Rubicon's first season was the best show on television. That's right, I said it. To me, it was better than the three-time Emmy winner Mad Men, and it was even better than my favorite Fringe, which stepped up to claim my "Best Show On" title after Rubicon ended its first season last night. But, despite having won my heart, Rubicon just doesn't seem to be the top dog in its timeslot. Gathering a little over a million viewers a week, the 1970's-inspired conspiracy drama is getting slammed in its timeslot by reality shows like Swamp People. Similarly, it's follow-up Mad Men is finding it a struggle to match Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which is getting about 900,000 more viewers a week than the trophy holder.
Of course, such reality shows are more comfort food than, say, the tense atmosphere of Rubicon or the fickle decisions of Don Draper. And AMC seems to be finding enough of a footing to keep their shows on their air; Mad Men just finished off its fourth season, while Breaking Bad finished its third earlier this year. Rubicon, having just finished its freshman season, is a question mark at this point, but more and more I'm getting the feeling that AMC will see fit to renew the series.
As the New York Daily News says, "These icons of "good" television, the kind that makes critics drool and wins bushels of awards, are going on what could be long vacations, leaving us fans deeply sad even as the huge majority of the television-watching world won't even notice."
And that's sad. Hopefully AMC will see a greater victory with its more crowd-pleasing The Walking Dead, which has been receiving just absolutely massive pushes from the network as part of its Fearfest series. But unless more people suddenly start appreciating the value of good storytelling over spray tans and guidos, then things are never going to be just peachy for AMC.
I absolutely DO NOT understand comparing ratings of reality shows against dramas in the same time slot. Different audiences! People seeking intelligent, thinking shows shouldn't constantly have to worry that a good show they would like to watch is going to be cancelled because people who want to "look but not think" are watching something else. And a show needs to be available online within the 7 days that the advertisers seem to count. That way viewers can talk it up and the show can be seen, counted, and renewed. – Cindy B