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[10/01/09 - 12:37 AM]
The 10 Things You Need to Know About the New Season: #4 - Genre Doesn't Matter Either
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC) |
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Please note: As a courtesy, please do not reproduce these comments to newsgroups, forums or other online places. Links only please.
Welcome once again to "The 10 Things You Need to Know About the New Season," our annual feature about, well... the 10 things you need to know about the new season. The goal of this venture is to address not only common questions people have about television but to also demystify (or potentially reaffirm) stigmas out there about certain networks, time periods, genres and so forth. So with that in mind let us put on our journalistic caps and give you the cold hard truth about what's potentially ahead for some of your favorite new and returning shows...
4. No major genre fares better than another.
Are audiences giving up on traditional multi-camera sitcoms in favor of single-camera ones? Do dramas fare better than their comedic brethren? Or do reality shows perform the best? The answer to all the above: no. The truth is scripted and unscripted shows more or less succeed and fail at the same rate. Sure there are some problematic genres (animation, improv and newsmagazine) but the most prolific categories (multi-camera comedies, single-camera comedies, dramas, reality competition shows and docusoaps) all stay fairly close to the average 31% survival rate of new shows. Take a look at each genre's success rate in the past 10 years:
| genre | abc | cbs | fox | nbc | upn | wb | cw | total |
comedy
(animated) | 0/1 (0%) | 0/1 (0%) | 1/2 (50%) | 0/3 (0%) | 0/2 (0%) | 1/3 (33%) | | 2/12 (17%) |
comedy
(improv/sketch) | 2/4 (50%) | | 0/6 (0%) | 1/6 (17%) | | 2/5 (40%) | | 5/21 (24%) |
comedy
(multi-camera) | 9/29 (31%) | 10/25 (40%) | 6/18 (33%) | 4/26 (15%) | 7/15 (47%) | 5/14 (36%) | 1/1 (100%) | 42/128 (33%) |
comedy
(single-camera) | 5/15 (33%) | 0/4 (0%) | 6/16 (38%) | 6/13 (46%) | 1/3 (33%) | 0/7 (0%) | 0/1 (0%) | 18/59 (31%) |
| drama | 17/58 (29%) | 24/52 (46%) | 12/46 (26%) | 16/52 (31%) | 3/16 (19%) | 10/24 (42%) | 3/9 (33%) | 85/257 (33%) |
| game show | 2/11 (18%) | 2/5 (40%) | 3/8 (38%) | 4/9 (44%) | | | | 11/33 (33%) |
| newsmagazine | 2/14 (14%) | | 1/2 (50%) | | | | 0/1 (0%) | 3/17 (18%) |
reality
(competition) | 8/22 (36%) | 5/13 (38%) | 6/27 (22%) | 11/37 (30%) | 1/7 (14%) | 3/10 (30%) | 1/5 (20%) | 35/121 (29%) |
reality
(documentary) | 4/18 (22%) | 0/4 (0%) | 5/16 (31%) | 3/6 (50%) | 0/5 (0%) | 3/4 (75%) | 0/3 (0%) | 15/56 (27%) |
| sports | 1/1 (100%) | | | 1/2 (50%) | | | | 2/3 (67%) |
| total | 50/173 (29%) | 41/104 (39%) | 40/141 (28%) | 46/154 (30%) | 12/48 (25%) | 24/67 (36%) | 5/20 (25%) | 218/707 (31%) |
Among the more interesting trends: CBS has kept 40% of its new multi-camera shows around for a second season but none of its single-camera shows; NBC conversely is batting 46% for its single-camera comedies while just 15% for multi-camera ones. By the same token CBS has had success with 38% of its reality competition shows but none at all with its docusoaps whereas FOX and NBC have seen more failures in the former genre. All in all, you definitely can get the sense of each network's brand from the above data.
TOMORROW: Are cable channels really more patient than the broadcast networks?
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[11/26/25 - 10:38 AM]
An Encore Presentation of "Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion" Special to Air Friday, November 28th on CBS
The telecast will replace the previously announced repeats of "Fire Country."
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[11/25/25 - 03:45 PM]
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"Center Stage" (434,000 and 326,000, respectively) ranked No. 1 in its hour in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.
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[11/25/25 - 03:05 PM]
ESPN Wins Week 13 with Stellar Showings for "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot," "SEC on ABC" and Friday College Football on ESPN
Texas Longhorns defeating the Arkansas Razorbacks 52-37 delivered 5.6 million viewers on November 22.
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[11/25/25 - 02:57 PM]
"America's Game of the Week" on FOX Scores 27,816,000 Viewers in Week 12
The Dallas Cowboys win over the Philadelphia Eagles peaked with 28.4 million viewers from 7:30 PM - 7:45 PM ET.
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[11/25/25 - 02:03 PM]
CBS Sports' Coverage of the 2025 NWSL Championship Is the First NWSL Match Ever to Surpass 1 Million Viewers!
The Gotham FC victory over Washington Spirit set a NWSL viewership record.
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[11/25/25 - 02:00 PM]
Record Audience Watches Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix on ESPN
ESPN's live telecast on Saturday night, November 22, averaged 1.5 million viewers, the largest audience to watch the event in its three-year history,
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[11/25/25 - 12:29 PM]
The Second and Final Season of the HBO Original Drama Series "Like Water for Chocolate" Debuts February 15
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[11/25/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of November 17 - 3 Cheers for "Champagne Problems" at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
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[11/25/25 - 11:30 AM]
TNT Sports Unveils World Class Commentators for First-Ever World Sevens Football 7v7 Soccer Tournament in North America - Coverage Kicks Off Friday, Dec. 5
The fast-paced W7F series has redefined women's soccer with elite talent from eight of the best clubs in the world, an immersive fan-first experience, and a groundbreaking $5 million prize pool, the largest in the sport, designed to fuel intense, high-stakes competition.
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[11/25/25 - 10:31 AM]
Toby Wallace Is Entering the World of "Assassin's Creed"
He's the first series regular cast for the live-action series adaptation of Ubisoft's best-selling video game franchise.
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[11/25/25 - 10:02 AM]
Hulu Renews Hit Emmy Award-Nominated Series "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives"
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[11/25/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" - Date Announcement - Netflix
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[11/25/25 - 09:01 AM]
"Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" Will Stream on Paramount+ Starting December 4
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[11/25/25 - 09:01 AM]
Prime Video Unveils First Look Images of "Scarpetta," Based on Patricia Cornwell's Bestselling Novels, Premiering March 11
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[11/25/25 - 08:31 AM]
"Wednesday" Season 3: Eva Green Joins the Addams Family as Aunt Ophelia
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