I just finished watching "Roots"!- Page 3

[Craig]

Posted: 3/5/09 at 3:36pm

Besty -

Do you remember that when "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" aired, there were several news reports the next evening about water issues because everyone went to the bathroom at the same time - just after the credits?

For those who weren't around or don't remember - the audience was so large and so riveted to the TV that they didn't go to the bathroom for a long time - until the MASH finale was over. Then the water levels around the US noticably "sank" just after

[Tom's Cat]

Posted: 3/5/09 at 7:34pm

I remember that Craig. And having seen my own family glued to the television that night, and then lined up outside our ONE bathroom when it was over, I had no problem believing it.

Doodle - I think the total viewership probably has changed some but the total number of people viewing any one particular program at one time is greatly reduced. The world simply has more choices now than they had then. Seriously - if tonight you read the little blurb in your TV guide about "Roots" and you knew nothing else about it, would you have watched it? Would every member of your household? Would everyone in your apartment building? People just stayed home more in those days and their choices were limited, usually to 4 channels. A big event like Roots got newspaper and talk show coverage before, during, and after its broadcast. That just doesn't happen anymore.

Updated On: 3/5/09 at 07:34 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 3/5/09 at 9:14pm

I'm not buying the "more channels" argument. There are whole weekends where I flip around the dial (over 100 channels) and can't find anything worth watching. Many of the cable channels are trying to get by as cheaply as possible. So we'll see shows like "The 10 Fanciest Bathrooms of Europe" or one of these stupid reality shows that has 25 women throwing themselves at one man. Even PBS churns out too much crap. How many "healthy body" and "Suze Orman" type shows can PBS broadcast? Never mind the endless repeats of Andre Rieu and Celtic Chicks.

I think Roots was a success because it had top-notch acting and an interesting story. Even today's movie theaters aren't consistently showing quality product.

[Craig]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 8:40am

You're not "buying" it? Really?

YOU might not be finding something else on - but clearly millions of people are. Crap or not - people are watching. And if they're watching that - they aren't tuning into any big "event." Plus the internet and other distractions that didn't exist in the 70s..

Not acknowledging that, to me, is pretty silly as it's the obvious factor.


Roots WAS successful and remains so because of the acting, direction, script, etc. But you can't discount external factors either.

Another example is the the original Star Wars trilogy. No one had seen anything like it. It was a phenonmenon. So much so that it was constantly in the papers, magazines and on TV. The twists the plot took (Luke I am Your Father) - I recall quite vividly being a true cliffhanger at the end of Empire - so much so that everyone was anxiously awaiting Return of the Jedi. Anyone and everyone was talking about the series. It was on the cover of Time Magazine at least once if not more I recall. The topic was on everyone's mind - or so it seemed.

There are very few movies that can or have captured the same excitement universally. You can argue the Harry Potter movies - especially now with the internet and the fan base. But to me it doesn't feel the same. Perhaps it's because the fans have all read the books so they know what to expect. There's no shroud of mystery about twists and turns.

There are many factors which come into play when determining success. If there was a magic bullet - we'd see more of it...

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 9:23am

My question was about viewership, not quality or whether one person can find something they want to watch on the weekends...and my assumption was that viewership has not decreased, but individual programs couldnt possibly have the same viewership given all of the choices today.

Another factor is, when I was a kid in the 70s, most households had one, maybe two tvs, and what was watched had was a difficult negotiation with promises of doing someones chores or giving them your allowance if the show was important to you enough... and I dont remember one friend having a tv in their bedroom.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 9:53am

'You can't imagine the impact it had on everyone when it was first broadcast on television.'

We were blown away...all else stopped.....and I wanted to smack Sunday Duncan...hard!

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 10:19am

Kizzy spitting in Missy Anne's cup was great...the whole country cheered!