Save My Shows

Next week are the upfronts. This is when the television networks reveal their fall schedules to the public. Advertisers are given their first opportunity to check out the new series and decide which ones they’d like to purchase ad time during. Last year I detailed the upfronts for each broadcast network, and this year I plan to do it again.

As I write this, however, network executives are making decisions about which new programs to order episodes of and which current programs they will keep around for another season.

The fates of many series have already been determined. Some of my favorites have already been picked up for another season. Shows such as Lost, Desperate Housewives, 30 Rock, Heroes, and 24 will all be seen during the 2007-2008 television season. Other series that debuted last season, such as Kidnapped, Smith, and The Nine have already been cancelled.

What I’d like to do now is make a plea for a few of the series that the networks are thinking about right now. These are series that I have not heard about their officially being picked up yet for next season. However, I’d like the networks to reconsider and bring these enjoyable programs back. My guess is that at least one of them will be back, but definitely not all of them.

Jericho is number one on my list of programs that I’m championing for next season. Jericho is smartly written and well acted. The program follows the residents of Jericho, Kansas as they deal with the aftermath of a nuclear invasion of the United States. There is nothing like it on TV right now, and hopefully it’ll remain on the air to entertain viewers next.

Scrubs has been on NBC now for six seasons. It is one of only two sitcoms currently airing that I find myself watching and consistently laughing at each and every week (30 Rock is the other). The producers would like one more season. Star Zach Braff has signed one for a seventh season. There is a glimmer of hope, though. If NBC does not renew it there is a very good chance that ABC will pick up the final season.

I’m a sucker for game shows. I’ve been a fan of so many over the years. From The Price is Right and Family Feud to Hot Potato and Tic Tac Dough, I love watching people playing for cash and prizes. The game show has been a genre that has been waning in popularity over the years. This year NBC recognized how inexpensive such programs are to produce, and decided to place a few on the air this season. And I enjoyed them both. 1 vs. 100 and Identity have unique concepts. While they could use some tweaking, I think both deserve a second chance.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is the longest shot on my list. It’s hasn’t received much of an audience the entire season. But it was smart and incredibly well written. As a liberal, even I found some of the stories to be a bit left leaning. But it should be given another chance. NBC stuck with Studio 60 on Mondays at 10pm. Maybe if given another time slot on another night it could generate a larger audience and more viewer interest.

Interesting Counterprogramming or Ridiculous Concepts?

You’d have to be living under a rock or not watching a television to not know that reality programming over the past seven years has become a staple of the television schedule. In comparison to the typical sitcom or drama, a reality show (or even a game show) is relatively inexpensive to produce. Less writers, less talent, and less behind the scenes personnel needs to be paid in the production of a reality program. Plus these programs are interesting ways for networks to counterprogram against the sitcoms and dramas that appear on the other networks’ schedules during those time slots.

The television networks have recognized this and typically a day doesn’t go by where you don’t find a reality program somewhere on the prime time schedule. All of the big five broadcast networks have their hits that seem to return year after year to their schedule, often posting some of the best ratings that the network sees. ABC has Extreme Makeover Home Edition and Dancing with the Stars, CBS has Survivor and the Amazing Race, Fox has American Idol and Hell's Kitchen, and the CW has America’s Next Top Model and Beauty and the Geek. The NBC brass has gone so far as to recently announce that they plan to program much of the 8:00 hour in prime time with reality and game shows. While NBC has had modest hits with the Biggest Loser and the Apprentice, their biggest ratings have been coming with game shows such as Deal or No Deal and 1 vs. 100. (It’s also worth noting that cable networks aren’t exempt to these programming trends either.)

I must admit that the ideas behind reality programming fascinate me. Real people placed in contrived situations and watching their reactions is something that I watch with great interest. With the start of January many new reality programs are on the slate, and I plan to give each at least one viewing to see how entertaining it really is.

So far I’ve given NBC’s Grease You’re the One that Want and the Apprentice Los Angeles, the CW’s Beauty and the Geek, and CBS’s Armed and Famous a shot. Beauty and the Geek has been the best of the bunch, but over the past two seasons has been a quality performer. The Apprentice Los Angeles was interesting because it took and existing show’s formula and tweaked it just a bit. Grease You’re the One that I Want was definitely lacking, appearing as if they were trying to be American Idol for the Broadway audience. And last night I watched Armed and Famous, which looks like it is going to end up being Cops with celebrity police officers. (Am I the only one frightened by the idea of LaToya Jackson carrying a gun?)

Still to come are new seasons of American Idol, Survivor, and the Amazing Race. You can bet that I’ll be there to at the very least sample these programs.