NBC moves 'Kings' to summer

[Malcontent]

http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/04/nbc-moves-kings-to-summer.html

"Kings" will return to its Saturday 8 p.m. slot June 13 and will finish its run through July 25.

[appleye1]

NBC is so screwed up.

[DevdogAZ]

Wow. The double kiss of death. Not only was it moved to Saturdays (a few weeks ago), but now it's not even good enough for Saturdays during the season and has been relegated to Saturdays in the summer. At that point, they should simply make it available for download and release a cheap DVD set and not even bother airing it. What's the point?

[Rob Helmerichs]

NBC is so screwed up.
Well, no, America is so screwed up, because it doesn't want to watch Kings.

NBC, at least, is going to finish the series. They could have just canceled it and left us hanging (or needing to buy the DVD).

Why do people blame networks when not enough viewers watch a show for the network to make money?

[cheesesteak]

Damn.

[danplaysbass]

What a shame...

[newsposter]

long as they finish it, it's fine with me. i very much enjoy the main actor and how he rules the kingdom

[TiVo Steve]

Thanks for the heads up! I just started watching these, and next weeks episode was bumped by a Soccer game... at least NBC will finish the run (for the 6-7 of us that are watching...) :p

[Steveknj]

I cancelled my SP figuring this just wasn't going to make it to the end. i was kind of forcing myself to watch by that point, so I gave up.

[Alfer]

The minute the previews for it started to hit the airwaves, you just new it would never last...to "out there" for the average viewer.

[goblue97]

They could have just canceled it and left us hanging (or needing to buy the DVD).

Like they did with the Black Donnelly's? I don't even know if there is a DVD out there that wraps up the series.

[Bob Coxner]

Maybe we'll get lucky and DirecTV will pick it up like they did with Friday Night Lights.

Speaking of DirecTV, channel 101 will soon be airing 6 seasons of Oz and all 3 seasons of Deadwood. For those not familiar with 101, they do *NOT* censor language - so we'll get McShane in all his Deadwood glory. I'm currently enjoying uncensored Trailer Park Boys.

[jeff125va]

Maybe you guys know something that I don't, but I didn't see anything in that article to indicate that we won't be left hanging. "Finish its run" could just mean they're going to show the remaining completed episodes, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the story will be wrapped up.

That being said, I haven't even started this show yet, but I have all the episodes saved. Ian McShane is the only reason I still plan on checking it out. Well, him and the positive opinions here.

[Aniketos]

Maybe you guys know something that I don't, but I didn't see anything in that article to indicate that we won't be left hanging. "Finish its run" could just mean they're going to show the remaining completed episodes, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the story will be wrapped up.


Thats exactly what it means, they only made 13 episodes. They'll play the last of them in the summer.

[jeff125va]

Thats exactly what it means, they only made 13 episodes. They'll play the last of them in the summer.
Meaning that it was only ever intended to be 13?

[Rob Helmerichs]

Meaning that it was only ever intended to be 13?
The first season, yes.

They never ordered a second season. It remains to be seen how the first season will resolve, but at least it will be seen.

[ElJay]

Gee whiz, a two month hiatus. As if airing it currently on Saturday nights was depriving NBC of a prime programming spot.

[jeff125va]

The first season, yes.

They never ordered a second season. It remains to be seen how the first season will resolve, but at least it will be seen.
Which could mean they either close the loop on all the story lines or end it in a dramatic cliff-hanger.

[Aniketos]

Well, no, America is so screwed up, because it doesn't want to watch Kings.


Ya, Ive started having to retroactively change my BIH <network>, to BIH american public. Arrested Development died in spite of Fox trying their best to get people to watch the show, Sarah Connor, Dollhouse, same deal.

The only one that still stands is Firefly. If I cared about ratings back then I'd probably go figure out if it was audience of network that was to blame for Andy Richtor Controls the Universe, Undeclared and Freaks and Geeks.

Before we had issues with people not wanting to watch intelligent shows or shows that are serialized. Now we have cheap reality t.v that competes and timeshifting which skews the numbers even more.

[Graymalkin]

"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."

H.L. Mencken

[Jon J]

IMNSHO...NBC could have given Kings a better chance with more backstory on the kingdom and how it came about.

[appleye1]

Well, no, America is so screwed up, because it doesn't want to watch Kings.Actually I was thinking of the lack of promotion by NBC that I feel led to this show not performing as well as it should have. (I had just read this story (http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/02/huh-nbc-didnt-promote-kings-.html)that was linked to on the page from the OP.) Sometimes a good show can get killed by a network before it even airs.

[Rob Helmerichs]

Actually I was thinking of the lack of promotion by NBC that I feel led to this show not performing as well as it should have. (I had just read this story (http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/02/huh-nbc-didnt-promote-kings-.html)that was linked to on the page from the OP.) Sometimes a good show can get killed by a network before it even airs.
Well, it didn't get an ad during the Super Bowl, true enough. But I remember hearing about it plenty--and I 30-second-skip through commercial breaks.

[wmcbrine]

I only watched it because of something I read here. I saw a few ads after that, but I don't think they would've pulled me in.

[allan]

Well, it didn't get an ad during the Super Bowl, true enough. But I remember hearing about it plenty--and I 30-second-skip through commercial breaks.

I vaguely remember hearing the name, but that's all I know about it, and I assumed it was just another sitcom.

[DevdogAZ]

I saw several promos, but all I remember taking away from them was something to do with a butterfly logo. Based on the promos, I had no idea what the show was about. After it began airing and I learned a little more about it, I wished that I'd known more, because I definitely would have watched it. But given that I already had seen the ratings at that point and knew it was dead on the vine, I didn't bother. Perhaps I'll check it out after it's over, provided I hear that it ended satisfactorily.

[balboa dave]

Maybe we'll get lucky and DirecTV will pick it up like they did with Friday Night Lights.

Speaking of DirecTV, channel 101 will soon be airing 6 seasons of Oz and all 3 seasons of Deadwood. For those not familiar with 101, they do *NOT* censor language - so we'll get McShane in all his Deadwood glory. I'm currently enjoying uncensored Trailer Park Boys.
They do censor, but it's not consistent. For example, they showed both censored and uncensored episodes of Californication.

[sieglinde]

I first heard of it in an ad on a politics blog I read. They were pretty mysterious. It actually looked like an ad for the kingdom and the website was about the kingdom. I don't know if I figured out it was a TV show or not at that time.

[moot]

I found out about it when they had one of the actors on the Today show one morning to plug it. I wasn't very excited, but then I saw that Ian McShane was in it, so that was what made me make the season pass, ultimately.

[appleye1]

I knew nothing about it until I saw it while browsing AppleTV. This was after the pilot had already aired. The download for the pilot was in HD and was free so I tried it.

I don't think NBC promoted the show well at all.

[Rob Helmerichs]

That's weird, I knew the premise, the major cast, the producers' track record, all before the first episode aired...

[Zevida]

I jumped in a few episodes in and I can see why it might have trouble picking up an audience. David is a completely worthless, one-dimensional and uninteresting character. Maybe you had to see something in the pilot to make him likable. I cannot figure out why he has anything to do with the show.

The royal family and the politics are very interesting, but I can't really figure out how the kingdom is set-up or how the royal line works. Maybe that was explained a bit in the first episode or two, but after watching I think 3 episodes now, I'm still a bit lost.

They could really benefit from a 30 second intro to give the background similar to what is done on Burn Notice.

[Aniketos]

That's weird, I knew the premise, the major cast, the producers' track record, all before the first episode aired...

Agreed. I saw many commercials for this and having a tivo thats saying a lot.

I jumped in a few episodes in and I can see why it might have trouble picking up an audience. David is a completely worthless, one-dimensional and uninteresting character. Maybe you had to see something in the pilot to make him likable. I cannot figure out why he has anything to do with the show.

The kids suffered from being completely out acted by the adults.

[appleye1]

That's weird, I knew the premise, the major cast, the producers' track record, all before the first episode aired...Those were some pretty good commercials then if they covered all that. Somehow I missed them. :confused:

[Rob Helmerichs]

Those were some pretty good commercials then if they covered all that. Somehow I missed them. :confused:
Oddly enough, there have been marketing campaigns in the history of television that rely on things other than just commercials.

In fact, this must be an example, since I don't see very many commercials!

[cheesesteak]

The pilot episode was the weakest episode. The David vs. Goliath battle scene was poorly thought out and executed. A tank named Goliath. I can see why people would say "This is stupid." and quit on the show at that point.

I'd watch Ian McShane in anything. Well, except maybe lawyer shows. I hate lawyer shows.

[newsposter]

I only watched it because of something I read here. I saw a few ads after that, but I don't think they would've pulled me in.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=389729

that thread usually has the start of new series on the big 4 networks and i make it a habit to check it every sunday to see what's coming up the next week that i may be interested in

[ElJay]

I agree the pilot was very weak. This weakness was amplified by the poor promotion of the show that focused on the pilot episode instead of the overall idea of the show. Episodes of "Kings" that have been running since then have a style that is completely different than the pilot.

I don't know how NBC ever expected the show to find an audience with this sort of gap. It would've been like the X-Files starting out as a pilot about supernatural things with subsequent shows being about nothing but FBI bureaucracy. That setup would not have lasted more than 13 episodes, either. Be honest with your audience.

[newsposter]

see i didnt think the pilot was weak, it merely opened up many possibilities of that one soldier. Could his life be fantastic and charmed...or cursed and miserable.

maybe i'm too free thinking?

[appleye1]

Oddly enough, there have been marketing campaigns in the history of television that rely on things other than just commercials.

In fact, this must be an example, since I don't see very many commercials!Yeah I know, I was just poking at ya cause the original discussion was about commercials. :)

I think people who frequent TCF probably get wind of new TV shows in lots of irregular ways. I ususally pick up info myself on the internet, but I swear I didn't hear anything about this show. I just don't believe the buzz was very strong on Kings.

[mattack]

Like they did with the Black Donnelly's? I don't even know if there is a DVD out there that wraps up the series.

I don't know if it wraps up the series, but there is a DVD.. it's in my overflowing netflix queue..

[goblue97]

I don't know if it wraps up the series, but there is a DVD.. it's in my overflowing netflix queue..
Cool. I will have to check it out. Hopefully it at least gives some closure to the story line.

[kjnorman]

I had not idea what the show was about until I watched the pilot a couple of days ago. We have been recording the shows but missed the opener and I had to BT it.

Wow, this is a great show, but yes it is obvious that most of the network public would not get it. I felt that this show really needs to be on Showtime or HBO (but not really HBO because of all the dross they put on these days - the show is probably too good for them as well).

Even though we might get left with an unresolved clifthanger I think it is good enough to warrant watching until it is finished.

[702]

Like they did with the Black Donnelly's? I don't even know if there is a DVD out there that wraps up the series.

There is @ Amazon.