In the interest of full disclosure, I don’t intend to watch the new season every week.
As far as I can see there are three different reactions to all this:
1. “SEXISM!! THEY SACKED THE WOMEN!! WE LOVE YOU AJ!!!! BASTARDS!!
I can understand this. If it was purely financial, why not consider 2 of the men? Why not give Charlie Sheen a paycut? There is inherent sexism in the industry, as there is in all walks of life. But at the end of the day, there were 3 women in a cast of 7 and now there will be 3 women in a cast of 7. Women will always be at the head of the line to be chopped - especially on a cop show. I’m not going to be burning my girlfriend’s bras over it. I honestly don’t think it was a conscious act of sexism. It was a business decision based on the fact that the biggest demographic is women. Have you seen the ads during a CM episode? They aren’t for Guns & Ammo. Networks get revenue from advertising, advertisers know that women make purchasing decisions in a household, networks keep these women happy based on stereotypes. It sucks, it is probably wildly out of touch with actual audiences, but it is business.
2. “I hate CBS. It was a crappy thing to do. I’m boycotting the whole network.”
I think this is where I fall. I’ve slowly been losing interest in network television for a while, this is my excuse to say goodbye for good. In my open letter to CBS, I mentioned brand loyalty. The loyalty is to the actors, not a network. I signed the petition and made artwork because it let me vent my frustration at the situation. If CBS had explained that it was financial and that someone was going to have to go, I think it would have been an easier transition. To say it was financial and then backtrack and say it was a creative decision makes CBS look like it thinks people are idiots. Also, saying that they will hire a new cast member is a slap in the face to AJ - they can find the money to pay this new actor but not her.
To drop the bomb during hiatus was a crappy move. It showed a lack of respect for the cast and show runners by not keeping them informed; it showed a lack of respect for long time fans by dropping a character with no explanation.
3. “I’ll keep watching the show. My favourite is still there, I didn’t like JJ that much anyway.”
Good for you. If you still enjoy the show and want to keep watching it, that is entirely your choice. I’ve watched TV shows that have changed cast members and found it to be much of a muchness. It didn’t bother me when Michael Shanks left Stargate, I liked the show with the changes. It’s a matter of personal taste.
I have written before about my admiration for the actresses involved. I will watch any of their projects because they are in them. If I end up not liking a show, I’ll stop watching. That’s the way I watch tv - either I like the actors in them or I have heard good things from friends. Personally, I think the show will change because the fundamental group will be different, but that is what happens: people leave a workplace, new people replace them. I don’t think I will enjoy it as much, I have noticed a difference since the writing staff changed and don’t believe they can carry this off.
I think these polarised positions are an artefact of the internet. There is far more information/speculation available that gets people worked up. There are more outlets for people to engage with like minded individuals, which serves to ramp people up.
Do I like the decision that has been made? No, not really. Does it make me angry? Yes. Is that why I won’t watch regularly? Not entirely.
There are rather dramatic people at both ends of this debate, but I think most people are in the middle with the view that they have a moral objection to the way CBS has behaved and no longer want to support the network. Their reasons for objecting are their own.
In the end, the entire cast are employable if the show has jumped the shark and goes to the wall. I won’t agonise over how my decision will affect the other cast members because in the grand scheme of things…I don’t really matter.
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momijizukamori
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Date: Jun. 26th, 2010 04:02 pm (UTC)As far as I can see there are three different reactions to all this:
1. “SEXISM!! THEY SACKED THE WOMEN!! WE LOVE YOU AJ!!!! BASTARDS!!
I can understand this. If it was purely financial, why not consider 2 of the men? Why not give Charlie Sheen a paycut? There is inherent sexism in the industry, as there is in all walks of life. But at the end of the day, there were 3 women in a cast of 7 and now there will be 3 women in a cast of 7. Women will always be at the head of the line to be chopped - especially on a cop show. I’m not going to be burning my girlfriend’s bras over it. I honestly don’t think it was a conscious act of sexism. It was a business decision based on the fact that the biggest demographic is women. Have you seen the ads during a CM episode? They aren’t for Guns & Ammo. Networks get revenue from advertising, advertisers know that women make purchasing decisions in a household, networks keep these women happy based on stereotypes. It sucks, it is probably wildly out of touch with actual audiences, but it is business.
2. “I hate CBS. It was a crappy thing to do. I’m boycotting the whole network.”
I think this is where I fall. I’ve slowly been losing interest in network television for a while, this is my excuse to say goodbye for good. In my open letter to CBS, I mentioned brand loyalty. The loyalty is to the actors, not a network. I signed the petition and made artwork because it let me vent my frustration at the situation. If CBS had explained that it was financial and that someone was going to have to go, I think it would have been an easier transition. To say it was financial and then backtrack and say it was a creative decision makes CBS look like it thinks people are idiots. Also, saying that they will hire a new cast member is a slap in the face to AJ - they can find the money to pay this new actor but not her.
To drop the bomb during hiatus was a crappy move. It showed a lack of respect for the cast and show runners by not keeping them informed; it showed a lack of respect for long time fans by dropping a character with no explanation.
3. “I’ll keep watching the show. My favourite is still there, I didn’t like JJ that much anyway.”
Good for you. If you still enjoy the show and want to keep watching it, that is entirely your choice. I’ve watched TV shows that have changed cast members and found it to be much of a muchness. It didn’t bother me when Michael Shanks left Stargate, I liked the show with the changes. It’s a matter of personal taste.
I have written before about my admiration for the actresses involved. I will watch any of their projects because they are in them. If I end up not liking a show, I’ll stop watching. That’s the way I watch tv - either I like the actors in them or I have heard good things from friends. Personally, I think the show will change because the fundamental group will be different, but that is what happens: people leave a workplace, new people replace them. I don’t think I will enjoy it as much, I have noticed a difference since the writing staff changed and don’t believe they can carry this off.
I think these polarised positions are an artefact of the internet. There is far more information/speculation available that gets people worked up. There are more outlets for people to engage with like minded individuals, which serves to ramp people up.
Do I like the decision that has been made? No, not really.
Does it make me angry? Yes.
Is that why I won’t watch regularly? Not entirely.
There are rather dramatic people at both ends of this debate, but I think most people are in the middle with the view that they have a moral objection to the way CBS has behaved and no longer want to support the network. Their reasons for objecting are their own.
In the end, the entire cast are employable if the show has jumped the shark and goes to the wall. I won’t agonise over how my decision will affect the other cast members because in the grand scheme of things…I don’t really matter.