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TV Executives Running out of new ideas
- Thread starter The Voice of Reason
- Start date
OK then: how much of the TV today are shows/formats made elsewhere in the world, were successful there, and then the TV execs here said 'Hey, XYZ show is getting good audiences in that country , maybe we should buy the rights to it for the USA?'
Yep, TV execs are running out of ideas.
Yep, TV execs are running out of ideas.
I
imhomerjay
Guest
You mean like All in the Family?
True, a number of big hit sitcoms in the '70s
had their origins in England, such as "All In The
Family," "Sanford And Son," and even "Three's
Company," but they were balanced by American
originals like the Mary Tyler Moore and Bob Newhart
shows, "M*A*S*H," and "Barney Miller," to name a
few.
If you look at today's schedules it seems that anything
without "CSI" in the title (yeah, I'm exaggerating here)
is a reality show, and the British primetime schedules
are chock-full of them; in fact, "Survivor" and "American
Idol" started in Europe, IIRC. And the show that started
the reality craze (some people will argue for "Survivor")
started in England: "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire."
But the best example of programmers running out of ideas,
IMHO, is putting Jay Leno on five nights a week, and we
know how that's working out (enough to kill my idea of
something like the CBC's "The National/The Journal," but
that's beside the point).
Certainly there's nothing wrong with looking to Europe
for programs, but I agree that the networks have become
too dependent on shows that began over there, regardless
of how they do in the ratings here or there. However, we
do have "30 Rock," "Desperate Housewives," "Lost" (even if
it is winding down), "24," and cable shows like "Mad Men."
I'd say things are not completely hopeless.
had their origins in England, such as "All In The
Family," "Sanford And Son," and even "Three's
Company," but they were balanced by American
originals like the Mary Tyler Moore and Bob Newhart
shows, "M*A*S*H," and "Barney Miller," to name a
few.
If you look at today's schedules it seems that anything
without "CSI" in the title (yeah, I'm exaggerating here)
is a reality show, and the British primetime schedules
are chock-full of them; in fact, "Survivor" and "American
Idol" started in Europe, IIRC. And the show that started
the reality craze (some people will argue for "Survivor")
started in England: "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire."
But the best example of programmers running out of ideas,
IMHO, is putting Jay Leno on five nights a week, and we
know how that's working out (enough to kill my idea of
something like the CBC's "The National/The Journal," but
that's beside the point).
Certainly there's nothing wrong with looking to Europe
for programs, but I agree that the networks have become
too dependent on shows that began over there, regardless
of how they do in the ratings here or there. However, we
do have "30 Rock," "Desperate Housewives," "Lost" (even if
it is winding down), "24," and cable shows like "Mad Men."
I'd say things are not completely hopeless.
I
imhomerjay
Guest
It isn't now and never has been as bad as people like to imagine. When the quantity of available programs expands exponentially, of course you're going to see more similar programs. But it's not as if any art or entertainment form hasn't built on, and sometimes borrowed heavily, from what came before.
I don't think Leno is an example of people running out of ideas at all. It's an acknowledgement that NBC was simply in an unsustainable position, spending too much money on dramas that, even when they did catch on, weren't going to bring the kind of return on investment they did decades ago. Whether or not a show like that running on a strip basis is the ultimate answer is not the same as saying it's not an attempt to address a very real problem (one that isn't going to be solved by going back to a strategy that worked in a very different world). They may well need to try something else, but trying new ideas comes with the inherent risk of something not working out.
I don't think Leno is an example of people running out of ideas at all. It's an acknowledgement that NBC was simply in an unsustainable position, spending too much money on dramas that, even when they did catch on, weren't going to bring the kind of return on investment they did decades ago. Whether or not a show like that running on a strip basis is the ultimate answer is not the same as saying it's not an attempt to address a very real problem (one that isn't going to be solved by going back to a strategy that worked in a very different world). They may well need to try something else, but trying new ideas comes with the inherent risk of something not working out.
It does seem like the recycling of old ideas (particularly old TV shows becoming feature films) has expanded in recent years. But the reason it's being done is - IT WORKS. Aside from a few spectacular failures like the Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (movie), the recyled ideas make money.
People like the familiar - think of the Classic Hits radio stations that play the same old 300 - 600 hits over and over again, or the "retro" TV networks that mostly run the same dozen old sitcoms into the ground.
People like the familiar - think of the Classic Hits radio stations that play the same old 300 - 600 hits over and over again, or the "retro" TV networks that mostly run the same dozen old sitcoms into the ground.
I
imhomerjay
Guest
Indeed, it works now and always has. From the multiple variety and game shows in the early days to sitcoms and dramas that have been mostly derivative from day one. Just because the history has grown longer, and the number of programs larger, it doesn't mean early TV was all original ideas or that TV today has nothing original.
"Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" isn't a reality show. It's a game show. And a lame game at that.
"Survivor" did indeed begin the current slate of "reality" shows in the USA. But they are misnamed and aren't reality shows at all because virtually all are staged to some degree. "Unscripted" would be a more accurate definition.
A true "reality" show would be something like "This Old House" or even (shudder) "Cops".
"Survivor" did indeed begin the current slate of "reality" shows in the USA. But they are misnamed and aren't reality shows at all because virtually all are staged to some degree. "Unscripted" would be a more accurate definition.
A true "reality" show would be something like "This Old House" or even (shudder) "Cops".
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