The impulse among television superfans to create “save our show†campaigns for every imperiled sitcom and drama has been co-opted by one of the very networks that shows have to be saved from.
“Friday, March 29, you can save ‘Happy Endings,’ †intones ABC’s new commercial for the low-rated sitcom. A graphic at the beginning of the ad has the word “SAVE†in bright red letters.
Call it ingenious or call it cynical â€" television bloggers have called it both in the last few days. “ABC Starts a Campaign to Save ‘Happy Endings’ From ABC,†read an emblematic headline on the comedy Web site Splitsider.
“If ‘Happy Endings’ Winds Up Canceled, ABC Plans to Blame You,†said TV.com. The write-ups are proof that the ad is having its intended effect, stirring talk about the two-year-old series, though ABC declined to comment on the ad or on its larger strategy surrounding the show’s return on Friday from a two-month hiatus.
Friday is a new time slot for “Happy Endings,†and not an entirely comfortable one; television viewership is relatively low on Friday nights and shows are frequently canceled after short stays there. Savvy viewers know that, which might be why ABC took the “Save ‘Happy Endings’ †tack with the ad that made its debut late last week.
Jezebel subsequently published a list of five reasons the show was worth saving. (Among them: “The characters are not always likable, but they are always lovable.â€)
ABC is also relaying the “save the show†message with Internet ads. Nielsen ratings will determine whether it can be saved. Despite what the ad states, it might be too late: TV by the Numbers, a Web site that algorithmically assesses the chances that shows will be canceled, wrote of “Happy Endings†last week, “Fans are kidding themselves if they think ABC will renew it.â€
