An interesting article about the current state of the TV industry.You can also find it at www.canoe.ca.
TV execs struggle to keep shows alive.

By BILL BRIOUX -- Toronto Sun

Eyes opened at ABC last week. Can Eyes open wider?

The stylish detective drama, starring Timothy Daly and Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, premiered to good reviews. "Eyes is entertaining, a breezy, sophisticated lark," said the Sun.

Then the ratings came out. Up against two formidable franchises -- CSI: NY and Law & Order -- the show scored 8.39 million U.S. viewers, coming third in its timeslot behind ABC's slow building Alias (11.08 million).

Last year, coming third on ABC was a cork popper, cause for celebration. Along came Desperate Housewives and Lost and expectations shot up.

Besides, just as with movies, TV is now all about opening big. That's why Eyes' executive producer John McNamara sent e-mails to critics over the weekend in a bold attempt to save his brand new show.

It's not an unheard of tactic. Arrested Development's creator, Mitchell Hurwitz, sent critics a T-shirt last week along with a plea to tell viewers to watch that struggling show's season finale (Sunday April 17 at 8:30 on Global and Fox).

Both producers know it takes more than making a good show to survive these days. "You know better than anyone," McNamara wrote. "TV, TiVo, DVDs, music and the internet are like a media rainstorm; a new show can fly by like a single drop. We need help keeping Eyes visible."

Contacted yesterday by phone, McNamara said he was thrilled to have critics from as diverse a field as The New York Times to US Weekly in his corner. The trick now was getting more of the 1,200 Nielsen families -- the test groups who determine the fate of all U.S. shows -- to tune in.

McNamara's been ahead of the curve before. In 1996, his dark drama Profit, about an amoral entrepreneur, flamed out in weeks. Some fans and critics are still trying to save that show.

He says Eyes shines because it combines two genres: Comedy and detective shows. He was getting bored with all those humourless procedurals on TV. "Why can't they be funny, too?" he asked. Eyes was his answer.

Can critics really make a difference, I asked? McNamara says just two words can save a show: "Critically acclaimed." That tag probably bought Arrested Development a second season, he figures.

It helps when the people at the network are patient, he says. He points out that ABC hung in with Alias where others would have bailed. Still, a taste of success has given ABC an appetite. Eyes is fighting for a fall berth, but another mid-season entry, the Sunday medical drama Grey's Anatomy, has jumped to the front of the renewal line.

This time of year, several shows are fighting for renewal (see list). Save Our Shows campaigns are launching earlier than ever, sometimes before a show even hits the air.

Do these fan-based, largely Internet initiatives help? McNamara points to Family Guy. The animated Fox comedy was cancelled three times before DVD sales went through the roof. "Family Guy is the Easter of television," he says. "It came back because people loved it so much and wouldn't shut up."

But do fans -- or critics -- from Canada make a difference? Yes, says McNamara, because we're the third largest International market -- behind England and Germany --and the only foreign simulcast market. In other words, a show could survive with middling U.S. ratings if it was raking in the bucks -- even Canadian bucks.

Meanwhile, McNamara isn't just relying on critics to get the word out. ABC is mounting a relentless campaign, Warners (the producing studio) is working their AOL connection and Daly is booked on every talk show in sight, from Kimmel to Ellen to Dennis Miller.

If that doesn't work, make stuff up, says McNamara. "Any blurb could actually make a huge difference. Write that I was arrested last week for murder: 'Producer kills to get show renewed.' Say I've got Robert Blake's lawyer. Just mention Eyes, Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. (on CH and ABC)."

ON THE CRITICAL LIST OR BREATHING ON THEIR OWN:

Going, going, gone? Here are the shows on the bubble. Can they be saved? We'll find out when the U.S. networks announce their fall schedules in six weeks:

GOOD AS DEAD

American Dreams (NBC/CH). Cast members are already booked on other pilots -- never a good sign.

TEETERING

Jack & Bobby (WB/New VR). Great cast (including Christine Lahti), great writing, no viewers.

JAG (CBS/CH). Gotta be gone after 10 seasons, especially with David James Elliott's departure.

Joan Of Arcadia (CBS/CTV). May need a miracle -- the Friday night numbers are down after just two seasons.

Kevin Hill (UPN). If this Taye Diggs drama goes, those white production trucks in Toronto will really get scarce.

Medical Investigation (CTV/NBC). No buzz, but a pulse at least on low-rated Fridays against Numb3rs and 20/20.

Numb3rs (CBS/CH). The first week it was No. 12. The second week it was No. 33. The third week it was No. 54 ...

Veronica Mars (UPN). Rave reviews haven't helped Toronto-native Enrico Colantoni's detective show find a pulse.

IFFY

Arrested Development (Fox/Global). Go to getarrested.com, set up just to help save this brilliant comedy.

The Bernie Mac Show (Fox). Ditched due to Mac's attacks?

8 Simple Rules (ABC/CTV). Is this David Spade make-over really necessary?

One Tree Hill (WB/Global). Never caught on.

Smallville (WB/New VR). It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a stiff.

SAFE BET:

Alias (ABC/CTV). Modest ratings gains in season four should be enough to get to five and syndication.

SAVED

Malcolm In The Middle (Fox/Global). Back for a seventh season. Still funny half the time.

The West Wing (NBC). There's a dontsaveourshow site dedicated to getting this cancelled by fans who miss Aaron Sorkin.

The Wire (HBO/TMN). Despite low ratings, HBO just committed to another season of this acclaimed cop drama.

I really enjoyed Eyes. My favorite shows ALWAYS get cancelled!

Now, here's hoping that Boston Legal doesn't get cancelled. It's brilliant. Who'd've thunk? Spader and Shatner! What a team!