|
(Photo: David M. Russell/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Television (Damages); Courtesy of Lifetime (Project Runway); John P. Johnson/Courtesy of HBO (True Blood); Jessica Miglio/Courtesy of HBO (David); Courtesy of FX (Louie); Ben Leuner/Courtesy of AMC (Breaking Bad)) |
Rabid-Fan Calculus
This summer’s returning TV favorites have whipped fans into a frenzy thanks to a combination of cliffhanger endings, outrageously long gaps between seasons, and just being really good. It’s such a special combination, in fact, that it required a mathematical formula to assess.
The Calculation:
( Number of days between previous episode and season premiere ÷ Opportunity for fans to satisfy their need for that show elsewhere, out of 10 ) + Likelihood of goodness of coming season, out of 10 × Cliffhangerness of previous finale, out of 5, with 5 being “implied imminent death of a main character” + Percent of characters that elicit genuine care and interest on the part of the audience = Rabidity of fan base, quantified.
Project Runway
| 272 days ÷ 8 |
There are so many Runway clones, plus the All Stars season starts in August.
|
| + 0 |
It’s the ninth cycle already! The thrill is gone.
|
| × 1 |
N/A |
| + 25 |
Tim, Nina. |
| 59 |
|
True Blood
| 287 days ÷ 5 |
The ubiquity of vampire stories, the Sookie Stackhouse books, and pornography.
|
| + 2 |
Witches, oy.
|
| × 2 |
Hold on to your
seats. Sookie goes to the fairy kingdom. |
| + 30 |
Eric, Lafayette.
|
| 148.8 |
|
Curb Your Enthusiam
| 595 days ÷ 2 |
Seinfeld reruns scratch that Larry David itch.
|
| + 7 |
Based on the
Ricky Gervais appearance alone.
|
| × 1 |
Not a cliffhanger
kind of show.
|
| + 50 |
Susie, Jeff,
Wanda Sykes. |
| 354.5 |
|
Damages
| 450 days ÷ 3 |
The Good Wife covers a lot
of the elegant-legal-drama ground.
|
| + 6 |
The show still
hasn’t matched its first season.
|
| × 2 |
Stories never
feel resolved.
|
| + 65 |
Patty,
only Patty.
|
| 377 |
|
Louie
| 289 days ÷ .5 |
Louis C.K.’s hilarious TV interviews
just make us
want more.
|
| + 8 |
Assuming the
show’s a bit more consistent than last season.
|
| × 1 |
Each episode is
so self-contained.
|
| + 85 |
Louie.
|
| 671 |
|
Breaking Bad
| 399 days ÷ 1 |
There’s no
other show like it.
|
| + 9 |
It’ s been on a
steady upward trajectory.
|
| × 5 |
Who knows who
that bullet hit?
|
| + 70 |
Walt, Skyler,
Walt Jr., Jesse, Saul.
|
| 2,110 |
|
Neil Patrick Harris in Sleep No More
Justin Davidson on Driving in New York
Idris Elba's Day Off 
Nitsuh Abebe on the Scissor Sisters
Look Book: Clara Zinovoy, Retiree
Hakkasan Is Ruby Foo’s for Rich People
A Modernist Beach House in Long Beach
Surveying Summer’s Cold-Brew Coffees
Obama’s Senior Strategists on Beating Romney 
Parents of Transgender Kids Face a Tough Decision
A New York Times Whodunit
The Secretive World of Supreme Court Clerks
Join the Discussion
Read All Comments | Add Yours
Recent Comments On This Article