When "I Am Cait" became, as Perez Hilton noted, "I Am Cancelled," the demise, after only two seasons, of the series that chronicled Olympian Bruce Jenner's transition to transgender woman Caitlyn Jenner, the inevitable reason given was: the ratings fell of the cliff. Last summer, when "I Am Cait" debuted, 2.7 million viewers tuned in to watch the show E! hailed as "groundbreaking." By the end of season 2, the ratings had dropped by more than 2 million from that blockbuster open.

Did we need the Rio Games? Oh, yes, like we've never needed an Olympics before. They are a balm to screens everywhere.