Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 9, 1993 TAG: 9308250303
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: VERNE GAY NEWSDAY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Yes, it's that dull. Deadly dull. Horribly dull. Get the idea?
The 1993 fall season is still four months away, but already one can get a faint whiff of fall TV phobia (you know, that dreaded disease that sends people screaming to the video store to escape yet another sitcom about cute kids/divorced moms/dads and so on).
To be perfectly fair and above board, the networks have yet to provide review tapes of any of the 38 new series, although advertisers are plowing through some of them as we speak. Therefore, it is perfectly possible that a brilliant, original new series is awaiting discovery. It is more likely, however, that one is not.
A troubling sameness has fallen over the schedules this season. Where is the breakthrough idea? Where is the risky concept? Where, indeed. Each of the networks is playing it very safe in 1994: Certainly more than in recent seasons, the strategy for each has been to create a schedule that is palatable to advertisers. How to do this? Find shows, or formats, or ideas, that worked in the past. In other words, recycle, recycle, recycle.
The reason for network timidity is the network TV business itself. When ad spending is low, a network's appetite for risk-taking is non-existent.
``The economy is not turning around for the advertising business, and I'm sure the networks want to encourage any dollars out there looking for a place to go that network TV is that place,'' says Betsy Frank, a senior vice president at Saatchi & Saatchi, the ad agency.
So what does this ultra-coziness with advertisers mean for '93? A couple of things:
Reality show bust: This is certainly the most - if perhaps only - ennobling trend in '93. None of the networks will introduce a new reality-based show in '93 (Fox's ``The X-Files'' is a hybrid reality/drama). Last fall, four reality shows premiered (all NBC), and only one (``I Witness Video'') will return. Many advertisers don't particularly like the audience composition of such programs, and some feel that they are extremely poor environments for their ads. (CBS' ``Rescue 911'' and NBC's ``Unsolved Mysteries'' are notable exceptions.)
More single-parent families/More divorce: The day is rapidly approaching in which Dan and Roseanne Conner will be the only married couple on network TV (We exaggerate: Hayden and Christine were married on ``Coach'' last month, while Martin and Gina just might tie the knot on ``Martin'' next season). Each of the networks will have an unusually large of number of shows about single parents: a widow (ABC's ``Thea''); a divorced mother (CBS' ``Angel Falls''); a divorced father (Fox's ``Daddy Dearest''); and an out-of-work father (ABC's ``Joe's Life''). This is certainly not the first time networks have discovered divorce (``Dear John'') or single-parent families (``Who's the Boss?''), but it is the biggest crop in recent memory, perhaps ever. Possible reasons: The networks' accurate belief that single-parent households have grown rapidly in recent years; also, such homes are more frequently headed by young women, who are key advertiser prospects.
Each night will have some interesting matchups; while most of the shows may be bland as milquetoast, the competition will not. Here's a quick look:
MONDAY: CBS puts on it best show, ``Dave's World,'' about columnist Dave Barry, in an attempt to firm up ratings on its second-strongest night. Should be an easy winner.
TUESDAY: ``N.Y.P.D. Blue'' is the curiosity here. With partial nudity and some vulgar language, ABC easily wins the crown for ``Most Risky Show'' of the '93 season. But the question is, will the show simply be gratuitous, or will there be a redeeming value? Who knows: Producer Steven Bochco has been uneven in recent years, and he must be desperate to get a solid hit on ABC.
NBC's strategy is also interesting: ``NBC has totally programmed itself against ABC, and they've ignored CBS,'' says Paul Schulman, a big ad buyer. ``The reason is, you've got to beat No. 2 and then go after No. 1.'' Problem is, NBC couldn't have picked a tougher night to go after ABC.
WEDNESDAY: CBS will duel with ABC for the young family audience. Should be an easy win for ABC.
THURSDAY: So many questions, no answers: Can NBC remain dominant? (Most people think so.) Can CBS revive one of the best time periods on its schedule with ``Angel Falls''? (No one has a clue because the show hasn't even been cast yet.) Meanwhile, does Fox have another Martin Lawrence with Sinbad?
FRIDAY: ABC is a hands-down winner with all of those soft family comedies, but NBC will probably see big gains with the Mystery Movie. Fox's ``Brisco County'' is a recycled ``Wild Wild West,'' but the pilot is supposed to be very funny.
SATURDAY: CBS should clean up, and advertisers say ``Harts'' (with Lloyd and Beau Bridges) looks like a good show.
SUNDAY: No question about who wins this night, but the ABC/NBC matchup at 8 p.m. is the most interesting development. ``Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' should win because its lead-in is expected to be infinitely superior to ``SeaQuest's'' lead-in.
by CNB