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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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[08/26/26 - 07:46 AM] Netflix Announces New UK Commissions at Edinburgh TV Festival Highlights include Clive Owen, Orlando Norman, and David Shields join Anya Taylor Joy in "How to Kill Your Family," based on Bella Mackie's bestselling novel.
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[08/26/26 - 07:05 AM] Maura Higgins to Host Highly Anticipated "Blind Date" Series for Disney+ The beloved Irish native's sharp wit and mischievous charm propelled her from a finalist position on "Love Island UK," to a hosting role on "Love Island USA: Aftersun."
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[08/26/26 - 07:01 AM] Apple TV Unveils First Look at "12 12 12" The thrilling eight-episode original series will premiere globally on Friday, November 13, 2026, with the first two episodes, followed by one episode every Friday through December 25, 2026.
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[08/26/26 - 07:01 AM] Video: "The Love Hypothesis" - Official Trailer - Prime Video Based on the New York Times best-selling novel by Ali Hazelwood, "The Love Hypothesis" follows Olive (Lili Reinhart), a brilliant Ph.D. candidate focused on her future in academia.
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[08/26/26 - 07:01 AM] "Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel" Streams Tuesday, Sept. 1, on Hulu The four-part series reveals the dark secrets of a wealthy family centered around the brutal murder of a prominent law professor in Tallahassee, Florida.
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[08/26/26 - 07:00 AM] Fourth Annual "The Greatest @Home Videos: Cedy Awards," Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, Airs Friday, Sept. 18 on CBS Donnie Wahlberg, Jerry O'Connell, Kevin Frazier, Nischelle Turner and Phil Keoghan join this year's all-star celebration.
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[08/26/26 - 06:47 AM] Video: First Look at "The Real Rooneys" as Brand New Teaser Trailer and Key Art Revealed for the Highly Anticipated Disney+ Documentary Series In the 10-episode series, Coleen and Wayne Rooney have invited cameras into their home for a pivotal year in their lives.
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[08/26/26 - 06:17 AM] Video: "The Revolutionaries" - Official Trailer - Prime Video Born in the shadow of the crushing defeat of the First War of Independence in 1857, a group of young bloods driven by a mad passion for justice, liberty, and freedom, set out to challenge the British Raj.
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[08/26/26 - 06:01 AM] Daisy Head Is Miss Doublefinger in "One Piece: The Battle of Alabasta" One half of Baroque Works' sharpest pairing has arrived.
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