournal.com]

You're being logical. *sighs and looks at you* That's not done in fandom, don't you know?

*throws virtual popcorn at you*

[paratti.livejournal.com]

Mm... popcorn.

Checks it's toffee flavoured. Munches happily.

[meko00.livejournal.com]

I... I've never tasted toffee flavoured popcorn. But then, I'm not exactly a huge popcorn eater. Does it taste better than I-can't-believe-anyone-thinks-this-tastes-like-butter flavoured?

New ep tomorrow tonight, whee!

[paratti.livejournal.com]

Much., much better.

I know. I can't wait. Show!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[meko00.livejournal.com]

*sighs* *shakes head* Yes, this reaffirms my opinion that much of fandom is insane. Of course, I haven't bothered to get hold of any episodes, so I can't weigh in on the quality of the show. And I've never been a Minear devotee. I liked Wonderfalls well enough, but it wasn't as if I'd found religion. Adored the Suspicion gag, but it's not as if that hadn't been done already.

But maybe I should rewatch XF's Mind's Eye... even though I remember it as a bit of a retread of "Oubliette". Of course, Minear wrote "Kitsunegari" as well...

[sp23.livejournal.com]

Heh. I loved the one post with the woman complaining that Fox has just destroyed her family bonding. Sister, seriously, see a family counselor.

The only reason I watched Drive at all was because of the hype on my lj flist. I'm not enamored by either Tim Minear (I quit watching Wonderfalls after the second episode, never watched Standoff, and Peter Coyote's character creeped me the fuck out so much I stopped watching The Inside after about five or six episodes) or Nathan Fillion, so that they were involved wasn't a surefire gotta see it for me. I predicted from the pilot that it wasn't going to last. And quite frankly, NF's character and his chick sidekick were probably my least favorite characters. However, I do think it had potential given the opportunity to find its legs. Unfortunately, Fox is not known for nurturing their low-rated shows. It either gets decent ratings right away or it gets the ax.

And as 24 gets more and more boring, I'm reduced to watching only Bones on the Fox network. I gave up on House at the beginning of this season.

[queenofattolia.livejournal.com]

Phooey. Minear is a one-trick pony and Fillion is a show-killer. It's as simple as that. These heavily-veiled Browncoats are nuts, full stop.

[spikewriter]

It was four episodes -- isn't that the average for Fox cancelling the show these days if it isn't immediately what Fox would consider a certified hit? That's the same they gave Wedding Bells -- and David E. Kelley has a bigger profile.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I don't know what the average is for most networks these days. But, I had gathered that Drive's ratings hovered in the 2 range. I can't act surprised when they are yanked.

[spikewriter]

That's what I remember the ratings being as well. No, no surprise that type of rating would get them yanked -- Fox just has a reputation for being quicker on the trigger than most of the other networks. Like a lot of other people, I try not to get invested in Fox series until I have some indication they're going to be around longer than a month.

But, going back to your original premise of the irrationality of fandom, none of that matters to a lot fen. They seem to see television and movies only through the filter of what they're currently interested in. If their favorite series is cancelled, it's a personal conspiracy against them -- and it does no good to explain about ratings or point out trends. It's a very blinkered view.