Vocal viewers still could rescue ‘Dreams,’ ‘Joan’
Nobody likes a tattletale.
Take the Parents Television Council, which says it has 1 million members. It spends most of its time howling about the dire state of TV, picking one risque incident here and one tasteless epithet there, and flooding the Federal Communications Commission with complaints.
Well, here’s a chance to be positive for a change: Two of the shows you love, NBC’s “American Dreams” and CBS’ “Joan of Arcadia” – 8 p.m. dramas that ooze family and moral values from every scene – are hanging by cobwebs, though still not canceled.
But aided by the shrill cries of the council, as well as thousands of other less politicized viewers, rescue still may be possible.
NBC has trimmed back production of “Dreams,” the moving story of a Philadelphia family in the ‘60s, and moved the show from Sundays to Wednesdays. Despite powerful story lines and a soundtrack that in a single show can include everything from Paul Butterfield to Paul Revere and the Raiders, with Bob Dylan in between, “Dreams” couldn’t keep up with the joy and bathos of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
“Dreams” will wrap its third season running Wednesdays at 8 through the end of the month.
“Joan of Arcadia,” a surprise hit last year, bumps along on Fridays, dwindling in the ratings despite a close connection to God. He shows up on-screen every week, in different guises, to push teenager Joan Girardi down paths that not only lead to spiritual awareness and self-discovery but also are just plain fascinating.
March Madness basketball blankets CBS for the next couple of weeks. “Joan” will return April 1, with four consecutive new episodes before the curtain falls for the season.
Gorgeously acted by multigenerational casts, with voices unheard anywhere else in prime time, both shows are unique: satisfying for adults, with strong hooks for preteen and older children.
But neither will make a peep during the sweeps in May, when networks go all out to maximize viewership – and when the new fall lineups are announced.
Still, the Parents Television Council wields power, even if it doesn’t always reflect popular taste. And there are some important, receptive ears at both networks.
Jeff Zucker, president of NBC Universal Television Group, swears up and down the flagpole (when “Fear Factor” contestants aren’t slipping off the pig grease on it) that “American Dreams” is his favorite show. Nina Tassler developed “Joan of Arcadia” before being named president of CBS Entertainment last year.
Near the top of the council’s home page ( www.parentstv.org) is a link that says, “File an FCC Complaint.” For the next two months, the group could change the click to a direct, Don’t-Cancel-“Dreams” line to Zucker and add another urging the renewal of “Joan” that goes to Leslie Moonves, co-president and co-chief operating officer of Viacom Inc., which owns CBS.
Those who want to take matters into their own hands can send postcards (not letters) to: Jeff Zucker, President, NBC Universal Television Group, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112; or Leslie Moonves, Viacom Inc., CBS Television City, 7800 W. Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036.