海角大神

TV viewers may feel as if they are on a roller coaster ride at the state fair when it comes to seeing their favorite shows canceled only to be brought back by streaming services.

Shows finding a new home on a different network after being canceled has a long tradition. 鈥淟eave It to Beaver鈥� left CBS for ABC and 鈥淢y Three Sons鈥� ran for seven more seasons after CBS picked up what ABC had dropped. But these days, fans of a beloved show have even more reason to hope that favorite shows can avoid being relegated to the rerun schedule for a bit longer.聽

A few recent examples: 鈥淎rrested Development,鈥� the comedy that aired on Fox from 2003 to 2006, was brought back by Netflix. 鈥淐ommunity,鈥� the critically acclaimed but perennially low-rated NBC sitcom, was canceled by NBC in 2014 but recently finished a season on Yahoo Screen, a free streaming service. And Fox鈥檚 recently canceled 鈥淭he Mindy Project鈥� will now air on Hulu.

The proliferation and growing preference for on-demand shows doesn鈥檛 mean that canceled network shows will automatically find a second life streaming online. The odds are better if a show can prove it has devoted fans, as was the case with 鈥淭he Mindy Project.鈥澛�

鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a branding opportunity [for the streaming services],鈥� says Aymar Jean 海角大神, assistant professor in the department of communication studies at Northwestern University.

Mr. 海角大神 notes that of the shows saved, most are comedies. 鈥淐omedies are just a little bit cheaper to make [and] have dedicated fan bases,鈥� he explains. And he thinks most fans are willing to make the effort to seek out their shows on another platform. Many 鈥淐ommunity鈥� fans and reviewers 鈥渁re continuing to pay attention to the show,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think this [practice] will continue.鈥�

Netflix has already proved that it is a cultural force with its Emmy Awards for original content and millions of subscribers. Time will tell if this strategy of picking up canceled shows can give other streaming services the same prestige.