STRUGGLING NBC TO INVEST IN NEW PROGRAMS

[JaneAusten]

STRUGGLING NBC TO INVEST IN NEW PROGRAMS

Friday, January 1, 2010

After attempting to reduce the cost of developing new programs in general and avoiding the expensive production costs of pilots in particular, NBC is now planning to spend more than previously on promising projects and says it has 18 pilots in the works compared with 11 before the current season. In an interview with Bloomberg News, Angel Bromstad, president of the network's primetime entertainment unit, said, "We have to take more swings, take more shots creatively, and have more back-up." Bromstad also indicated that until the rest of its programming can be brought up to snuff, NBC will leave Jay Leno in his 10:00 p.m. timeslot. "We have so many holes that we have to essentially rebuild the schedule," Bromstad said in the Bloomberg interview. "Not having the additional five hours has certainly relieved some of the pressure." She also indicated that another show that will definitely return next season is Law & Order, which, she said, is due to become he longest-running primetime dramatic show in TV history. "I'm a Law & Order junkie," she said. "I wouldn't want to be responsible for not having Law & Order break the record." (Launched in 1990, it is currently tied with CBS's Gunsmoke, which ran for 20 years, from 1955-1975. Only The Simpsons has a longer record -- 21 years.)

[JaneAusten]

I really wish I thought NBC might invest in some cutting edge programming. Heck they certainly have nothing to lose at this point. They could use this opportunity to reinvent NBC like they did in the 80's after their dismal 70's lineup of shows.

[bellcurve]

Bromstead has the right idea. You have to invest in quality programming to turn a profit. NBC's weird penchant for these stupid dramedies, dated concepts and remakes, and crappy single camera comedies over the last five years has really hurt the lineup.

The Office, as a network television program, is clearly out of its league. It's just simply inaccessible to the average television viewer. Which is fine if you're a show airing on cable television, where expectations are really low and your goal is to appeal to a niche market. But NBC is an over-the-air television network. And I like 30 Rock because of all the TV Jokes and references, but again, 30 Rock is not accessible to the average viewer. And if the goal is to be viable, especially during a recession, NBC has to create and develop sitcoms/dramas that(even though not all of them will be intelligent and clever) can bring in good ratings in their first run AND perform well in syndication.

And I'm really glad she's smart enough to recognize the importance of the Law and Order brand. Isn't L&O an NBC/Universal property? And L&O still performs well in cable. So, not only does NBC need to focus on developing shows that appeal to mainstream America in the first run, but they also need to focus on developing shows they know they can sell to stations and cable networks in syndication.

[JaneAusten]

That was always my problem with Scrubs and My Name is Earl. NBC went somewhere I can't understand. These shows you mentioned appeal to a niche audience. I mean I love 30 Rock most of the time but the fact the show never cracks the top 25 should say something. This is a network that went from being at the top with wonderful shows like LA Law, ER, and some of those wonderful sitcoms of the 80's and 90's to what it is now is mind boggling. Even Frasier and Will and Grace more recently had mass appeal, although I didn't care as much for Will and Grace in later years. But I do agree kudos to them keeping Law and Order. They have really jacked that show around the past 2 years, leaving SVU alone for the most part, so I don't blame the rating plummet on the show. I think all they need to do is to find a timeslot and stick with it.

I am not a fan of anything in the ABC lineup, CBS and Fox very little, so I am looking forward to some better stuff on NBC. I hope they can deliver. Jeff Zucker is/was an idiot.

[bellcurve]

I also want to reiterate that I don't have an extreme bias against single camera comedies. There are several comedies that are single cam, no studio audience or laugh track, that were great and/or had mass appeal(Wonder Years, Malcolm in the Middle, Everybody Hates Chris). The problem isn't the way the show is produced. The issue is with the way the show is presented. Not everyone will find someone running around a parking lot in their underwear or awkward pauses between each and every line in dialogue hilarious. I find it rather boring and in a way, it's almost worse than that show with the studio audience or the laugh track. People often say that the laugh track is a way of beating someone over the head with "this is funny, this is funny, this is funny." What's different about that versus a fat man parading around an office half naked or these minute long pauses between what is supposed to be funny?

[DRW50]

This got into the place where NBC became about a wealthy demographic, and the media told us over and over, along with NBC, that the overall ratings didn't matter, because rich people watched them. They used to sell that all the time over the last decade, especially when West Wing started to lose steam. I haven't heard it as much after Studio 60 was a huge money-burning flop, in spite of being beloved by Richie Rich and Hiram Lodge.

[All My Shadows]

I reveled in Studio 60's failure. Annoying, pretentious bullshit. Let's make a drama about Saturday Night Live! And show how dramatic life behind a sketch comedy show is! No.

And three and a half years later, Friday Night Lights is still a critical darling, and despite terrible ratings, is still alive and will be alive for at least another season.

[JackPeyton]

i LOVED studio 60!

[Cat]

I love Friday Night Lights!

Sometimes I like the shows which don't pull in a lot of ratings. I'm glad there is some niche programming out there that appeals to me. Having said that, I loved the first season of Arrested Development (no laugh track, weird pauses, as Bellcurve described The Office) but by Season 3 I just couldn't stomach it anymore. It just did not make me laugh. I know that's pretty sacreligious to say amongst AD fans, lol. But it is God's truth! AD was put out of its misery.

As for NBC, they should look at this as an opportunity. Yes, Friends is no more. ER is dead (sniff). Will & Grace have gone to that Liza Minelli drag club in the sky (and not a moment too soon). You cannot look backwards with TV programming. It's a brave new world for the network. If the do not know what bracket to go for, how about a healthy mix of a variety of shows? A couple are bound to stick.

[alphanguy74]

I'm sure NBC is in trouble. I don't watch ONE show they have. Ensemble comedies are ones that seem to be the most popular in the sitcom genre, but NBC doens't seem to have any with any real staying power. ABC Seems to be firing on all cylinders with their lineup... I have to say, if NBC went to cable, I don't think i'd even notice it was gone.