CBS on Friday picked up none of their comedy projects and axed three others (B POSITIVE, UNITED STATES OF ALL, and that horrible bowling thing). Significant is that two of the comedies were from Chuck Lorre. I watched an episode of one of the Chuck Lorre canceled shows (I won’t say which one since I have friends on both) but it was not good. I think even the laugh machine had trouble getting it up for some of the jokes.
But it’s not like all sitcoms fail. YOUNG SPENCER and GHOSTS are doing fine at CBS. ABBOTT ELEMENTARY is an audience and critics’ darling. THE CONNERS is hanging in there. Even CALL ME KAT on Fox is getting okay numbers. ABC renewed three sitcoms in addition to ABBOTT ELEMENTARY.
But the genre that for decades was a cash cow thanks to first-run syndication now no longer has that promised land to shoot for. New platforms and new economic models have all but erased that mega payday for any show producing 100 episodes are more.
And yet, if one should hit — FRIENDS has made way more money for Warner Brothers than the entire Batman franchise. And it continues to. Hit comedies still can demand decent back ends. Netflix losing THE OFFICE was a big deal for them. It’s rarer now, but a big hit sitcom can still be a monster asset.
What I don’t know is this: Were the CBS comedy pilots and presentation just not that good? Would CBS have picked one or two up if they were? Or are they just sour on comedy? Networks made fewer pilots and presentations (i.e. pilots on the cheap) this year than ever before. You stand a much better chance of finding the next FRIENDS if you make 20 pilots instead of 4.”
NBC picked up two, but talk about conservative — a reboot of NIGHT COURT and the 15th sitcom attempt by George Lopez. If you’re looking to mount the next breakout comedy, don’t reboot a 40 year old show or retread some journeyman sitcom star.
Fortunately for writers, there are other outlets besides the (former) Big Four. Again, all it will take to reverse the trend is ONE. One truly funny sitcom that strikes a chord.
Television programming is a pendulum; always has been. So comedies will come back. They were declared dead in the early ‘80s and then CHEERS and COSBY came along. Find the next “FRIENDS’ and suddenly comedy is back.
So that’s your assignment for the week — create the next mega hit like FRIENDS. Papers due on Friday. The state of network comedy depends on it. But no pressure.
from By Ken Levine
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