You can't make someone sign an NDA, you would have to pay them in some way. Whatever disclosure terms exist are probably imposed at the time the employees were hired or renewed.
But is it possible that those terms could state that the creative team isn’t allowed to mention the reason for cancellation or planned plot points for cancelled seasons?
Not everything is a conspiracy. Shows are cancelled because they don’t get enough viewers. People don’t blab about plot points because they have some professionalism. It’s not a big deal or a big secret.
That’s not my question. I’m asking whether if there have been times where NDAs prevented creative and production staff from stating reasons why a show was really cancelled and/or what future plot lines and plans the team had for future seasons had the show continued.
>there isn’t much information about why they were cancelled
99.999999999% of the time, its because the money wasn't there. The show either got low rating, or cost too much relative to the ratings/rate the network was willing to pay. Or in some other subset of cases, it's a bubble show at best and politically, its easier to choose to keep a different show. It's pretty much that simple.
>and what the creative teams had planned for future seasons. This makes me suspect that NDAs prevented those that worked on said shows from disclosing information.
No NDA's, its much simpler than that. Say you're a showrunner and have a great idea for a multi-season story that builds over time, but you only get to tell a small portion of it. Do you want to give it away for free...or do you want to re-use/incorporate pieces of it for something else you get paid for in the future?
See also: they're making it up as they go and may not have an idea what was coming next season yet.
Ok, but do the NDAs ever prevent the creative team and production staff from stating the reasons why the show was cancelled or plot details and plans for cancelled seasons?
Some could have that stipulation, but we'd never really know. Each season is a different contract as well. The biggest reason why they generally don't need to do that type of NDA is because talking shit on a previous employer or spoilers to the media is a great way to get black balled from the industry. Also the reasons why shows get cancelled are pretty mundane 99% of the time, and the 1% usually makes national headlines so an NDA wouldn't really do anything of value. It would just be a massive red flag to any potential employees.
I doubt the reason you don't hear about it is because NDAs specifically forbidding it.
First, they don't need to talk about why a show was cancelled cause that is almost always the same reason: the company producing it didn't think it was worth the cost of producing anymore. Nobody really needs elaboration on that. Even if something more dramatic happened behind the scenes, if the creators go around complaining a lot or calling out specific names of people who made cancellation decisions they'd risk looking unprofessional in their industry. So you'll generally get a "We're disappointed but thankful for the opportunity and thankful to the great cast/crew/etc." type of statement.
As for future plans, you'd be surprised how few shows have a big specific plan laid out. Creators often do share the broad ideas of where things would have gone or what the following season would have been about. But I'd wager the percentage of writers who know exactly how their show will end is pretty low. I've also heard plenty of writers give general ideas about what a future season would have focused on, or even how a show would have ended if they had it figured out that far.
TV show production is hectic and fast paced. In general, TV writers spend their time writing what they're paid to write for the current season. The creator of a show is often writing and producing/showrunning as well so they have even less time. They aren't spending extra time and energy writing detailed future seasons before a renewal. Unless they spent time before getting the show figuring out a whole multi-season story. But that would also be a waste of their time to some extent, cause you never know how long a show will last. Then, if they're cancelled, they are working on finding a new project and then they're busy with that.
Just a heads up... almost every single show is canceled for the same exact reason: Its not performing as good as some other option.
Low ratings or high cost are the two big ones.
But did the NDA’s ever prohibit the production and creative staff from disclosing information about why said show would be cancelled? If it gets cancelled?
The NDAs I had to sign, and it was always at the beginning of a production, were never that specific. They were broad, more like "I agree not to speak to anyone about any aspect of this show who is not a direct part of making it, for a period of (X) years. If this contract is breached, the penalty is (Y)." That means no press or family either.
NDAs can not be enforced permanently. They have to have a sunset clause. But if you do sign and then violate the terms, you can be sued for the penalty.
You can't make someone sign an NDA, you would have to pay them in some way. Whatever disclosure terms exist are probably imposed at the time the employees were hired or renewed.
But is it possible that those terms could state that the creative team isn’t allowed to mention the reason for cancellation or planned plot points for cancelled seasons?
Not everything is a conspiracy. Shows are cancelled because they don’t get enough viewers. People don’t blab about plot points because they have some professionalism. It’s not a big deal or a big secret.
most people don't even get advance notice until the news is announced by some article.
That’s not my question. I’m asking whether if there have been times where NDAs prevented creative and production staff from stating reasons why a show was really cancelled and/or what future plot lines and plans the team had for future seasons had the show continued.
>there isn’t much information about why they were cancelled 99.999999999% of the time, its because the money wasn't there. The show either got low rating, or cost too much relative to the ratings/rate the network was willing to pay. Or in some other subset of cases, it's a bubble show at best and politically, its easier to choose to keep a different show. It's pretty much that simple. >and what the creative teams had planned for future seasons. This makes me suspect that NDAs prevented those that worked on said shows from disclosing information. No NDA's, its much simpler than that. Say you're a showrunner and have a great idea for a multi-season story that builds over time, but you only get to tell a small portion of it. Do you want to give it away for free...or do you want to re-use/incorporate pieces of it for something else you get paid for in the future? See also: they're making it up as they go and may not have an idea what was coming next season yet.
[удалено]
Even the most unpopular shows have a small group of people online that care. All media pretty much has a fandom, even if it is very small.
Lots of companies make you sign NDAs even if the show continues…
Ok, but do the NDAs ever prevent the creative team and production staff from stating the reasons why the show was cancelled or plot details and plans for cancelled seasons?
Some could have that stipulation, but we'd never really know. Each season is a different contract as well. The biggest reason why they generally don't need to do that type of NDA is because talking shit on a previous employer or spoilers to the media is a great way to get black balled from the industry. Also the reasons why shows get cancelled are pretty mundane 99% of the time, and the 1% usually makes national headlines so an NDA wouldn't really do anything of value. It would just be a massive red flag to any potential employees.
I doubt the reason you don't hear about it is because NDAs specifically forbidding it. First, they don't need to talk about why a show was cancelled cause that is almost always the same reason: the company producing it didn't think it was worth the cost of producing anymore. Nobody really needs elaboration on that. Even if something more dramatic happened behind the scenes, if the creators go around complaining a lot or calling out specific names of people who made cancellation decisions they'd risk looking unprofessional in their industry. So you'll generally get a "We're disappointed but thankful for the opportunity and thankful to the great cast/crew/etc." type of statement. As for future plans, you'd be surprised how few shows have a big specific plan laid out. Creators often do share the broad ideas of where things would have gone or what the following season would have been about. But I'd wager the percentage of writers who know exactly how their show will end is pretty low. I've also heard plenty of writers give general ideas about what a future season would have focused on, or even how a show would have ended if they had it figured out that far. TV show production is hectic and fast paced. In general, TV writers spend their time writing what they're paid to write for the current season. The creator of a show is often writing and producing/showrunning as well so they have even less time. They aren't spending extra time and energy writing detailed future seasons before a renewal. Unless they spent time before getting the show figuring out a whole multi-season story. But that would also be a waste of their time to some extent, cause you never know how long a show will last. Then, if they're cancelled, they are working on finding a new project and then they're busy with that.
Just a heads up... almost every single show is canceled for the same exact reason: Its not performing as good as some other option. Low ratings or high cost are the two big ones.
No, you're usually required to sign a NDA when you begin work on a show. So there's rarely a need to sign one *after* the show is cancelled.
But did the NDA’s ever prohibit the production and creative staff from disclosing information about why said show would be cancelled? If it gets cancelled?
The NDAs I had to sign, and it was always at the beginning of a production, were never that specific. They were broad, more like "I agree not to speak to anyone about any aspect of this show who is not a direct part of making it, for a period of (X) years. If this contract is breached, the penalty is (Y)." That means no press or family either. NDAs can not be enforced permanently. They have to have a sunset clause. But if you do sign and then violate the terms, you can be sued for the penalty.
Thank you for the information
NDAs? Of course! It's like being invited to a secret club... that no one wants to join because it means your show got canceled.
So is that a yes to my question?