The end of the quirky comedy era?

A recent article in THE GUARDIAN bemoaned the end of the “quirky comedy era” as Amazon and Netflix have recently cancelled off-kilter fare like I LOVE DICK, ONE MISSISSIPPI, and LADY DYNAMITE. Instead these once daring streaming services are gravitating more towards traditional programming at the expense of experimentation and innovation.

On the one hand, I share the author's concern. When network sitcoms have become MODERN FAMILY with different ethnic groups, it was nice that there was an oasis where you could try something new.

But here’s the thing: No one watched these niche programs.

And the question has to be asked: Were they really that good?

"Quirky" to me is a lazy substitute for making people laugh. “Different” doesn’t necessarily mean “good.” The author of the article, Stuart Heritage, even concedes that these cancelled shows were not laugh-out-loud funny. I’m sorry, but to me that’s a problem if you’re doing a comedy.

Let’s look at the reality. These niche shows are expensive to produce. You need to justify their existence. Expectations are certainly different for streaming services vs. broadcast networks, but if quirky shows can’t get numbers they at least have to get huge buzz. Like TRANSPARENT (which very few people actually watch) you need awards and fawning critics and a boost from the zeitgeist. Otherwise Netflix and Amazon and Hulu are left with… nothing.

This is not unique to television. If you write a quirky experimental play and no one comes it closes. If your movie bombs it quickly disappears. Why should streaming services continue to throw good money after bad?

My guest this week on my podcast is Preston Beckman. (To hear it just click on this link or scroll up and directly underneath the masthead is a big gold arrow. Click on it.) Mr. Beckman put schedules together for NBC and FOX for years. It’s a fascinating interview and one of the questions I pose is why doesn’t Netflix release any of ratings data? One reason, he says, is that more people are watching old TV reruns and movies than their new original programs. If more people are watching my old CHEERS episodes than HOUSE OF CARDS then how paltry must the numbers be for LADY DYNAMITE?

Just my conjecture, but I imagine streaming services picked up these quirky shows originally hoping that one would catch lightening in a bottle. One would be a breakout hit. One would attract a large audience. And thus far it hasn’t panned out so they circled the wagons.

The trick now is for them to develop more traditional fare that is a cut above network sitcoms. Netflix has done that with ONE DAY AT A TIME. Just because you’re trying to reach a broader audience doesn’t mean you have to do 2 BROKE GIRLS.

That breakout show is out there. There’s more to love than just Dick.

from By Ken Levine