TV show cancellations. Americans too depressed about personal financial situation 2 watch wealthy

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-warriors29-2008nov29,0,6145454.story


Obnoxious displays of wealth on TV a turn-off for many

It had the makings of reality-television gold.

The third season of "Wall Street Warriors" started filming this spring, as the financial sector's meltdown accelerated. The show's camera crews captured the pain and anger of the biggest stock market crash in decades.

But right now, the show doesn't have an audience.

"Wall Street Warriors" was shot for Mojo HD, a high-definition cable channel that's shutting down Monday, leaving the reality series without a home. Its producers are shopping the show to other networks, with no takers so far.

Its problem: Americans are too depressed about their own finances to entertain themselves by watching shows about money, according to industry executives and academics.

"People don't want to come home at the end of the day and have more bad news about their money," said Jeanine Basinger, chairwoman of the film studies department at Wesleyan University. "They don't want to see the Enron scandal, they don't want to see CEOs getting away with it."

Television ratings reflect that trend. ABC announced last week that it wasn't ordering new episodes for "Dirty Sexy Money," a show about a wealthy and unscrupulous New York family. In mid-November, only about 3.6 million viewers tuned in to watch NBC's "Lipstick Jungle," a show about three high-powered New Yorkers, which is almost half the number who tuned in when the show began.

And Bravo's "First Class All the Way," a show about extremely rich people going on very posh vacations, was watched by 319,000 people in its premiere episode.

[Phred42]

1. Maybe the Olgarchy ducking

for a while. Just don't want to flaunt it right now.

[w4rma]

2. That's most likely the case. If it's not on TV do most Americans really believe it happened? (nt)

[shanti]

15. check out this quote from someone on one of the shows:

"There will be some people watching this who are upset -- maybe they were wiped out," Ken Brisard said in an interview. "But that's the way the cookie crumbles."

and the rich wonder why they are hated....*smh*

[ColbertWatcher]

3. A-hahahahaha! n/t

[dana_b]

4. good. now let's get rid of "Cribs" and

those ridiculous "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" type shows on VH1.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

8. That show...

Makes my teeth itch.

[dana_b]

11. wow! itchy teeth!

I don't think I've ever experienced that sensation but I know what you're getting at.

[shanti]

5. meanwhile...

reall housewives of orange county is going strong!

[ProdigalJunkMail]

22. so is its compadre' in the ATL area

it is enough to make you want to hurl...but i enjoyed my dinner too much to think of wasting it...

sP

[Initech]

6. Arrested Development is now considered a reality show, while Dirty Sexy Money is fantasy.

[etherealtruth]

14. Mmmmmmmm .... Arrested Development

Sorry, the mere mention of that show sends me into a "Homeresque" yearning.

[Initech]

19. One of my all time favs for sure!

[tridim]

7. Maybe they should start showing reruns of Good Times

Temporary lay offs. - Good Times.
Easy credit rip offs. - Good Times.
Scratchin’ and surviving. - Good Times.
Hangin in a chow line - Good Times.
Ain’t we lucky we got ‘em - Good Times.

[Ecumenist]

10. LOL!! Yes, Indeed....

[Mudoria]

9. Damn.. Mojo HD is shutting down?

I'll miss "Three Sheets". Watching that guy travel around the world to drink and check out how they make beer or liquor was hilarious.

[lunatica]

12. Life will immitate art

No need for that show when so many more people will be drowning their pain in booze.

[Kalyke]

13. Except the only traveling the average Joe and Jill will be doing

is head trips.

[trotsky]

28. That was my first reaction, too. NOOO, not Three Sheets!

Fortunately Zane tells more on his MySpace page. He'll still be around.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=34899681

[liberalhistorian]

16. Know what reality show I'd like to see?

One where such high-powered, high-falutin', wealthier-than-God individuals are forced to live like "real people" for at least two months, if not more. Any less than that would really just be a novelty to them and wouldn't really sink in. Let's see them try to get health care without either insurance or their insurance company denies claims and they have no other resources, let's see them do the monthly "bill shuffle",let's see them try to feed their families on less than a hundred a week, let's see them try to keep their older cars running when they have no money for another one, let's see them work two or more jobs just to put food on the table and gas in that car, let's see them have to choose between food and rent or medicine and rent, let's see them get harassed by medical collectors over bills for an illness they didn't ask for, let's see them watch their hard-earned retirement pensions melt away with little to replace it, let's see.......well, you get the idea. THAT is what I'd like to see and I'm sure millions of other Americans would watch it as well. And I wonder how long the spoiled rich brats would last at it, too.

[zorahopkins]

17. Bring Back "The Anna NIcole Show"!

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na.....Anna Nicole....you're SO outrageous!

[GOPisEvil]

20. That would be difficult, seeing as how she is dead.

On second thought, maybe that would be more interesting...

[Initech]

23. How do we expect to do that? Zombie vision?

[EFerrari]

18. I mostly watch British shows because I don't want to see it.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

21. let's hope they drop the "real housewives of " crap

complete and utter trash...and the shows suck too...

sP

[dysfunctional press]

24. well...at least i won't have to keep regretting that directv doesn't offer mojo hd...

when i had comcast for an extremely short time, it was the only real bright spot about the service.

[Lisa0825]

25. My first thought when Dirty Sexy Money and Lipstick Jungle came out

was "why would I want to watch a bunch of ridiculously wealthy idiots on TV?" It's not really the wealth that annoys me, but the "in your face" promotion of it. I don't mind watching shows featuring highly paid professions as long as the show isn't centered on what rich people do when they have money to burn. Even Brothers and Sisters doesn't usually emphasize the money, though it's obviously a wealthy family. Hell, they had to restructure their company, and the lawyer took a pay cut to work on a political campaign.

I gave Dirty Sexy Money a chance. What really lost me on it was when the two siblings had competing birthday parties costing disgusting amounts of money. Sure, there was an underlying theme of "it didn't make them happy," but it still made me sick to think about how many rich people really do throw money around like that.

[camera obscura]

26. Just don't get rid of Gossip Girl

... not that I would watch such trashy, silly, unwholesome entertainment, of course.

[NCarolinawoman]

27. I wonder if the Home & Garden channel will start changing its style...

A few years back I noticed they got rid of almost all of the "Garden" part.

It became mostly about house flipping, and a lot of "out with the old, in with the new" kind of stuff: For shame if your kitchen cupboards looked "outdated".... better get new and more trendy ones...even if you've got to pay $10.000 more. :puke:

Ironical, that the channel itself, is looking outdated. :smoke: