NBC's Disgraceful Olympic Closing Night Performance
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NBC's Disgraceful Olympic Closing Night Performance
Jonathan Storm, Inquirer Television Critic
I've been a lonely voice in the wind throughout these Winter Olympics, arguing that NBC was doing the best job it could to please the core audience of prime-time viewers, who are not very serious sports fans (just as a lot of the Olympic flying-flip skiing and ice dazzling terpsichore, are not very serious sports, in the vein of the NHL or the NFL). The prime-time Olympic viewers enjoy the backstories of athletes struggling against alcoholism or the crushing burden of being the most popular person in all of their far-off country, and they would much rather watch ice dancing than ice hockey.
They also adore the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, an amalgam of pro entertainment performances, weird costumes and effects and, of course, parades of fresh-faced international athletes that please the eyes and pull the heartstrings.
NBC cut away from last night's ceremonies to make room for what turned out to be one of the worst TV ideas in a long time, Jerry Seinfeld's The Marriage Ref, in which smug, high paid celebrities make fun of average Americans. Bob Costas told the audience to come back after 11:30, and watch the rest of ceremonies on tape delay. The heck with you, Bob Costas, even if you were simply carrying water for your bosses. And shame on those smug, high-paid NBC executives who have a similar dismissive attitude toward their audience.
It wouldn't have mattered if the sub show had been a revival of Seinfeld itself. The network insulted all the viewers who have enjoyed these prime-time Olympics so much. It destroyed the significant goodwill it had generated, not among sports fans, who don't watch that much prime-time TV anyway, but among the core audience that the fourth-place network has been so desperate to re-engage. With one thuddingly unispired move, it crystalized the complete lack of understanding and concern for the prime-time TV audience that has characterized the network virtually throughout the 21st Century.
Jonathan you are among only a few who care about the closing ceremonies. NERD— cuso20- God, this was worse than the earthquake in Chile!!! Get a grip...— Dtownfan
- Well like you said NBC promoted ICE DANCING over ICE HOCKEY, and you're surprised that they then promote a new NBC show over the closing ceremonies?? Its not about the games or NBC reconnecting with it's fruity audience, it's about NBC's ratings you dipstick!— wcunningwil
- Jonathan, you're right on the mark. It's astonishing that the pinheads at NBC would do such a thing. I feel for my older parents who watched the Games every night, only to have NBC pull the plug on the closing ceremonies mid-stream. I watched 5 minutes of that awful marriage show then went bed. The idiots seem to be in charge of so many things in life, eh?— travelhombre
- The Olympics are boring. Thank God I don't have to hear an update on Lindsey Vonn or Apollo Ohno anymore. They can go do their motivational speeches at business conventions and get off of my TV.— springfieldzoo
- The Marriage Ref was shocking. I watched the first segment, then said to my wife, "Really? This is a show?" The editing alone was appalling.— brianveitz
- i didnt even know the Olympics were over....now i have to find something else not to care about or watch. the Marriage Ref you say? excellent place to start!— IcanTakeit
- Jonathan, you're absolutely right. This reminds me of last fall when MLB scheduled the Phillies playoff games at god-awful times because Philly doesn't have the viewing demographic of, say, New York. Another group of executive pinheads that is out of touch with their audience and insulted us with their arrogance.— KOPresident
Comment removed.- Glad the olympics are over, its just a lot of fluff. Who cares if they cut away from the costume party
The funniest thing is that Jonathan is really mad about the closing ceremony being shifted! That's funny... anyway, you should know by now to expect this kind of stuff from NBC- they canned Conan for a re-tread Jay Leno, although I love Jaywalking and the classified ads...— kjuggs77- Not sure many were watching...— DennisAtwell
- Why does this surprise anybody? NBC has done this before with more important sporting events, can someone say Heidi Bowl? The network started the movie Heidi interrupting the Jets-Raiders game with 65 seconds in 1968.— vawild76
