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The Death of Broadcast Network Series
Cable shows like Dexter are the best thing on television today.
Is it because of these shows’ provocativeness? No, it boils down to creative freedom. Writers are attracted to a venue where the FCC isn’t hanging over your pen, not to mention a network willing to spend money on period pieces and the like. Good actors are drawn by the opportunity to work with writers and directors like Alan Ball and producers like Tom Hanks, and the projects take on a think-outside-the-box life of their own. Sometimes it’s a great miniseries like John Adams, and sometimes it’s a great series whose episodes get played over and over on the on-demand channels.
Pay cable series have been a boon to history lovers. The HBO series Rome, produced in conjunction with the BBC, brought a new dimension to the murder of Julius Caesar and the madness of Mark Antony, while conveying another thought to the viewer: No wonder Jesus, to arrive some half century later, was so badly needed. Though not a big award winner during the series run, the show’s avid fans may be treated to a Rome movie in the future (though let’s hope it’s infinitely better than the Sex and the City transition to screen).
Showtime also struck gold with The Tudors, with Peter O’Toole as Pope Paul III as probably the most inspired casting of all. Though the show drags a bit more than Rome, the great characters such as Jeremy Northam as St. Thomas More have made the show well worth watching. Season three returns this year with Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who lost out to HBO’s Gabriel Byrne at the Globes for best actor in a dramatic series) going through wives No. 3 through No. 5. (Maria Doyle Kennedy, excellent as Wife No. 1 Katherine of Aragon, was honored at the Irish Film and Television Awards for her work in the series but never here in the U.S.)
When it comes to modern-day fare, HBO has a huge audience hit with the dramedy True Blood (have a show’s opening credits ever been so entertaining?), for which Anna Paquin (surprisingly) won the best actress Globe. And Showtime continues to get shafted by a lack of awards for what could be the best series on television right now, Dexter. Season three was full of hairpin turns — propelled by a surprising Jimmy Smits as a district attorney and the perfectly chilling Michael C. Hall — that left me convinced this is some of the best writing done for the screen in a long time.
When it comes to awards seasons, 30 Rock will continue to reap plaudits as Hollywood loves seeing itself on screen. But that won’t make up the ground that the broadcast networks have lost to cable when it comes to the future of television. It’s not about being able to use naughty words that the broadcast boys can’t, but about taking a chance on creative, fresh ideas for the small screen.
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Bridget Johnson is the online opinion editor, an opinion writer, and a blogger at the Rocky Mountain News.
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27 Comments
1. Marc Malone:Odd. I’ve never heard of any of these series (except the dreadful Sex and the City). But then, I don’t get HBO or Showtime. That said, I agree in principle. SciFi has come up with some great series. Too bad they can’t make them last. Poor marketing, I guess. I also quit watching when they put wrestling on their station. Little offends me more than the idea of brainless, fake-drama wrestling on a station for eggheads.
A side note on Sex and the City: What man could possibly be interested in any of the neurotic, focal characters of the series? Like all romance novels, it’s just porn for women. Undeserving woman seeks/gets perfect man… and he’s servile to her. Pah! Pardon me whilst I retch at the wretches.
Jan 13, 2009 - 1:09 am 2. Obi-Wandreas:I have to disagree: NCIS, CSI (various iterations), The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Pushing Daisies (until those purple bellies cancelled it) , House M.D., Chuck, Numb3rs…
There is plenty of good stuff on network tv right now. Although we do definitely enjoy Monk as well as Burn Notice around this house.
Jan 13, 2009 - 3:46 am 3. locomotivebreath1901:The mind numbing, high def drone about violent racketeers, Cougar herpes factories, rude n crude cartoons, and schizophrenic moonlighting killers is entertainment?
That’s sad. It’s truly pathetic that our society feels compelled to finance this type of nightly waste when our personal resources could be better spent. The same lesson applies to hollyweird trash.
I don’t have cable, and I’m glad. But millions more do have cable, and are influenced accordingly.
Bridget, honey. Put down the remote & step away from the TV.
Jan 13, 2009 - 6:40 am 4. ThinkingPerson:Have to concur with #2 Obi-W… The Big Bang Theory could be the savior of network TV. Brilliant writing for a sitcom!
Jan 13, 2009 - 6:41 am 5. goy:I also have to disagree. And I believe what’s really happening here is due to the way cable customers are changing their viewing habits with available technology, more than the types or quality of shows they prefer. If nothing else, the ongoing popularity of the insipid American Idol bears this out.
The phenomenon I’ve seen is rather that the broadcast networks often don’t KEEP series that are of any real quality. Firefly, Drive, Jericho, Wonderfalls are only a few that spring to mind. It’s not clear to me whether this is because their ratings mechanism is different (from that used by cable networks), but my sense is that it has to do with the obsolete Nielsen system and total dependence on advertising funds to produce programming.
Basic ($24) plus extended ($36) plus digital ($12) plus HD ($12) plus DVR service ($5) with our cable company already runs almost $90 per month. With taxes, that’s almost $100 per month. For television. Something we used to get free over the air. Despite the fact that we used to get all this for free, I don’t actually mind the expense so much as the fact that, along with that fee I’m also forced to watch (or record and fast-forward past) about 20 minutes of commercial ads for every hour I view. To boot, I’m constantly interrupted and insulted on some channels by pop-up advertising for other programs (I give it a year or so before these pop-ups start hawking sponsors’ products, if they haven’t already).
Unfortunately, cable channels have begun to follow suit in this regard. Pitch Black, for instance, which runs 112 minutes in its unrated version, is stretched to a 3-hour-plus time slot on the Sci Fi channel to make room for ShamWow ads. Aside from the fact that these constant interruptions utterly destroy any continuity a film or series episode may have, it’s simply an insult to be paying $100/mo. for access to entertainment in this way and THEN have to sit through over an our of advertising in order to watch a less-than-two-hour film. Conversely, for $18/mo. Netflix will send me the DVD and pay for return postage. For as many DVDs as I can watch. Including any series that’s gone to DVD. You do the math.
The bottom line is that any program (cable or network) has to be truly amazing for me to want to actually watch it as it’s broadcast. Very little broadcast network fare qualifies, but only slightly less than cable channel offerings, and I believe that’s mostly due to the business model used, which requires that if a series isn’t a blockbuster in its first weeks, it simply goes away. If it weren’t for DVR and one or two channels my wife prefers, I’d likely can the entire cable TV package and move to streamed video via Netflix, and use a cheap computer to stream stuff from FoodTV’s online library, etc. I may actually still do that.
Here’s my current mode of TV viewing. I no longer watch any broadcast or cable news programming. Ever. When I have time around dinner, I may catch 30 minutes of Cash Cab or Jeopardy. If/when I do, I almost always pause the show (via DVR) when it starts, go prepare something to eat, then come back and watch so I can fast-forward past the advertising – virtually in real-time. Beyond that I record Battlestar Galactica, CSI, 24 and Two and a Half Men on DVR and watch those at my leisure, skipping over ALL advertising.
But even that is changing now that I have DVDs and streamed video from Netflix. I never watched any of Heroes or Jericho or the first five seasons of 24 as they were broadcast. I viewed 24 on DVD (from Netflix) commercial-free, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I recently watched the entire season-and-a-half of Jericho in HD, commercial-free, at a pace of my own choosing. I didn’t have to wait a week between episodes or sit through inane ads, and I know beyond a doubt that this added to my enjoyment of those productions.
Here’s the thing: Jericho isn’t the best show I’ve ever watched, but it was entertaining enough to enjoy the way I did. It was NOT intriguing enough to watch as a broadcast network program and is no way attractive enough to watch as a CW re-run while being insulted by 30% of every hour dedicated to ads, plus their insulting and annoying pop-ups. I plan to view all three seasons of Heroes in exactly this way. Lost, ditto. Dexter, maybe. I may actually wait and watch the latest 24 this way as well, given the politically-correct turn it appears to be taking, or wait until it comes out on Blu-Ray.
Neither broadcast nor cable network execs appear to have the slightest clue regarding the way technology is changing people’s viewing habits. I’d absolutely rather sit through a 10th viewing of Lawrence of Arabia, in HD, commercial-free, than 90% of what I find on TV – on any station. And there’s a lot more than that available, with more coming on line every day. Before networks go the way of print media, they’d better get a handle on this.
Jan 13, 2009 - 7:07 am 6. ThinkingPerson:#5 goy….You are spot on! Might I add that watching any show without funneling it through the DVR first is is a total waste of time. I’m hoping the networks don’t think of this though or they might find a way to prevent my fast-forwarding through all of the commercials/rubbish. Who knew a 30 minute show was really 20 minutes?
Jan 13, 2009 - 7:22 am 7. Pat J:I have to agree that Broadcast Network series are the pits. Especially the sit-coms on the Big 3. Not to mention all the CSI copycats. As far as dramas with a science fiction bent, in my opinion Lost and Heroes are two of the best shows on network TV.
As far as the best show on television, Battlestar Galactica on the Sci-Fi channel.
Jan 13, 2009 - 7:36 am 8. Cigar Jack:BSG is a fantastic show. As for network TV I love Chuck and My Name is Earl. USA also has a fun show to watch call Burn Notice.
Jan 13, 2009 - 7:52 am 9. Michael Canzano:I find the cable shows to be better than most of the films. I just rented “Generation Kill” and even my girl friend was impressed by its authenticity ,humor and acting. Since it showed what Marines really think and do Hollywood ignored it. To tell the truth I was hoping SAG would shut down Hollywood and they would move it to Fallujah or Bahdad where it belongs.
Jan 13, 2009 - 8:09 am 10. Michael Canzano:Dexter Rules !
American Christian Infidel
Michael Canzano
Or better yet move it to Obama’s back yard so they could worship in person on a daily basis.
Jan 13, 2009 - 8:12 am 11. goy:American Christian Infidel
Michael Canzano
#6 ThinkingPerson: - I’m hoping the networks don’t think of this though or they might find a way to prevent my fast-forwarding through all of the commercials/rubbish.
Oh, they’re absolutely aware of it. You see this reflected, for instance, on IMdB, where the trailers are preceded by ads you can’t skip. I’m sure there are ‘top men’ working on the problem as it pertains to DVR.
Anyway, that’s one of the reasons the pop-ups have appeared, IMHO. Can’t FF past those. And that’s why I believe that once we’re “trained” to expect them, they’ll transition to ads for sponsors’ products. Which is why I tend not to DVR anything from channels that do this, if I have a choice. This means those stations have lost me as a ‘customer’, since it’s clear they’d run non-stop advertising rather than anything entertaining, if they had the choice.
And yes, if you look at the running times for most one-hour series episodes once they go to DVD or streamed video, they typically range from about 40 to about 44 minutes. So you’re absolutely correct. Without a DVR I would not be watching television at this point. One guilty pleasure I can thus enjoy, BTW, as a former ballroom dancer is Dancing With the Stars. The only thing that makes this palatable is my DVR, which allows me to skip everything but the dancing – ads, teleprompter talk, ancillary B.S. segments, scoring, etc. I’m guessing there are lots of people out there who watch American Idol in exactly this way, skipping everything but the actual singing – more than would probably admit, anyway.
Jan 13, 2009 - 8:49 am 12. David West:Most all cable and broadcast channels have insipid programming. The only reason I keep digital cable in any form is for the live events – sports, breaking news stories, etc. Otherwise, you see my XBox360 on the television far more, and the tv off completely most of the time. Even then, ESPN has gone so far over the top with the cliche machine, I watch many events on it with the sound off.
The three USA network programs Monk, Psych, and Burn Notice are watchable, but not something I watch on a regular basis. The only cop/investigative drama that I consider watchable is NCIS. Otherwise, the tube is filled with junk.
Remember, that $$$ you are spending to get cable is also keeping the lousy on the air. If the stations actually had to compete on cable, most would disappear, like the Messiah Savior Nigh-godlike Barack Channel (MSNBC).
Jan 13, 2009 - 9:32 am 13. drjohn:My sons love Dexter.
I really like Burn Notice.
It is a new world.
Jan 13, 2009 - 11:03 am 14. therealist:There is a lesson that everyone seems to ignore: Smart works. The American public is not the idiots that Hollywood takes us for. CSI, House, etc are very popular shows for a reason. The HBO/Showtime series are smart in their own way – very complex characters and storylines. The best comedies of the 90s, Frasier and Seinfeld, were also smart. The current crop of comedies are stupid and that’s why they’re not very funny. (Kath & Kim?) Most people want TV to not just entertain them but to make them think and learn. Not everyone, but most people.
BTW A show I highly recommend is NBC’s Life – very complex characters and storylines.
Jan 13, 2009 - 11:16 am 15. wire dog01:My favorite new show was Sons of Anarchy, also Burn Notice and The Riches. Still watch Fraiser reruns every night
Jan 13, 2009 - 2:25 pm 16. JoshC:I can’t believe nobody has mentioned The Wire yet. The greatest series ever made and it could only be made by a cable company like HBO.
Jan 13, 2009 - 2:30 pm 17. Jdog:Overall, I agree with Bridget’s estimation that content on the broadcast networks is pretty much crap these days. The cable networks have the best shows and series going right now with one exception IMHO: 24. With that said, AMC’s Mad Men is stunning in that it so absorbs the viewer and captures an iconic time in our culture with such depth. You really feel like you’re experiencing the 50’s when you watch it.
Just one little nit pick though. I was surprised that Bridget didn’t mention AMC’s Breaking Bad. This show IMHO is simply one of the best if not the best series out there. The casting is sublime, and it has it all, great acting, writing, dialog, irony/humor, and tragedy. Watching the main character, Walter White, go from being a listless middle aged going nowhere high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with terminal cancer to a player in the illicit drug trade in New Mexico is remarkable and is both disturbing and hilarious. His transformation from a mild mannered nobody to aggressive (and violent) druggie is a fun, fascinating and compelling experience. It’s like looking at a car accident. You can’t take your eyes of this man’s descent into crime and deviance, albeit for altruistic reasons, and the supporting cast is terrific.
Kudos to AMC. As with Mad Men, they hit another home run with this one.
Do yourself a favor, if you haven’t seen Breaking Bad yet, I highly recommend you rent or buy the season 1 DVD’s before season 2 comes out. You will not be disappointed. It’s that good.
Jan 13, 2009 - 2:44 pm 18. Jim Baker:What we see is the dumbing down of network programming in response to the continually decreasing viewership. They are now reduced to just putting on any cheap product that can get enough attention to sell the cat food and car commercials. This phenomenon is not limited to network entertainment programming. It involves all the news programming as well. Even the sports programming has gone to endless hyping before the events in order to sell a few more commercial spots for each sporting event they broadcast. I can’t watch pro football any more because of all of the commercials required to cover the losses of the news and entertainment divisions. Network TV is like our government, when something doesn’t work, throw money away on something even less likely to work. Reality TV, for crying out loud!
Jan 13, 2009 - 3:03 pm 19. NO it doesn't:“it boils down to creative freedom.”
No, Einstein, it doesn’t. It boils down to economics.
Cable only gets watched if viewers are willing to pay to watch it. Put on crap and you go broke.
Free over the air TV networks enjoy a shared monopoly, enforced by the FCC. If you want free TV its them or nothing. Every dollar they spend making a show is a dollar lost to profit. So they make the cheapest crap they can get away with.
Of course this doesn’t work in the long run. Thus the flight to the internet and cable.
Jan 13, 2009 - 4:15 pm 20. Gozer the Carpathian:Hmm.. I think there are good shows on both sides, but different kinds at each. What’s nice about cable is you get more specalized shows and shows on different scheduels then network.
USA and TNT help keep me entertained during the network off times with good old Burn Notice, The Closer, Saving Grace, In Plain Sight, Monk, Psyche, and the like. Then Sci Fi had Stargate SG1, Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica (for 3 seasons, I stopped after that.
).
Now I’ll be happier with Network TV if they keep Joss’s Latest show The Dollhouse, instead of killing it like Firefly.
Jan 13, 2009 - 5:40 pm 21. Pat J:I still loathe TNT for killing Babylon 5: Crusade.
Jan 14, 2009 - 7:09 am 22. Frank:JoshC beat me to it. THE WIRE BEATS ALL OTHER SHOWS, except maybe Dexter and the Sopranos (which I would tie it with)
Jan 14, 2009 - 8:47 am 23. TalkinKamel:locomotivebreath, you got it.
Anybody who finds aging skanks pursuing metrosexuals in Manhattan, crass ‘toons and lovable, cuddly serial killers entertainment needs to kill their T.V. right now! Cable, network, doesn’t matter. It’s all garbage. Stop supporting this stuff.
Jan 14, 2009 - 10:06 am 24. Maggie:24 and Lost are my favorites. If you haven’t been watching be sure and start from the beginning and watch in order.
Jan 15, 2009 - 8:05 am 25. tommyd:Very seldom watch it any more. Don’t even have one in my house anymore. Don’t miss it.
Jan 15, 2009 - 6:28 pm 26. fugem:Was offered one for free last week, turned it down.
It just got to where it (tv) seemed so damn irrelevant.
TV is gone from my home. Why allow a bunch of boorish narcissists to enter your home through a TV screen when you probably wouldn’t permit them through the front door? I got tired of paying for something that I didn’t find entertaining, intelligent, or enlightening. And no more loud obnoxious commercial interruptions trying to sell me something that I don’t need or want.
Jan 15, 2009 - 9:59 pm 27. Avitar:My Favorite Sitcom would be Eureka on the Sci-Fi channel but my favorite Sci-Fi show is NCSI. If you do not think that that is science fiction then you do not know technology or the Navy.
The need of network television for simple formats understandable by a committee has crippled not just the US television market but also most of the world’s television. We keep getting Battlestar Galactica which is fine acting and fair writing but the Galactica is positively primitive compared to the US Navy’s VIRGINIA class of submarines or the new GEORGE H W BUSH carrier.
As for why specialty channels like the Sci-Fi channel fall into airing wrestling, most media buyers for the advertisers are liberal arts majors who want to stick it to the suits as a last hurrah of their youth. Ad the economics of video or film production and there is little hope of revitalization until substantial product starts to originate from right-to-work states and foreign countries.
Jan 16, 2009 - 10:03 am