networks were "prestige adjacent" and most networks leaned away from that. But after the Great Recession, I started noticing TV shifting more towards "upscale" content. I remember fall 2009 was night and day different for ABC, when it started airing things like Modern Family when before it had more working class comedy. As the decade went on, more and more networks like TBS and TNT started becoming more "FX adjacent" too. Did the Great Recession influence these decisions or what made TV make this pivot?
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What made almost every network chase "prestige" in the 2010s?
- Thread starter tall_guy1
- Start date
Streaming caused all of this. The big streaming boom of this decade. No longer do any of the high prices shows need to be on basic cable, network tv and even premium cable. It really kicked into high gear after COVID in my opinion.
Some reality/unscripted is less costly and some is mighty costly. Depends on the show and outlet; it doesn’t all fit in one bucket.
The other important factor: there’s an audience. A sizable audience. People can mock all they want, but unscripted has long been a part of the tv landscape (quiz shows and variety shows are as old and enduring as the medium). The explosive growth of social media led to even more of an audience for that kind of content (and we can set aside the pedantic, semantic debate over how scripted unscripted is; we know all of that—it’s just a term that’s broadly applied).
Whether any of that is good, bad or indifferent doesn’t matter and is entirely subjective. People like what they like, for whatever reason. If you want to be a successful fisherman, you go where the fish are.
The other important factor: there’s an audience. A sizable audience. People can mock all they want, but unscripted has long been a part of the tv landscape (quiz shows and variety shows are as old and enduring as the medium). The explosive growth of social media led to even more of an audience for that kind of content (and we can set aside the pedantic, semantic debate over how scripted unscripted is; we know all of that—it’s just a term that’s broadly applied).
Whether any of that is good, bad or indifferent doesn’t matter and is entirely subjective. People like what they like, for whatever reason. If you want to be a successful fisherman, you go where the fish are.
As with all programming decisions, there's a "Me Too" aspect to it.
"Survivor" was a big hit, so lots of networks advanced more reality shows.
Similarly, certain "high concept" shows became popular, so more of those aired on all platforms. "The Walking Dead" was an early example.
"Survivor" was a big hit, so lots of networks advanced more reality shows.
Similarly, certain "high concept" shows became popular, so more of those aired on all platforms. "The Walking Dead" was an early example.
"Networks" are ABC, CBS, NBC. Fox, The CW, Univision and Telemundo. They are "wired" and run on a national scale over affiliated local broadcast stations.
The networks have been involved in well over a decade of adding shows where stars dress up in costumes and people get set onto an island to see how they survive. That is hardly upscale.
TBS and TNT are / were cable channels, not networks. If you look at the difference, one of the major ones is that the "cable channels" that run lots of entertainment shows depend on previous network offerings. Even when they did some of their own content, such as "Cagney & Lacey" or "Stargate Atlantis", those were only a portion of their content.
The networks were looking at the cost of reality shows vs the classic police and doctor scripted dramas and situation comedies. Because syndication money is tighter, there is an appeal of throw-away shows
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But "Dead" was not a network show: tall_guy specifically referred to networks.
Hm...maybe I was wrong. I know there is Cartoon "Network" and Game Show "Network" which are cable channels. It seems like you are right there was money that went towards "throw away" reality TV, but networks/channels stepped away from things like broader sitcoms for instance and more towards things that attracted more niche audiences.
Pedantic, semantic debates that don’t mean a hill of beans to audiences. USA billed itself as USA Network in its early era. Now more than ever, it’s one option among many available at the click of a button.