What the... (Fox asks fans to show support for Arrested Development) by Tomanta

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What the... (Fox asks fans to show support for Arrested Development)

POSTED BY: TOMANTA
UPDATED: Monday, April 25, 2005 05:57
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VIEWED: 3965
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Tuesday, April 19, 2005 4:07 AM

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/18/business/media/18arrested.html?

Quote:

Now a campaign seeks to save "Arrested Development," the Fox comedy, which has low ratings despite winning three Emmy Awards last September. But, in an example of a corporation co-opting the power of protest, the campaign is being run by Fox itself. (Fox is owned by the News Corporation.)

The network set up a site at www.getarrested.com, where visitors are urged to sign an "Arrested Development Loyalty Oath." Signatory fans pledge their "never-ending loyalty and allegiance to the best comedy on television today." They promise, moreover, to invite all their friends and family members to join the "Arrested Nation." As of last Friday, a counter on the site said that more than 42,000 people had electronically signed.

This must be what going mad feels like.

"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government."

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Tuesday, April 19, 2005 4:12 AM

REEQUEEN

Count me out. Don't get me wrong, I love Arrested Development, but I'd rather see it go to a different network (or, better yet, cable) than support anything Fox attempts.

"He has a gorm horizon. All gorm that falls past it is lost forever." UserFriendly http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20050114

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Tuesday, April 19, 2005 4:48 AM

CYBERSNARK

Quote:
Originally posted by Tomanta:
This must be what going mad feels like.

*nods in stunned agreement*

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Tuesday, April 19, 2005 4:57 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

Too bad the chimps at Fox didn't run a similar campaign for Firefly.

Hard to feel sorry for a company that screws up everything they touch.

__________________________________________

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Fans:

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/richmondbrowncoats/

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Tuesday, April 19, 2005 10:27 AM

ODDNESS2HER

Maybe Fox is starting to learn its lesson. They did renew "House", after all. If AD gets renewed, I may start to forgive them a little for their past misdeeds.

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Wednesday, April 20, 2005 4:57 AM

TOMANTA

Quote:
Originally posted by oddness2her:
Maybe Fox is starting to learn its lesson. They did renew "House", after all. If AD gets renewed, I may start to forgive them a little for their past misdeeds.

House's initial ratings were Fox's usual "wait and see" ratings, but it got a HUGE ratings bump from American Idol (best thing that show ever did).

AD... it seems like Fox /wants/ to keep the show around but is trying hard to find justification for the decision (clearly winning emmy's isn't enough - Wonderfalls definitely woulda been a contender).

"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government."

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Wednesday, April 20, 2005 5:03 AM

KNIBBLET

Goddess knows that quality has never been on Fox's "must have list" when choosing what to keep. Hence the continuation of American Idol.

Quote:
Originally posted by Tomanta:
AD... it seems like Fox /wants/ to keep the show around but is trying hard to find justification for the decision (clearly winning emmy's isn't enough ...

"I'm gonna rip you a new puppet hole, bitch!"

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Thursday, April 21, 2005 5:34 AM

THIEFJEHAT

This actually upsets me. Clearly Fox has a political reason to want to save this show so they will attempt to flex their muscle to force ratings.

Just because a show wins awards (3 emmys) doesn't mean it's good. It means that certain people want us to pay attention. If the ratings are low then the people either don't like it, don't care enough, or never got marketed to(don't know it exists). I actually saw some ads for this show so I suppose I fall into the "don't care" column.

But the point is, Fox clearly has an agenda here. They need us to like their new show. They are trying to force masses to watch it since it hasn't taken off on it's own. Did firefly recieve this kind of consideration? NO WAY.

As far as Firefly goes, I never knew it existed in the fall of 2002. I saw no ads, I read no articles, I knew utterly nothing about it. Arrested Development, on the other hand, is being aggresively marketed to me. It's clear to me that agendas exist and the success/failure of some shows are more the product of a small group of people at a network than the popular opinion of the masses.

Do not fear me. Ours is a peaceful race, and we must live in harmony.

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Thursday, April 21, 2005 6:18 AM

JAKE7

I like Arrested Development, but not enough to sign some "oath" from Fox. What nerve!

If you want it saved, renew it!

I do also enjoy House. Took me a bit to get into it, but now I really love it (not as much as Firefly though!)

I will say that this week's episode had me cracking up from what turned out to be a dream sequence.

Unexpected and very funny, I thought...

--------------
MAL: Everybody's makin' a fuss.

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Thursday, April 21, 2005 7:38 AM

SIGMANUNKI

Quote:
Originally posted by jake7:

What nerve!

Couldn't have said it better myself.

----
"Canada being mad at you is like Mr. Rogers throwing a brick through your window." -Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

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Thursday, April 21, 2005 7:39 AM

SIMONWHO

I'll let you into a little secret: anything with Hugh Laurie is almost certain to be great. Ditto for Stephen Fry. Put the two of them together and it's magic, oh yes.

Is Hugh's accent convincingly American to your ears? Or is it a bit of a Daphne/Spike.

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Thursday, April 21, 2005 8:32 AM

GROUNDED

Quote:
Originally posted by thiefjehat:
Just because a show wins awards (3 emmys) doesn't mean it's good.

It's not just good. It's amazingly good.

Quote:
Originally posted by thiefjehat:

But the point is, Fox clearly has an agenda here. They need us to like their new show. They are trying to force masses to watch it since it hasn't taken off on it's own. Did firefly recieve this kind of consideration? NO WAY.

As far as Firefly goes, I never knew it existed in the fall of 2002. I saw no ads, I read no articles, I knew utterly nothing about it. Arrested Development, on the other hand, is being aggresively marketed to me. It's clear to me that agendas exist and the success/failure of some shows are more the product of a small group of people at a network than the popular opinion of the masses.

Let me get this straight. You're disappointed Firefly never received this kind of treatment, but now that a show is getting it, you're outraged? What kind of crazy sense does that make? Fox made a huge mistake with Firefly, but there's not a lot they can do about it now. Maybe, for once, they realise the potential of a show BEFORE it's been cancelled and are trying to make sure they don't make the same mistake again.

This: "They are trying to force masses to watch it since it hasn't taken off on it's own." is one of the strangest things I've read in a while. Are you saying it's irrational for a network to want people to watch their shows? Firefly didn't take off on it's own, but no one blames the show for that (quite rightly because it's obviously brilliant).

Please note this response is not pro-Fox. They have been sucking for some time and need to do a lot more than promote AD to achieve even the slightest forgiveness.

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Thursday, April 21, 2005 8:54 AM

LIZANNE

Also, I didn't win 3 Emmy awards, it won 5. And a Golden Globe, and a Television Critics Association Award.

All that the Fox campaign is trying to do is put a public face on a grassroots act. Encouraging people to convert friends and family to Arrested Development to boost the ratings? Doesn't that sound like something we've been doing for Firefly on our own?

And just because Fox is running it's own campaign to save the show doesn't mean the fans have given up.

http://www.petitiononline.com/Arrested/petition.html

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/SaveAD

http://www.jengajam.com/r/save-arrested-developm

Bottom line is Fox is helping to save a show that people love. Why can't we, as Firefly fans, empathise with the situation and prevent others from having the same "My favorite show got canceled because Fox sucks" pain?

Help me save my second favorite show!! ::biggrin::

Liz

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Thursday, April 21, 2005 10:10 AM

FRSCPE1

The one thing I don't get is why Fox thinks they have to justify saving the show, just don't cancel it. I love the show, and I hope that they air reruns during the summer (at times that people may actually notice) and continue the advertising that started in the last few weeks of this season for the next season; the ads with Jason in them were the first time I had seen anything other than the crappy-"then a new arrested."

"Well, other than being shot at by the Electric Mayhem, I'm fantastic."

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Thursday, April 21, 2005 10:38 AM

GROUNDED

Liz gets it :)

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Thursday, April 21, 2005 10:51 AM

ANOTHERFIREFLYFAN

Quote:
Originally posted by SimonWho:
I'll let you into a little secret: anything with Hugh Laurie is almost certain to be great. Ditto for Stephen Fry. Put the two of them together and it's magic, oh yes.

Is Hugh's accent convincingly American to your ears? Or is it a bit of a Daphne/Spike.

They're in it? I didn't know they were in it. I loved Black Adder...

I've never taken the time to check out Arrested, but I am a bit intrigued.

Keep flying

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Thursday, April 21, 2005 11:04 AM

0REAVER0

WOW well the counter on the site is up to 72,000 something

0Reaver0

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Thursday, April 21, 2005 12:46 PM

SIMONWHO

Quote:
Originally posted by AnotherFireflyfan:
Quote:
Originally posted by SimonWho:
I'll let you into a little secret: anything with Hugh Laurie is almost certain to be great. Ditto for Stephen Fry. Put the two of them together and it's magic, oh yes.

They're in it? I didn't know they were in it. I loved Black Adder...

Well, Hugh's in House (he's the House of the title) but Stephen hasn't shown up... yet. Given that they've pretty much always turned up in each other's programme (QI, Fortysomething), I'm sure it won't be too long before House encounters a tall, hefty English doctor with a crooked nose.

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Monday, April 25, 2005 5:57 AM

THIEFJEHAT

Quote:
Originally posted by Grounded:

Let me get this straight. You're disappointed Firefly never received this kind of treatment, but now that a show is getting it, you're outraged? What kind of crazy sense does that make?

It makes perfect sense when you consider that that I'm NOT outraged that a show is getting positive treatment. I'm outraged at the very obvious double standard.

Before I read the replies to my previous post this morning I decided that Arrested Development required my attention in order for me to be an educated poster. 10 minutes into the program I saw that it was good. Quite good in fact. I see why ppl want to save it. I also am lucky enough to be a person who is getting a Nielson survey this spring. When I write down that I watched Arrested Development (As I am intending to do) I will be doing more good with my one vote than 500 people will do on a petition. It's quite sad actually that this is true but it is, because the industry still insists on placing more weight in the overblown Nielson system than on general popular opinion.

So with that said, I still stand by my previous statement. I believe strongly that network influence is decided on the merits of certain people and not on the merits of a show's value. In this case AD is a good show. But so was firefly and it was ignored.

I have also considered that it may be more of a problem that Sci-Fi shows traditionally get less respect over comedies and dramas. I also think that society is evolving such that Sci-Fi is gaining more and more respect. I believe that as generation X continues to get older, the established molds of entertainment created by the intrests of the GI generation and baby boomers will become more and more suplanted.

And to Liz who corrected my statement about 3 emmys, I was quoting a site due to my lack of personal knowledge on this subject. I do see on getarrested.com it has 5.

Do not fear me. Ours is a peaceful race, and we must live in harmony.

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