 |
 |
[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) |
|
|
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?
|
|
|
 [october 2009]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | | | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[11/20/25 - 01:16 PM]
"Christmas in Nashville" Unveils Star-Studded Performer Lineup for Dec. 3 Country Music Holiday Special on NBC
Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers, Lauren Alaina, NE-YO, The War and Treaty and Trace Adkins are set to perform holiday favorites.
|
[11/20/25 - 12:32 PM]
"The Tonight Show" Enters the Upside Down - "Stranger Things" Cast to Make a Series of Guest Appearances on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"
Millie Bobby Brown will co-host with Fallon on December 7, which is the final post-"Sunday Night Football" special episode of the season.
|
[11/20/25 - 12:30 PM]
Video: Acorn TV Debuts Trailer and Key Art for "The Madame Blanc Mysteries" Two-Part Christmas Special
Created by and starring Sally Lindsay, the special is set to premiere on Monday, December 15 and Monday, December 22, respectively, in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
|
[11/20/25 - 11:56 AM]
TV One Networks Commitment to the Culture Continues with 2026 Programming Preview Featuring Star Studded Stories, True Crime Confessions and Lifestyle Experts
Adding to the exciting new lineup, TV One continues its investment into the true crime genre with returning fan favorite titles and expansion of the popular "Fatal Attraction" franchise with "Fatal Attraction: I'd Kill to Be You."
|
[11/20/25 - 11:31 AM]
"Landman" Season 2 Premiere Delivers Record Breaking 9.2 Million Global Streaming Views in Its First Two Days on Paramount+
Views increased by +262% from the first season premiere, making it the most watched premiere for any original series for Paramount+.
|
[11/20/25 - 11:01 AM]
ESPN Signs Women's Basketball Analyst and Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo to Multi-Year Extension
She will continue as one of ESPN's lead voices on women's college basketball and WNBA coverage, including regular-season games, Champ Week, the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament and the WNBA Finals.
|
[11/20/25 - 11:01 AM]
BritBox Announces Season Three of Jimmy McGovern's Award-Winning "Time" Starring David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran
Set within a Young Offenders Institution, the season will explore the impact of locking up teenagers and the effects on those who look after them.
|
[11/20/25 - 10:17 AM]
All New Season of "When Calls the Heart" Returns January 4
Plus: Guess who's returning to Hope Valley... it's Brooke Shields!
|
[11/20/25 - 10:10 AM]
Tubi's YA Original Film "How to Lose a Popularity Contest" Premieres Exclusively on Tubi on January 16
The film is a sharp, flirty high school rom-com about a charming underachiever and a type-A overachiever teaming up to win student body president - and maybe each other.
|
[11/20/25 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Paul Anka: His Way" Debuts December 1
From teen idol to chart-topping songwriter, Paul Anka has spent seven decades as one of the most prolific musicians in the world and he's still going.
|
[11/20/25 - 10:01 AM]
BET+ Original Film, "Love After Holidays," Premieres Thursday, December 4
The film stars Jacinth Headlam, Jeremy Meeks, Trina, Amia Brock, and Malik Yoba.
|
[11/20/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Train Dreams" - Final Trailer - Netflix
A logger leads a life of quiet grace as he experiences love and loss during an era of monumental change in early 20th-century America.
|
[11/20/25 - 09:01 AM]
Prime Video Announces Premiere Date for "Beast Games" Season Two and Shares First Look at New Beast City
The first three episodes will be available on January 7 with following episodes dropping weekly thereafter leading up to the Season Two finale on February 25.
|
[11/20/25 - 09:00 AM]
Lainey Wilson Set to Perform at the 99th "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade"
Wilson will take the stage in front of the iconic Herald Square flagship store.
|
[11/20/25 - 08:48 AM]
FOX's Reimagined "Baywatch" Brings the California Dream Back to Los Angeles Thanks to the State Film Commission's 40% Tax Credit
The tax credit was granted as part of the CFC's ongoing efforts to keep high-profile, job-creating productions in The Golden State.
|
|
|
|
