The TV networks’ fall prime-time slates were revealed in a frenzy of hype this week in New York. And in business terms, the industry is poised for a season more promising than usual. TV ad rates are up, and optimism is back.
Whether that translates to the viewing experience on the couch remains to be seen. Full pilots will be shipped to critics soon; for now, we have only clips to judge by.
As in years past, Jimmy Kimmel killed with a monologue full of truths at the ABC upfront presentation:
“Remember those shows that we were so excited about last fall?” Kimmel asked the gathering of advertising executives. “We canceled all of them. And yet here you are again. I think you might have a gambling problem.”
Viewers won’t place their bets until August-September, when shows premiere. But advertisers are stepping up now.
The networks broke it to fans gently, canceling “America’s Most Wanted,” “Traffic Light,” “Chicago Code,” “Human Target,” “The Event,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “V,” “$#*! My Dad Says” and a long list of others.
And they picked up a potentially intriguing slate of comedies and dramas for fall, with some of the more promising content in reserve for midseason.
Shows stirring the biggest buzz are Sarah Michelle Gellar’s return to TV in “Ringer” on CW (a thriller developed by CBS but passed to the corporate cousin); “X-Factor” and “Terra Nova” on Fox; “Pan Am” and “Charlie’s Angels” on ABC; “Smash” and “The Playboy Club” on NBC, and “Person of Interest” and “2 Broke Girls” on CBS.
Possibly the best news: NBC, after wallowing in fourth place with a creatively bankrupt programming inventory, seems poised for a long, slow comeback under the leadership of former Showtime executive Robert Greenblatt. The guy who gave us “Dexter” and “Weeds” has ideas for bringing the Peacock back into contention.
Trendlets: Is there something in the water? As usual, whether through coincidence, harmonic convergence or rip off, some topics are getting more than their share of exposure. Look for multiple series employing fairy tales (“Grimm” on NBC and “Once Upon a Time” on ABC, the latter from “Lost” producers), and gals in the pre-feminist ’60s service industries (“Pan Am,” “Playboy Club”).
There’s also a potential boomlet in comedy. Efforts to come up with a half-hour to match the popularity and critical acclaim of “Modern Family” are in evidence; ABC will launch a Tuesday comedy block with help from Tim Allen; NBC will try a Wednesday comedy block with a boost from Christina Applegate.
Of the multiple remakes of earlier TV hits, supposedly valued for their “pre-sold” names and concepts, “Charlie’s Angels” and “Prime Suspect” landed slots. “Wonder Woman” didn’t.
CBS, touting stability as usual, added three dramas and two comedies. “The Good Wife” moves to Sundays, “CSI” moves to Wednesdays. J.J. Abrams’ “Person of Interest” promises a covert-ops thriller and will avoid a complicated mythology, starring Michael Emerson (“Lost”) and Jim Caviezel.
In some cases, the scheduling techniques of cable are being adopted by broadcasters. Several series — notably J.J. Abrams’ “Alcatraz” on Fox, the Broadway musical-drama “Smash” on NBC and Darren Starr’s “Good Christian Belles” on ABC — will get their starts in midseason and premiere new episodes over consecutive weeks without interruption.
It’s a gamble. The odds are long, and failure is the norm.
Kimmel might as well have been speaking for all the networks when he appeared on behalf of ABC:
“I can’t promise you any of these shows will be good,” he told ad buyers. “I can’t promise you any of them will be successful. But what I can promise you is that they will be expensive to advertise in.”
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
