Thirteen episodes and out.
“Harper’s Island,” while not everyone’s cup of terror, is structurally a good example of what network television could begin to do right.
The circumscribed CBS series, a horror mystery about grisly serial slaughter on a dreary island off Seattle, is part Agatha Christie and part chainsaw massacre. The producers pitched it as “Scream” meets “Ten Little Indians.” The tale counts down the victims of a killer on the loose, one by one, in the midst of a ritzy wedding celebration.
Mutilation, burning, hanging — viewers are invited to guess who’s going to be next to take that damned shortcut through the woods.
While the story is forgettable, the construct may be built to last.
“Harper’s Island” could be an example of America mimicking the British way of doing short-lived TV that ends up as a richer experience for all concerned.
Given a start date and an end date (for “Harper’s Island,” it’s April 9 to July 2), the writers are free to be creative within a timetable that doesn’t involve dragging out a story to reach the syndication jackpot of 100 installments. Quality starts to count more than longevity.
A-list actors may be more inclined to sign up, knowing they won’t be stuck on a project for years.
The network has a promotable “event” to tout.
And viewers can anticipate a shorter commitment to a more sophisticated show with the promise of a payoff at the end.
Same taste, fewer calories.
Hollywood’s business side is helping foster the shift to short-run series. Serial dramas don’t play well in reruns but do make a pile of money in the form of DVD sets. Limited-run series, handsomely boxed, may be a better investment.
Even if “Harper’s Island” doesn’t click, it should illustrate the potential of this trend. In television, as in life, less is more.
“Lost” is in the process of proving the axiom, getting better by being shorter, unspooling a complex story with only 17 episodes per season and increasingly upping the ante with a 2010 endpoint in sight.
ABC Entertainment Group president Stephen McPherson has signaled his network’s intention to experiment in this direction. “(Expect) more cycles of shows, to some extent a little bit more toward the British model,” he told critics.
Besides moving toward the British model, the U.S. networks are moving toward the cable model. If smart dramas such as “Mad Men” and “Damages” make waves by offering shorter flights of new episodes, why can’t the broadcast networks?
It’s possible more people would have tuned in to NBC’s “Kings” if promised a contained, 13-week mini- series rather than a sprawling high- concept epic aiming for years on the schedule. One thing “Kings” executive producer Michael Green should have learned from his time on “Heroes” is that the open-ended meanderings of a dense serial can get the writers in trouble.
The old argument against short- term series, in addition to aiming for the prize of a syndication deal, was the expense. It made sense to use expensive sets for the long haul. But today’s digital technology makes spectacular sets and locations possible through virtual designs.
“Harper’s Island” executive producer Jon Turteltaub thinks 13 weeks is “enough time to not have to cancel it. . . . You get all of your answers. You are not going to be stuck for years and years like people are with ‘Lost,’ and, more than that, we are not stuck making (stuff) up as we go along for five years.”
He figures he’s taking a cue from reality TV. “People said to us, ‘That doesn’t work. You can’t do 13 weeks and then change your cast.’
“And I said, ‘Really? “Dancing With the Stars” is going pretty well. I think that’s exactly what they do. And “Survivor,” that’s exactly what they do, and “American Idol” and “The Bachelor.” You get a set length, and then you get a whole new cast.’ ”
He should be so lucky. Chances are we won’t see a huge demand for another 13-week murder mystery anytime soon. If the world is clamoring for another 13-week horror show after “Harper’s Island,” Turteltaub will gladly scout a new cast.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
