“The Contender” – Bad Idea + Great Execution = Bad TV

The premier episode of Mark Burnet’s much anticipated, and albeit beautifully made “The Contender” flopped like George Forman hitting the canvas from a Muhammad Ali left hook in the Rumble in the Jungle. The line up however was truly impressive, Burnet teamed with Dream Work’s, Jeffery Katzenberg, original music score by Jan Hammer, hosted by Sly Stalone and Sugar Ray Leonard, Toyota, Home Depot, Gatorade, and Sierra Mist chipped in upwards of $16 million each to mount this project and with all that juice, this puppy was out for the count by the end of round one! Surely advertisers didn't spend $16 million for a 4.1 adults 18 to 49 rating; you can get that from "Crossing Jordan" for a good deal less. How could so many seemingly smart guys miss on so many obvious points? Error #1: The majority of the Prime Time audience is women who for the most part hate boxing. Error #2: The story line focuses around each fighter’s relationship with his family. What kind of warped thinking leads producers to think it is appropriate prime time family values to feature a Dad getting the shit beat out of him in front of his wife and four year old daughter. What is this show saying about family violence, settling disputes by fighting etc. I have never seen something so appalling. Error #3 Isn’t the audience getting sick and tired of watching people get fired, kicked off the island, eliminated and now beaten up?

"The Contender's" 8 million viewers and 4.1 adults 18 to 49 rating weren't what viewers or ad agencies expected. The main error in judgment was that NBC couldn't elude the central point: This is a show about boxers, which cuts a show down to size for potential audience. This show would have done better scaled down on Spike.

Hmmmm, what can we expect to see Mr. Burnett do next with convicted felon Martha Stewart? Maybe “Egos Gone Wild?” ….

Get Real.