FAILED TELEVISION PROGRAMS
Pick a fairly recent TV program that failed to survive for more than a year. In this Critical Process exercise, examine the reasons for your program's demise and write four-five paragraphs on your findings.
1. Description. Do as much research as you can on the program (use the LexisNexis database to check old reviews). In your paper, give a brief description of the program - its story line and major characters. Also describe the history of the program-when it aired, for how long, ratings information, and so forth. Discuss why you picked this program.
2. Analysis. After reviewing your research, identify specific problems that may have contributed to your program's failure to stay on the air. Discuss whether these were problems with the program itself or problems with the industry in general.
3. Interpretation. What does this all mean? Why do you think the program failed? What's your interpretation of all the information you've examined?
4. Evaluation. Try to go beyond conventional "TV executive" thinking to offer some fresh insights. Was your program a good one that deserved better? What made it good? Was it a weak program that deserved to fail? What made it weak? Or was it a mixture?
5. Engagement. Write a letter to one or more network executives. Ask them what qualities they look for in a successful program. Ask them if they bear a responsibility to improve the cultural landscape.