To small nets, critics wield a big stick
Attractive as the thought of critics' demise might be to some, however, the obituary is a tad premature. Rather, the movie and TV worlds have become bifurcated -- split between blockbuster, mass-appeal franchises, which appear critic-proof; and smaller, niche-driven properties that covet scribes' attention more than ever.
Nowhere is this truer than television, where the audience has been fragmented by hundreds of channels. In that environment, much like Dr. Seuss' tiny Whos and their plaintive cries of "We are here!," no voice is considered too insignificant in the campaign to get noticed.
Critics' lingering influence can be seen in everything from the recent Emmy campaigns -- where cable nets rolled out movie-style quote ads at an unprecedented rate -- to the current TV Critics Assn.'s tour, which devoted a full week to cable, allowing such minor players as Oxygen, HDNet and GSN (the channel formerly known as Game Show Network) a chance to showcase their wares alongside the big boys.
The good news about these smaller nets is that they seem grateful for virtually any consideration, much like the nerdy kids in high school. This is a refreshing contrast from major broadcasters, who occasionally hide their unscripted turkeys from critical examination -- a long-employed Fox strategy. (ABC maintained that its summer entry "Master of Champions" was tied up in post-production, but having viewed the series, there wasn't much production in the first place.)
This attitude among little-seen channels shouldn't come as a complete surprise, since these networks largely go ignored unless they do something completely egregious and stomach-turning, or truly wonderful. Alas, egregious generally tends to come cheaper.
Even the publicity folk tend to recognize their position of supplication, brightly begging for any mention of HGTV's new series "Design Star" (there ya go) or the faintest acknowledgement of OLN, nee Outdoor Life Network, a concept that has always befuddled me. After all, shouldn't their potential viewers be, y'know, outdoors?
Generating press has become vital to smaller channels, which are borrowing a page from pay TV, where awards and media coverage are perceived to help attract talent and feed the sense that it's worth anteing up for HBO or Showtime, even if you don't actually watch "The Wire" or "Sleeper Cell."
It's not strictly pay cable, though, that's begun to take critical response more seriously. One can argue that support from critics contributed to stays of execution for a few recent series, including "Veronica Mars," which survived the leap from UPN to the new CW; "Arrested Development," the show Fox didn't want to have to cancel, but eventually did; and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," an FX comedy whose buzz surpassed its ratings.
Admittedly, critical acclaim can (and should) go only so far, as Showtime's decision to snuff out second-year drama "Huff" demonstrates. At some point, producing TV for people who spend all day epoxied to the couch isn't enough; real viewers must be enticed to join them.
Still, for those channels that recognize the press's role in helping the public navigate an increasingly confounding dial, here's a big thumbs-up. Besides, critics are a constituency whose only real agenda is to make programming better, if only to salvage our dwindling sanity.
As for those rubbing their hands together at the prospect of hastening critics' irrelevance, just to prove there are no hard feelings, I'm warming a finger for you.
"Only rubes pay the sticker price," Harvard economist Susan Dynarski observed earlier this year, referring to the high cost of a college education.
Dynarski took a little heat for an elitist-sounding attitude, but that's precisely the way the TV community has approached watching commercials, which, in essence, pay for broadcast TV. Both coasts have discounted the viewing experience by acquiring DVR devices like TiVo at a disproportionate rate, counting on what Bill O'Reilly likes to call "the folks" in flyover states to watch ads.
Nielsen now is talking about delivering separate ratings for commercial breaks -- a decision sure to motivate media buyers to lobby for reduced ad fees, potentially putting the squeeze on residents of the coasts' most opulent neighborhoods.
But what happens if the data shows that the rubes, too, are balking at the sticker price and have stopped watching commercials?
