Pirate's Cove

The Liberals may own the vast majority of the TV news programming, but, if you want a hit TV show? Aim it at Republicans

According to months of data from leading media-research company Experian Simmons, viewers who vote Republican and identify themselves as conservative are more likely than Democrats to love the biggest hits on TV. Of the top 10 broadcast shows on TV in the spring, nine were ranked more favorably by viewers who identify themselves as Republican.

Liberals appreciate many of the same shows, mind you. But their devotion typically is not quite as strong as right-wingers, and Dems are more likely to prefer modestly rated titles.

Like Mad Men.

Interesting. Just one thing, though, doesn’t Rush Limbaugh love that show? Oh, well, but,

“The big shows with mass appeal tend to have above-average scores from Democrats and Republicans but with higher concentrations of Republicans,” says John Fetto, senior marketing manager at Experian Simmons. “Looking at the Democrats side, I don’t mean to make light of it, but they seem to like shows about damaged people. Those are the kind of shows Republicans just stay away from.”

Not surprising, since Liberals always seem to be such depressed, negative people, and they want to watch others being the same way.

But if you look at the list of broadcast shows that are Republican favorites, it closely mirrors the Nielsen top 10 list, whereas Democrats tend to gravitate toward titles likely to have narrower audiences.

To Hollywood, the data suggest a potentially disquieting idea: The TV industry is populated by liberals, but big-league success may require pleasing conservatives.

Hmm, I wonder where shows like Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Universe, and Haven fit in? They are certainly very popular with Conservatives. Though, BSG took a big liberal turn, but, it was too late for us to tune out. Had to see the way it ended.4

The whole thing is basically a set up to discuss Sarah Palin’s Alaska, which, shocker, the reporter doesn’t rip.

We’ve learned Republicans like winners. The shows might be considered fluffy, but they’re generally programs that make people feel good. If you’re a broadcast network executive weighing whether to buy a show, you might ask your uncle who voted twice for George W. Bush if he likes the idea. We’ve learned Democrats are, depending on your perspective, discriminating viewers who prefer highly original, well-written series or are cynics who enjoy watching jerks. We’ve learned Sarah Palin’s Alaska has the ingredients to be a hit, and one shouldn’t confuse TLC for being Republican just because its friends are.

You know what we really should have learned? TV needs more awesome scifi programs. SyFy needs to stop showing those horrid movies made for them, and look to scifi books that sell well for script material. Not all are bad, mind you. Sharktopuss seems to be a hit. Many of their mini-series have done well, and been good. We should also have learned that it is really beyond credibility to show wrestling on SyFy constantly. We need more shows like Fringe. Because science fiction rocks……um, what were we talking about originally?