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[10/02/09 - 08:53 AM]
The 10 Things You Need to Know About the New Season: #5 - Scripted Shows Fare Better on Cable
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...
5. Half of all scripted cable shows make it to a second season.
Yesterday we pointed out that 33% of all new dramas and 30% of all new comedies make it to second seasons on the broadcast networks. But what about cable? Here's a breakdown of how new scripted shows on cable have fared in the past 10 years (i.e. those that have launched from 9/1/99-6/1/09):
| network | comedy | drama | total |
| a&e | | 3/4 (75%) | 3/4 (75%) |
| abc family | 1/5 (20%) | 6/10 (60%) | 7/15 (47%) |
| amc | | 3/3 (100%) | 3/3 (100%) |
| bravo | 1/2 (50%) | | 1/2 (50%) |
| comedy central | 11/25 (44%) | | 11/25 (44%) |
| e! | 1/3 (33%) | | 1/3 (33%) |
| espn | | 0/2 (0%) | 0/2 (0%) |
| fx | 2/5 (40%) | 7/9 (78%) | 9/14 (64%) |
| hbo | 8/14 (57%) | 8/11 (73%) | 16/25 (64%) |
| ifc | 6/8 (75%) | | 6/8 (75%) |
| lifetime | 1/2 (50%) | 5/11 (45%) | 6/13 (46%) |
| mtv | 6/21 (29%) | 0/1 (0%) | 6/22 (27%) |
| nick at nite | 1/1 (100%) | | 1/1 (100%) |
| oxygen | 1/4 (25%) | | 1/4 (25%) |
| showtime | 5/9 (56%) | 14/19 (74%) | 19/28 (68%) |
| soapnet | | 2/3 (67%) | 2/3 (67%) |
| spike tv | 1/10 (10%) | 0/1 (0%) | 1/11 (9%) |
| starz | 2/3 (67%) | 1/1 (100%) | 3/4 (75%) |
| syfy | 1/2 (50%) | 6/15 (40%) | 7/17 (41%) |
| tbs | 5/6 (83%) | | 5/6 (83%) |
| tnt | | 5/10 (50%) | 5/10 (50%) |
| usa | 0/2 (0%) | 7/12 (58%) | 7/14 (50%) |
| vh1 | 1/3 (33%) | 0/1 (0%) | 1/4 (25%) |
| total | 53/122 (43%) | 67/112 (60%) | 120/234 (51%) |
The overall numbers shouldn't be much a surprise: cable traditionally has a more patient attitude. After all, original content is about as big of a promotional tool a network can have for its brand. And for the overwhelming majority of networks that have tried scripted programming, it's paid off. (Only ESPN, Spike TV, Oxygen, VH1 and MTV have fared worse than the broadcast networks in launching scripted programming.) And for dramas it's even better - 60% of them made it a second season - while networks like HBO, Showtime and FX fare that well with every original program they launch. All in all, the cable shows you've added to your lineup this fall are more likely to be around than the broadcast ones.
MONDAY: Why don't cable channels pick up canceled broadcast network shows?
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[10/21/25 - 01:46 PM]
Apple TV's High-Octane Thriller "Hijack," Starring and Executive Produced by Idris Elba, Returns for Season Two on January 14
The eight-episode second season will premiere globally on Wednesday, January 14 with the first two episodes, followed by one episode weekly until February 25.
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[10/21/25 - 12:10 PM]
FOX Nation to Premiere "Scammed: Getting Even" on October 22
The six-part docuseries, released weekly, follows viral YouTubers Ashton Bingham and Art Kulik as they take justice into their own hands - tracking, confronting, and exposing real-life scammers across the globe.
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[10/21/25 - 12:02 PM]
Gerry Dee Returns to the Mic for His First Global Special: "Gerry Dee: Funny You Should Say That" Only on Netflix November 18
With dry wit, Canadian comic Gerry Dee explores his perilous years as a schoolteacher, the pitfalls of open marriages and the truth about Santa.
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[10/21/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of October 13: "The Woman in Cabin 10" Sails Smoothly to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
In the final stretch to Halloween, those lured in by the story of the OG horror villain put "Monster: The Ed Gein Story" at No. 1 on the English TV list with 9.5 million views.
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[10/21/25 - 11:01 AM]
A New Season of "Project Runway" Is Coming to Freeform, Hulu, and Disney+
Couldn't keep this zipped up.
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[10/21/25 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix Gives Fans a First Look at Little Garden in "One Piece" Season 2
Netflix's epic high-seas pirate adventure returns for Season 2 - unleashing fiercer adversaries and the most perilous quests yet.
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[10/21/25 - 10:00 AM]
A24's "Eddington" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max November 14
In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.
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[10/21/25 - 09:04 AM]
"Surviving Mormonism with Heather Gay" Premieres Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 9:15 P.M. ET/PT on Bravo
All three parts will drop exclusively on Peacock on November 12.
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[10/21/25 - 09:01 AM]
The History Channel Honors Veterans Day with Two-Hour Event "The Warfighters: Battle Stories" Premiering Monday, November 10 at 8/7c
Blending raw first-person accounts from Army Rangers, Green Berets, Navy SEALs, and Marines with archival footage and cinematic recreations, these stories are told entirely in the voices of the men who lived them.
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[10/21/25 - 08:46 AM]
The World of "Catan," Based on Klaus Teuber's Beloved Board Game, Is Coming to Netflix
The world at the heart of this global phenomenon will be brought to life for the first time across film, series, and unscripted - including live-action and animation.
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[10/21/25 - 08:12 AM]
Fulwell Entertainment's Uninterrupted, 4.4.Forty Media and State Farm Present "On the Rise: JuJu Watkins" Season 2 on NBC and Peacock
All four episodes will be available exclusively on Peacock after the premiere of Episodes 1 and 2 on Saturday, November 15, at 3:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. CT on NBC.
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[10/21/25 - 08:08 AM]
Video: New Season Three Trailer for Acclaimed, BAFTA-Winning Drama "Blue Lights"
The season will premiere November 13 with episodes dropping weekly through on December 18.
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[10/21/25 - 07:31 AM]
"Is It Cake? Holiday" Season 2 - First Look and Date Announcement
The series returns November 25 for another festive season with Mikey Day and six All-Star cake artists!
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[10/21/25 - 07:05 AM]
Apple's Beloved Comedy "Shrinking" Returns for Season Three on January 28, 2026
In addition to the ensemble cast, season three brings back guest stars Goldstein, Damon Wayans Jr., Wendie Malick and Cobie Smulders, along with new additions Jeff Daniels and multi-award winner and activist Michael J. Fox.
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[10/21/25 - 07:04 AM]
Video: "Old Dog, New Tricks" - Season 2 Announcement - Netflix
Cash-strapped vet Antón takes a job at a fancy pet store, going from treating rural farm animals to peddling premium treats for pampered pooches.
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