|
|
Ron Miller's DARK CORRIDORS VOL. 11, No. 11 |
|
WITHOUT '24'?  KIEFER SUTHERLAND as Agent Jack Bauer is at the center of each episode of Fox's thriller series "24." |
Rising costs, ratings dip
may doom Fox thriller
of TheColumnists.com
Reports are beginning to trickle in that this may be the final season for TV's greatest thriller series, Fox's "24." My head hurts from the very thought of such a thing.
I am addicted to "24." That guy in the movie "The Hurt Locker" would understand. He's been living on the edge by defusing bombs that might go off in his face at any moment--and now he can't live without that feeling of peril. I've been living on the edge myself by watching a TV series that might go off in my face at any moment--and often does. That, in fact, may explain the serious signs of facial deterioriation when I look in my shaving mirror each morning.
For seven years now, my fall TV viewing has simply been preparation for what's coming up in January: The season premiere of "24." It is the most exciting TV program ever put on the air. If I still worked in an office with a water cooler, I can assure you that I'd be standing around it every Tuesday morning, discussing with my work colleagues all the stuff that happened to Jack Bauer & Co. the night before.
Mostly this has been a common reaction among television watchers. Millions have made "24" a big hit for the Fox network, which really begins to kick ratings butt in the first months of the new year because "24" and "American Idol" come back on the air about then.
But ratings erosion is now taking place and "24" has fallen from the top 10. Only part of that has been due to the Winter Olympics competition in February. The fact that it's generally still in the top 20 is some consolation, but I don't think ratings are really what's likely to cause Fox to drop the show.
Rather the answer is probably rising costs of production. Most of the contracts for TV shows cover the first seven years. When those contracts expire, the people who work on hit shows like to see their pay go way up to where it should be for people in a hit show. And the costs of doing practically everything usually go up the longers a show stays on the air.
"24" can't be a cheap show. It's done to what I imagine is feature film standards. It has lots of effects and they're always Grade A. It has a large ensemble cast that must be paid week in, week out. Post-production costs for editing, scoring and everything else must be very high end.
Meanwhile, the rerun market for TV shows isn't what it used to be, thanks to the steady availability of older episodes in boxed sets for the home video market. When "24" first came on the air with rave reviews from critics, I found I couldn't keep up with it, so I stopped watching and waited for the whole first season to come out on DVD. I ended up watching the whole first season in less than a week. By that time, I was so hooked on it that I couldn't wait for Season Two.
And when Season Two arrived, I discovered I would move Heaven and Earth to avoid missing an episode.
What's the appeal? Well, the action is constant and the plots are rich with cliffhanger moments. The writing is also of a very high caliber, so that means you really get into the characters and what they're doing. The acting is strong and star Kiefer Sutherland, who plays U.S. government agent Jack Bauer, has developed into a first-rate performer who now ranks right up at the top with today's action heroes.
Rumor has it that the producers of "24," including Sutherland, are planning to do a feature film adventure for Jack Bauer & Co. to make up for the possible ending of the series when this year's episodes run out in May. That is exactly what another Fox series, "The X-Files," did when it ended its TV run, but wanted to keep the cult viewership still begging for more.
It's also very likely that Sutherland will want to see if his "24" fame will translate into big screen fame. He may see himself as the new Bruce Willis, who left a popular TV series--"Moonlighting"--and became a big screen action star. Sutherland had done lots of movies before "24," but never was a major attraction before the TV show.
But I'm not ready to give "24" up quite yet. It's still a heavily-watched program and lots of networks would be happy to have a show in the Top 20, even if it the profit margin wasn't large. I still think it's possible Fox will decide to go on with the show, considering it hasn't developed any big new hits to take its place.
I had already retired from my regular TV critic job when "24" first came on, but I think I might not have believed they could sustain the quality of the first season as long as they have. It's still engrossing and still "must see" television. I now find very few shows on the air that I feel I "must see" each week. "24" has proved to me that it's possible to do a solid, stirring serial adventure drama and keep ti fresh and exciting season after season.
I'm going to do what I can to let Fox know that I don't want to lose "24" quite yet. They can cancel their entire news division and I wouldn't lose a night's sleep over it, but I wish they'd leave my "24" alone!
©2010 by Ron Miller. The illustration is courtesy of Fox Television. This column first posted March 15, 2010.
Ron
Miller is a former nationally syndicated television columnist
and the author of "Mystery! A Celebration," the official
companion book to PBS' "Mystery!" series.
You can comment on this column online. Please address your message to either "The Editors" or Ron Miller. To send an email, click here and don't forget to mention Ron's name: talkback@thecolumnists.com
|
|
|
Archives |
|
|