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Television season has flashback feel
Or, to borrow a phrase from Yogi Berra, it's deja vu all over again.
Perhaps once every dozen years, the networks correct themselves. And this, evidently, is the year. Consider the following:
• Sitcoms are in vogue. Each network has established one two-hour comedy block and three of the four are successful (NBC's Thursday offerings are a critical sucess, but the public visits "The Office" and little else.) ABC is batting .750 with its new Wednesday lineup, a success by any measure. "Modern Family" is the season's best comedy and arguably best new series as well, and both "The Middle" and "Cougar Town" are developing loyal audiences. While Kelsey Grammer's "Hank" is too old school for its own good (kill the laughtrack, please!), last week's episode exhibited a marked improvement in writing, at least. Fox is so pleased with its Sunday animated lineup that it's already given "The Cleveland Show" a two-year extension. CBS scored mightily by moving "Big Bang Theory" to 9:30 p.m., where it's now the No. 1 Monday show in terms of 18-49 audience. And despite a critical drubbing, "Accidentally on Purpose" has proved to be a compatible fit with "How I Met Your Mother."
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• Most new shows have been guaranteed a full season. I can't recall a season of recent vintage in which so many new series have been promised a full-season run, from ABC's Wednesday comedies and "Flash Forward," to NBC's struggling "Community" and "Parks and Recreation" and CBS's "Good Wife" and "NCIS: Los Angeles." Let's hope it's a nod to increasingly vocal viewer feedback to cancellations of shows such as "Dirty, Sexy Money," "Eli Stone" and "Pushing Daisies," all of which were axed without plot resolution. More than likely, though, it's economics. Reportedly, few shows are available for a traditional second season, other than "Chuck," "Flashpoint" and a handful of others.
• Haven't I seen this before? "The Good Wife" and "NCIS: Los Angeles" could have fit into any network's schedule in the '90s, while thenew crop of comedies is more akin to '80s fare. With the exception of "Cougar Town," they focus on family, friends and foibles as opposed to sex and, well, more sex. Could it be that Mom, Dad and the kids can once again gather 'round the TV together? We're getting closer.
• Variety is king. OK, I lied on that one. "The Jay Leno Show" is a bust, averaging a little more than 5 million people a night. (Many of those viewers, by the way, reside in Western Pennsylvania, which is one of the few Leno strongholds across the country.) NBC insists it's happy with the numbers, but if I were NBC brass, I'd be looking at "Numbers" - the CBS series. As one of a few potential castoffs from other networks it could be used to re-establish its 10 p.m. dramas. If CBS, as rumored, axes "Three Rivers" and "Cold Case" in the next few weeks, I'd be signing both of them on quickly. The two shows are averaging about 8 million viewers, or about double the Leno audience.
The big news this season, as mentioned a few weeks ago, continues to be the apparent return of viewers to the networks. That's true not only for series, but also for sports - the World Series had perhaps it largest audience this decade. While one can attribute the baseball numbers to the large TV markets of the participants, series viewership is probably a lucky coincidence for networks. The year they decide to mine more wholesome, or at least familiar territory, the recession nudges viewers toward more comfortable, i.e. wholesome and familiar shows. That also may explain why networks are making minimal changes in both shows and timeslots thus far.
The guess here is that the new year will open just six and one-half hours to new programming, all of which which will be consumed by "Chuck," "Lost," "American Idol," "24," "Flashpoint," "Rules of Engagement" and, later in the year, "Friday Night Lights." Even given the resting of a few series ("So You Think You Can Dance"), there's little room for new product. These, by the way, are the probable casualties: "Eastwick," "Brothers," "The Dollhouse," "'Til Death," "Three Rivers," "Hank" "Heroes" and "Numbers." Depending on the quality of shows on the waiting list, "Ugly Betty," "Cold Case" and "Fringe" also could be casualties.
As of the first day of the November sweeps, here are the top shows of the season, led by the surprising surge for "NCIS," with about 21 million viewers a week. It's followed by "Sunday Night Football," "Dancing with the Stars," "Grey's Anatomy," "NCIS: Los Angeles," "House," "The Mentalist," "CSI," "CBS Postgame" and "Criminal Minds."
Terry Hazlett covers TV and radio for the Observer-Reporter. He can be reached at snowballrizzo@aol.com.
Top T.V.Shows : 11/9/2009
My picks on these shows are, Without A Trace, N.C.I.S., N.C.I.S. L A.,Criminal Minds, The Mentalist, C.S.I.,C.S.I.N.Y., C.S.I.Miami,Three Rivers, Sunday Night Football, Numbers, The Good Wife . All the others shows are so badly written or the story is vulgar. And they just plain don't have it. Sorry but I would like to see some of the older shows, that were okay for a family to watch..
Three Rivers : 11/10/2009
I am so hoping that Three Rivers doesnt get cancelled! It has a tough time slot compeating with Sunday night Football and the already established Desperate Housewifes but it's a wonderful show. It has a lot of depth, great storylines, an incredibly talented cast and a very important message about organ donation...I think this show is awesome and I hope CBS doesnt cancel it before it has time to establish a bigger following...
