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Nielsen says final episode of ‘Afghanistan' drew biggest ratings in 12 seasons
Moved to Opinion. Satire like Duffel, Bee, Onion, goes to Opinion[Duffelblog] HOLLYWOOD — Fans of “Afghanistan,” the longest-running military drama in U.S. history, tuned in for the show's finale in numbers not seen in more than a decade, according to ratings company Nielsen. “We are very grateful to our loyal fans who stayed with us all the way through,” producers said in a statement. “And we also appreciate the fair-weather fans who returned to complain about the long-awaited end.” Nielsen says the ratings were the highest since 2009’s two-part episode in which a U.S. soldier walked off his forward operating base and the entire U.S. Army mobilized to try and find him. The show originally began as a primetime miniseries, “Northern Alliance,” which debuted in the fall of 2001. The series was an unqualified hit, and producers turned it into a full production that December, after Northern Alliance’s climax, “Loya Jirga,” shattered records for military-themed programming. “We just completely blew away ‘Gulf War’ numbers,” sources told the TV trades at the time. “Afghanistan’s” strong start faltered some when a spinoff, “Shock and Awe,” began to air. The convoluted writing—at one point, the show tried to convince viewers that the real villains of “Northern Alliance” were in Iraq—quickly soured large parts of the audiences of both shows. No matter how hard then-executive-producer Paul Wolfowitz tried, audiences never bought the connection between the two storylines. Over time, each series tried all the usual tricks—crossover appearances, surges of guest stars, sex scandals involving major characters—but audiences remained decidedly ambivalent. Even the shows’ loyal “Teefies”—derived from “Thank you for your service,” which fans abbreviated into TYFYS with their distinctive sun-faded yellow magnetic ribbons on the backs of pickup trucks—gradually lost interest. What once was a frequent occurrence accompanied by a purchased beer, coffee, or in-flight upgrade eventually became a dolorous, half-hearted greeting without even eye contact. Posted by: Penguin of the Desert 2021-09-07 |
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