Time Bandits (Apple TV series)
- Thread starter dascoyne
- Start date
I hadn't watched the series but it was an unusual choice for Apple TV, arguably the least famous and least subscribed to of the streamers to make such an expensive kids show. The writing was on the wall there from the start. Maybe it would have done better on Netflix which has a wider demographic and would likely have been watched by a more targeted audience.
joberg
Legendary Member
That's what you get for trying to re-invent the wheel...or, finding a problem to a solutionComes as no surprise….
drusselmeyer
Master Member
The idea is sound IF you can find a way to explain repeating the story. This requires very clever writing. As far as I know, very clever writers are allowed to work in the entertainment industry currently.
CB2001
Master Member
‘Time Bandits’ Canceled After One Season at Apple TV+
'Time Bandits,' starring Lisa Kudrow, has been canceled after one season at Apple TV+.variety.com
Bloop
Sr Member
I didn't make it through the 1st ep. Not that it was bad, just not for me, especially when I realized that it was a kids show. So I'm not upset that it got a chance or that it was cancelled. Not to say that content geared towards kids can't also appeal to adults, but it didn't do it for me. I also wasn't someone that had any real attachment to the original.
Does anyone in "Hollywood" 'fess up to the fact that their product was just... bad?
The littany of excuses by these execs, from online trolls to mysoginistic man babies to negative review bombers to anti-whatevers as the cause of undeserved ciriticm and negative online revies.
How 'bout just saying that your product misfired/ wasn't well thought out/ needed better production team members/ better writers/ better directors/ better (or different) actors?
Apple canceled the show because it didn't perform. Period.
The littany of excuses by these execs, from online trolls to mysoginistic man babies to negative review bombers to anti-whatevers as the cause of undeserved ciriticm and negative online revies.
How 'bout just saying that your product misfired/ wasn't well thought out/ needed better production team members/ better writers/ better directors/ better (or different) actors?
Apple canceled the show because it didn't perform. Period.
Cephus
Master Member
Nobody in Hollywood can be honest. They think everything is a conspiracy. They can never accept responsibility for their own failures. At the end of the day, it comes down to cost vs. profit. Did it make enough money to offset its production budget and make money? If no, it gets cancelled. If yes, they might make more. That's all that's going on.
cboath
Master Member
Yet, it's been in their top 20 since it premiered and was still there last night...
I'm not entirely sure what the criteria is to bring anything back anymore. I'm trying to find things with several seasons as generally, that's a good tip off that it should be pretty good if it lasted a few years or more. However, looking at NF and Amazon, etc, there are SOOOOOOO many 1 season shows out there. I really don't want to take much chance there as too many shows the last 10 years or so have not been complete seasons, more like it's half a season, ending on a cliffhanger and then no more. It's one thing to end on a cliffhanger but when you've told just 50% (or less of your story and you up and end it with absolutely nothing resolved, it's either entitlement/arrogance (i'm so good i'm guaranteed S2) or just laziness. But, I digress
Way too many 1 season shows out there. At least with networks, you generally know it didn't do well enough in the ratings, but streaming, it's a crapshoot. Apparent good ratings, good reviews....no guarantee of anything.I said before, this wasn't amazing, but it was a solid b-. Maybe it cost too much for what it returned? who knows.
I've worked in the medical field for a long time, and the bottom line... is the bottom (financial) line. Well, at least 99% of the time.
I imagine the entertainment industry is similar, barring those few exceptions where someone in power cancels a production out of spite, or a global pandemic, or illness/death of a lead actor that affects production. So a well received (or even marginally well received) production that doesn't generated revenue, clicks, or views gets the axe.
Of course, there may be OTHER metrics as well (guarantee a certain number of viewers in a demographics/ ad revenue / etc), but these are ultimately financial considerations as well.
Chappy show life cycle:
1.It's the best show ever, will make 100 galizilion dollars, so we don't care if one troll doesn't like it. It's not for you, watch something else.
2.It's going to do well, it's just a vocal minority that don't like it, most people think it's the best show ever ever ever ever.
3.It's struggling because of racist man babies review bombing it and that's turning some people off.
4.It got cancelled because it never got a fair shake. The fan base of the franchise hates this but it wasn't really made for them.
YOU ARE HERE
5.It wasn't our best show, but it was decent. It just never got a chance.
6.It had potential that was never realized.
7.It sucked, the new shows are way better. They will be universally loved.
drusselmeyer
Master Member
3 - doesn't exist. It should get replaced by: great and popular show with great ratings, but we are the network and we need to flex and show the public who's really the boss.
4 - either/or. Ignoring the fan base is like adding corn syrup to candy made for diabetics.
4 - either/or. Ignoring the fan base is like adding corn syrup to candy made for diabetics.
cboath
Master Member
Trying to keep this on Time Bandits.....is there an actual sizable fan base of the original? Key word being sizable. Yeah, SW or ST has a massive fanbase and you can't opt to just piss them off and think it'll be fine. Time Bandits though? I mean, pick any big city and prior to even the announcement of this show, if you went out in a huge public area and polled people, how many people would know there was a Time Bandits in the 80's? And how many could tell you what it was about?
Look I know there are fans of the original. I just don't think there's that many out there that it makes a difference is all. Maybe that's wrong, but I can't think of anyone every bringing it up in conversation in the last 30 years that wasn't on this board.
If you want a reason for why it didn't work out maybe...how about, the only reason I even knew it existed was a post here. I then forgot about it and was bored one night and poking around and saw it in the top 5 on Apple TV and thought i'd try it. Hard to get numbers when people aren't overly aware something exists.
I'll admit to being puzzled on what makes streamers think something is worthy of continuing. It's not possible really to know who has signed up because of a particular show. You can see who's watching what, but as I said, it's been in apples top 20 since release. We don't get actual numbers, but that seems to be good numbers to me. Maybe it's as simple as dollars spent per minute watched. The higher your number the higher chance you're cancelled.
drusselmeyer
Master Member
The keywords are Time Bandits. This title was chosen for specific reasons. We have seen this over and over, reimagining any well executed idea to milk it dry.
The fact that there is an insulting dismissal included, implies that the original audience is somehow unworthy to exist.
Reimagining invariably dehumanizes the original audience that made the original piece viable enough to consider as a new franchise.
It's just a greedy power flex.
The fact that there is an insulting dismissal included, implies that the original audience is somehow unworthy to exist.
Reimagining invariably dehumanizes the original audience that made the original piece viable enough to consider as a new franchise.
It's just a greedy power flex.
