10 Things Everyone Hates About Modern TV
9. Cancelling Shows Before They Can Build An Audience
Networks hastily cancelling shows has always been a problem in fairness, but it's decidedly more frustrating in the age of streaming, where a show's success and failure just isn't as simple as a Nielsen ratings figure.
In the past, a show's ratings were a fair indication of how many people were watching, but in the era of streaming viewership, it's incredibly common for a series to pick up momentum later on.
Y: The Last Man was the most recent shocking cancellation of a tentpole series, and it soon emerged that production company FX wasn't given access to Hulu's streaming figures, and so were unable to discern precise viewing figures.
Netflix at least doesn't have the same issue by distributing their Originals in-house, yet has still received a lot of flak for swiftly cancelling shows after just one or two seasons if they don't perform strongly out of the gate.
As such, it's understandable that many are reluctant to start watching a promising new series in case it's cancelled after one season, effectively creating a self-fulfilling prophecy where those opening weekend metrics fall short.
Networks need to understand that many series need time to grow and cultivate an audience, and that not every show becomes a Squid Game-tier success overnight.
Look at the past - Seinfeld didn't become a mega-hit until season four, by which point it could've been cancelled had it launched in the current streaming climate.
Obviously not every show will manage to build a sizable fanbase, but such is the gamble inherent in TV production - make those predictable hit shows, but use them to bankroll the riskier ones and give them the time they need to expand.