Scare Tactics & Tremors blurb

[gangster]

The following was part of a post on Scifi.com's SG-1 BB by Morjana, a Scifi Channel employee who posts official info to that BB. Interesting comment that "Scare Tactic's audience has moved on to greener pastures." Sounds like its days may be numbered.
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The last run "Tremors" episode, which aired on 4/25/03 ("Hit and Run"), apparently earned a rating lower than 0.8 to not make it to the ratings list. And it looks like the audience for "Scare Tactics" has moved on to greener pastures...

Morjana

 

[Strifeguard]

Scare Tactics has always concerned me because it goes farther than other shows in terms of what it does to those being pranked.

If you watch any other hidden camera show at the moment, they don't even come close to Scare Tactics in terms of causing distress to the victim. Obviously, with a name like "Scare Tactics" this was supposed to be the point of the show, but, the pranks in Scare Tactics usually fit the legal definitions of "Intentional infliction of emotional distress" "Battery" and even "Assault". (being "hugged" by an alien from outer space is definitely "unwanted contact")

IMHO, the show was just asking for a law suit.

Also, did they get the "victims" from the Jerry Springer show guest pool or something? Don't misunderstand me, I really don't care about the use of profanity on television, however, on the SciFi channel, for whatever reason, they bleep everything out. Watching a show becomes impossible when you can't follow the dialogue because of a repetitive high-pitched noise. They should either become more lax with what they censor, or they should find victims with larger vocabularies.

 

[Demonn]

They're loosing ratings because they're not showing any new episodes..... I like the show but I'm not gonna sit around and watch it again, and again, and again.

 

[hypatia]

Do they check into the medical history of their victims? What if someone dropped dead of a heart attack one day?

Someone posted awhile ago somewhere about what the reality tv shows in Japan were doing. Man, if you think Scare Tactics is bad, see some of what they do over there.

But for whatever reason, I admit I'm glad to hear Scare Tactics may be on it's way out. I really fear for fiction television. If networks can have success with reality tv shows, then why bother hiring writers?

 

[gangster]

They're loosing ratings because they're not showing any new episodes..... I like the show but I'm not gonna sit around and watch it again, and again, and again.

It could be they decided it was a loser and haven't made any new episodes.

 

[gangster]

(snip)

But for whatever reason, I admit I'm glad to hear Scare Tactics may be on it's way out. I really fear for fiction television. If networks can have success with reality tv shows, then why bother hiring writers?

Agree. Hopefully the "reality" shows are a passing fad whose popularity will fade with time.

 

[Strifeguard]

Actually there was an article on CNN.com today on how reality shows may very well become a passing fad.

It seems that despite their high ratings, advertisers don't like to buy time during reality shows, unless the show has proven it's a winner.(read: Joe Millionaire's finale) The article also stated that shows like "Fear Factor", even though they've attracted large audiences and are therefore "proven" don't really bring in advertising dollars. Advertisers just don't want their products associated with antics like swimming in a tank full of mice, and eating various unsavory animal parts.

Hopefully this lack of advertising $$ will eventually force reality shows off the air.

 

[hypatia]

Wow. Now that is a possibility that never even occured to me. The weirder and more grotesque the reality tv show, the more popular it may be. But will advertisers want to be associated with these antics?

 

[KoshN]

They're loosing ratings because they're not showing any new episodes..... I like the show but I'm not gonna sit around and watch it again, and again, and again.

[Devil's Advocate/Pulling Your Leg Mode]
Well, you'll do that for B5. What's the difference? :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil:
[/Devil's Advocate/Pulling Your Leg Mode]

For me, Tremors: The Series and especially Scare Tactics are not worth watching the first time. I get more than enough of both in their ads., and the huge Scare Tactics popups. Hmm, wonder why there are no Worm popups with pickup trucks chasing them across the screen, and vice versa, complete with explosions. Hmm.

 

[Demonn]

Ok, fine..... I don't like the show that much.

 

[G Kar of the Kha Ri]

I always wondered about that one episode of Scare Craptics with the gorilla attack thing. In my opinion, it looked fake. The whole time.

And Tremors was still, in my opinion, a decent show. Of course, now that it's temporarily gone, I couldn't care less about it. Heck, I don't care if they ever even bother to air the unaired eps. It was interesting to watch, since I could never find anything better on TV at that time on Fridays, but it never really pulled me in like other shows Sci-Fi's had *COUGH*Farscape*COUGH*.

 

[gangster]

The few "Scare Tactics" scenes I've watched came across to me as faked. Camera work was too good not to have been. Of course, I wrote the show off as a loser before it ever aired so am hypercritical.

I noticed from the June schedule they plan to run Scare Tactics behind new SG-1 eps on Fridays but don't think this will up their audience. What I suspect happened is Scifi sold itself on "Scare Tactics" thinking it would be a hit but since it bombed is now scrambling to find something to fill those time slots but has nothing.

And so it goes.....