Comments on: Will ‘Swingtown’ Be CBS’ ‘30 Rock’?

By: mil

mil — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:33:40 +0000

I did not care to read further into the above articles or comments bc I have read enuf of the the critics that are fans like myself and those that can not see beyond the sex.This show is not just sex, but it bares a fundamental emotion to those that are in long term relationships. Yes emotions are being explored as well but if this show is not give at least a second chance we will never really be able to explore those areas that in life that so many are afraid to confront as individuals and as couples.

By: susan

susan — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 23:48:35 +0000

I can’t believe that Swingtown was cancelled. That was the only show that made Friday nights worth watching. Friday nights are boring now that swingtown is gone. Bring back a show worth watching. How will we ever know how it ended…

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 02:01:25 +0000

I was meaning they could air a few episodes letting us all feel closure on the show. I really do hope there is more to come however.

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 02:00:20 +0000

I love Swingtown. I did not miss a single episode and I truly hope that they will put it on for another season or more! If not more, they could at least tie up lose ends and let us know what direction the characters lives go in…just a suggestion!

By: Cherie Gunn

Cherie Gunn — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 02:42:43 +0000

I love Swingtown! It is a very original gritty drama that give up a honest look at the 70’s. Why does everything that is different ratings must be the most important thing? Just like with Jericho and 30 rock they took a chance to give it an opporutunity to catch on. Give Swingtown the same chance. Any thing we can do as fans to give it a second chance we should do it.

By: Tracy

Tracy — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:16:54 +0000

Um, no. Kids are screwed up today because parents don’t teach them anymore. They believe TV should act as nannies. Parents have control. TV is for entertainment purposes. It doesn’t help when parents are letting their kids idolize people like Jaime Lynn Spears, who got pregnant at 16. Just look at the Vice Presidential hopeful Sarah Palin who has to deal with a 17 year old daughter who is pregnant. Look at all the under-age girls in Gloucester who got pregnant. That was before “Swingtown” ever aired. How is it that people never fault soap operas for what they show? Those are on during the day in the Summer when kids are out of school. Nobody ever says anything about them. Oh wait, they’re in Proctor & Gambles pocket! Can’t say anything about them. Enlightened, you should know that “Swingtown” for the most part was shown at 10PM. If any little kid is up at that time then it is the parents fault. Just like if they were to switch on CW at 11PM and see “Sex and the City” on syndicated. There are a lot of things worse than sexuality on TV. How about violence for instance? CBS shows tons of it. How else can you explain people making fun, calling it the Crime Network?

I’m glad that Bravo will be re-airing it again and that the DVD will be coming out sooner than some other programs. Obviously, it is deserving!

By: Enlightened

Enlightened — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 07:58:54 +0000

Oh yes Sharlene let’s all remember the fond times of “the freelove , sex , drugs, and rock and roll”. Are you insane?? And you guys call this a great show. Tell me what was great about it?? This is why kids are so screwed up today because they have screwed up low class parents who don’t teach them any values or morals.

By: sharlene

sharlene — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:35:52 +0000

well here we go again,, finally a show that our age group from the being
born in the 50s . how we can relate to the music.clothes the different
hairstyles and the freelove , sex , drugs, and rock and roll. the
exectutives go ahead and take the best show off that cbs has had in years
i just hope that a cable station will buy it.. just as soon as we get
in to a routine,, oh cant wait for thursday at 10 swingtown is on, then
they changed to friday, well they might as well cancelled then, the
worst time slot….
i wish they would bring in back………….

By: Debbie

Debbie — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:31:53 +0000

Please bring back Swingtown! This is my favorite show – I loved the actors, the plot, and the authenticity of the decade, they nailed it down on every detail of the decor, clothing and hairstyles! I miss this show every week – I am extremely disappointed that we are going to be left in limbo and not have any closure on plot lines. I heard Bravo is airing the first 13 episodes. I planned to watch all episodes again and to purchase the DVD when it came out but that is not enough! We need more Swingtown!! Please, please bring it back!!!

By: justme

justme — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:15:26 +0000

Shelly, I get nostalgic about the 70’s and 80’s as well because it was part of my childhood. However I don’t need to see a show that attempts to make promiscuity seem cool. What is nostalgic about watching a bunch of swingers get it on and wife swapping just because it happens to be set in the 70’s?

All you Swingtown fans don’t despair too much because they’ve just come out with a new show called Californication.

By: Shelly

Shelly — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 03:57:18 +0000

Relying on sex? .. This show was so much more than sex . I think I speak for many when I say there was a connection moreso with the time period . The whole 70’s nostalgia feeling was what kept me interested and a true fan throughout. I don’t think it was given a true run . Bring it back and see what happens . I for one am IN !!

By: justme

justme — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 04:24:04 +0000

I’d be thrilled to see Swingtown canceled. It seems like too many shows these days are relying on sex to get viewers watching and less on decent story lines. In an age with so many stds, broken marriages, unwanted pregnancies etc you’d think people would start to realize that maybe they need to make serious changes in the way they treat their bodies and use other people for their own self serving purposes. All these stupid networks who promote this gutter type of prgramming should be ashamed of themselves, but money talks and sex sells, so that’s all they care about. And that’s why A.I.D.S. and all these other nasty stds will continue to reak havok in so many lives.

By: hookedonmick

hookedonmick — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:16:01 +0000

I am one of the Moonlight fans that was mentioned earlier in a comment. I am not here to bash Swingtown, because I have never watched it. However, I do know how you feel about getting caught up with your show. Wanting to see it continue and especially feeling like your show wasn’t promoted. I say campaign, do what you want to save your show. Just don’t lump all ML fans together. I agree Swingtown is not the reason ML was cancelled. It was due more to backstage bickering and people not getting along, as well execs not liking it. I wish you luck, and don’t stop fighting for what you believe in, just like I am not.

By: kenju

kenju — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:29:17 +0000

I might agree to watch 30 Rock if CBS will bring Swingtown back – but I wouldn’t agree to watch Couric ever.

By: Kim Boyle

Kim Boyle — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:44:26 +0000

Love Swingtown – please bring it back. Love the characters and can’t wait to see what happens next. The women on the show are incredible actors.

By: Swede

Swede — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:20:41 +0000

Please sign this petition to give Swingtown a second season!!

http://www.petitiononline.com/stcbs/petition.html

Please pass the link on or blog it some place!!

By: Crab Apple

Crab Apple — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:48:45 +0000

The network finally came up with a hip, sexy new series and “poof” – it’s gone. I loved that show and so did many friends. I thought the season developed very nicely. We were really getting caught up with the characters and the storyline and I am so disappointed that they are ending it. CBS should be ashamed of themselves.

By: sailorgirl

sailorgirl — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:29:50 +0000

*rolls my eyes to the comment above*
how do the networks take into account the use of pvr s these days?? i’m not a neilson family but due to work and family commitments, i pvr most of the shows i like, to watch on the weekend when i have the time to do so…could someone explain the neilson family to me, i have an idea and just wonder, if they are strapped to their couch and need to watch tv on a friday night instead of going out for dinner or a movie

i just loved swingtown, i saw it advertised the beginning of the new television season last year and waited patiently for it to air, i just hate the idea of losing it just as it starts to get juicy and i got so invested in the characters

By: Guess Who

Guess Who — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:44:09 +0000

Swingtown is a steaming pile of – you know what. Im just glad its finally off the air. Advertisers withdrew support because the buyers of its products let them know in no uncertain terms they were angry they sponsored a sick show like that in the first place. Theres no shortage of sleaze on pay cable but I doubt a show with such a large cast could make it there. If it gets 4 million viewers on CBS it would be lucky to get 1 million on pay cable.

By: Julia

Julia — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:43:12 +0000

Mike, the amount of fans who are on the internet for these sort of shows number in the thousands, at the very most. For some of them, it’s more like a very vocal couple hundred. The ratings definitely reflect that at least that many people watch, so I’m not sure how the Nielsen numbers aren’t supporting anything.

Nielsen numbers are not perfect, I’m sure. But they aren’t too far off. While a second for profit ratings measurement company would have a very very hard time even getting started, I think it would be really great if an independent not for profit company could come along and measure audiences to verify Nielsen’s numbers. My guess is they would be within a point or two across the board. And when I become a billionaire, I’m going to do just that.

By: Mike G.

Mike G. — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:30:24 +0000

You know, we all need to become Nielsen families or somehow get involved with the ratings. Almost without exception, every time a show in the past year has been canceled or is on the bubble, the fans seem to come out of the wood works. How is it that there could be so many people interested in these low performing shows, yet Nielsen numbers don’t support it? I don’t need to list the shows that I am referring to, you all know which ones I mean.

By: Raymond

Raymond — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:29:36 +0000

No xerxes not at all – and I am willing to admit that something surprising could happen – and you are certainly more aware of these issues than I am (I was shocked to see that a DVD release was even happening!). Despite these “events” I’m just not convinced – although I am happy to say that I hope for your sake you are right (I truly believed that VM could have returned for a 4th season but all the indications eg making a “pilot” of the updated show etc but didn’t and I lost one of my fave shows)

By: xerxes

xerxes — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 05:56:05 +0000

Raymond
You made your points very well. Very educational. Hope you don’t mind me saying I hope you are dead wrong. Here’s a few things that give me even a glimmer of hope.
a) CBS threw a big ‘online block party’ for the final episode of the season. Why? They didn’t have to do that if the show was being cancelled. What a monumental waste of time and resources. Yet they did it. Then the site administrator asks for fan input for favorite scenes because CBS is planning to put together a compilation for the web site, “to tide you over” – his words, not mine. Tide us over for what, if the show is being cancelled? And why put a compilation for a cancelled show on the web site?
b) We received info from an affiliate source that clips from Swingtown were included in the fall promotional package sent to affiliates, which he says is never done unless a show is coming back.
c) August 16th – two weeks before the fall season starts, Nina Tassler says in a recorded interview regarding the renewal of Swingtown – “we don’t know. And that’s the truth.”

So sure, I might be looking at these occurences through slightly rose colored glasses, but there seems to be some evidence that CBS has not given up on this show despite the ratings. Again I ask, “why bothering doing or saying these things if there is no reason to hope for a renewal of any kind?”

By: Raymond

Raymond — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 05:43:04 +0000

See, it’s generally uneducated comments like these that get me so frustrated about ratings board websites. For one – ratings bears no correlation to the quality of a show. For all I know Swingtown could be the best thing since sliced bread – in fact I know many a show that has bombed in the ratings which I came to enjoy and love (see Firefly, Veronica Mars etc etc etc). My point there is don’t get touchy fans when someone says the show is rating poorly (Moonlight etc etc). The people who comment on the ratings may have some small inherent bias depending on their like or dislike of the show but most of the time the analysis of the ratings is spot on regardless.

Now while I am willing to admit that ratings alone are not the sole indication of whether a show is renewed (remember guys – TV is a business, ratings often determine ad prices, but don’t forget different shows have different costs – how do you think cable or even the CW would survive without the fact that their shows come it a significantly lower cost than other nets). But they still count for something. Ratings are all relative and I’m sorry but comparing 30 Rock to Swingtown is just plain wrong. Reasons below:

1) 30 Rock has considerable cross-promotional and advertising possibilities – many episodes feature GE products in an entertaining way and this kind of “product placement” is seen by many as the way of the future with DVR’s becoming more prevalent (see One Tree Hill for its blatant placement of Sunkist in nearly EVERY episode of Season 3 – also Friday Night Lights was partially saved because of this as well – see AT&T, Gatorade etc – but much for subtle than OTH). Anyway, as far as I know Swingtown does not have this (please correct me if I am wrong).
2) NBC is a much weaker network than CBS so has to give more time for shows to grow – CBS is in a much stronger position and hence is less patient (given their history to cancel shows after 3 eps it is remarkable that Swingtown even aired its full season of 13 episodes).
3) 30 Rock actually showed growth over a period of time (And debuted lower than it is doing now on a regular basis). Swingtown on the other hand performed very well in its first few outings but has consistently trended downwards to a completely un-economical ratings number.
4) Move to Showtime? Yes, CBS and Showtime are owned by the same company but a move is simply not viable. The cost of Showtime show would be considerably less than that of a network show – and while I agree that CBS seems very vested in the show (the overall deal with creator, DVD coming out etc) I still believe that it will not air on CBS at any point (and Showtime is such a highly unlikely prospect) that I think saying that it is CBS’ 30 Rock just plain wrong.

By: Jerri

Jerri — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 02:25:54 +0000

Holly–don’t forget that advertisers do not have MONEY to finance networks without viewers who are willing to go out an finance the advertisers. Simple economic principle.

Advertisers purchase ad time from networks.
Viewers purchase products from advertisers to finance and justify ads.
Therefore, viewers purchase ad time from networks.

Viewers really are at the top of that food chain. I understand that networks to not want to flagrantly tick off their advertisers, but they certainly don’t want to piss off their viewers even more so.