The Muppets Episode 11 - Swine Song

[dwmckim]

I know it's been a long time since i've posted on this forum, but felt it was important to do a "drive-by" to offer the following suggestions...

The Live Viewing Numbers, as others noted, were not good. (I had a feeling that might happen as i noted other places - i didn't feel like ABC was doing an effective job of reaching out to the viewers who weren't watching or had tuned out which is what most needed to happen. Too much of the news surrounding the changes and the return was "preaching to the choir" - the devoted viewers who were still regularly tuning in. A big blitz finally happened the day of the actual airing - too-little-too-late...but i digress as that's not the main thing i came here to talk about.)

I'm seeing a lot of fans wallowing in despair and giving up hope. Instead of doing that, it's time for fans to get active and make what can be a very crucial difference.

Step One: So those poor numbers were the Live Viewing Numbers. "The Muppets" could still potentially make up for them in the delayed/multiplatform viewing numbers. Be sure to regularly click on the abc and/or hulu link to the most recent episode. You can watch Swine Song officially online here: http://abc.go.com/shows/the-muppets/episode-guide/season-01/11-swine-song & http://www.hulu.com/watch/900330#i0,p10,d0

Ever since the show debuted, i've made a point of clicking on the latest episode on both ABC & Hulu each day. (You can even just let it play in a separate tab as you're doing other stuff.) Click on the links yourself and share the links with others - encourage all your friends to watch.

Step Two: CONTACT ABC (both the network and your local affiliate station) Write, call, email, tweet etc. Let them know you're a devoted viewer of "The Muppets" and wish to see it renewed for a second season. (Include your demographic info such as age & gender)

I would STRONGLY RECOMMEND that as you're doing so, encourage ABC to move a second season of "The Muppets" out of the doomed-to-fail Tuesday nights. This is one of the most competitive, saturated nights and while ABC thought highly enough of the series to put it there to begin with, it's becoming increasingly clear that in that crowded arena, viewers aren't choosing "The Muppets" among their choices to watch live as it's broadcast. The best thing ABC can do is concede that Tuesday is a poor fit and move it to a place where it's far more likely to attract the audience most receptive to it - which i believe to be the Wednesday night comedy block. "Move Before Cancel" needs to be our mantra that we deliver en masse to ABC. The audience is out there and the ability to be a hit still exists - but ABC needs to maximize the shows' effectiveness in reaching its target viewers.

It's really important to be proactive and do this as soon as possible BEFORE a cancellation announcement gets made!!

All communication needs to be polite and respectful and not angry or raving (and really, there's no need for angry tones as the current ABC regime has been generally supportive of the show and seems to want it to succeed.)

There is some some good news on our side - of all ABC's new shows, "The Muppets" has remained the one with the highest average demos for the season-to-date (18-49 viewers - these are the numbers that set ad rates and because of that are often considered more important than total number of viewers)

Time for Muppet fans to represent. Our actions at this time is what may ultimately make the difference.

Ready, set, go!

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

I know it's been a long time since i've posted on this forum, but felt it was important to do a "drive-by" to offer the following suggestions...

The Live Viewing Numbers, as others noted, were not good. (I had a feeling that might happen as i noted other places - i didn't feel like ABC was doing an effective job of reaching out to the viewers who weren't watching or had tuned out which is what most needed to happen. Too much of the news surrounding the changes and the return was "preaching to the choir" - the devoted viewers who were still regularly tuning in. A big blitz finally happened the day of the actual airing - too-little-too-late...but i digress as that's not the main thing i came here to talk about.)

I'm seeing a lot of fans wallowing in despair and giving up hope. Instead of doing that, it's time for fans to get active and make what can be a very crucial difference.

Step One: So those poor numbers were the Live Viewing Numbers. "The Muppets" could still potentially make up for them in the delayed/multiplatform viewing numbers. Be sure to regularly click on the abc and/or hulu link to the most recent episode. You can watch Swine Song officially online here: http://abc.go.com/shows/the-muppets/episode-guide/season-01/11-swine-song & http://www.hulu.com/watch/900330#i0,p10,d0

Ever since the show debuted, i've made a point of clicking on the latest episode on both ABC & Hulu each day. (You can even just let it play in a separate tab as you're doing other stuff.) Click on the links yourself and share the links with others - encourage all your friends to watch.

Step Two: CONTACT ABC (both the network and your local affiliate station) Write, call, email, tweet etc. Let them know you're a devoted viewer of "The Muppets" and wish to see it renewed for a second season. (Include your demographic info such as age & gender)

I would STRONGLY RECOMMEND that as you're doing so, encourage ABC to move a second season of "The Muppets" out of the doomed-to-fail Tuesday nights. This is one of the most competitive, saturated nights and while ABC thought highly enough of the series to put it there to begin with, it's becoming increasingly clear that in that crowded arena, viewers aren't choosing "The Muppets" among their choices to watch live as it's broadcast. The best thing ABC can do is concede that Tuesday is a poor fit and move it to a place where it's far more likely to attract the audience most receptive to it - which i believe to be the Wednesday night comedy block. "Move Before Cancel" needs to be our mantra that we deliver en masse to ABC. The audience is out there and the ability to be a hit still exists - but ABC needs to maximize the shows' effectiveness in reaching its target viewers.

It's really important to be proactive and do this as soon as possible BEFORE a cancellation announcement gets made!!

All communication needs to be polite and respectful and not angry or raving (and really, there's no need for angry tones as the current ABC regime has been generally supportive of the show and seems to want it to succeed.)

There is some some good news on our side - of all ABC's new shows, "The Muppets" has remained the one with the highest average demos for the season-to-date (18-49 viewers - these are the numbers that set ad rates and because of that are often considered more important than total number of viewers)

Time for Muppet fans to represent. Our actions at this time is what may ultimately make the difference.

Ready, set, go!

Hey buddy good to see you again! Of course we've never actually communicated with eachother,but I know you because i've been reading the forum for nine years now.
And yes,I guess your right,we can make all the difference. There are at least three million people who regularly watch the show and there are millions of devoted Muppet fans across the globe. Don't let The Muppets die so easily. Even if you don't like this show,if this show ends too early we may never see any new Muppet movie,special or show ever again. Promote the show any way that you know how, introduce your favorite episodes to friends,promote it on Twitter,Pinterest,Facebook,Instagram,Tumblr. If you don't have an account on any of these websites,please sign up. Maybe ask a big celebrity to endorse the show.
#Muppetrevolution.
WE CAN'T LET THE MUPPETS DIE WITHOUT A GOOD FIGHT!

 

[LouisTheOtter]

Well said dwmckim! WE, as Muppet fans, can make the difference here. Remember, it all starts with "Just One Person"!

I also subscribe to the "Move Before Cancel" campaign. I would hate to see The Muppets consigned to the Friday night death slot but even that would be better than giving up on a good thing, especially with so much effort going into a re-tool, reboot, re-whatever.

I'd absolutely freaking love to see The Muppets as part of the Wednesday comedy block. It would mesh perfectly with The Goldbergs, from where I'm sitting. Problem is, I don't see veteran ABC hits Modern Family or The Middle shutting down production anytime soon, and Black-ish looks pretty solid in the 9:30 ET/8:30 CT block as well (and that time slot would probably be too late for The Muppets anyway).

I suspect that a big part of this might be out of our hands, anyway, as ABC appears to be gearing to launch The Real McNeals on Tuesday once The Muppets wraps up. If that one does a better job of holding Fresh Off The Boat's numbers, it's trouble for The Muppets. But I frankly don't see that happening, based on the little I've seen in the previews. We'll see.

Three other quick observations about "Swine Song":

This might be the first episode I've seen in awhile that concentrated heavily on its "A" plot instead of wedging two other stories in. Sure, we had the Piggy-Kermit-Denise triangle and Uncle Deadly's growing relationship with Gloria the penguin, but the underlying theme of fixing Up Late seemed to predominate. As I felt a couple of previous episodes depended too heavily on extra plotlines, I liked the way "Swine Song" set things up.

Also: Much more attention given to the mockumentary format (especially in the opening sequences), which works just fine by me. Hey, if this is the engine that drives the new series, the writers might as well stay committed to it.

And I'm surprised no one else has brought this up: If Denise is part of ABC's marketing department, why wasn't she much more involved in the "Swine Song" plotline? For that matter, why has her job NEVER played a role in this series? I thought we'd have a truckload of great meta-humour about ABC's promotion of The Muppets, and quite bluntly, if anyone was to step in and mess around with Up Late's branding and format, I figured it would be Denise, not Pache/Pizza, and that it would have happened much earlier than this. What a missed opportunity...

 

[terrimonster]

I'd absolutely freaking love to see The Muppets as part of the Wednesday comedy block. It would mesh perfectly with The Goldbergs, from where I'm sitting. Problem is, I don't see veteran ABC hits Modern Family or The Middle shutting down production anytime soon, and Black-ish looks pretty solid in the 9:30 ET/8:30 CT block as well (and that time slot would probably be too late for The Muppets anyway).

I wouldn't be surprised if The Middle ended soon. Some of the cast are ready to move on, and though I still love it, it's nearing its logical end with two kids out of the home. If they wrap, then Wednesday would be a perfect fit for The Muppets. It's a family-themed comedy block, and as you alluded to, The Goldbergs practically serves as a companion piece to the Muppets, referencing them all the time. I hope - but doubt - that ABC would have the confidence for such a move.

 

[TheWeirdoGirl]

Loved this episode. As an Etsy seller, I especially enjoyed the references to Key and Peele's shop. I can really relate to the whole "We sold some mitts. WE SOLD SOME MITTS" thing.

 

[MuppetSpot]

I wonder if Bill was scared when Pepe was driving.

 

[jobi71]

Well, we've already seen this season that Rizzo is a bad driver. The last time (I believe) we saw Gonzo drive his truck ended up upside down on top of Fozzie's car. So, if they needed one of the writers for the Uber bit then Pepe was their best choice.

 

[Muppet Master]

Here's a glimmer of hope, The Muppets was only available in 94% of areas, that means 6% didn't get to see it. You never know, that 6% could have been the majority of muppet viewers.

 

[Muppet Master]

Well at least ABC hasn't given up on advertising, because here is the promo for the next episode.

Looks like Camilla's back.

 

[MuppetSpot]

Also the Newsman is back.