Thread by @writergeekrhw

Saving a Cancelled Show! A #TVWriting spew. 1/?

So your favorite show just got cancelled! Can you save it? Maybe. But it's complicated. Fan support has absolutely helped save shows like #StarTrek #Lucifer and #TheExpanse, for example. But it's really really hard. I'll try to explain why. 2/?

First and foremost, the studio, the people actually paying for the show, must also WANT to save it. Fan support can bolster this, but ultimately, its all up to the studio. 3/?

Why wouldn't they? There are many possible reasons, but the main one is always money. If the show is expensive to produce and they can't sell it for a reasonable fraction of what it costs, they're not going to save it. 4/?

In fact, most of the other reasons, difficult production, expensive above-the-line* who aren't willing to take a paycut, dependence on lots of sets or action sequences or VFX, also eventually boil down to money. 5/?

*Above-the-line: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers.

PLEASE NOTE: None of these are issues as far as I know with your favorite show that just got cancelled. This is about a theoretical show. I'm not subtweeting anyone, especially not my friends who I love and am rooting for. Anyway... 6/?

So the first thing the studio is going to do if they want to save a show is see how much they can trim the budget. They want the thing to be profitable, otherwise, what's the point. 7/?

That means they will meet with the showrunners, the agency that packaged the show, they will talk to the actors, the line producer, etc. And they will ask one question: Will you take less? 8/?

Less salary for the above-the-line. Maybe one less camera unit. Less location days. Less big guest stars. Less guest stars period. Less new sets. Less VFX. Less fight scenes. Less profit share for the packaging agency and the creators. Everybody has to bleed a little. 9/?

At this point, the answer from some people may be "no." That's real life, folks. People have a right to make their money. That big star can probably get another job tomorrow. Same for the producing director and the head writer. 10/?

And maybe the studio realizes that without the VFX and the fight scenes and the guest stars and all that other razzle-dazzle, they won't have much of a show. But let's assume they grind the budget down to the point where they feel good. Now it's time to find a buyer! 11/?

The first thing the studio is going to do is approach a buyer who is THEM (or their sibling anyway). Studios are often part of a big corporation which also own networks, so why not keep it in the family! 12/?

Which is why #Buffy went to UPN, for example, and why #ProdigalSon's first stop was HBOMax.

But... what if your original network and studio were already siblings? What if this is a CBS studios production for CBS or Disney for ABC and the sibling has already cancelled it? 13/?

In that case, you might be screwed. If your own family couldn't make money off that thing you built, who else is gonna take that chance? Plus, maybe mom & dad don't want the potential embarrassment of having someone else do better selling your widget than your own family. 14/?

For example, #Elementary was never going anywhere but CBS. It was theirs. The end. So at the end of Season 6, we went through the entire grind of taking less so they could sell a season 7... to THEMSELVES. But it all worked out so that's okay. Anywho... 15/?

Let's assume the studio gets the budget they need, the corporate politics are sorted. Now it's time to sell that thing! Like I said, first they try to sell it to family. That's the best shot. If that fails, they approach the wider market. 16/?

At this point, one of the things they're going to point to is the show's passionate, loyal fanbase. "They will follow this show anywhere. They will pay for a streaming service to see it. You can make LOTS of money off them." So that's where passionate fans really do help. 17/?

But as they shop the show, the clock is ticking. TICK TICK TICK. Set storage costs money. Holding cast costs money. The showrunner is on an overall deal, getting paid to NOT work. More money. Key crew are taking other jobs. Replacing them will be hard. TICK TICK TICK. 18/?

And eventually the clock could run out. The star could get another offer. Or they've already shot a pilot in second position and that pilot could go. Are you going to keep your star from working? What about the showrunner who's pilot is also going? 19/?

So that's the race. Can the studio find a buyer BEFORE they have to strike the sets, release the actors, stop renting the soundstages and offices, etc.? Odds are, they will lose that race. Honestly, that's the usual outcome. 20/?

But occasionally, the stars align, the studio finds a buyer & your favorite show will come back with a lower budget & maybe a slightly smaller cast & they'll spend more time in the standing sets and there will be less action and VFX, but your show will be SAVED. Hurray! 21/?

And none of that can happen without passionate, engaged, loyal fans. If a cancelled show doesn't have that fanbase, it's dead. But even if it does have amazing, finding a new home a long hard road that ends in defeat more often than victory. 22/?

FOOTNOTE: The proliferation of streaming services has made it SLIGHTLY easier to find a new home for a cancelled show, but it's still really hard. 23/?

In conclusion, if your favorite show has been cancelled, it is possible for a passionate fanbase to help that show find a new home. But it's no guarantee. May the odds be ever in your favor.

Here endth the spew. 24/24