Network to the Rescue: Difference between revisions
→Film: replaced: [[Lord of the Rings → [[The Lord of the Rings
(update links) |
(→Film: replaced: [[Lord of the Rings → [[The Lord of the Rings) |
||
| (7 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown) | |||
Line 10:
Sometimes, a network or studio [[Screwed by the Network|will destroy a good product]] and [[The Atoner|learn from its mistakes]]. Fox built up a reputation for never sticking with its shows due to ''Profit'', ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]'' and ''[[Firefly]]''. (Though [[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]] was given second and third seasons and a cushy timeslot, making it a case of this trope as well.) However, the network turned around and poured tons of money into promoting and producing ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'', ''[[Bones]]'', and ''[[24]]'', shows that were big gambles and have since become massive hits. Even more dramatic, Fox even went back and ''[[Uncanceled]]'' a show they had previously screwed, twice, - ''[[Family Guy]]'', one of their biggest hits, with sister show ''[[American Dad]]'' already in its sixth season and direct spin-off ''[[The Cleveland Show]]'' in its second. They even gave a second season to ''[[Dollhouse]]'', a move which surprised many, though the show was canceled before the second season finished its run (which many feel was done just to avoid what happened last time).
Where TV is concerned, sometimes [[Network to the Rescue]] can result in, or be the result of, an [[Uncanceled|un-canceling]], as was the case with ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'s'' move from Showtime to Sci-Fi where its ratings soared and it became a cult-hit on par with ''[[Star Trek]]''.
Speaking of ''[[Star Trek]]'', [[Network to the Rescue]] is not quite the same as a network ''grudgingly'' taking back a show because they just don't want to upset viewers, as happened with ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' (or ''[[Jericho]]''). Both shows came back, but were dumped shortly after for good. No, a production entity has to willingly believe in and be fully committed to the product's success and be willing to put up with quite a few bumps in the road to success; as was the case with Paramount's commitment to ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]''. Paramount gave the series the kind of budget that back then only action movies had and stuck with it even though the first few seasons were [[Seasonal Rot|blah]].
This trope doesn't apply to sure bets or things that are relatively low-risk. For instance, while Fox performed a Studio to the Rescue for [[A New Hope|the first]] ''[[Star Wars]]''; by the time they decided to make the prequels, it was a foregone conclusion that they would make tons of money.
Line 20:
----
{{examples}}
▲== Anime/Manga ==
* ''[[The Big O]]'' pretty much flopped in Japan, and for a long time it seemed like the season one cliffhanger would [[Left Hanging|leave viewers hanging.]] [[Germans Love David Hasselhoff|Fortunately, the show was much more popular in America]], and [[Cartoon Network]] paid a chunk of the cost to make the second season happen. This would later come back to bite the show when Cartoon Network began its [[Network Decay]], and they ended up [[Screwed by the Network|screwing up the airing of a couple episodes (including accidentally airing a repeat over the]] ''[[Screwed by the Network|finale]]''[[Screwed by the Network|) and ended up canceling the show before a reportedly expected third season]], despite it having paid off financially.
Line 38 ⟶ 37:
== Film ==
* Many ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' fans were convinced that no movie studio could do the books justice. However, New Line Cinema took a chance on [[Peter Jackson]]'s unorthodox and expensive approach to making the movies and actually stunned everybody with three good movies.
** Originally, Peter Jackson tried to sell the project as two movies. When he shopped it to New Line, they said, "Why do you want to do this as two movies?" He got ready to lay out his arguments for why you couldn't possibly do justice to LotR in one movie, which had been the request of a previous studio; then they said, "This should be three movies."
* ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]'' was so stressful to make back in 1974, that most of the cast were ready to quit on director [[Steven Spielberg]]. However, legend has it has Richard Dreyfuss among others believed in him, as did Universal executive Richard Zanuck. They were handsomely rewarded for their faith.
Line 94 ⟶ 93:
* [[FOX]] initially did this with ''[[The Sarah Connor Chronicles]]''. Then, after a drop in ratings, they moved it to the [[Friday Night Death Slot]] midway through the second season, and, according to a deluge of on-site news reports, axed it.
** Similarly, Fox surprised a lot of people by renewing ''[[Dollhouse]]'', despite low ratings in the [[Friday Night Death Slot]]. Of course, knowing that they would be crucified in effigy for giving a Joss Whedon show just half a season [[Firefly|a second time]] probably had a lot to do with it.
* The pilot for ''[[Lost]]'' was the most expensive ever; and none of the actors in it were major stars. In fact, one executive was fired for even giving it the go-ahead. However, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] stuck with it, since going back would mean a loss of millions. Also ABC head Stephen McPherson thought it had 'some potential'. ''[[Lost]]'' is now considered one of TV's greatest dramas, [[Continuity Lock Out|if you know what's going on]].
** Another example: after the show started stalling—and losing viewers—during the second and third seasons, showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse began to bargain with ABC for an unprecedented concept: a set end-date several years down the line. ABC agreed, and starting with the second half of season 3, ''Lost'' has been steadily gaining steam in terms of answers. Unfortunately, the show continues to lose viewers, and on a recent edition of the podcast, Lindelof quietly speculated that the show might have been canceled by now if the above agreement hadn't been hammered out.
* ''[[Law and Order]]'' wasn't expected to be a hit, but NBC stuck with it, and it enjoyed a twenty year run before being canceled. Two of its American spinoffs (''[[Law and Order Special Victims Unit]]'' and ''[[Law and Order: Criminal Intent]]'') also enjoyed long, successful runs, but a few others (''[[Law & Order: Trial by Jury|Law and Order Trial By Jury]]'', ''[[Conviction]]'', ''[[Law & Order: LA|Law and Order LA]]'') were canceled after one season.
Line 150 ⟶ 149:
== Professional Wrestling ==
* [[WCW]]'s Eric Bischoff rejected Steve Austin's new character idea of him being a hardass, take-no-prisoners redneck [[Anti-Hero]], telling him, "Yeah, Steve, we could have you run around in your plain black tights and your plain black boots, but that just wouldn't be marketable." Then Bischoff canned Austin after having hired Hulk Hogan and a veritable entourage of his buddies, feeling that Austin would never go anywhere. [[ECW]] head Paul Heyman, on the other hand, was convinced that Austin would be a huge star, and so called him up and said, "You know, I have a TV show. Wanna come on it and bitch about Bischoff?" Which he did, and [[
** Similarly, "Mean" Mark Calaway was dropped by WCW. Vince McMahon gave him a call and said he had an idea for character. They had a meeting but nothing came from it. Later on, Calaway answered the phone and Vince apparently said "Am I speaking to the Undertaker". Calaway said "Yes!", and the rest is history.
*** Hulk Hogan was actually the one who started this, informing Vince about Calaway after Calaway had a bit role in ''Suburban Commando''.
Line 157 ⟶ 156:
== Tabletop Games ==
* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' was the only real option for roleplayers for years. With the guiding hands of [[Gary Gygax]] and [[Dave Arneson]], the granddaddy of all [[RPG]]s inspired ''[[Final Fantasy]]'', and gave rise to popular novels featuring characters such as [[Ensemble Darkhorse|Drizz't Do'urden]]. However, the good times weren't meant to last - things started falling apart after Gygax sold the company to [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|Lorraine Williams]] (this deserves [https://medium.com/@increment/the-ambush-at-sheridan-springs-3a29d07f6836 a separate story]), who proceeded to milk the franchise dry by paying herself for licensing ''[[Buck Rogers]]'' game ''[http://www.battlegrip.com/june-1990-tsr-previews-and-the-xxvc-roleplaying-game/ XXVc]'' and trying to stick a finger into every pie, oversaturating the market with new [http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10427&whichpage=35#220460 compulsively "thematic"] settings (which developers added in part because [[Executive Meddling|management could only mess with so much at once]] - such as ''[[Spelljammer]]'', which has become a [[Cult Classic]]) and games. This expansion eventually outstripped TSR's ability to support (this could be alleviated by more flexible approach of "micro-setting" - invented, tested on ''Jakandor'', and then ignored) or even develop past [[Obvious Beta|half-baked stage]], which in turn meant some of these withered, or even were killed before release - ''Proton Fire''™ ended with [http://www.battlegrip.com/proton-fire-roleplaying-game-from-tsr/ 1 (one) preview] in ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' as grand total of existence visible to consumers. And then launched disastrous [[Follow the Leader|rip-offs]] of their biggest competitor, ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]''. Eventually, this and her terrible attitude towards fans, where she would have TSR [[Kick the Dog|sue fans for ''even talking about D&D on dedicated forums'']] caught up with the company, killing TSR. Suddenly, the makers of MTG, [[Wizards of the Coast]], decided to rescue D&D by buying it out. Why? Not only would it give Wizards something to fall back on if ''Magic'' ever stopped selling, but Peter Adkison [[Big Name Fan|was a big fan of D&D]], and wanted to ensure its survival. More of the story can be found [http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/539/539628p1.html here]
== Video Games ==
| |||