Post by Naj on Apr 28, 2006 10:54:35 GMT -5
Networks look to crime for guaranteed pay
Published April 28, 2006
Like putting a bunch of cops on the street, putting a bunch of crime-solvers on the air offers network programmers a sense of safety, real or imagined.
So prime time will remain crime time, at least for another year.
That NBC on Thursday announced renewals for all three of executive producer Dick Wolf's "Law & Order"-branded procedural crime dramas--"Law & Order," "Law & Order: SVU" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"--is hardly big news in and of itself.
But added to Fox's decision last month to renew the rookie "Bones" and CBS' even earlier announcement that it will be bringing back "Without a Trace," "NCIS," "Cold Case," "Numb3rs," "Criminal Minds" and all three "CSI" series, we're now assured of at least a dozen procedural crime dramas on the major broadcast networks next TV season.
That's a lot by nearly any standard. It's only one less hour than the entire weekly prime-time lineup The CW--the CBS and Warner Bros. successor to UPN and The WB--intends to air beginning this fall. Imagine if NBC hadn't made the mistake of cutting loose Wolf's "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" a year ago.
And the schedules aren't set yet. There may be even more of the mystery sub-genre.
Network execs have maintained that the audience will tell them when the saturation point is reached on procedural crime dramas. But the audience has made it clear it's more attached to some in the genre than others.
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Without a Trace" and "CSI: Miami" are three of the five top-rated scripted shows on TV so far this season. But "Bones," even with mega-hit "American Idol" next to it, finished last week in 27th place and is averaging less than 9 million viewers this season.
What we're seeing is a tense TV industry, hoping to score at least a modest increase in revenues despite the Internet siphoning off both viewers and advertisers, leaving some room to take chances with its fall lineups but tacitly acknowledging that same is safe.
This past season NBC has used the original "Law & Order," now in its 16th season, as a bit of a punching bag to protect newbie Nielsen weaklings such as "Heist" on the assumption that its loyal fans give the old timer resilience.
What's actually happened is that a long-running show that only four years ago was the fifth-most-watched program on network TV, with an average of 18.7 million viewers, is now barely in the top 40, with 11.1 million.
Wolf always proudly points out that his "Law & Order" empire--arguably the most valuable programming asset in NBC Universal's portfolio--brings in $1 billion in ads annually, between network broadcast episodes and cable reruns. That counts for something.
He likes to describe his relationship with the company as a long-term marriage. "There are stresses and strains intermittently, but we are kind of stuck with each other," he has said, especially when "Trial by Jury" is mentioned. In other words, there's far too much at stake to even consider a divorce.
here
Published April 28, 2006
Like putting a bunch of cops on the street, putting a bunch of crime-solvers on the air offers network programmers a sense of safety, real or imagined.
So prime time will remain crime time, at least for another year.
That NBC on Thursday announced renewals for all three of executive producer Dick Wolf's "Law & Order"-branded procedural crime dramas--"Law & Order," "Law & Order: SVU" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"--is hardly big news in and of itself.
But added to Fox's decision last month to renew the rookie "Bones" and CBS' even earlier announcement that it will be bringing back "Without a Trace," "NCIS," "Cold Case," "Numb3rs," "Criminal Minds" and all three "CSI" series, we're now assured of at least a dozen procedural crime dramas on the major broadcast networks next TV season.
That's a lot by nearly any standard. It's only one less hour than the entire weekly prime-time lineup The CW--the CBS and Warner Bros. successor to UPN and The WB--intends to air beginning this fall. Imagine if NBC hadn't made the mistake of cutting loose Wolf's "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" a year ago.
And the schedules aren't set yet. There may be even more of the mystery sub-genre.
Network execs have maintained that the audience will tell them when the saturation point is reached on procedural crime dramas. But the audience has made it clear it's more attached to some in the genre than others.
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Without a Trace" and "CSI: Miami" are three of the five top-rated scripted shows on TV so far this season. But "Bones," even with mega-hit "American Idol" next to it, finished last week in 27th place and is averaging less than 9 million viewers this season.
What we're seeing is a tense TV industry, hoping to score at least a modest increase in revenues despite the Internet siphoning off both viewers and advertisers, leaving some room to take chances with its fall lineups but tacitly acknowledging that same is safe.
This past season NBC has used the original "Law & Order," now in its 16th season, as a bit of a punching bag to protect newbie Nielsen weaklings such as "Heist" on the assumption that its loyal fans give the old timer resilience.
What's actually happened is that a long-running show that only four years ago was the fifth-most-watched program on network TV, with an average of 18.7 million viewers, is now barely in the top 40, with 11.1 million.
Wolf always proudly points out that his "Law & Order" empire--arguably the most valuable programming asset in NBC Universal's portfolio--brings in $1 billion in ads annually, between network broadcast episodes and cable reruns. That counts for something.
He likes to describe his relationship with the company as a long-term marriage. "There are stresses and strains intermittently, but we are kind of stuck with each other," he has said, especially when "Trial by Jury" is mentioned. In other words, there's far too much at stake to even consider a divorce.
here
