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« Roush Dispatch
NBC's Surrender, and Other TV Topics
So NBC is going to abandon the first hour of prime time, according to non-visionary chief Jeff Zucker. No more pricey comedies and dramas to fill the 8 pm/ET hour in the future. I guess the handful of shows, mostly comedies, now airing in that hour will migrate elsewhere at some point, whichever ones actually survive. Sounds like surrender to me. Not to mention fewer scheduling options for a lesser range of programming. Be on the lookout for more cheesy game shows and cheaper reality retreads. And what would happen should NBC be lucky enough to stumble across a perfect 8 pm/ET premise like ABC's family-friendly Ugly Betty? This is such a short-sighted blanket philosophy it's as staggering as it is depressing. Was it just two years ago that Friends signed off as one of the highest-rated shows ever, holding down that first half-hour of prime Thursday real estate? How times have changed, and how quickly. And how sad is it for TV's future to see a network simply giving up rather than trying harder? First the networks collectively turned their backs on Saturday night. Friday may not be far behind, at least for those networks that can't get traction on the night. And now ditching an entire hour of prime time throughout the week, just because you're in the doldrums? How pathetic.
[One clarification: It now looks as if the Thursday 8 p.m. hour is still safe for scripted programming, thanks to the unquestioned quality of the current comedy hour.]
Now on to some thoughts about actual TV, from Wednesday night's crowded plate:
It's a good thing I'm not a fashion critic. Project Runway's coronation of Jeffrey Sebelia over Uli Herzner just proves how out of touch I must be. (Or is it the other way around?) While I'm glad Jeffrey got to compete in the Fashion Week finale despite the contrived cliffhanger of Laura Bennett's suspicions that he outsourced work (lesson here: Keep your receipts), even the judges and Heidi Klum made it clear that Uli's designs were exactly the sort of thing today's women might actually want to wear, and Elle editor Nina Garcia confessed the response to Uli in her world was already off the hook. Uli's collection in the finale had more range and flair (including a knockout bathing-suit ensemble) than she’d displayed during most of the competition. Jeffrey's collection, though unified and (so they told us) "innovative," wasn't nearly as much of a wow. But then, I'm not what you'd call fashion forward, and I thought Runway was crazy when they crowned ridiculous Jay McCarroll the winner of the first season. Still love the show, but what an anticlimax.
Speaking of anticlimax, could Dancing With the Stars have dragged out more painfully the hardly-surprise reveal that no one was being eliminated this week? A show this popular isn't going to cut its run short just because a contestant bowed out for personal reasons. (It's just a shame that Sara Evans hadn't been voted off the week earlier, as this bland hoofer deserved to be. Willa Ford, you wuz robbed!) I feel Jerry Springer’s pain, though. As hard as it's going to be for him to tackle two new routines next week, imagine what it’s going to be like to watch. It's way past time for him to go, though he has been surprisingly charming throughout.
Finally, The Nine was much improved creatively (though not in the ratings) from week two, almost on par with the riveting pilot. Very emotional storylines for traumatized Felicia, pregnant Lizzie and Kathryn. I hope ABC sticks with this one for a while. Not the easiest show to watch, but the payoffs this week were very satisfying. Wish I could say the same for my beloved Lost, which went so far into nonsensical surreality this week that I couldn't help think Twin Peaks from time to time (not always in a good way). So the hatch implosion took Locke's voice, Desmond's clothes, and somehow delivered Mr. Eko to a vicious polar bear that dragged him into a cave without eating him? Whatever. Still a fun and dazzling hour for the most part, but can’t we just get back to the beach and our old friends soon?
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Edited by Matt Roush at {1}
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Oct 19, 2006 1:10 PM
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Hey Matt--when was the NBC cutting the 8 o'clock hour announced?
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Oct 19, 2006 1:29 PM
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Too bad about NBC cutting out 8 o'clock but since Friends there is nothing on NBC at that time I ever watched. Then again there is currently nothing on NBC that I watch. Occasionally Sunday night football maybe, depending on the teams.
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Oct 19, 2006 1:37 PM
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Too bad about NBC cutting out 8 o'clock but since Friends there is nothing on NBC at that time I ever watched. Then again there is currently nothing on NBC that I watch. Occasionally Sunday night football maybe, depending on the teams.
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Oct 19, 2006 1:47 PM
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Matt, was this an actual announcement from NBC?
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Oct 19, 2006 2:15 PM
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I assumed they meant they would keep doing what they 'almost' are doing now - running Deal or No Deal or some other game show in time slot. So, I doubt if they will give up Earl and Office, so they'll be moving them again. NBC has a management problem, not a show problem.
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Oct 19, 2006 3:36 PM
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Who's fault is it really?
Just look at the numbers, brainless shows like Dancing With The Stars, Wife Swap, and NBC's own Deal or No Deal attract millions of more viewers than shows taht are ten times more creative. Reality shows are not terrible, only ones that are dumb and plain.
I will always choose quality over quantity. So if NBC does go thru with this plan I hope they fill the 9 and 10 p.m. slots with some of the best quality on TV, or else it is a terrible idea.
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Oct 19, 2006 3:43 PM
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I know that after I am done watching Heroes on Mondays, I won't be sticking around for Friday Night Lights.
NBC should have renewed Surface (since it was so much bett than Threshold or Invasion) and left it at 8pm on Mondays. That would have been a much better fit with Heroes.
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Oct 19, 2006 3:54 PM
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Amazing that NBC is essentially trying to turn itself into FOX, just starting an hour later, with only two hours a night of scripted programming. (Although FOX can't exactly be said to have two hours a night of scripted progamming. They can barely be said to have any programming.)
Matt. Do we know when this switch with NBC is starting? I can't find anything on the web about this, other than just a quick generic blurb. My big questions are will this move Friday Night Lights permanently to Monday at 10, and will this move My Name Is Earl and The Office to 9 on Thursdays. I am assuming that they will just switch Earl/Office and Deal or No Deal on Thursdays, but I think Friday Night Lights would not do so well in a 10 o'clock berth. Moving it to Tuesdays 10, preceded by 30 Rock and Scrubs might work, though. Maybe if they got rid of some Law & Orders....
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Oct 19, 2006 3:55 PM
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double post
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Oct 19, 2006 3:55 PM
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Jeff Zucker should be fired NOW! What a wuss ... newsflash - not everyone can be on top EVERY SINGLE NIGHT FOR EVERY SINGLE HOUR ... so you give up a prime time hour where you could actually put some shows that have an audience or - gasp! - match shows more evenly???!!! LIke pairing FNL with Heroes on Mondays ... I don't know how many times I've read that suggestion - I can't believe the board or whoever Zuckers reports to is going to let this fly.
And what does this mean exactly for FNL?
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Oct 19, 2006 4:09 PM
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I'm with patobrien. Matt, do you have any idea when this is scheduled to happen? I hope not during this season.
My DVR can only record two things at a time and mostly all of my nights are booked as it's already recording two shows. If I have to stop watching The Office and My Name Is Earl I am going to be very upset. I just got caught up with everyone else over the summer by watching the first and second seasons of these shows on DVD. Aargh!
I'm sorry for the rant, but, I couldn't believe what I was reading and I needed to vent a little.
If there are any TIVO owners on this blog, could you tell me how many shows your TIVO can record at the same time?
Thanks
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Oct 19, 2006 4:12 PM
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Oh crap, Friday Night Lights does come on NBC doesn't it?
The way things are going I don't think we're going to see FNL play out to the end, but, if they move it to a different time slot anytime soon I'm not even going to be able to watch it anymore. This so sucks. 
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Oct 19, 2006 4:17 PM
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So, The Nine improved last night? I've been watching the episodes on abc.com for the past two weeks due to South Park coming on at the same timeslot, but I was planning on ditching The Nine since they only showed five to ten minutes of the robbery each episode and I didn't want to watch hundreds of dull episodes just to find out what happened in the robbery. How much of the robbery do we see in the third episode?
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Oct 19, 2006 4:28 PM
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So, The Nine improved last night? I've been watching the episodes on abc.com for the past two weeks due to South Park coming on at the same timeslot, but I was planning on ditching The Nine since they only showed five to ten minutes of the robbery each episode and I didn't want to watch hundreds of dull episodes just to find out what happened in the robbery. How much of the robbery do we see in the third episode?
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Oct 19, 2006 4:29 PM
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