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It has been an eventful television season, interrupted by a Hollywood writers strike that saw some of the most popular shows drop off the schedule for several months before returning at the very end of the season.
And though most are back, take a peek at the weekly Nielsen list of most popular shows, and you will find American Idol and Dancing With The Stars always at the top of the heap. Reality still rules in the ratings.
Did television manage to survive the strike? Are you back watching the same shows as before the strike? What shows are succeeding — and which just didn't hold up after the strike break?
And during the sweeps period, what can we expect from some of the fan favourites — Desperate Housewives, Lost, The Office, Ugly Betty and newcomers Samantha Who? and Private Practice?
The Globe's Andrew Ryan takes your questions on television sweeps Monday at 12 p.m. ET. (The Globe and Mail)
The Globe and Mail's Andrew Ryan answered your questions from noon to 1 p.m. ET about television — the good, the bad and the ugly — and whether television has been irreparably scarred by the writers strike. Your questions and Mr. Ryan's answers appear at the bottom of this page when the discussion begins.
Mr. Ryan is the former editor of TV GUIDE Canada. He came to The Globe and Mail in the summer of 2000 and currently writes about television for the Globe's Review section.
David Psutka, globeandmail.com Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Andrew. I'll begin by admitting my apathy for television right now; Howie Mandell, Bret Michaels and Simon Cowell just aren't doing it for me these days. What are some reasons to be excited about television right now?
Andrew Ryan:Thanks, David. And you're not the first person to register their dismay over the TV lineup lately. The normally vast wasteland of broadcast television has become half-vast, so to speak, in the wake of the TV writers strike last winter. If anything, the work stoppage appears to have strengthened the iron grip of Howie (Deal or No Deal), Bret (Rock of Love) and the ever-testy Simon (American Idol) and other non-scripted programming. Don't blame me, but reality-TV has never been so popular with prime-time viewers; even the newest campaign of The Bachelor is performing well for ABC, and that show exhausted its concept in its first season. There has been some buzz in recent weeks over the return of some prime-time favourites, like 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives, but in almost every instance the show is returning to a slightly diminished audience. These days people are more engaged in the ongoing madness of Dancing with the Stars, or watching Gordon Ramsay shriek at cooking novices on Hell's Kitchen. The changeover from scripted drama to raw human drama is nearly complete.
Sybil Jackson from Gravenhurst Canada writes: I'm fed up with TV in general. A good chunk of my income goes to paying for cable and what do I get - infomercials and crappy movies ad nauseum, especially in the middle of the night when I tend to have my TV on. I don't know who decides their packaging but I have to pay for about 40 channels I never watch to get the few that I want. Why do I get two or three French channels? I hate anything with sub-titles because I mostly use a 13' TV. I don't want to have to actually watch anything - I just want something I can listen to. I have two friends who don't have cable or a satellite dish and they find the three to six channels they get are adequate. They're afraid they won't be able to get them soon. I admit I'm not a 'regular' viewer in that aside from news, sports and politics I don't watch many shows that have been made in the last 15 years.
Andrew Ryan:Sybil, I feel your pain. The most common complaint of all cable subscribers is the area of the channel lineup. Hey, who knew there were channels devoted entirely to food, golf and science-fiction shows? The birth of specialty channels a decade ago changed everything, and the arrival of digital television has only refined the level of choice to a precise level. Also: Your friends who are getting three to six channels are correct in assuming they won't be getting them soon: Early next year, all broadcasters in Canada and the U.S. will cease broadcasting an analog signal. By this time next year, it will be all-digital. To that end, you say you're not a regular sort of TV viewer. You might want to consider switching to satellite radio service?
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