14 DAY TRIAL // With each fresh episode of “Game of Thrones,” which brings new, totally unexpected and very gory twists to the story, more fans swear off the HBO show, saying there’s only so much they can take in terms of seeing their favorite characters being killed off. Their outrage is fueled by a sense of injustice being done onto them by the writers and producers but, if you think about it, they have no idea what real injustice is.
I won’t use here that old argument of “just read the books and then you’ll know that the worst is still to come” on “Game of Thrones” because reading George R. R. Martin’s original novels or not is a choice. Fans who choose not to have just as much “right” to enjoy the show as those who do.
I will say this, though: fans who find it upsetting that characters are being killed off on “Game of Thrones” are probably watching the wrong show. This isn’t a traditional TV series, with a predictable narrative and a predictable outcome, as the very essence of “Game of Thrones” is that anyone could win this “game,” through whatever method. People will continue to die.
So whatever sense of injustice people feel is unfounded. Ask fans of longtime soap opera “The Young and the Restless” what real injustice feels like.
Clearly, there is no comparing the two shows, and not just because they target different audiences. However, what happened to the latter since Michael Muhney was fired is a lesson (cautionary tale, if you will) for all TV producers on the number 1 thing they should never do: cross fans.
While GoT is crossing fans by its very nature, Y&R did it for all the wrong reasons, by firing not one, but two of their favorite actors and having their characters killed off: Michael Muhney (Adam Newman) and Billy Miller (Billy Abbott).
The way Muhney’s departure was handled is the actual cautionary tale, because it led to a considerable drop in ratings, as thousands of fans swore they would boycott the show and not tune in until the actor was brought back. They’re still waiting.
Actors do get fired from jobs, but fans need to know why
In December, Muhney announced that his last episode on the soap opera would air in January. He didn’t explain what had happened to get the ax, and CBS and everyone else involved made sure not to clear it up for the fans. That was mistake number 1.
“I saw it coming, and I didn't see it coming. I suspected it could happen, but I didn't think that it really would. Part of me feels this is because I've always been outspoken, and sometimes I've been too outspoken. Sometimes I've walked around with a big backpack full of hubris. That is entirely on me,” Muhney said.
This was the perfect opportunity for CBS to release a statement on the matter, if only one saying the usual stuff about how this had been a mutual decision and that all parties involved remained friends, or that it had been a decision based on the usual “creative differences.” Anything would have been better than complete radio silence, because fans would have probably been OK with any excuse, but especially with that last one.
Never leave fans guessing
Instead, CBS did nothing. Meanwhile, rumors emerged online and started spreading like wildfire that the “real” reason for the firing was Muhney’s inability to keep his hands to himself, which he left to wander on the body of his much younger co-star Hunter King, particularly in the breast area.
With no denial available from either party, or at least some sort of explanation, fans took matters into their own hands and picked sides: on one side, a large group of Muhney supporters saying he’d never do such a thing, on the other, a smaller group blaming the alleged victim. Both believed Muhney should not have been fired.
At this point, whether Muhney had really harassed / groped King was not even relevant anymore because, in their attempt to hush his departure up, CBS did nothing more but to pour fuel on the fire. And, with each week that passed and they still continued to refuse to address that decision, the fans got angrier and angrier.
Never cross fans and then not even bother to acknowledge them
By January when Muhney’s final episode aired, there was chaos online. With that episode, fans who had tuned in for the show for years with regularity turned off the TV and said they were done. Just like that. For that to happen with any project, let alone one that has been on air for decades, it’s disgraceful for whoever is in charge because it betrays a complete inability to cater to their fanbase.
The phrase “don’t bite the hand that feeds you” comes to mind.
TV has changed in recent years because of the online community, which is something that CBS seems to have forgotten. Just like video killed the radio star, the Internet can kill the television star. Of course, “The Young and the Restless” won’t die because thousands left in protest over Muhney’s departure, but it will happen if producers continue to make decisions that constantly infuriate the fans – and then not even bother to acknowledge them.
CBS could have saved itself a lot of headache by just saying something – anything! – at any point between January and now, June 4, 2014, or at least allowed Muhney to do so. It could have also prevented many fans from leaving and stopped negative buzz from spreading by means of word of mouth.
Not all is lost though. The lesson can still be learned with a less high cost: if only producers managed to bring Muhney back, which is the rumored course of action right now.
Would you stop the boycott and return to “The Young and the Restless” if this happened? Let us know in the comments section below.