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July 2008 - Strategy Magazine
Fall TV preview

Survivors, not thrivers

by Florence Ng
page 42

When Jimmy Kimmel announced, "We have scaled back" during ABC's presentation, he summed up the U.S. networks' 2008-09 upfront approach: fewer stars, fewer pilots, fewer clips to watch. One of the reasons was the WGA strike that ended in February, which resulted in fewer new shows being produced. The networks offered a total of 16 this fall: Ten dramas, four sitcoms and two reality-based programs.

This is looking like another ho-hum season, judging from the new entries. I haven't come across clips of any series with the potential to be breakout hits. They are survivors, at best.

Networks seem to be going with formulas that used to work by introducing (or re-introducing) shows like Knight Rider and 90210 instead of more controversial and risky shows like last season's Kid Nation. They continue to employ the strategy of utilizing their top shows to provide best possible lead-in positions for new entries. While this strategy might help, the success of a show ultimately depends on whether it has the ability to engage and connect with viewers enough to make them return week after week. The networks have also come up with various research initiatives, mostly qualitative, to enhance their offerings, which I applaud.

I also attended the Turner (cable) presentation and was pleasantly surprised to see its continued focus on scripted dramas (I particularly enjoyed Raising the Bar from Steven Bochco, who adds credibility to any show) and the continuing migration of talent to the cable networks.

ABC

ABC's 2008 fall schedule is rather similar to last year's. Instead of funnelling money into new series, the net is giving last season's offerings a chance to flourish. Shows from the 2007-08 season like Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money (with Lucy Liu joining the cast) are all returning. As well, there are 17 pilots in the works for potential airings during mid-season.

Still, there are only two new shows this fall. Opportunity Knocks is a combination of Extreme Home Makeover and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. A host shows up at the home of a new family every week with a truckload of prizes to test how well they know each other. Ashton Kutcher is the producer.

Life on Mars is an adaptation of a BBC thriller about a cop transported to the '70s after a car crash. It's a science-fiction crime drama that stars Jason O'Mara and Colm Meaney. This show has the coveted position of following Grey's Anatomy at 10p.m. Thursday night, and therefore has a chance.

NBC

NBC had announced its schedule a month earlier, and produced no pilots. The plan is to tailor programming by hour, identifying them as family

(8-9p.m.), blockbuster (9-10p.m.) and adult-themed (10-11p.m.) blocks. The net introduced three dramas and one sitcom, plus a half-hour Saturday Night Live Election series to capitalize on the U.S. presidential race.

My Own Worst Enemy stars Christian Slater as a family man who shares his body with a crime fighter. It's scheduled in the post-Heroes time slot and will be replaced by a reality show called The Philanthropist in spring 2009. Does NBC feel that it doesn't have the potential to go the full season?

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