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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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[07/02/25 - 03:04 PM]
ABC News Announces "Verdict: The Diddy Trial," Airing Wednesday, July 2, at 10 P.M. on ABC, Streaming Next Day on Hulu
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[07/02/25 - 02:38 PM]
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[07/02/25 - 11:52 AM]
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[07/02/25 - 10:01 AM]
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[07/02/25 - 10:00 AM]
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[07/02/25 - 09:00 AM]
"The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder" Season Three Drops August 6 on Disney+
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[07/02/25 - 08:12 AM]
ESPN Original Series "The Fight Life" Returns for Season Two on July 7
After each episode's debut, "The Fight Life" will also air across ESPN's linear platforms.
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[07/02/25 - 07:09 AM]
Apple's Sci-Fi Drama "Invasion" to Return for Season Three on August 22
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[07/02/25 - 06:12 AM]
"South Park's" 27th Season Premiere Moves to Wednesday, July 23rd at 10:00pm ET/PT on Comedy Central
The show's social media accounts confirmed the news this morning.
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[07/02/25 - 05:06 AM]
Video: Trailer Released for ESPN's "Fanatics Fest: All Access" Special
From June 20-22, Fanatics Fest drove more than 125,000 fans to the Javits Center in New York City, captivating all in attendance and taking over social feeds throughout the three-day event.
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[07/02/25 - 04:00 AM]
Roku Will Live-Stream Viral Sensation Savannah Bananas' Banana Ball World Tour Game from Fenway Park
Roku viewers will see the Savannah Bananas take on the Firefighters at historic Fenway Park on Sunday, July 6, at 3:30 PM ET, exclusively streaming on The Roku Channel's Roku Sports Channel in the U.S.
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[07/01/25 - 07:01 PM]
Video: "Low Life" - Official Trailer - Disney+
Outlaws. Opportunists. One deadly chase. Who will sink, and who will score?
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[07/01/25 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Glass Heart" Main Trailer and Title Song Revealed
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[07/01/25 - 02:48 PM]
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[07/01/25 - 02:25 PM]
Emmy Winner Michael Imperioli Set to Star Opposite Patrick Dempsey in New FOX Drama Series "Memory of a Killer," from Warner Bros. Television and FOX Entertainment
The new drama series is scheduled to premiere midseason on FOX.
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