Data, "Enterprise" and the Friday Night Death Slot by Barclay

OTHER SCIENCE FICTION SERIES

Data, "Enterprise" and the Friday Night Death Slot

POSTED BY: BARCLAY
UPDATED: Monday, August 2, 2004 11:34
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VIEWED: 6765
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Monday, July 19, 2004 10:13 AM

First the link...

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/19/television.spiner.reut/index.
html

So, even if Mr. Spiner makes a series of guest appearances, can Enterprise, a series rumored to be slated for cancellation at the end of last season, survive more than one more year, now being in the time slot that's home to shows the networks don't want to suceed?

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Monday, July 19, 2004 10:19 AM

CAPTAINCDC

It does not look good I'm afraid, but I for one (I know I'm in the minority on this site) hope it survives and flourishes. But, I doubt it.

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

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Monday, July 19, 2004 10:24 AM

KNIBBLET

Quote:
Originally posted by captaincdc:
I know I'm in the minority on this site) hope it survives and flourishes.

I, personally, don't think it's as horrible as people make it out to be. It's getting better as time goes on.
I'm hoping it succeeds and becomes good science fiction.

"Just keep walkin, preacher man."

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Monday, July 19, 2004 12:43 PM

ARTSHIPS

Is this the same "slot of death" that X-Files flourished in? Could happen again, though Fox had wished Firefly would.

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Monday, July 19, 2004 1:31 PM

OPUS

X-Files was the exception not the rule. Firefly, beyond the showing of the episodes out of order, was constantly prempted and at least in my neck of the woods had no advertising once it started showing.

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Wednesday, July 21, 2004 9:32 AM

SIKKUKUT

F*X especially tends to put sci-fi that it doesn't really want to succeed (I suspect) in the death-slot. Look at X-Files (the anomaly)... then look at Millenium (which I thought was lousy), then look at Space: Above and Beyond, the Visitor, Brimstone, and Firefly... all good. Any other good shows they've killed with that timeslot?

____________________________
"You're mean. Firefly's making me reconsider my lifelong devotion to Star Trek." --My mother

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Friday, July 23, 2004 6:41 AM

BRUISERSMOM

I haven't watched very many episodes lately because the Xindi story line didn't grab me. As for next year, I'll probably have to record the episodes that I want to watch because I'm not home on Friday nights. Also, I guess a Friday death slot is better than death. At least the show will last one more year and hopefully, it will have better episodes than last year.

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Saturday, July 24, 2004 2:43 PM

RICKKER

don't forget Dark Angel either. 2nd season had some bad writing and Booom its outa there. I have been a Trek fan for as long as I can remember. The whole going back to the beginning was a bad idea but I gave it a chance and It hasn't been all bad. I really did like season three arc and the inclusion of the maco's. The finally's ending was a bit WTF/ Wow those WW2 fighters kick ass. If they were going to do the history of the Federation why haven't they. We've already seen the ferengi and the borg. Neither were encoutered until early next gen timeframe.

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Wednesday, July 28, 2004 7:12 AM

TURANTHOR

Friday nights wont be so bad I dont feel.

Even though it was the death slot for a lot of shows previously mentioned, and some unmentioned (like Harsh Realm back in spring of '99), all of those shows STARTED in that terrible timeslot.

Firefly, Wonderfalls etc. all had to make their living in that Friday slot AND deal with the Network's lack of confidence. So they were hosed from the get-go.

Enterprise on the other hand, it has already established a fan base on Wednesday nights. The people who watch Enterprise regularly, like myself, will follow the show to Friday simply because there are so few shows on TV that we/I actually watch anymore.

Wednesday used to be such a great night of TV for me, with Enterprise, Smallville and Angel. Now that Angel is gone, I am glad that I no longer have to choose between Smallville and Enterprise.

However, it was Wednesday night that became the death slot for Enterprise. Everyone seems so keen to see this show fail, and they laugh and heckle the ratings from the previous season.

However, the ratings were improving and the show was gaining serious momentum, BEFORE the WB moved Smallville over into direct competition. Realistically the only network the UPn ever has a chance to beat is the WB. However, Smallville and Enterprise have a LOT of crossover viewers.

Since there is really only a limited audience for either show, they were cannibalizing one another. Smallville's ratings were down significantly from the previous season on Tuesday nights. So it was not as if Enterprise was the only one not doing as well.

The difference was that Smallville underperforming was still one of the top WB shows. Enterprise couldnt compete with Smallville. Fact is Star Trek will NEVER be able to compete with Superman. Superman has a much larger audience base, and Smallville is more accessible to casual viewers since it has the usual WB teen drama. However, the audiences who would watch Star Trek contain a LARGE number of Superman fans who would also watch Smallville.

So the choice came down to it last year, and for me, since Angel was on right after Smallville (and really Angel was the ONE show that I would watch no matter what) it was just easier for me to catch Smallville and then either tape or pick up the Saturday afternoon repeat of Enterprise.

I know a lot of people felt like that, and many people I have talked to who watch both shows felt cheated at having to make a decision. Being that there was like 5 shows total that I ever watched on TV anyways, the fact that they almost ALL came on Wednesday nights was a boon and a pain (Enterprise, Smallville, Angel, South Park, Chappelle's Show).

Enterprise season 3 was excellent. I love Season 2 a lot, they really started to have great episodes, like the Klingon trial for Archer, but Season 3 was awesome. The overarching storyline was cool, and all the things they found in the Expanse was also excellent. This show is quality Sci-fi. I have never understood why so many people rag on it, then extol the virtues of SG1, which is unwatcheable IMO.

It is the most action packed of any ST show as yet, perhaps tied with DS9, and it is very interesting to ME to see Humanity deal with problems before they had superior technology. Plus I love the look of the NX-01 Enterprise, it is a great lookin ship.

So I think a Friday night timeslot will help the show. Seems like it will have no competition on Friday nights, in addition to more likely being able to pull in incidental viewers with nothing else to watch. The real key is getting out from under the Smallville juggernaut, as that show just killed any chance Enterpise had of succeeding being at the same time on the OTHER low-rent network.

I know I will be there to watch every episode and Spike TV already had TNG and DS9 on Friday nights, and they do well, so NEW Star Trek programming should have a shot I feel, I hope. I want the full 7 seasons of Enterprise. 150+ episodes would be excellent.

And Data's guest spot will draw in a lot of TNG fans I feel, and since Coto has announced he is going to try and bring the show more in line with the Original Series and TNG, perhaps they will remain for the rest of the season/series after they realize that this show IS in fact worthwhile.

"I want the Fire back."

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Wednesday, July 28, 2004 11:02 AM

RANGRBOB

I was getting into the show last season. I even made a point to watch the finale. I was even enjoying the show. I had even gone as far as saying I will give this show a chance next season. Then Spitfires started shooting at a shutle and a Nazi alien suddenly appears. At that moment I changed the chanel vowing to never watch any Trek ever again.

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Wednesday, July 28, 2004 12:43 PM

EVILMASTERMIND

History Geek moment here --sorry!

Those were American P-51 Mustangs not British Spitfires.

"Okay I'm lost, I'm angry, and I'm armed!"

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Wednesday, July 28, 2004 4:46 PM

LOWFUEL

Let it die, then Rick Berman can get fired and JMS can take over...

Oh wait, sorry I was living in my ideal world for a second there. :D

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Thursday, July 29, 2004 9:41 AM

RANGRBOB

Thank you for the correction. :)

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Saturday, July 31, 2004 10:52 AM

DUNCANGHOLA2

How many seasons has it been for Enterprise? Can't be any more than 4.

Woah..Good Bible.

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Sunday, August 1, 2004 5:01 AM

CYBERSNARK

The one coming up is S4.

S1 & S2 were about the Temporal Cold War and first contacts with the Klingons, Andorians, Tellarites, Romulan Empire, and a few others. S3 was the Xindi War.

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

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Monday, August 2, 2004 11:34 AM

KEVSCOAT

Fox also sent "Boston Public" to Friday to die. Not sci-fi I know, but I really was enjoying that show throughout its run, and I hated to see Fox just butcher it that way. And all they could find to replace it on Mondays was "reality" trash.

Still, maybe folks are right that the fans will follow "Enterprise" to Friday nights. I know I will; I'm still watching the series as they try to find what will work to get people interested again. I'm not sure what it is either; for me, it's probably more that I really do enjoy Trek and I don't want to miss it. On Wednesdays, I'd usually tape it AND Smallville because I was never home and I prefer skipping commercials. So, I really didn't have a favorite. But I really don't want to see the series die.

If it does end after this season though, Trek's had a great run. Maybe it is time to let it rest a while.

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