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of short-flight series
Networks testing shows for fall, but at some risk
By Thomas J. Watson
Can’t find your favorite TV show?
You’re not alone.
Media people and home viewers alike are reaching for TV listings these days as the networks scramble their schedules. Even relatively successful shows seem to be vanishing.
This past Monday, "Ally McBeal" started a six-week hiatus, as Fox experiments with a new female-skewing drama set in London, "The American Embassy."
The same evening, NBC set aside "Third Watch" for three weeks to present expanded editions of "Fear Factor" and the new "Colin Quinn Show," a half-hour of stand-up and sketch comedy.
Both new shows are examples of short-flight series being given on-air tests for possible berths on the fall lineups.
They are also the networks’ latest ploy to avoid midseason reruns.
Unfortunately, they also contribute to viewer confusion and the scheduling nightmare that has become network television.
Clearly the days when "Ed Sullivan" was on every Sunday night at 8, come what may, are long since over.
Even media people find keeping up with the ever-changing network schedules something of a chore.
"I study television for a living," says Steve Sternberg, vice president of audience research for MAGNA Global USA, "and I need a reminder sheet each day to know what is on. For the average TV viewer at home it must be a nightmare."
Midseason tryouts, of course, are as old as television itself. But until recently the shows being tested filled in for programs that had been cancelled. The problem, though, was that the slots they were put in to fill were tainted by the shows that failed, making it that much more challenging to attract viewers, or so many argued.
The current strategy is to schedule the new programs in time periods normally occupied by at least marginally successful shows, especially dramas, which do not necessarily do well in reruns.
"We have seen time and again," says Sternberg, "that a lot of network dramas do not do particularly well in repeats. Most shows only do 22 originals these days, leaving the networks with 30 other weeks to fill."
While Sternberg readily agrees that pre-empting a successful show for three or four weeks of a midseason replacement adds to viewer confusion, it also keeps the season fresh.
"If the alternative is three or four weeks of reruns in March and early April, the replacement show seems to be the better choice," he says.
"Otherwise, the viewer might think the season over and not come back when originals start again for the May sweeps."
The sweeps and need to save originals for May, many feel, is one of the roots of the problem.
"The sweeps are a major concern," says Shari Ann Brill, vice president and director of programming services at Carat.
"They cause all kinds of unusual scheduling and stunting during November and February and then create the need for reruns to start in March, just so a few originals can be saved for May."
While Brill applauds on-air testing of new shows, she fears too much tampering with regular schedules ultimately undermines viewer loyalty.
"Viewers rightly get annoyed when their favorite shows are moved around on the schedule. Look at ‘Once and Again.’ First it was on Tuesday, then Monday, then Friday. Now it’s back on Monday, and the network is wondering what happened to the audience."
To put even a moderately successful show on hiatus for another series is a risk, Brill feels.
"Everyone has so many channel options these days. It is harder than ever to create viewing habits. But once viewers have committed to watching, it’s risky for networks to yank the show, then bring it back a few weeks later."
So how did this week’s newcomers fare?
Not so hot, according to data from Nielsen Media Research.
"The American Embassy" did decently, delivering a 5.5 household rating and 8 share of audience, with a 3.5/8 among adults 18-49, which is a bit less than what "Ally McBeal" has been getting in that time period so far this season.
But "The Colin Quinn Show" plummeted to a 4.7/7 in households, and a 3.5/8 among adults 18-49, representing declines of 33 and 15 percent, respectively, from "Third Watch," which normally airs in that hour. Its overall audience declined 58 percent from its "Fear Factor" lead-in.
Next up: "Baby Bob," a sitcom about a talking infant, which pinch-hits for "Yes, Dear" beginning Monday on CBS.
You'll find it in your TV listings somewhere.
March 15, 2002 © 2002 Media Life
-Thomas J. Watson is a Los Angeles writer and a contributor to Media Life.
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