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"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
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The Republicans’ fall lineup: Who will win the ratings war?
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| Parent(s) |
Race
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| Contributor | RP |
| Last Edited | RP May 23, 2011 12:05pm |
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| Category | Commentary |
| Author | Rob Long |
| Media | Newspaper - Washington Post |
| News Date | Friday, May 20, 2011 06:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | There’s such a thing, on television and in American politics, as being too interesting. You need an awful lot of eyeballs to be a hit, and if you’re too edgy or unexpected — if you’re, say, Ron Paul, or if you’re Herman Cain, the former chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza who made a terrific showing in that first debate — you’re bound to turn some people off. The viewers you turn on, though, you turn on big. Shows like this (the short-lived “Arrested Development,” for instance, or “Firefly”) have devoted cult followings. Their producers and casts often tweet their brains out, stirring up viewers to campaign to hold off cancellation. This rarely succeeds, but when you’re a long shot, what choice do you have?
Mitt Romney, on the other hand, has the opposite problem. He’s like the show that comes on between the two shows you want to see. He’ll do, of course, if you can’t find the remote or there’s nothing on the DVR, but you’re more likely to make a quick sandwich or let the dog out than sit on the sofa and watch. A Mitt Romney Show gets on the air because it methodically hits all the major market-research bullet points — the dials, initially, are up — but then it fails to generate any real heat. Often, shows like that can hang on if they keep plugging away and delivering a solid audience. That’s why shows like Fox’s “Bones” and CBS’s “The Mentalist” live on. You may have forgotten all about them, but they’re still there, waiting for the flashier shows to burn out. And then, when there’s nothing else to watch, suddenly they get a second look: “Hey! ‘The Mentalist’ is on!” |
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