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People will petition anything nowadays, and it looks like “Scandal” is the latest one searching for virtual signatures. The last new episode of the uber-popular show that aired (April 5) had people going mad, not because of the events in the show (well, yeah, that too), but it was more of the fact that they said the next time a new episode would come three weeks later (April freakin’ 25). THREE. WEEKS. LATER.
MUST SEE: 20 Reasons Olivia Pope Is The Perfect Cougar
What?! Who wants to wait that long to get their weekly dose of Olivia Pope and Co.? It really seems as though every time “Scandal” has a new episode, it is revealed by the episode’s end that it won’t be seen for another two weeks.
Fans were pissed.
So pissed, in fact, that they tweeted — shocker! — about it. And a lot of those angered tweets were directed at the wrong person, the show’s creator, Shonda Rhimes.
I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR WHEN SHOWS AIR. I do not have anything to do with the fact that we are not on for 3 weeks. #donottweetmeyourcrazy—
shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) April 05, 2013
T.R. Mason created a Change.org petition to stop the madness. She is sick and/or tired of having to wait for one of her favorite shows, while other shows on the big networks don’t seem to have any problem with keeping up a regular schedule. Take a look at what she wrote:
There are very few TV shows on prime time television written by, much less starring people of color. The broadcast networks have made great strides in recent years by diversifying the faces we see on prime time TV however there is more that can be done. Putting a show like Scandal on repeated hiatus is a surefire way to lose fans and viewers.
Gladiators/Scandalistas/Scandalists everywhere have not gotten over our initial shock that there will be no Scandal AGAIN for 3 more weeks. Instead of whining and complaining, we are doing something about it! Shonda Rhimes is NOT the reason there’s another hiatus. It’s the TV execs at Disney/ABC Television Group. Let your voices and displeasure be heard by contacting Anne Sweeney, the President of ABC Entertainment.
On Shadow and Act, they breakdown from a TV expert why there might be mini-breaks in between the episodes?
There are about 22 episodes in a typical primetime season on the five major networks. There are 52 weeks in a year. Additionally, it takes more than one week to shoot an episode — your average episode of, say, ”The Vampire Diaries” or ”Revenge” takes 8 days to shoot, and that’s not counting writing, prep, and post-production. If there were no hiatuses, your season would begin in late September and end at the end of January, and then you’d have to wait 8 months to discover how that cliffhanger turns out.
As with most things in the television industry, what it really comes down to is money… Generally, it’s in the networks’ best interests to make sure their best, most attention-grabbing episodes air during sweeps, because then more Nielsen families will watch, then the networks can sell commercials for more money. That’s why you’ll most often see big-name guest stars or shocking twists during these periods. Shows often go on hiatus right before these breaks so that the networks can save their best episodes for sweeps weeks. Shows return from hiatus with a big promotional push and lots of press right as the advertising companies start paying attention.
While I enjoy the show, I mean, if I was that pressed for TV, I would just watch something else. And yes, there are not too many shows where an African-American is the lead, but let’s keep it real: there are two black people on this show. Two. There are tons of other scripted shows that have black characters to watch.”The New Normal,” “Go On,” “Happy Endings” immediately come into mind, just to name a few. But that’s just me.
Over 300 people have signed the petition so far. Are you going to add your name to the list? Or is this taking TV a bit too far?
[Source]
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Will You Be Signing The ‘Scandal’ Petition? was originally published on theurbandaily.com
