I kind of don't support this petition.
I originally wrote this for this message board thread.
But a lot of you guys/gals on my friends list are smart enough to already know what I say below, so feel free to ignore it completely. I just like the idea of having these thoughts saved for when I might need to use them again.
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I'm just saying that petitions work better in certain circumstances. Or, work at all I guess. Let's say, I don't know, someone were to start a petition to place a stop sign on the corner of my street. This would be an example of a useful petition. If someone living on that street (or someone who often travels through it) is in favor of the idea, that person would sign the petition. If a person is against the notion, they will not sign it. When the petition is passed on to the people in charge of placing stop signs, those people have reasonable numbers to use to make their decision. If the petition is signed by the majority of the people living on or around the street (and fake names could easily be confirmed, if anyone was foolish enough to try that sort of thing), then the people in charge would know that the most of the people actually affected by the change would be in favor. If there are few signatures, then obviously most people do not thing that the stop sign is a good idea. Basically, the simpler the petition, the better.
When an online petition is made, not just one street on one neighborhood is petitioned, but the entire world. You're asking every single person in the world if it would be a good idea for a television series to be aired. Gosh, where to begin. First of all, the only effect the change would have is entertainment value. There wouldn't be any car crashes as a result...well I suppose if I was driving and distracted by thinking about something funny that Colin said and....okay, not as a direct result anyway. If people support the idea, yes, they'll sign it. But what about the people who don't want Whose Line back on the air? The people who eventually get the petition won't be able to assume that everyone who doesn't sign it is against the idea, since there must be thousands of people who would sign it, but simply didn't know it existed. In summary, an online petition would only be feasible if every single person affected by the change had the chance to sign it (and what about those without internet access?) Let's go back to the original example. If I sign the stop sign (agh I'm using the word "sign" too much) petition, I'm basically saying, "I'm willing to take the time to pause for a few seconds if it means preventing future automobile accidents." There's a sacrifice involved. Signing a tv show petition means you're saying, "I'm willing to let you put Whose Line on the air if it means letting me watch Whose Line." To the people in charge of putting the show on the air, it probably comes across as "We enjoy this show, therefore you should allow us to see it more!" To me it seems like a petition for a television program isn't far off from, say, a petition for free money.
Before you mention the fanbase...well, you could say that any show has a large fanbase, but how would you prove it? As I explained earlier, the number of petitions doesn't accurately depict it. Television networks already use a method to determine how many people tune in to see a show (Click here for more information on Nielsen Media Research). Granted, it's not perfect either, but it's more reliable than an online petition. Nielsen ratings are better proof of a show not being popular enough to stay on television than a list of names on a webpage. The stop sign people could easily check records to be sure that a Mr. John Smith lives on Main Street. But what records would the network people check to be sure that "mike" would watch Whose Line is it Anyway? on a regular basis if it were brought back to television? And would he purchase products and/or services sold during the commercials?
But I suppose it couldn't _hurt_ to make an online petition. Other than the waste of time, but that's a given. Maybe you want to make an online petition for the fun of it. If you do, I strongly suggest taking the time to write it well. It doesn't have to be a Harvard application essay. Make an attempt to spell words correctly and form at least semi-convincing arguments.

Examples
BAD: "...sign 4 them..."
GOOD: "...sign for them..."

BAD: "...until we get WHOSE LIN BACK!!..."
GOOD: "...until we get "Whose Line?" back."
EVEN BETTER: "...until the purpose of the petition is fulfilled."
BEST: "...until the purpose of the petition is fulfilled, pretty please with sprinkles on top!"

I apologize if instead of being optimistic and upbeat, I actually thought the idea through. Now, if only I could start a petition to end online petitions.

Post script. I look forward to reading your rebuttal.