TV's bad reception
Quick, can you name a new hit show this fall?Nope and not for about the last 20 years either. Is Bonanza still on?
No? You're not alone.Whew, that's a relief!
There aren't any.Ruh Oh!
In a fall season that usually showcases network TV at its boastful finest, the words "disconcerting," "depressing" and "malaise" are on the lips of network executives as new series falter and returning hits fade. Fox's critically praised Skin, NBC's massively hyped sex comedy Coupling and WB's heroic Tarzan — each considered a network best bet as the season began — are among the first casualties.Since I'm one of the older folks, I'll take that as a compliment. I must be more trendy than I thought.
Young-adult viewers, the darlings of Madison Avenue, are more scarce than ever, defecting in larger numbers as older folks remain loyal.
The article has lots of theories about the "problem" - DVD's, the Web, video games, cable - but lingers lovingly on the angst about "content" .
"To win back viewers in a big way, broadcast networks need to try shows that are creatively adventurous," Fox Television Entertainment Group chairman Sandy Grushow says. But in a business in which four out of five new shows fail, networks are hardly in an adventurous mood. "It begs the question of what's the right space for broadcasters."The farm report is nice.
