How's your angst level? Viewers are smack in the middle of what TV Guide labels "the most dangerous season of television." Ulcers are churning in TV land.
This is the period near the end of the TV season when network bean counters and entertainment executives meet behind closed doors to decide the fate of their current shows. It's sometimes easy; sometimes a coin toss.
Cancellation usually catches the typical viewer by surprise. If you were happy with a show, how were you supposed to know it was in trouble? That's why in less than a month I'll be getting daily email saying, "How could they have canceled [fill in the blank]? It was the BEST SHOW ON TV!!!!"
Note the use of all caps and multiple exclamation points. More than three indicate irrational attachment to a TV show.
A lot goes into the decision on whether a series lives or dies. It's more than you probably imagine and not simply based on ratings anymore because a fragmented audience is split between 200 channels and a dozen streaming services.
Ratings may be passable, but maybe the viewers skew older. Most advertisers aim for the age 18 to 49 demographic and ignore older viewers. Broadcast networks are in the business of selling ads. If they can't sell a show, it will usually be canceled.
Or not. Maybe the ratings are low but the series scores brownie points by winning awards or being critically acclaimed. Generating buzz might just keep a series around for another season.
Does the network actually own and produce the show? This makes an important difference, especially when an increasing number of viewers are subscribing to streaming services such as Hulu and Netflix and waiting to watch there.
It's also a renewal plus if a series stands a chance of making even more money in syndication or overseas. It's also beneficial if the show's contract and license fees are low. Too high and a series' liabilities soon outweigh its benefits. Those costs usually rise the longer a show is on the air.
The strength of a network's lineup also plays a part. Is it time to clean house? Was pilot season good enough that some promising shows are waiting on the sidelines? If so, it might be time to put the old warhorse out to pasture.
If a show's creator and producer is powerful enough (think Shonda Rhimes with ABC), a series might be kept around longer than warranted just to keep her happy.
And finally, there's the intangible X factor. Maybe a show is the very favorite of the network entertainment president's sainted mother, for example. That'll keep it around a bit longer.
Bottom line: In most cases, follow the money.
All that said, we're holding our breath and waiting for the networks' upfront presentations May 14-17. That's when we find out officially what lives and what dies.
Meanwhile, a number of media outlets, including USA Today and TV Guide keep a running scorecard of shows that have already been renewed or canceled, are ending their runs, are irretrievably doomed or are on the bubble where the final decision could go either way.
All predictions are generally pretty much the same since everybody has the same Hollywood sources, so let's take a look at just USA Today's list to get a feel for what's going down when the five broadcast networks announce their decisions.
ABC
On the bubble: Deception, Designated Survivor, For the People, Fresh Off the Boat, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Quantico, Speechless, Station 19 (a Shondaland/ABC Studios production).
Canceled, ended or doomed: Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, Marvel's Inhumans, The Mayor, The Middle, Once Upon a Time, Scandal, Ten Days in the Valley.
CBS
On the bubble: Code Black, Criminal Minds, Elementary, Kevin Can Wait, Life in Pieces, Living Biblically, Man With a Plan, Scorpion, Superior Donuts.
Canceled, ended or doomed: Me, Myself & I, 9JKL, Wisdom of the Crowd.
THE CW
On the bubble: iZombie, The 100.
Canceled, ended or doomed: Life Sentence, The Originals, Valor.
FOX
On the bubble: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Last Man on Earth, Lucifer.
Canceled, ended or doomed: The Exorcist, Ghosted, New Girl, The X-Files.
NBC
On the bubble: AP Bio, The Blacklist, Blindspot, The Brave, Champions, Great News, Taken, Timeless.
Canceled, ended or doomed: Law & Order: True Crime.
How's it looking for your favorite show? Here's some advice. Once the bad news comes out, you can register your displeasure on the network website, but rarely, rarely does that do any good. I feel your pain.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email: mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style on 05/01/2018