I remember something my English professor in college said once, in regards to the success of some lousy novel when other, far superior works struggle to sell. “The masses are asses.” So, so true. Check out the rating for any of the flotsam that gluts mainstream television. Like, literally, just pick something from the top ten shows, some singing competition, spouse-swapping inanity, or stupid sitcom. The dumber it is, the less thought it requires to appreciate it, the higher the ratings are going to be. The masses are asses.
Ratings for the second season of NOS4A2 have been roughly half of what they were for the first season. I don’t get that, since the second season has been, in my opinion, superior. Why did such a sizable chunk of the audience not return for this season? I honestly don’t know.
We know there is talk of a spinoff series featuring the Maggie character. That’s good. But will we get to see Charley Manx again? The storyline this season does seem to be winding things up. Not that the writers couldn’t easily cook up some reasons for it to continue. But will they be given the chance? If I were a betting man, I wouldn’t put much money on it.
All we can do at this point—well, all *you* can do, since I’ve already been doing my part—is make sure you tune in to the next two, final episodes. A bump in the ratings has persuaded more than one suit in an office to renew a struggling series.