Return to Veronica Mars
October 5th 2006 01:40
I am absolutely captivated by the show Veronica Mars. The petite blonde with the quick wit has earned a place in my must-watch schedule. Thankfully, it is finally returning at 10.40pm Friday night - after a four week hiatus - with the second episode of Season 2, Driver Ed.
Fans of Veronica consider themselves lucky that the show is actually on the air, even if it is in the hellish timeslot of ‘whenever the Friday night movie ends’, served with a splash of ‘move to make way for footy finals and/or long movie.’ Channel Ten had previously decided that the best timeslot for the show was smothered in between the torture of Friday Night Games and Big Brother Up-Late. Perhaps they had the misguided notion that the sizeable ratings for the FNG would transfer over to the teen drama. They were sorely mistaken – Veronica’s ratings were poor considering the lead in. However, the programmers obviously didn’t realise that there are more to audiences than demographics – the target market of Veronica Mars is a planet away from that of the Big Brother franchise, despite being of similar age.
Veronica Mars was originally aired during the last summer ratings period, so obviously Ten’s expectations for the series were less than stellar. I really can’t understand why people were reluctant to tune into the show though. Audiences, particularly the younger demographic, often complain about the lack of intelligent programming aimed at them. Here it was, gift wrapped in the fantastic package of Kristin Bell and a top-notch cast, and they didn’t tune in.
Perhaps it was the fault of the original summer advertising. For starters, it was likened to The O.C., another teen drama. The O.C. has quite a following in Australia – it rates fairly well despite never living up to its first season and often having plotlines that even the Passions writers would consider implausible. Yet even O.C. viewers just didn’t tune in. And I think I know the reason why.
Paris Hilton.
Yes, Paris Hilton, the hotel heiress who showed the world that all you need to be famous is a recognisable last name, a sex tape, and an ego the size of a small country. Channel Ten for some inexplicable reason decided to promote the fact that Paris played a small part on the show. I believe that her presence alone was enough to turn potential viewers off forever.
So I beseech thee, humble audiences looking for a clever show with quick dialogue and loveable characters – give Veronica a chance. You won’t regret it.
Fans of Veronica consider themselves lucky that the show is actually on the air, even if it is in the hellish timeslot of ‘whenever the Friday night movie ends’, served with a splash of ‘move to make way for footy finals and/or long movie.’ Channel Ten had previously decided that the best timeslot for the show was smothered in between the torture of Friday Night Games and Big Brother Up-Late. Perhaps they had the misguided notion that the sizeable ratings for the FNG would transfer over to the teen drama. They were sorely mistaken – Veronica’s ratings were poor considering the lead in. However, the programmers obviously didn’t realise that there are more to audiences than demographics – the target market of Veronica Mars is a planet away from that of the Big Brother franchise, despite being of similar age.
Veronica Mars was originally aired during the last summer ratings period, so obviously Ten’s expectations for the series were less than stellar. I really can’t understand why people were reluctant to tune into the show though. Audiences, particularly the younger demographic, often complain about the lack of intelligent programming aimed at them. Here it was, gift wrapped in the fantastic package of Kristin Bell and a top-notch cast, and they didn’t tune in.
Perhaps it was the fault of the original summer advertising. For starters, it was likened to The O.C., another teen drama. The O.C. has quite a following in Australia – it rates fairly well despite never living up to its first season and often having plotlines that even the Passions writers would consider implausible. Yet even O.C. viewers just didn’t tune in. And I think I know the reason why.
Paris Hilton.
Yes, Paris Hilton, the hotel heiress who showed the world that all you need to be famous is a recognisable last name, a sex tape, and an ego the size of a small country. Channel Ten for some inexplicable reason decided to promote the fact that Paris played a small part on the show. I believe that her presence alone was enough to turn potential viewers off forever.
So I beseech thee, humble audiences looking for a clever show with quick dialogue and loveable characters – give Veronica a chance. You won’t regret it.
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