Television Seasons

Perhaps it’s time for North American television to consider the 1 year television show, or at least the 1 year story arc.

A fair example is Harper’s Island, advertised as a 13 episode series, and that’s it. No more.

Studios are always crying the blues at the cost of creating new shows for television, hence the reason for so many ‘reality shows’.  An entire season, including whatever grand prize for the winner of said show, can equal the salary of a single star in a regular television series. As much as I dislike reality shows, (except for Hell’s Kitchen, damn my soul), the numbers are hard to ignore.

Viewers counter the argument with the lack of quality programming. Every year, some drunks at the big studios give the green light to the dumbest shows ever conceived. Whenever the big studios look to produce a quality show, the steal from the BBC, reworking them for American audiences. For example, Three’s Company and All In The Family, both mega-hits for their time, were based on British programs.

Why not just steal the concept?  Limited run series with a beginning, middle, and end. A story line that lasts for one season.  Hell, you could actually have a full year of programming. Imagine, while other stations are showing reruns of some mediocre show, your station is chugging along with a well-written, well-acted story that viewers are watching because it is fresh, and has a promised conclusion without some pesky cliffhanger to leave the viewer feeling unsatisfied.

Sports teams have been doing this for years, giving one year contracts to ‘ace’ players, hoping to help the team.  why invest millions in a player who tends to give less than a 100% right after the ink dries on a contract, when you can pay 1 million to a guy who will work his ass off because at the only way he can promote himself is through his, or her performance.

I’m sure there are valid reasons why television conducts business the way it does. I mean, why be innovative when the old system has worked for years.  Works for the auto industry, right?

 

Mike