Why Nobody's Watching

A year ago, when the Global Frequency pilot escaped onto the internet, I wrote a blog post suggesting that Internet Voting could greatly improve the quality of television programming. Instead of leaving it up to network executives to decide what America wants to watch, TV pilots could be posted on the internet, allowing audiences to select the new lineup for each season.

After all, Family Guy and Futurama were both "uncancelled" after people voted with their wallets by purchasing copious amounts of DVDs.

The networks look like they might be getting their feet wet with a few online contests. FX solicited comedy shorts to promote the return of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," offering the winner the chance to turn their idea into a pilot with a $50,000 budget. Comedy Central is running a similar Test Pilots contest to procure more content for Motherload. And fans of "The Office" can enter their homemade promos for the show in NBC's contest.

YouTube has proven that my Internet Voting model is viable, and the networks seem to be paying attention. "Nobody's Watching," a pilot that the WB inexplicably passed on, has become extremely popular on the video-sharing website, and may find a home on television after all. Check out part 1, part 2, and part 3. (Battlestar Galactica fans will recognize "Billy," a.k.a. Paul Campbell, as one of the leads). And NBC will be using YouTube to promote its fall lineup this year.

It's time to send the focus groups home. Every broadcast network and cable station should just cut to the chase and start uploading all of their pilots directly onto YouTube. Let viewers vote for what they want to watch next season. Seriously, why isn't this a no-brainer?