"Terriers"? I had no idea it was a buddy detective series on FX. I thought it was about -- well, gnarling dogs.
Indeed, I believed I saw print ads showing a gnarling dog. I
didn't dig deeper. I never got a chance to see any TV promos of the show, which I'm sure would have showed off wise-cracking, not-always-by-the-book, ex-police force, hot-headed
law-enforcement types. FX-style, of course.
According to FX, what I saw wasn't actually wasn't a print ad -- but a series of billboards located in Los Angeles (also in New York).
Even then, John Landgraf, president of FX, said the promos weren't the problem. Because he
says the promos tested well. So don't go blaming the marketing
department.
Still, the title of the show "Terriers" doesn't refer to anything -- other than perhaps a tangential association between the show's star, Donal Logue. and the
dog breed. Both love their beards?!
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But the campaign's initial marketing/communication
message didn't push me aggressively to see other information about the show -- the next phase of the marketing campaign.
ABC's "Cougar Town" executive producers say
its name is also misleading and they wish that it had some other moniker. The show is not about a lot of older women on the make. It's more about an unusual extended family structure.
The difference here? "Terriers" is now canceled, while "Cougar Town" lives on with good, but not great, ratings.
Landgraf believed if marketing was truly the problem, he
would have actually picked up the show for the second season -- albeit to change the marketing slant in year two, I'm guessing.
Still, what about the name? Seems that didn't totally
work. (Ah hah!) If it had gone to a second season Landgraf would have changed the name to "Terriers: PI."
Guessing ABC should change that other show name to "Cougar Town:
Funky Family Edition."