Forecasting the future of television is impossible. So let’s jump right in.
In the Hollywood crapshoot, knockoffs are considered strokes of genius. Everything appears and reappears in cycles; the challenge is to figure out what part of the cycle is ascendant.
Unlike TV programmers, we haven’t conducted expensive, extensive research in hopes of determining what will snare the public in coming months. We’re playing along for free, trusting a not-so-golden gut.
Five things we can predict:
1. SEND IN THE CLONES
TV will rush a flood of copycat zombie shows onto the networks for fall 2012-midseason 2013. AMC’s ratings for “The Walking Dead” (pictured) assure a spate of knockoffs, aiming to give network viewers the same chills as basic-cable audiences, with language and violence rivaling what cable can do. At the same time, with “American Horror Story” scaring up buzz and passable ratings for FX, the old-fashioned horror genre is likely to bleed through to the broadcast networks.
2. JIGGLE IS DEAD (FOR NOW)
There won’t be more ’60s-jiggle remakes for a while, now that “The Playboy Club” (pictured) and “Charlie’s Angels” bombed. NBC’s “Playboy” got only three episodes on the air; ABC gave “Angels” five airings before canceling it. The networks tried to hype those series this summer, suggesting a subtext about liberated women in these retro ideas. The public didn’t buy it.
Ask that clever ad man Don Draper: It takes more than vintage clothing to make a good drama.
3. IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID
The bad economy continues to provide a strong premise for comedy (“2 Broke Girls,” pictured; “The Middle”), but what about drama? Will ABC’s “Revenge” lead the way to more stories about middle-class folks getting even with the super rich? We can only hope.
At the moment, the showdown between Emily Van Camp, as Emily Thorne, the young woman seeking revenge, and Madeline Stowe, as the scheming rich witch who framed Emily’s father and ruined her family, is the hottest smackdown on the tube.
4. BRIAN WILLIAMS, PERIOD.
Brian Williams’ (pictured) upcoming newsmag represents the biggest shift in that category in years. “60 Minutes” is old (you didn’t need Andy Rooney to remind you), “Dateline” is just sleazy. And Williams, in addition to being the top-rated news anchor, is truly, deeply funny. “Rock Center” premieres Monday in the slot vacated by “Playboy Club” (locally at 9 p.m. on Channel 9).
Expect a mix of news, in-depth stories and newsmaker interviews.
Judging by the list of correspondents assembled — Kate Snow, Harry Smith, Ted Koppel — with much- honored Rome Hartman, formerly of CBS News and BBC America, as executive producer, it could be the best thing to happen to NBC’s prime-time lineup all season.
5. MIDSEASON LOOKS SMART
The midseason drama offerings will be better than those that launched this fall, with “Smash,” “Al- catraz” (pictured), “The River” and “Awake” all due after the first of the year. In the tradition of holding back the more complex, literate shows until after the rush of September premieres, the networks are hoping these unusual, smarter-than-average titles get a better sampling in late winter-early spring.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
