What's Killing TV Shows?

The TV Guide announcing the new fall television schedule has often been met with excitement and anticipation as we look to catch up with old favorites and see what new things the networks have in store for us. It seems like in the past few years we have been given a bounty of new things to watch and get attached to only to have these so-called geniuses behind the ratings snatch them away. What the network execs don't know is that they are killing their own shows in an attempt to throw even more new shows at us. The result is angry viewers and honestly good television being thrown away.

In days gone by the new season started in the fall and there were few interruptions in weekly episodes until the season closed in the following spring. Classics such as Leave it to Beaver and M*A*S*H began their long seasons in September or October and kept right on going until they passed on the last bit of entertainment they had before leaving us for a summer break. Even as recent as the 80s shows like Friends started a 24 episode run with only minor breaks for holidays. ER began it's now 15 season long run in 1994 with a 25 episode season having only minimal breaks. With decades of a great track record it seems like the network execs are stabbing themselves in the foot with their new idea of television scheduling.