How to Ruin a Perfectly Good Show - Bring in Rosie
Posted by Shannon on July 18, 2007
As I’ve mentioned here before, I believe the NBC show “Friday Night Lights” was one of the hidden gems of the previous television season. Even though the show did not perform well with viewers, it did receive critical acclaim for the show’s writing and scripts that dealt with everything from families in the midst of career decision, teenage peer pressure regarding sex, rape, and the rock star culture of Texas football.
Now comes word today that Rosie O’Donnell is being considered for a role in which she would play a soccer coach upset about how much resources are dedicated towards football. The move seems to center on a desire by NBC officials to increase ratings for the show.
Bringing in O’Donnell in the second season doesn’t make a lot of sense. O’Donnell is a very polarizing figure and adding her to the show could turn some viewers away recognizing it as an attempt to gain viewers. This was among the many reasons why O’Donnell was not a strong candidate to replace Bob Barker on the Price is Right.
Also, a move to Friday nights may be more beneficial to ratings than bringing in O’Donnell. Come on let’s think about it for a second - airing a show about high school football on a Wednesday and not on a Friday night (the traditional night for high school football across the country) wasn’t sound marketing.
Show producers should keep with what has been working and not try to mess with the order of the show in an attempt to gain ratings and publicity. Certainly O’Donnell will do both, but is it worth it? (Would anyone really be talking about this show in the summer if it weren’t for O’Donnell’s possible inclusion on the show?)
She may bring in added and needed publicity, but she could also take away from the show in the long run, which could quickly lead to its cancellation.
