Geek Syndicate Issue 3 | Page 11

Geek Syndicate network that cherishes the little guy shows? The shows that don’t have a big audience, that may not make money up front, but are worth making? Or are you the sort of cold hearted monster that only cares for money and ratings and advertisers? What about Art? What about Beauty? Let’s not kid ourselves; the answer is clearly the “cold hearted monster” one. But I think a lot of people in the industry at all levels do care about the sorts of shows that they make; they do want to make goods shows and they do want to be seen to supporting shows that are worthwhile. They do want to be seen to react to their audiences because their audience is important to them. And this means that shows with small, dedicated followings can survive, partly because they can still make money over a long enough timeframe, but partly, I believe, because the support that their audiences show for them genuinely makes a difference. Ratings of Shows Mentioned: Fringe finale figures Season 1: 9.28 million Season 2: 5.68 million Season 3: 3.29 million Season 4: 3.11 million Community finale figures Season 1: 4.41 million Season 2: 3.32 million Season 3: 2.58 million The Big Bang Theory (averages) Season 1: 8.31 million Season 2: 10.0 million Season 3: 14.14 million Season 4: 13.14 million Season 5: 15.82 million Firefly Season 1: 4.48 million Game of Thrones Season 1: 3.0 million Season 2: 4.2 million Once Upon A Time Season 1: 9.66 million Lost Season 1: 20.71 million Season 5: 9.43 million (lowest) Matt Farr 11