Can letter-writers actually save tv shows?

December 8, 2004 9:49 PM

Short question: has a letter-writing campaign ever saved a TV show? [mi]

Context: mefi favorite The Venture Brothers is up for renewal at Adult Swim in January. The creators fear the worst and the execs are engaging in the kind of double-talk that makes most fans hear a death knell. The only show I can think of in the past few years that may have been successful at this was My So-Called Life (which didn't get a second season due to Claire Danes' burgeoning film career).

In the grand scheme of things, this is less than a drop in the bucket...but I for one would love to find out what happens next. A few online communities have started snail mail campaigns, and I was curious as to whether these are successful or not.

posted by pxe2000 to society & culture (35 comments total)

Bjo Trimble saved "Star Trek" with a letter-writing campaign.
posted by interrobang at 9:54 PM on December 8, 2004

was she considered the exception or the rule, though?

a cursory web search also turns up a fair compromise with farscape, which briefly came back from the dead with a miniseries.
posted by pxe2000 at 10:00 PM on December 8, 2004

There was a campaign to save The Sentinel that earned it another season. But it was more than just letter writing. The fans sent letters to anyone remotely connected to the show, called the UPN business offices until lines were swamped, took ads out in newspapers, and pulled together a convention.
posted by FunkyHelix at 10:06 PM on December 8, 2004

Maybe. The public Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) announced it was cutting Behind the News, a news and current affairs program for children (did an excellent job of presenting the news in a clear and entertaining way for children). The announcement caused a massive outcry which sparked letter writing campaigns. However, it was felt to be such a blow to children's television that everyone was in on it - the major newspapers had editorials, the letters to the editor was full of complaints, talkback radio etc etc.

In response, a commercial television station put together its own version of the same show. And now (a year or more later?), the ABC has announced that Behind the News will be back (claiming better budget position - which was the reason why the show was cut).
posted by AnnaRat at 10:14 PM on December 8, 2004

Fans of the show Roswell bought the series one last season by mailing in not letters, but bottles of Tabasco sauce. But in general, I think your instinct is right -- these campaigns fail far more often than they succeed.
posted by jjg at 10:16 PM on December 8, 2004

Can't find anything to back it up but IIRC Cagney and Lacey was extended in this manner.
posted by geekyguy at 10:17 PM on December 8, 2004

Seems to me like I remember that show about those people in Alaska with the smarmy-existential radio-show host character getting saved by someting, but I'm too close to going to bed to remember the title, or to google it.

"Northern Exposure", that's the one.
posted by interrobang at 10:18 PM on December 8, 2004

In 1996, FOX tried to cancel America's Most Wanted but a concerted effort by viewers and law enforcement officials (local, state, and federal) via letters and press conferences convinced them to keep it.
posted by ..ooOOoo....ooOOoo.. at 10:23 PM on December 8, 2004

I think Farscape was the best sf show on TV while it was on, and it's certainly in the running for best ever.

Unfortunately, the Farscape miniseries was pretty awful. The pacing was badly off, the plot was uninteresting, and even the acting generally wasn't up to the level of the series.

Be careful what you wish for.

I like the Venture Brothers a lot too, but I think this is a slightly different case. The creators of adult swim seem to know what they're doing, and they're wildly successful, despite the fact that their last new set of shows has been very disappointing (Squidbillies? What were they thinking?). Cartoon Network has also been building a foundation on picking up some famously canceled-and-to-be-brought-back shows - Futurama and Family Guy.
posted by Caviar at 10:32 PM on December 8, 2004

The Magnificent Seven:

Fans coordinated their efforts through a Web site, e-mailing CBS executives and affiliates and raising $5,000 of their own money for ads in Variety and USA Today.

posted by bitpart at 10:45 PM on December 8, 2004

Favorite All-Time Television Show: My So-Called Life
Favorite Currently Airing Television Show: Venture Bros.
Looks like it's my fault for not writing any damn letters.

Fans of Angel, by the way, made a stellar attempt at convincing the WB not to cancel the show, but apparently it wasn't enough.
posted by pokeydonut at 11:14 PM on December 8, 2004

I suspect that the new litmus test will not be: How many letters do we get? But rather: How many DVDs did we sell. Seems like the flurry of "Family Guy" sales opened a few eyes.

Part of the problem is that fan popularity -- though obviously important -- is only one of many factors. The single most importanty question for producers is: Are we selling enough product X? If a show is popular but the major advertisers aren't seeing the sales, the show will go. Simple Econ 101.

Add to that (to muddy the waters) shows like "Angel", which were critically and commercially successful -- yet were axed because the network was convinced it could replace it with something much cheaper to produce (read: Reality TV) and could make up any loss of ad revenvue on that end of the ledger. And if the show really took off, they'd have the best of both worlds.
posted by RavinDave at 11:16 PM on December 8, 2004

I remember a letter writting campaign to save VR 5. That didn't work out too well.
posted by pemdasi at 11:32 PM on December 8, 2004

Caviar: Futurama to be brought back? I can't seem to turn anything up on it. Can you drop us a link?
posted by Embryo at 12:20 AM on December 9, 2004

I don't think letters alone can save a TV show, but if there are enough people who want the show back, then along with a letter-writing campaign, they'll get lots of media attention and buy lots of DVDs. This combination (vocal audience + willingness to spend money on DVDs) often makes studios sit up, as you can see with Firefly, which, after being cancelled, got turned into a proper feature film.
posted by adrianhon at 12:25 AM on December 9, 2004

A letter/email/fax campaign managed to save La Femme Nikita for half a season.
posted by TheIrreverend at 12:26 AM on December 9, 2004

Isn't this kind of an American thing though? That we just never want to see something have a sensible and timely ending? Like Caviar said we should be careful what we wish for and be willing to follow the cast/writers/creators on to their next endeavor. I believe that it is common for television series to have a predetermined length in many other countries allowing for realistic stories and character arcs. England and China both spring to mind.

Sometimes the memory or reruns are better then a resurrection could be.

but I love Family Guy and we do have this to look forward to.
posted by geekyguy at 12:41 AM on December 9, 2004

MST3K harnessed the power of its fanbase on more than one occasion - most notably, to influence the Sci-Fi Channel to pick up the show after it was dropped by Comedy Central.
posted by ruddhist at 2:17 AM on December 9, 2004

geekyguy: i understand your point, but this series (a) has only aired twelve episodes in the past three months, and (b) ended with a cliffhanger. i'm curious at least to see where this goes. if the show had been on for more than that time, you would have a point, but i think it's moot in this case.
posted by pxe2000 at 3:56 AM on December 9, 2004

Here's an article on how to do it.

If my aging brain cells are correct, the sitcom 'Cheers', which went on to play for years, was originally saved by a letter-writing campaign.
posted by jeremias at 4:42 AM on December 9, 2004

Letter writing saved 'Party of Five' many years ago.
posted by suchatreat at 7:17 AM on December 9, 2004

geekguy: the best support of your argument I can think of is the Office. Every second of the show is golden but if it had gone on for, say 16 seasons, they probably would have wound up with a lot of crap episodes that tarnished the initial genius.

Let dead shows die when they need to. However, I don't think Venture Bros. needs to die just yet.
posted by revgeorge at 7:32 AM on December 9, 2004

Sliders hung on for a few more seasons due to a letter-writing campaign.
posted by sid at 7:34 AM on December 9, 2004

I was under the impression that Homicide: Life on the Street subsisted exclusively on letters for its entire lifespan.

Be a shame if Venture Bros. got axed. It's a fun show.
posted by furiousthought at 8:18 AM on December 9, 2004

I think just as important question needs to be asked:

Did any show get better after a letter writing campaign?

MST3K got worse. Sliders got worse. Farscape, the Pretender, etc. Star Trek. Sentinel. Rosewell. Northern Exposure.

Hmm. If by three or four seasons it's dying, maybe it should die.

Exceptions? Futurama, Family Guy, Angel
posted by filmgeek at 8:38 AM on December 9, 2004

filmgeek: most of the shows you list had a long life and probably should have bowed out gracefully when their time came. i would argue that a three-month, twelve-episode run doesn't give the show enough of a chance. revgeorge summed it up best.
posted by pxe2000 at 9:15 AM on December 9, 2004

I did work for Cagney and Lacey .
posted by herc at 11:26 AM on December 9, 2004

It did work for Cagney and Lacey .
posted by herc at 11:26 AM on December 9, 2004

Oops! Thought I caught the "I" typo in time. Sorry for the double post.
posted by herc at 11:28 AM on December 9, 2004

I sure as hell wish it had worked for Touching Evil. That show rocked.
posted by TeamBilly at 11:44 AM on December 9, 2004

I seem to recall that "Beauty and the Beast" - the Ron Perlman/Linda Hamilton show - was extended for a year due to a letter-writing campaign.
posted by barjo at 1:57 PM on December 9, 2004

I guess I need to see this Venture Bros. Any one know of a spot with torrents?

I'm in China and can't get Cartoon Network. Feel free to email, it is in my profile.
posted by geekyguy at 4:14 PM on December 9, 2004

I agree with filmgeek-- even if the show is saved it may get worse. I remember the letter writing campaign for La Femme Nikita. IIRC, someone even sent in their television to the network (because if LFN wasn't renewed then they would cease to watch TV).

LFN came back for a handful of shows but Peta Wilson said she she hadn't wanted to come back and certainly didn't seem to give her best. The writing was awful and the second ending was terrible and, thus, much less satisfying than the original.
posted by Jim Jones at 4:31 PM on December 9, 2004

That said, I like The Venture Brothers and I'll be disappointed if there isn't a resolution to the cliffhanger.

Frankly, I'm always surprised when they show the ratings because I can't imagine why other viewers seem to prefer ATHF or Family Guy over The Venture Bros.
posted by Jim Jones at 4:37 PM on December 9, 2004

Embryo: I can't find a link now. But I do remember reading an article saying that both Family Guy and Futurama were slated for reinstatement on Fox due to massive interest.

It certainly could be wrong, but I did read it somewhere.
posted by Caviar at 11:30 PM on December 9, 2004