REEL LIFE: _Ratings, not quality, affect fall’s TV show lineup_

With Halloween a few days behind us, it seems fitting to talk about something truly morbid ““ the success rates of this season’s new shows.

Sometime back in September, I was at the Rose Bowl when I saw a banner attached to a plane that read, “My Generation on ABC.” I’d heard of the show and seen the advertisements around town (“Dumping you was the worst decision I ever made,” “Remember prom night? Meet your son,” etc.) and was intrigued.

But before I could even find the time to watch it online, it was canceled. Gone, just like that.

Same thing with “Lone Star,” the FOX con-man drama that was axed after two episodes ““ it seemed as if the show was gone before its time. There’s something morbid about seeing advertisements for canceled shows on buses and billboards.

The way networks decide which shows get to live and which shows mysteriously disappear isn’t based on the quality of a show. It’s based on the ratings. In an ideal world, quality, critically acclaimed shows would get the ratings they need to live, but anyone who was a fan of “Firefly,” “Veronica Mars” or anything Bryan Fuller has ever done knows we live in the real world.

For a lot of shows, the Nielsen ratings ““ that outdated system by which networks figure out how many people are watching a show and, thus, how much they can charge for advertising ““ determine life or death.

It’s not the same for every station. The CW reach isn’t as broad as, say, CBS or ABC, according to Jennifer Johnson, a first-year graduate student in the producers’ program in the School of Theater, Film and Television. But while CW’s shows such as “Nikita” aren’t expected to, and usually don’t, do as well as CBS’s shows such as “Outlaw,” the former was picked up for a full season, and the latter was canceled early.

So what makes a show popular? Advertising, good reviews, a good time slot and word-of-mouth all help. Being controversial helps as well.

“Mike & Molly,” the CBS comedy about a couple who met in Overeaters Anonymous, is the sort of show that can divide people.

Anna Schmahl, a third-year psychology student who attended a TV taping of the show, said she disliked the show because it consisted of fat jokes, sex jokes or a combination of the two.

Some people think it’s promoting healthy self-esteem, and others think it promotes obesity.

Maura Kelly, a blogger for “Marie Claire,” is in the last group. Her blog post, “Should “˜Fatties’ Get a Room? (Even on TV?),” was offensive; at one point in the post, Kelly wrote, “I think I’d be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other … because I’d be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything.”

While people who agree with Kelly will probably avoid the show ““ or watch it long enough to decide they agree with her ““ the debate surrounding it will make it that much more significant to the rest of us.

Then there’s “Sister Wives,” TLC’s new hit show about a family of polygamists. I’m going to ignore the obvious controversy at work here ““ polygamy is still very much illegal ““ and focus on the shock of watching the show. Kody Brown lives with his wives Janelle, Meri and Christine (as well as his newest wife, Robyn) and 16 children.

It’s hard to watch. On the one hand, the point of the show is to shock people, upset them and make them feel like their core beliefs are being violated. At the same time, the show wants its viewers to relate to the universal aspects of the Browns’ life and, maybe, not judge them so harshly. I can’t say whether it’s working, but TLC is definitely cashing in, and the show will live to see another day. Kody and Robyn’s honeymoon episode is airing on Nov. 28.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing that some shows get axed in favor of shows with minor scandals. If the networks don’t make money, then there won’t be any shows. But for those of us looking for TV programs to fall in love with, we should take a look at what keeps those series going (and, maybe, not watching the shows illegally).

E-mail John at [email protected] if you plan on watching the “Sister Wives” honeymoon special.