Small screen series prove they're ready for the big time
It's been slightly over a year since the critically acclaimed but anemically rated "Arrested Development" was canceled, leading many to predict that "AD"'s downfall signaled the death knell for smart, innovative television. However, something unexpected has happened in television since the Bluths went to the big banana stand in the sky: networks have started to see success with off-beat comedies and pioneering dramas.
Newsweek's Devin Gordon recently declared that "television is running circles around the movies." With the proliferation of sequels, special effects-laden slop and the mere existence of "Epic Movie" (2007) and "Norbit" (2007), the multiplex has become undoubtedly bleak. Fortunately, television shows ranging from NBC's comedy "The Office" to FOX's real-time thriller "24" have tested the limits of television, either by eschewing the stale laugh track or working within a unique narrative structure, while garnering critical and popular praise.
Return of the sitcom
For years, premium cable channels like HBO have shown that television can aspire to be more than lowest common denominator entertainment with shows like "The Sopranos" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm." As these groundbreaking shows were debuting at the beginning of the decade, the cable networks were still relying on tiresome, traditional, if enjoyable sitcoms like "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Friends" to reel in large audiences.
At the same time, the industry embraced reality and game shows with the astronomical success of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and "Survivor." With regular people lining up to star in shows more or less for free and the demand for writers plummeting, it seemed that the sitcom could soon be a dying breed.
Instead of fading away, however, sitcoms that have received the most critical praise and public adoration are ones the evolved in the face of reality's domination. The best example of this new trend is NBC's Thursday primetime lineup, recently dubbed "Comedy Night Done Right." Harking back to the "Must See TV" of the '90s, the two-hour block features the impressive programming of "My Name is Earl," "The Office," "Scrubs" and "30 Rock." Nowhere is quirky, irreverent humor embraced more than in these amazing 120 minutes.
Each show avoids the use of the obnoxious laugh track and static camera of a traditional family sitcom like "Raymond." After a slow start in which it mostly offered pale imitations of plots that the original British series had already perfected, "The Office" has since established its own identity. "Earl"'s lowbrow humor is always pulled off with a knowing wink, and "Scrubs" is the only hospital show that doesn't deal in melodrama.
The newest of the bunch, "30 Rock," a behind-the-scenes look at an "SNL"-like show, is proving itself a kinder, gentler successor to "Arrested Development." "SNL" alum Tina Fey anchors a killer cast featuring Alec Baldwin, playing essentially the same character he played in "The Departed" (2006), as well as Tracy Morgan. The Wall Street Journal summed up the ensemble in saying it would leave viewers "in thrall to its brazen wit."
Perhaps it's easy to see why desperate television critics have heaped praise on these shows after seeing the decade's finest work linger in the ratings basement before unceremonious axing. But these aren't merely critics' pets like "AD" or the equally superb and even shorter-lived "Freaks and Geeks." While they'd never be mistaken for reality powerhouse "American Idol," these sitcoms posted respectable ratings. According to an NBC press release, "The Office" won the ratings race against "Survivor" among the coveted demographic of men aged 18-34 on the week of Feb. 18.
Keeping the fans coming back
Looking at the ratings for NBC, it's clear that the real success story of this season is "Heroes." With 9.7 million viewers, "Heroes" was the 17th most-watched show of the week of Feb. 12. "Heroes," an action-packed show about normal people who discover they have super powers, isn't so much noteworthy for its narrative, but for its ambition. Like "Lost" and "24," "Heroes" relies on the viewer to stay on top of events in the story, with episodes often ending in cliff-hangers, and keeps track of a large ensemble cast. With the effects and feel of big budget films, these shows have expanded the scope of what a television show can be.
Far from alienating audience members, the level of audience attention demanded by these shows increases fans' fervor. There's no need to look past the Tufts campus to see that these serial dramas create passionate fans. Senior Prescott Gadd is in the final stages of editing his Tufts' take on "24," called "50," a series of five 10-minute episodes taking place over one class scheduling block. When the project was started a year ago, Gadd was a huge fan of the show (though he thinks it has gone downhill since).
Gadd adopted trademark "24" elements like the ticking clock and a "grittier" filming style, which he described as a "you-know-the-camera's-there" style. Preferring the "epic" feel of a "DVD of a great show," Gadd said that the shows like "The Shield" and "24" were an inspiration. "There's more realism" in such series, Gadd said.
After spending a year working on the project, "50" is set to debut on April 17 and will be shown on TUTV. It's hard to imagine that a middle-of-the-road show like "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" would inspire a student filmmaker to set out on a year long project, so what is it about this new breed of show that is so intriguing?
Instant gratification without commercials may be the secret
One reason may be the sense of inclusion that dedicated fans get from the watching (and re-watching) of every episode. "The Office" and "30 Rock" don't shy away from running jokes, like "The Office"'s Michael Scott's (Steve Carell) pathetic catchphrase, "That's what she said," to the indecipherable "Rural Juror" on "30 Rock." New dramas have created online communities dedicated to catching small details and clues. While these shows are undoubtedly innovative and entertaining in conjunction with offering the possibility of audience interaction, there may be more to their success.
Another possible explanation for the success of ensemble dramas and comedies could be linked to their release onto DVD and iTunes, which generates huge revenues if they have significant followings. Shows like "The Sopranos," "Prison Break" and "Lost" are essentially endless movies that continuously develop a rigorous plot structure and progression of the characters, making them perfectly adaptable to these other forms of media.
In one famous example, after "Family Guy" was cancelled on FOX, the DVD sales and high ratings of re-runs resurrected the show. Among others, entire seasons of "The O.C.," "South Park" and even upcoming series like "The Black Donnellys" can be downloaded on iTunes for roughly $2 an episode. In fact, last year Newsday credited iTunes with saving "The Office" and "30 Rock" from cancellation. Meanwhile, new technology like TiVo enables the viewer to record television programs without the commercials.
According to Assistant Professor of Sociology Sarah Sobieraj, who teaches the course "Media and Society," these new advances could hurt some shows: "[With] the entrance of YouTube and other new media alternatives, attracting that large, concentrated, affluent audience is harder and harder," she said. "This is greatly exacerbated by the presence of TiVo and similar systems that allow the viewer to bypass the advertiser."
Is the golden age only gilded?
The recent surge in popular dramas and comedies on television has been referred to as the new "golden age" by some entertainment critics. Sobieraj, however, disagrees: "I don't think television is undergoing another golden age - I think it's a medium in crisis," largely because of the "expansion of cable channels and dispersion of viewers," she said.
Quality programming is often balanced out by generic reality shows that take up a significant amount of the airtime on television. Anyone who tunes in to MTV, VH1 or E! gets a glimpse of the kind of trashy television that usually revolves around shock value and glamour, rather than well crafted writing. "Flavor of Love," "The Surreal Life" and "Hogan Knows Best" are examples of a new trend prominent on VH1 named "Celebreality," a term that Viacom applied for trademark registration in 2004. Meanwhile, MTV airs shows like "My Super Sweet Sixteen" and "Date My Mom."
There are several reasons these shows are considerably successful, even if they are widely critically panned. The B-list celebrities that frequently appear on this type of programming attract viewers because of their name recognition, even if they are washed up. In addition, advertisers find these shows particularly appealing because of the demographics they reel in.
You probably won't catch your grandmother tuning in to watch Flavor Flav pick between the two vixens that cat-fought their way to the finale, but your 10-year-old sister might be glued to the screen. Above all, Celebreality and teenie-bopper shows are part of a marketing strategy aimed to attract teenagers, a vital demographic for advertisers and television producers.
Not only are adolescents loyal buyers of consumer products, but they also spend hours and hours in front of their televisions. The presence of inferior programming that continues to flood the airwaves makes it difficult to say whether television is actually gaining an edge over movies in its quality.
Hollywood is undeniably going through a slump that has resulted in a slew of terrible blockbusters that taint the art of filmmaking. However, market model strategies with the sole purpose of increasing profits are just as pervasive in both movie and television production. The sad truth is that "even successful sitcoms today, like 'Ugly Betty' and 'The Office' are precariously perched, vulnerable to reality powerhouses that lure their viewers away," Sobieraj said.
A sign of things to come or a flash in the pan?
Perhaps it is an overstatement to say that television is the new film. In fact, it might be laughable to even compare the two in the first place, for out of movies, music, books and television, the small screen may be the most blatantly business-minded. There's no such thing as "indie television," and no real rogues or mavericks.
It could be the case that this current roster of exceptional programs isn't indicative of a long term trend. The beginning of spring brings along with it bikinis and wild parties, resurrecting the hurricane season of trashy reality TV. This unexpected surge of intelligent television might be wiped out in a cataclysmic wave of the newest reality hype, or it may slowly fade away as ratings wilt. What can be certain is that they proved that there still is the possibility in a profit-driven environment of creating successful shows that are also unique and innovative.
