Why the crap wasn't this show a massive hit??
I'm watching it (again) on Netflix and I need to know why this show wasn't a huge hit. This show is freaking hilarious.
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MovieChat Forums > Better Off Ted (2009) Discussion > Why the crap wasn't this show a massive ...
There's a few reasons for this. Apparently ABC did very little promotion of the show, or at least they didn't promote it to the right people. For example, the show has science fiction elements to it, yet it was never pitched towards fans of things like Big Bang Theory. I personally had heard of the show but until last week - seriously - I had no idea what it was about. Lots of bloggers have complained that the title of the show was really poorly chosen and I have to agree as it says nothing about it. And the ads I've seen made it look like an Office rip-off when in fact it wasn't. The fact they aren't even bothering to release Season 2 to DVD shows the network/studio really have no idea what they've got here. I think it's the 2010's equivalent of Fawlty Towers.
shareAll true.
I thought it was either some sort of Office-type show, or else something banking off of Mad Men - that's how little I knew of what it was about lol. I never saw any commercials, just saw a few billboards, which don't really give any ideas. And that's considering I watched ABC at least once a week last year, what with Once Upon a Time being on that channel! You'd think I'd see at least one commercial :\ If I'd known it would be more like Community or Arrested Development, psht...I wouldn't have had to wait for Netflix to tell me I'd like it! lol. Fantastic show...the sunny disposition reminded me of Pushing Daisies. Wasn't that an ABC show too? Wherever it was, I didn't really know about it until after they canceled it.
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It was poorly scheduled. To pair it with the seventh season of Scrubs was just awful.
WRONG! I'm sane. Everyone else is insane and trying to steal my magic bag!
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I can't remember what advertising strategy ABC used to promote it (I think the network was, as a whole, in its quirky phase, which is why this got green-lit; the same guy created "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" which was freaking hilarious, but also got canceled. But I digress). Anyway, I just checked the year and I can't believe this came out in 2009. It seems like its been off the air forever, even though I watched it during its first run, and now on Netflix.
I realize that networks don't want to take risks, but still... this show should have been a huge hit.
Why was Arrested Development cancelled?
shareToo intelligent and subtle. Just like Better off Ted.
shareI wouldn't call Better Off Ted too subtle just too smart. AD was smart and subtle. I always felt that BOT was simple too smart because, I thought, was VERY overt about its jokes. I felt it made no apologies about 100% the jokes it made. See this thread: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1235547/board/nest/250565484?d=latest&t=20161227004502#latest
"No talking from things that don't talk!" - Jaye Tyler
Arrested Development was cancelled for two reasons:
1. Poor advertising. Although the show won multiple awards, Fox decided to go with another show, which also failed.
2. Arrested Development was ahead of its time. In 2003, the non-sitcom style was completely new to television audiences. Don't forget, The Office (which has a somewhat similar style) was almost cancelled because of this, too.
The fact that Arrested Development went on for three seasons (despite the limited advertising) is a testament to the quality of the show. Studio big-wigs are complete morons when the don't realize what a quality show looks like even when it bites them in the ass. Like Arrested Development did.
That's because studio big-wigs aren't in the business of making quality shows. They're in the business of making money. Television is not, primarily, an art form. If you want that, go and watch indie films. Television is a business first and if you can make some art along the way then it's considered a bonus.
shareIf these people where truly business-savvy they would have not turned television into the dying media that it is today. They've overfished the seas.. by being penny wise and pound foolish and just thinking about short-term profits. Personally I switched to online streaming services years ago and haven't looked back.
shareIt stunk.
shareIt wasnt a hit because it stinks. I just tried watching it on netflix and it is just terrible. Say what you want but if they are cancelling it that means nobody liked it.
shareTelevision is much much more complicated than that. Otherwise how do you explain shows like Family Guy and Futurama getting cancelled and then saved because of DVD sales?
The biggest problems with this show have already been covered like the awful name and the lack of advertising/awareness of what the show is actually about.
In fairness to the network it is a bit of a complex show to try and put across in an advertising campaign. Doesn't excuse the generic sit com sounding name though.
Not as simple, even if people watch it TV networks can sometimes cancel shows because of not enough advertisers want to put their products in the episodes.
Just look at the Sarah Conner Chronicles, Terminator Salvation tv-show that was VERY POPULAR but Netflix didn't exist back then.