Is a TV show’s title important to the show’s success?

Alan Sepinwall writes:

I’ve been thinking about names a lot. Specifically, the names of TV shows — and more specifically, the names of NBC’s new shows.

Once the Olympics finish, NBC will unveil the following new series:

– A sitcom about Joey from “Friends” called… “Joey”;

– A drama set in the LAX airport called… “LAX”;

– A drama set in Hawaii called… “Hawaii”;

and

– A drama about medical investigation called… (wait for it)… “Medical Investigation.”

Not leaving anything to chance with those titles, are they?

…

So here’s the question: is a simplistic title more likely to help a new show succeed than something esoteric? If “Friends” had debuted with its original title, “Six of One,” would it still have exploded onto the national stage, or would David Schwimmer be a yoga instructor today?

This is a fun article, filled with lots of examples of TV show titles past and present.

But I’m surprised someone could write on this topic without mentioning “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.”

Gothamist links to special coverage of the Republican convention from publications like New York Magazine and the Village Voice.

Last week the New Yorker ran an article about Errol Morris’s new ads for MoveOn.org highlighting former Bush voters who are planning to vote for Kerry this year. (Kind of like the Apple “Switch” campaign, the article points out.) You can view many of the ads here.