Last Saturday, the two hour series finale of Red Band Society aired on Fox. This was a bitter sweet event. The terrific writing proved all the reasons why RBS should have been given another season.
Fox had halted production midway through shooting season one. Eventually, the network granted the series four more episodes to wrap up each character arc. Then the show sat in limbo, not being officially canceled, but also with no further production.
The winter finale had left fans on a cliff hanger, with no idea if we would even see the final three episodes. Without much warning, Fox aired those episodes on two Saturday nights, January 31 and February 7. This came with the news that Red Band Society was officially canceled.
Even though the finale was beautifully done, and wrapped up each arc nicely, it still leaves me, and many other fans, bitter about the networks seemingly premature ruling. It seems like a different time slot or different marketing techniques could have gotten the show where it needed to be.
The show actually has a solid group of followers. The biggest problem, I think, is that Fox is basing their success purely off of Nielson ratings. The problem with this is that it seems like watching live TV is a thing of the past. Especially with Saturday nigh broad cast, many people will miss the original airing and find other methods of viewing the episode (such as online or On Demand).
Another main concern with Fox's approach is that they aren't targeting towards the right audience. They are airing RBS on an "adult" station, at 9:00 pm. I think that if they put it on a more teen oriented station, or at an earlier time, they will capture more of the teen demographic. This should really be the age group Fox should be targeting, because this is the demographic that will connect with the shows story lines.
In the end, losing Red Band Society is a big loss. The writers and cast have worked hard to bring important stories to the screen. Many fans have reached out saying that the show has helped them. Countless teens have reached out saying that Emma's struggles with Anorexia have helped them come to terms with their own disorders. It is a sad thing to take these characters away from their audience that appreciated them so much.
Sources: Cinema Blend TV By The Numbers Enstars
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