Ratings and Meaning
I've been browsing TV.com for a bit this evening, trying to find a few new shows to dedicate some time to, and kept being drawn towards the ratings panel for each show. I noticed one overriding factor regarding the ratings; most shows seem to have a very high rating. Even the really, really bad shows seem to do well -- even Reaper scored 8.8, and it's easily one of the worst things to ever grace my television.
What's the theory behind the high ratings? It's fairly clear that the majority of the time people who really like shows are the only ones vote for them, and when they do vote, they vote high. The upper and lower bounds are usually ignored in rating systems, so most shows end up with high 8's or low 9's.
So ultimately, the rating system is flawed, and potentially pointless, as it's not a true reflection of the public perception of a show. Should the rating system be removed entirely? Not necessarily, but it should probably be given less importance on the website, and taken with a huge pinch of salt if you're using it as a guide.
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