TV GUIDE: Ask Matt: USA Cancellations, Revolution Hiatus, Community, X Factor and more
Nov 5, 2012
by Matt Roush
Send your questions and comments to askmatt@tvguidemagazine.com and follow on Twitter!
... Question: Well, it seems the networks have come up with a new way to turn off viewers. Watching Fringe this season, Fox is displaying a Twitter hashtag on the screen non-stop throughout the length of the entire episode! For instance, Friday's episode had the hashtag #ShowNoMercy. In addition to being a distraction, there is also a potential spoiler-ish element to this as well. (The previous episode's hashtag was #TurningPoint, as I recall.) I watched the previous four seasons of Fringe on DVD before starting to watch this season, because I wanted to watch the final season "live." But I'm not going to want to watch other shows "live" on Fox in the future if this is what I'd have to put up with. What's your take on this trend? — Chris
Matt Roush: It's not nearly as aggravating to me as the pop-up ads, often busily animated, which clutter the bottom of the screen on multiple networks, promoting upcoming shows. When a show's hashtag just stays put along with the see-through network logo, I can usually ignore it, but when it changes along with the storyline, as it does with Fringe, it can be distracting, I suppose. Still, given how hard it can be for any show to get noticed in today's environment, especially one on the fringes like Fringe, I can't really blame them for this kind of "hey, look at me" behavior. But if they start flashing or blinking their hashtags, or anything similarly annoying — not that I want to give them any ideas — that would require a call for action...
Fringe airs Friday at 9/8C on FOX.
No comments:
Post a Comment