the good ones

When I was kid my sister Susan once told me about a dream she had. I don’t remember the exact details but somewhere in the dream a man asked her what TV shows she watches. She replied most assuredly “The good ones”. I also like the good ones so I’m saddened by the cancellation of “Life on Mars’. Last night ABC aired the final episode. It has a clever premise and a great cast - Jason O’Mara, Harvey Kietel, Michael Imperioli, and Gretchen Mol.

“Life on Mars” was originally a BBC show by the same name. I guess there are a finite number of good TV ideas and they are all in Britain. The show is about NY City Police Detective Sam Tyler who is hit by a car and awakens from his coma only to find himself in 1973. He begins his quest to get back to his proper time. Sam becomes entangled in his own life as a child but is experiencing it as a grown man. Sound confusing? It's not. What its like is therapy in real time. The show combines a clever conceptual thread with interesting story lines and a love story. As you can imagine, it is littered with humorous societal observation and pop culture references. Unfortunately, like most smart television it met its inevitable fate. It found a devout audience but not one large or sustainable enough to appease the networks.

For those of you who never saw it, I recommend checking it out online. As an added bonus it actually comes to conclusion so it’s worth the investment.. That was one of the smart things ABC did do. They actually showed enough respect for their viewers to give them closure.

I write this eulogy because I’m afraid network TV shows of this caliber and high of concept are becoming an endangered species. It is a shame since quality TV narratives can serve a purpose beyond entertainment. They can mirror our culture and make meaningful social critique while reaching a mass audience. In the past, I believe a show such as “Life on Mars” would at least be given another season to find an audience and very well might. No longer. The stakes are too high and my guess is the show is too expensive. It's a period piece set in NY with what I can only assume is a high paid cast.

There is another good one i watch, “Friday Night Lights". "FNL" continues to survive despite less than stellar ratings. Without knowing a lot about how TV works, my guess is “Friday Night Lights” stays on due to a few factors. Direct TV runs it first exclusively for their audiences before NBC airs it. It is shot in Austin in a style based on naturalism. The cast is dominated by young unproven actors and the adult leads are hardly household names. In other words, it's inexpensive to produce and production costs are split. The only part of this equation I foresee as a sustainable model is the co-production relationship between Direct TV and NBC. Other than this not inconsequential alliance, I believe the show remains an aberration not a trend.

What will become of paid programming is anyones guess. For now, the Networks need viewers to justify the media buy to the advertisers. With advertisers paying less and wanting more in return, the networks have to produce cheaply with less resources to take risks in their decision making. Ultimately the losers are the audiences of the "good ones".

Comments

[evan]

There's another possible scenario. The "good ones" continue to migrate to smaller outlets that can justify the risks through higher per viewer ad rates or subscriptions. HBO learned this a long time ago. Or maybe some small production company with some gumption can start marrying advertising sponsorship with good content and distributing it directly to the people. Maybe this company could name itself after a flower...but i digress.
Creativity is not doomed. The 30 second spot as a means to leverage creativity for the benefit of advertisers just might not make sense in today's world. But these same minds who make 30seconds spots can apply that creativity in other ways. Some of them even make movies apparently.
The main obstacle today is media buyers who are unwilling/unable to break out of their comfort zone. Running one spot nationally for all audiences in all venues at all times is not a reasonable strategy. This is has been happening ever since dot.com version 1.0. Have media buyers adequately adapted? Given the right distribution outlets I think creative minds will always be able to deliver "good work."

I actually think that media buying is an area that would benefit from a longer post from you. When I think of good campaigns, the media is always integral to the creative.

[Susan Solomon]

I still watch the good ones... and admittedly some of the bad ones too. Life on Mars being one of them (thanks to your encouragement to give it a second shot.) But I don't mourn for network television. Their business model was and is built on creating "blockbusters" - shows that will appeal to the masses. But that business model isn't sustainable - or won't be forever.

The nichefication of media consumption, among other reasons, has given cable tv the opportunity to create unique, quality programing that appeals to small(er) audiences, not unlike independent films. And I'm good with that. Where would we have been without Sopranos or Mad Men? (Answer: lots of boring Sunday nights!)

While it may be sad that a show like Life on Mars isn't given the same kind of a shot a show like Cheers got back in the day, the same can be said for music/artists/labels. Technologies emerge, consumers change, businesses evolve. That's life. Although we grew up on "mass" entertainment, it's the niche stuff that continues to out perform... and this is coming from someone who watches "the good ones."

[Jerry]

I knew you'd not only appreciate this posting but add great insight. Excellent point how everything is becoming niche. Mass entertainment is becoming the minority if it isn't already.

[Will H]

the light is definitely fading on the large scale scripted drama for TV. FNL has a variety of factors, some you included, others like an insanely loyal fanbase, hulu streams DVD sales etc, that help them more so than most broadcast TV shows would be helped.

that said, we're clearly at an impasse. networks aren't being creative fast enough when it comes to curbing DVR usage and breaking away from the :30 spot.

to survive they're going to have to find ways to play a role in the transaction. period.

that's google's big bet - heading away from cpc to cost per action (or whatever they're calling it today). that's the path TV should be laser focused on. but instead their answer is to cut costs, kill quality, and reinvent game shows, reality shows, and variety hours. how disappointing.