The distance from the Earth to the sun is approximately 93 million miles. Pi equals 3.14159265358979323…. Oh, sorry–we didn’t see you there. We were just sitting around, you know, being smart. Which happens to be a big topic of this week’s EW. We’ve put our brains together and come up with a very provocative list: The 25 Smartest People in Television. While this feature salutes the savvy folks who do their job with impressive intelligence, it also takes a peek at the other side of the bell curve, where you can find the Three Dumbest TV Moves of 2008. Our picks: The decision to let the five reality-host nominees emcee the 60th Annual Emmy Awards. To hold series back after the writers’ strike. And, yes, to keep revamping Knight Rider.
So now it’s time for you to weigh in, PopWatchers. Do you agree with these choices? If not, what are your nominations for excellence in stupidity? Remember, there are no stupid responses. Just stupid people who don’t respond to questions we ask.
More TV News:
The 25 Smartest People in Television
The Three Dumbest TV Moves of 2008
The L Word: Someone dies. Welcome to season 6!
TV Ratings: Barbara Walters’ special fascinates
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Great call on the five reality hosts hosting the Emmy’s. It was painful to watch.
I have to agree with the reality show emcees and the delaying the series’ start dates, but I have to go with canceling Pushing Daisies as one of the other dumb moves. Or, how about scheduling anything on Friday night that’s targeted to the 50-under crowd?
1. Emmy Hosts – Who thought this would be a ratings grab?? First off, RYAN SEACREST! The man could barely carry it last year, but lumping him together with Heidi Klum (fit for fashion, not funny), Tom Bergeron (too funny for the likes of those gaffes), Jeff Probst (eh….he should stick to being stuck on an “island” and saying stuff), and Howie Mandel (that…damn…earring).
2. Cancellation of Moonlight – No, I am not an angry fan. I am not really a fan at all. Despite low viewership, this thing will live on forever in cult history. Rabid teenage/young adult girls are still sitting on their computers writing fan fiction and watching old episodes.
3. Announcing Dollhouse is taking over Firefly’s dead Friday spot – Just haul it to the dumpster, why don’t you?
4. Jimmy Fallon is announced to take over Conan’s spot – Is he going to laugh at everything on there, too?
1. Keeping Reaper off the sked until March of ‘09.
2. Award shows continuing to be 3 hours or more. I don’t need to know who wins Best Comedic Moment In A Dramatic Series Under 8 Episodes.
3. TV shows trying to play saviour to stars/starlets who keep embarassing themselves.
How about the actual writer’s strike? Not only did the writer’s get a crappy deal in the end, but they lost more money from not working than they made in the end.
Not to mention that the strike ruined the 07-08 season and is ultimately responsible for the deaths of various shows such as Pushing Daisies, etc.
The firing of Brooke Smith from Grey’s Anatomy. Colossally stupid.
absolute stupid move on air was the Emmys — stupid moves off the air – the cancellation of Pushing Daisies and The Riches!!!
1. ABC cleans house and slashes Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, and Eli Stone. Also destroys Wednesday night lineup.
2. Networks thinking that giving shows a break will refuel them for the next season. Case in point: Daisies wilt, No More Dirty Money, Eli Stoned to Death, and Heroes fall.
3. No script for Emmys. Wow, someone should get fired!
4. Crappy welcome backs from ABC and NBC. Um, where were all the advertisements for ABC’s Wednesday night lineup? Thanks NBC, for not helping Lipstick Jungle!
5. Heroes Volume 3. I thought they said they’re were going to fix it since Volume 2 fizzled. All we get is a convoluted Petrelli dynamic and a dead Kristen Bell! Oh Heroes, you love dropping viewership!
Canceling “Pushing Daisies”.
‘Pushing Daisies’ getting cancelled would be my vote.
NBC. Basically them as a whole. Aside from the Office & 30 Rock what else is there now that Heroes is just not good anymore?
Another problem: shows like Damages and Mad Men going away for TOO long.
Giving short shrift to Pushing Daisies, once again killing one of the most intelligent, well written, funniest shows on tv. Sounds familiar, no? Loose seal anyone?
Even worse than the Emmy hosts was that horrible Laugh-In skit on the show. It just shows that not everything that was once considered funny needs to be brought back…especially when the cast all have one foot in the grave. (Except Lily Tomlin – she’s always awesome!)
Casting Joshua Jackson as a genius
1) HBO: Keeping ‘Entourage’ on the air way past its prime, spoiling an honoured HBO tradition of letting (most) shows go out on a high note.
2) NBC: One word: Hiro.
3) CBS: Idiotic guest stars on CSI:NY.
#1. Networks cancelling shows after two or three episodes and then complaining that viewers aren’t watching like they used to. Here’s a partial list: Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, Moonlight, Joan of Arcadia, Dirty Sexy Money, Lipstick Jungle, Boomtown, The Black Donnellys, Reunion, Firefly, Cane…all of these shows could have turned into solid hits if their respective networks took them seriously and committed to a full season’s worth of episodes. Better yet, if they’d found time slots for each show, promoted the heck out of them, and left them in the same time slots so that curious viewers would find them and take a chance on them, they’d make money. Instead, we viewers get inundated with cheap, garbage-y reality t.v. because the networks are too chicken—- to respect both their viewers and their shows. It’s a shame, because I just started watching Lipstick Jungle a few weeks ago, and I like it! This is the dumbest move on t.v. and it won’t end until the networks get a clue.
CANCELLING PUSHING DAISIES!!!!
Big. Mistake.
Repeatedly and disrespectfully showing Heath Ledger’s body being removed from his apartment. I had to stop watching TV for awhile after seeing that footage for the third time. Stupid stupid stupid move. It was TMI, you morons! Not only was he one of my favorite actors, but i cringed for his loved ones. I will forever hold a grudge on that count.
Cancelling Boston Legal. It’s smart, funny, but way too left wing political – Denny Crane would NEVER have voted for Obama! I still love it though.
Canceling Pushing Daisies.
umm… abc cancelling pushing daisies is the obvious choice for #1. such a brilliant show cut short based on a stupid decision not to bring it back after the strike. lame lame lame!
1. NBC’s handling of the Leno/Fallon/O’Brien triangle
2. 30 Rock’s ridiculous number of guest stars to start off the season.
3. The cancellation of several prime-time game shows throughout the year. 1 vs. 100, Power of 10, and Million Dollar Password all bite the dust, yet we’re still stuck with DoND? Really?
Cancelling. Pushing. Daisies.
CANCELLING PUSHING DAISIES!!!
To Kevin: Million Dollar Password will be on ABC on Thurs. after Survivor ends its season.
I hope ABC executives look at pages like this.
Cancelling Pushing Daisies was a stupid move!!!
Canceling Dirty Sexy Money, how could you ABC??
cancellation of Dirty Sexy Money and…I guess Pushing Dasies even if it haven’t been all that amazing as it was before the writer strike.
CANCELLING PUSHING DAISIES. What kind of network barely promotes, then cancels the show that gave them the most Emmy nominations? TWELVE, ABC, TWELVE.
1. Tim Kring insults his viewers. You know, that lovely panel where he called his viewers “saps” and “dipsh*ts”, blaming them for the poor response to the new “Heroes” season.
2. Holograms on CNN. I planned to watch only CNN coverage for election night. I did it, too–right up until the point where they beamed in a hologram of Will.i.am.
3. “Celebrity Ghost Stories.” Period.
While I agree with the reality hosts, I have to disagree with the others.
I seriously can’t believe that it was solely the delay until this year that caused all of the shows to lose ratings. I wait substantial periods of time for favorite shows like Battlestar Galactica, Burn Notice, Lost, 24, etc. I actually appreciate that they spend the time to make high quality shows and they air without repeats. If I (and others) can (and do) wait for those shows, then I would assume we could wait for others if we wanted to. For me, I just decided that Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, and others were not my cup of tea (for differing reasons) and I wouldn’t have come back after the strike break, just as I didn’t come back this season.
My stupidest moves were…
1. The reality show hosts at the Emmys
2. Stupid “creative” storylines on programs (several of them were guilty of that including Heroes and Grey’s)
3. NBC not having pilots. Their primetime programming stunk this season.