NBC absolutely sucks.....

[HisNameisGarth]

NBC is being run into the ground.....

http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0803488/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The network is now drawing the lowest ratings since the introduction of the television

NBC's highest rated show (Law & Order: SVU) this week -- drew roughly the same audience as Knight Rider.
NBC cancelled Medium (with relatively high ratings) last week -- and CBS picked it up the very next day.

I don't think the executives at NBC could run a car wash successfully -- much less a television network.

[PHOENIXZERO]

A car wash? Pfft, they're likely to instead of building it in a busy, well populated area where there's no competition there's a demand for one, they'd choose to build it in the middle of no where, likely in the desert where they have no water for said car wash because the "brain" trust think that just because they built it people will come even if there's no one there or even remotely interested in going there.

Or they'd build it in said well populated area and charge five bucks a minute and the water would turn out to be recycled (because they're GREEN!) from whatever is flushed down the toilet, straight from the bowl and stored in a reservoir where it'd fester. Then they'll wonder why people stop coming after the grand opening, leaving with their vehicles smelling like a sewage.

OR they'd build in an area where there's already a lot of competition and then instead of being competitive, do absolutely nothing to gain any business be it offer something more than the competition or advertise, in fact they wouldn't even put a sign out in front, again because they think that just because it's there, people will flock to them, they also might still include the "idea" from the previous paragraph..

[DLAspider]

Well, if I ever want to start a carwash I know who to hire..jk..
Seriously, though, this may be wishful thinking, but could this lead to NBC selling shows or rights to shows to other networks?..I guess it's obvious where I'm going with this..

[probe2006]

Well, if I ever want to start a carwash I know who to hire..jk..
Seriously, though, this may be wishful thinking, but could this lead to NBC selling shows or rights to shows to other networks?..I guess it's obvious where I'm going with this..

if they go that route can we petition networks like sci-fi or usa to pic up kr. or even some network that knows what there doing????

[Garthe Knight]

Seeing this numbers, ratings for Knight Rider were really good, huh NBC?! It did get over 6 million viewers against American Idol and was one of the top ten DVR shows.
So selling Knight Rider to another network would be great for us, if they don't want to continue the show. But I don't see this happen because there's nothing in for NBC. I guess they will try to find sponsors for the show, and if there are not enough they just let it die.
Thinking about this makes me sad, I want the show to have a season two where everything will be better, but at the moment I don't have high hopes.

But it's not over yet

[Victor Kros]

Keep in mind that the television rights to Knight Rider are not just owned by NBC, you have to get the rights from both NBC, Universal, and Vivindi (not to mention negotiate with Glen) and get them all to agree to sell the rights to another network. While many of these companies are owned by the same conglomerate General Electric, they don't all get along under the same roof - case in point, the domestic Sci-Fi Channel and USA Network.

Trying to get the television property made by another studio such as Paramount , Warner Bros, or just for example Fox is a massive undertaking that involves more interest to these companies than a simple fan following or demand. When it comes to studios these days, money and greed take presidence over creative originality and passion. It's no longer about providing good entertainment, it's about the investment and the returns gained from it with as little risk as possible.

I don't see Knight Rider: The Series pulling a Viper and ending up on UPN (now My Network TV in the states) or filming on the Paramount studio lot any time soon. Even if they put Knight Rider: The Series on Sci-Fi Channel for a Season Two, NBC or Universal would still have to flip the bill for production.

Sci-Fi Channel (It's not Syfy yet!) itself does not fund its own productions - which leads you to wonder why NBCU won't renew Knight Rider or put it into syndication but will continue to make horrendous "movie of the week" attempts on the network so bad they're not even fit for a major release on dvd.

I think the deciding factor could also be location as many of these incredibly dumb movies are made overseas or in Canada rather than in the states. Perhaps if they moved production of Knight Rider: The Series to Canada like Smallville it might have a shot at coming back but then people would cry foul that it's not american made anymore.

=VK=

[DLAspider]

What's wrong with KR08 being made in Canada, and are you implying all dumb shows are from Canada or overseas? The one show you mentioned, Smallville has gained more seasons and much popularity after the original producers leaving, the actor playing the main villain leaving and had been made in Canada since the start.

[knightprobe89]

the production costs in canada are extremly low compared to the us, knight rider could actually do very well money wise if it was made in canada, the show would actually pull a good profit with the 5 or 6 million viewers that it had, the show flashpoint on cbs is made in canada and it is very cheap to produce.

[Super Flash]

Hello There Everyone,

I read the earlier post by Victor Kros and need to add a correction to this one passage:

"I don't see Knight Rider: The Series pulling a Viper and ending up on UPN (now My Network TV in the states) or filming on the Paramount studio lot any time soon. Even if they put Knight Rider: The Series on Sci-Fi Channel for a Season Two, NBC or Universal would still have to flip the bill for production."

That passage above is not at all accurate.

A.) My Network TV is not and never was UPN. UPN and WB are now The CW and you can look that up. My Network TV is owned by Fox Broadcasting and has nothing to do with the former UPN or WB Networks.

B.) The only network Viper aired on was NBC as I stated in an earlier post. That too can be looked up over at http://www.wikipeda.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or http://www.tv.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

C.) After a year or two layoff Viper returned to tv in syndication for the rest of its run. That too can be looked up and verified over at http://www.wikipeda.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.tv.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; To fill air time networks like WB and/or UPN picked Viper up to air but, it was the local channel's call and not UPN or WB. The show was syndicated and that means anyone can air it at any time.

D.) As for Knight Rider airing on another channel like SCI-FI, USA Network, or syndication like Viper that remains to be seen.

Well, I hope that clears things up yet again.

Thanks and take care,
Michael P. Nepa

[PHOENIXZERO]

That's not entirely correct either, MyNetwork was formed out of the left overs of the WB/UPN merger. If both networks were in the same market, then WB took precedence over the UPN network in the merger and of course UPN became the CW (or the station was flat out dropped and shut down) in markets where there wasn't a WB and then there were the Fox owned UPN stations which all dropped UPN early in the starting of the even more limited MyNetwork. So yeah, it basically is UPN in a gutted form that lost all its shows (all of which that are gone from WB 2.0 now after this past season), aside from Smackdown which came back after the brilliant idiot in charge of CW decided to drop it in favor of a Friday that has completely failed. This is why even after the merger, CW has the same number of viewers or lower than when both networks were still around and resulted in pretty much no benefit to WB or UPN and now instead of one of the two likely going out of business, CW is almost certain to within a couple more years of pulling numbers that are worse than some cable networks..

The odds of KR being moved to a network like Sci-Fi (I refuse to use SyFy) is basically non-existent unless it does enormously well internationally and yeah, it would include a move to Canada which would then result in us pretty much losing a lot of the coverage there was on KRO from set visits as well as some of the fun of location spotting as well as some other things. The budget would be probably slashed further when it comes to special effects. Look at Smallville and their lack luster ten second fights (especially after the budget cuts with the merger) and now imagine that in a show where a car (which is basically the star of the show) doing a bunch of stunts and other things. This should probably wouldn't even get a Smallville budget, though with a smaller cast, it might help a little. There would probably be a lot of interior shots too but I guess for the outdoor stuff (what little there would likely be) we could have a little fun spotting things we've seen in other Vancouver productions.

Knight Rider 08 would have to pull in HUGE (at least huge for cable standards) ratings to justify the budget that would be needed. Oh and IMO we likely would only get 12-16 episode seasons due to the budget (thankfully would be a likely cut of the pointless excess the new series had), though I guess some KR08 would be better than none if you want it to continue.

Honestly I actually still would like for it to but, what would really benefit the show is people in charge who care about the property and have a passion for doing it and doing it proper, excellent writing could make up for a lack of stunts and special effects to a point as long as it doesn't become a dialog based, boring ass drama. But after how Sci-Fi has screwed up many shows (and screwed over fans) in the past, I wouldn't have much faith in them in pulling it off and I doubt NBCU or Vivendi is interested in continuing it anyway.

[Michael_Knight1]

This is too funny.

[Knight007]

Honestly I actually still would like for it to but, what would really benefit the show is people in charge who care about the property and have a passion for doing it and doing it proper, excellent writing could make up for a lack of stunts and special effects to a point as long as it doesn't become a dialog based, boring ass drama. But after how Sci-Fi has screwed up many shows (and screwed over fans) in the past, I wouldn't have much faith in them in pulling it off and I doubt NBCU or Vivendi is interested in continuing it anyway.

This is very True. the show should have some one that believes in the Idea of KR and then take it forward. and I really think this is where GST and NBC made their big mistake, they took the show as another project and tried to make something out of a wrong Idea.
Anyway, I kinda happy of the drop in NBC ratings because it gives me some satisfaction to know they are really bad in doing TV business.
Lets hope they do sell the rights of KR and there will be some one who will pick it up and re creat the KR as we know it

[Josch Schulz]

NBC is to big, when they start in the 80s they are more little and try to bring up good programms, now they are so big and they can do what they want. They forget where they come from..

[PHOENIXZERO]

NBC was the first major network in the US and has been around for over 80 years, back in the 80s Fox was the little guy that was largely on UHF stations and they didn't start to make any headway until the late 80s with Married With Children and The Simpsons, both of which pretty much built the network. The problem today isn't that NBC is "too big" but that there's a lot more competition today than there was 20-30 years ago when shows on NBC or CBS/ABC would average viewing numbers that were viewer numbers that today would be considered massive, now pretty much the only show that pulling in numbers like that are unfortunately American Idol and probably other crappy reality TV and everything else is lucky if they even get half of that. If Knight Rider (which really had no backing by the higher ups, especially Angela Bromstad who clearly wasn't a fan) had been getting ratings that was even a full point higher with a million or two more viewers, then renewal would have been almost a given as NBC is desperate for ratings.

[HisNameisGarth]

That's not entirely true.

Medium was pulling in those kind of ratings (1 million or 2 more than Knight Rider) -- and they still cancelled it.
CBS noticed what a boneheaded decision that was -- and bought the show the very next day.

My Name Is Earl also averaged those type of ratings -- plus, critical acclaim. That show is toast, too.

[Lost Knight]

Critical acclaim and ratings don't seem to matter to these guys. I work for General Electric and this motivates me to get into the NBC Universal branch and take over one day!

[DLAspider]

This is too funny.

Yes, I know a lot of this may be wishful thinking, but humor us, we don't want to let go of our favorite show just yet. Besides, cancelled shows have been brought back in the past..

[PHOENIXZERO]

That's not entirely true.

Medium was pulling in those kind of ratings (1 million or 2 more than Knight Rider) -- and they still cancelled it.
CBS noticed what a boneheaded decision that was -- and bought the show the very next day.

My Name Is Earl also averaged those type of ratings -- plus, critical acclaim. That show is toast, too.

My Name is Earl this last season has done horrible, going by the finale numbers it pulled in 4.795M viewers, it's 18-49 demo was a 2.0 and 18-34 was a 1.3.

Medium's last episode managed 7.77M viewers with a 2/2.1 in 18-49 and 1.2/1.3 in the 18-34 demos. Certainly with the number of viewers it had it did quite well, but looking at the 18-34 rating, I think it's clear why NBC dumped it. I'm sure CBS will probably do better with it though I kind of doubt it'll pick of many if any new viewers at this point, of course with a better time slot anything is possible when it's on a network that doesn't have lead in their water. Medium has been teetering for years, I'm surprised NBC stuck with it for so long considering it's been a mid-season replacement for what seems to be most of its run, then again I never really paid much attention to it.

As for Knight Rider, like I said, if KR had two million more viewers, yeah that would have left it on par with Medium, however I also added to that saying if the ratings were a point higher NBC would have probably picked it up. I believe that because going by what the finale had, 5.76M viewers, which bumped by 2M of would give it 7.76M viewers, however the episode had a 1.8 in the 18-49 demo and a 1.4 in the 18-34 bracket. You bump those both up by a point and those ratings would have been strong for NBC these days as sad as that is maybe not number one but still quite good, especially with the competition it faced, it would have been a runaway second against AI and DWTS when it was up against them and probably trading first and second with Bones. Knight Rider also had the benefit from it being a in house production, even with the disdain felt by Angela Bromstad for it. Of course none of the "what ifs" matter and it is all pointless but it certainly would have had a much stronger chance of being brought back.


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http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/15/ra ... s-continue" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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[knightprobe89]

actually medium is owned by cbs, that is one of the reasons that cbs picked it up otherwise it would have been cancelled! the nielsen ratings system is screwed up, for instance the show eleventh hour at cbs was cancelled and it had an overall rating of 10 to 12 million people, but because it didn't have the demographics they were looking for they cancelled it.

[Victor Kros]

Just to clarify the UPN thing...

I used to watch KCOP 13 (channel 13) on tv all the time. Then it became the UPN network. Most recently My Network TV is now channel 13 - see the pattern here? I don't care who owns what, my reference was to the channel itself.

As for any digs against Canada, absolutely not. It's proven that it is cheaper for television shows to thrive shooting outside of the US and many of the movies and television shows that have garnered success were shot specifically in Canada. My favorite wrestler of all time, Bret "Hitman" Hart is also from Canada along with my favorite former WWE diva, Trish Stratus. I have nothing but respect for the accomplishments and actors/actresses Canada has provided to the entertainment industry.

Some people out there don't feel the same way about shows like Knight Rider which believe it should remain a uniquely "made in the USA" show. Look how many people whine about the choice of car for K.I.T.T. and how they demand in the movie it remain built by an american brand company and you'll see what I mean.

=VK=

[Knight007]

I dont care where KR is made. KR is not an american hero like "captin america" or something, its a global Idea that is shared all oever the world. this is why you have KITT replicas in different contries, not only the US. If the servival of the show will depend on producing it in another country, is this really bad thing to do???

[Shapeshifter]

It was a forgone conclusion among the producers that if KR08 came back, it would have to be shot in Canada. But getting the costs down alone would not be enough. KR08 had three main problems; it was ratings-challenged, it was expensive, it was not the kind of show that NBC wanted to be a part of going forward. Taken individually, these problems could be addressed. But taken as a whole, they're insurmountable.

[Shadowy Flight]

Hey! I work for NBC and you're...absolutely right! We suck!

[PunkMaister]

I do not watch NBC anymore or ABCFM in fact I rarely watch TV anymore...

[Sky_Blue_Civic]

Hey! I work for NBC and you're...absolutely right! We suck!

Awww... come on, you don't suck!