MovieChat Forums > Pan Am (2011) Discussion > It annoys me that shows are cancelled be...

It annoys me that shows are cancelled because Americans aren't watching


The rest of the world should have some input too. I'm not even talking about Pan Am, just shows in general. I'm sick of all of my favorite shows being cancelled because the American viewership is low. People watch online and in other countries too ya know...

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I think sometimes overseas viewership is taken into account but not often. I was just mentioning Battlestar Galactrica on another thread and I do think I remember that the show was a hit in England and that Sci-Fi channel here in the states made a production deal with Sky One in England. Sky One helped fund the production and recieved immediate broadcast rights. Battlestar was expensive to produce and most likely would have suffered in the quality department if it had even been kept on past season two without that deal. So at least in that case overseas viewership was a consideration.

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I heard it does well on BBC and I believe that it should be taken into account. The problem is ABC,CBS,FOX and NBC uses the Nielsen ratings box but not everyone has it. This is the same problem Jericho fans mention back in 2008 well it 2012 they are still using it.

"I'm never pleased with anything, I'm a perfectionist, it's part of who I am."
(Michael Jackson)

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It's all about advertising dollars. Studios and/or networks don't get advertising dollars from every episode after they sell a show to another country--correct me if I'm wrong, but they just get one lump sum for the license. So while I think Pan Am's non-US popularity has played a part in ABC still not announcing it's cancellation, they wouldn't give the series another season simply because it's popular in the UK or in Finland.

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I think it popular in the US because it is number one in DVR recordings. I think BBC is better fit because we have us fans as well.

"I'm never pleased with anything, I'm a perfectionist, it's part of who I am."
(Michael Jackson)

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Is that true- that it's number one in DVR recordings? If so then I think that says a lot about the time slot being a problem. For sure I've heard from a lot of people at work of late that they watch it and were surprised when I told them I thought it most likely would be cancelled due to ratings. Maybe they are part of the DVR bunch, especially as early on in the show I had people saying they didn't watch it because 9pm (Central Time) on Sunday was bad for them- putting kids to bed, getting ready for work to start again on Monday ect. It's interresting anyway.

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First off, I don't believe for a second it's number 1 in DVR recordings. MAYBE for the night, but certainly not overall.

Secondly, why SHOULDN'T the networks take into account the US viewership as it's main deciding factor? ABC doesn't get money for the ads OTHER networks in OTHER countries sell. Are you telling me if you invested in something and you found out you were losing money, you would CONTINUE to make this bad investment? I think the answer would be no. So why should ABC do the same?

Furthermore, it's been researched fairly extensively that the neilsen system still makes up an accurate reading of the US population. If you google this, you will figure out their formula and the ratio.

But, you know what annoys me? Fans becoming delusional that THEIR one special show shouldn't be canceled JUST BECAUSE they like it. I watched Pan Am too but I'm not in the dark regarding the reality here. I also watch several other low rated shows like Fringe and Chuck and am completely ready for them to be canceled despite the fact that I like them. I'm not making excuses or blaming the network for trying to make money.

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Wow you seem pretty upset suza271. I don't know that anyone is necessarily delusional (they are just hoping and grasping at straws) and I hardly think that people who don't like a show would wish to see it continued so naturally it follows people who do like a show would be the ones pushing for renewal. Does anyone expect ABC to continue a show it's losing money on? I doubt it. I think ABC does primarily consider the US population as I imagine BBC considers mostly the English market but it still makes one feel a little left out to think their point of view is of no account. I for certain was completely unhappy when Ab Fab went off the air (and I only get six episodes at a shot at that! LOL!) but what could I do? It's BBC and the US is it's second market.

Anyway, let people have a few weeks of hope and teeth gnashing regret. It helps the come down from finally finding something on TV you like and then having it pulled. It's happened to me so many times that I've realized the only solution is alcohol and tears but a lot of people on here are young and haven't learned that yet. If only we could all like Celebrity Wife Swap what a happy world it would be in television land but alas we can't. Anyway that's all- try to feel better.

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I agree with the OP though... It's very annoying that new good shows get cancelled after only one season and then we get reruns (again) of a show that's been on day after day for several years already like The Simpsons, Friends, My wife and kids and so on. Imagine having all seasons of those just repeat and repeat just because there's nothing new they can air anymore...

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It´s simple! Because it's sold to foreign countries and TV channels and is watched and followed abroad more often then it is in the US.

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I don't know much about that, but, over here in India they are currently airing PAN AM in the weekend prime time slot and are doing a good deal of advertising.

Maybe they are actually considering overseas viewership. But again, who knows whats going in their heads?

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I liked this show, too bad it was cancelled.

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I'm an American and it annoys me too. They advertised poorly for this show. It's March and I am watching it now but I had not heard of it a single time before this month. I catch most of my stuff from the DVR. ABC dropped the ball on this one and yet it's still dragging around Grey's Anatomy's elderly ass around even though everyone stopped watching it years ago. It's a shame gems like this and Arrested Development get the can and crappy reality shows never die.

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Lavender Lily wrote... ABC dropped the ball on this one and yet it's still dragging around Grey's Anatomy's elderly ass around even though everyone stopped watching it years ago.


That is GREAT! LOL!! Although I might revise that to read "Grey's Anatomy's elderly, pruny, wrinkled and saggy ass"... you know, just to drive the point home.

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I liked Pan Am and I used to fly Pan Am way back when.

I also think the networks are STUPID beyond belief to cancel shows prematurely. Networks need to let shows mature a bit, support the shows, not interrupt runs and not change day of week of airing. And they need to learn to look at DVR, Hulu, online streaming numbers -- especially since the idiots in charge got rid of the good reception via rabbit ears antennas etc and replaced them with the digital airing, which some of us have trouble receiving.

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dunno, but PanAm is really bad in my opinion. I stopped after 2 episodes!

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If you stopped after 2 episodes, you missed the good episodes, IMO :) The first episodes are never/seldom the best episodes of a show. Btw, I agree with the OP, cancellations like this annoys me too

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