I remember a time when families would all gather around the set on weeknights, after dinners had been eaten, businesses of the day discussed, and homework completed. I remember a time when Must See TV and TGIF ruled the airwaves, and the four national networks (FOX, NBC, CBS, and ABC) were the kings.
Then came cable television, and a new dynasty arose. In the early days, the big four still ruled, but many of the new specialized cable networks found a strong creative voice that began to pick at the large, growingly-stagnant network viewing audience, stealing them away with shows like The Sopranos, Sex and the City, The Shield, and The Real World, which, along with other shows like Cops, helped to bring about another sad movement in the television culture of "Reality TV."
While Cops was only half an hour, networks began stretching the "real life" format into hour-long episodes, allowing them to take the place of lagging and lacking creative muscles in the big four networks, giving way to the growth of shows like Big Brother, Super Nanny, and Wife Swap, as well as crossover hits like Survivor, the Biggest Loser, and the Amazing Race, which are a combination of Reality style filmmaking and game show/contest format.
However, it seems to be that the tables are beginning to finally turn again and balance themselves out, with the cable networks starting to dip their fingers more into the Reality TV format and the big four starting to return to their roots of quality, creative programming. Yes, I just said that Reality TV is not creative. The only kinds of Reality TV that are interesting and real are shows like Cops, which are unscripted and allow the cameras to only follow and document, not dictate for purposes of ratings. Reality TV is stupid, so sue me.
So, let us examine the new resurgence of the big four networks and which has the best bets in regard to quality programming and who is winning the race...
Less than a decade ago, the clear winner was NBC, with their "Must See TV" lineup that included mega hits like ER, Friends, Fraiser, and Will and Grace. However, those days have past, and even ER is bidding a fond farewell. It is safe to say that NBC has yet to recover. I still put them in last place, but NBC is definitely making a strong comeback, especially with Conan O'Brien taking the helm of the legendary Tonight Show (hallelujah!) and Saturday Night Live, which seemes to feel, in regard to the casts on the show, like a string of relationships, going from great, wonderful, and loving then into rebound mode then back to wonderful again, which is where it finds itself again with a great young cast of incredible creative energy that reminds one of the greatest casts the show has ever seen.
Chuck is one of the clear gems of NBC's lineup, airing Monday nights at 8/7 pm. The comedy follows the bungdling everyman in a fish out of water story involving espionage and big great laughs with alot of heart. Friday Night Lights is still one of the best dramas on television, a spinoff of the popular film by the same name about high school football and life in a small Texas town, airing on Friday nights, appropriately enough, at 9/8 pm. The Office and My Name is Earl are still very funny and very very good shows.
Now, on Sundays at 8/7 pm, there comes a new series with fantastic potential, Kings, which delves into the idea of what America would be like if it had a king instead of a president. I've seen it once, and it greatly impressed me. The rest of NBC's lineup is stagnant and tired, with shows like Law and Order, which also regularly rerun on cable networks, and the horribly unfunny and uninspired hidden camera prank show called Howie Do It (shudders). Also, Heroes, which started out strong and original, has begun to tail off into confusion and misdirection, leaving too much unexplained and misunderstood. There are some bright spots, yes, but there's not enough to dig the former champion out of the cellar.
Now here is where the real debate begins. CBS has a clear hold on the live action comedy night, which now is definitely Monday night, sure enough to kill any "case of the Mondays." Okay, even I feel dirty about saying that quote from one of the greatest movies ever. Yet, I digress. The lineup is solid, with Big Bang Theory leading off and followed by How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, and spinoff hit CSI: Miami. They are fresh, original, and very very funny.
Throughout the rest of the CBS lineup are many quality shows such as CSI, CSI: New York, NCIS (alot of initials here), The Mentalist, Without A Trace, Criminal Minds, Cold Case, and Gary Unmarried. Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs, while not my favorites, are still enjoyable shows that have their good moments. The New Adventures of Old Christine does not. While I loved Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Seinfeld, her antics have become a bit too old hat for me, and the show often misses the mark of wetting my pallet. Still, CBS is one of the definite frontrunners.
Next up is FOX, who still holds the Sunday evening audience with an iron fist with their "Animation Domination" lineup of eternal The Simpsons (which has begun to rebound in their new HD format), Family Guy, and American Dad, which will be joined by a new animated show in place of the underappreciated King of the Hill (R.I.P.). Beyond that, FOX has some great shows but has less spots to fill, due to the network airing only two hours of programming nightly before local affiliates air their own news and rerun programming. Their Monday night lineup is a strong contender for CBS by airing the very quirky and engaging House M.D. followed by mega hit 24. Does Jack Bauer ever get a day where he's not staring the Grim Reaper in the face? Bones is a clever crime comedy that relies on the strengths of leads David Boreanas and Emily Deschanel to overshadow the formulaic plot structure.
Friday night is also a strong pairing of Terminator: the Sarah Conner Chronicles and new Joss Whedon gem (if FOX doesn't screw it up again) Dollhouse, a show with immense depth and potential. Lie to Me, on Wednesday nights, is an original angle on the crime drama, and also relies on the strength of its lead, the always fantastic Tim Roth, to sell the show, which will eventually swim on its own. FOX still is running close to neck and neck with CBS and ABC, which we'll now discuss.
ABC is seemingly in rebuilding mode too, but it's almost to the point where it can stand on its own, unlike NBC, which is still a year or two away from competing for a championship again. Unfortunately, it hurt its title hopes with the premature cancellation of the brilliant Life on Mars, but helped neutralize that detriment by picking up the always funny and warm Scrubs. But it is ABC's new programming that really gives it a booster. While mega hits Desperate Housewives, Private Practice, and Gray's Anatomy still hold more than their share of the target audience, and Lost no longer does, with its odd, unexplained turns and convoluted plot line, fresh faces are definitely helping.
The always exceptional, yet underappreciated, Nathan Fillian lends his talents to the new spin on the crime dramedy as a novelist who aides police in investigating murders that mirror his books in the new show Castle. If you haven't seen this show or any of the other ones I'm about to name, see them. You're missing out. Following Scrubs on Wednesday nights is one of the best new comedies on television. Better Off Ted follows a legendary research and developments director as he continues his string of success in the quirky offices of a decidedly evil corporation, while gradually beginning to question the ethics of his employer. The show has a lot of heart and constant laughs and has a bit of a British feel to it, similar to the Office and Monty Python.
Now, what I believe is the best new show on television is Cupid. You may not know of this, because it just premiered, but it is an absolutely brilliant idea with deep possibilities. The show grabbed me from the start, and by the end, before I had realized it, it had given me a great big hug (awwww...). Okay, sappy stuff is over. Cupid follows a man named Trevor Pierce, aka Cupid, who has been banished from Olympus by the gods and sent to Earth, NYC to be exact, to serve his punishment. In order to get back into paradise, he must hook up 100 couples. Interesting premise, yes, but it is in the execution and philosophical ideas the show explores that really give it its depth. For example, the nature of love itself. Should one play it safe when looking for love, or just leap off the edge of a cliff and hope that you can fly because of love. It is a constant battle between the reckless abandon view of falling in love and the clinical, by the book methodology that will often tip back and forth and even comingle and find a compromise. The pilot episode follows this to the tee, and we first see Cupid trying to help a love-sick Irishman find an American girl that he had known for only 20 minutes before she had to leave to go back to the States. I won't ruin the plot of the episode because it really is a great, well told story, but it is definitely a show that, if properly managed, could be one of the best shows on TV.
Now, I'm not trying to plug ABC's new shows and endorse them in any way over the other networks, unless they pay me to do so (not bloody likely). And I didn't include gameshows, contest shows, or Reality TV shows in my summation of the network lineups, nor did I really delve into the late night talk shows, though David Letterman is always great, and I mentioned The Tonight Show because that is a big upgrade for NBC with Conan helming it now, and they might even have a winner in Jimmy Fallon, but only time will tell on that one. Oh, and a deduction of points for still having the worthless dipshit Carson Daly on TV. Why won't he die like TRL finally did?
Anywho, to sum it up, who is the winner here? Here is how I line up the final standings: in fourth place, NBC (in major rebuilding mode but should be stronger soon); in third place, ABC (also rebuilding but should be competing for the top spot soon); in second place, FOX (great shows but its fewer timeslots leave more room for hit or miss shows); in first place, the winner and new champion, CBS. With the kind of hilarious hit comedies and consitently gripping crime dramas, CBS is the clear winner, though the decision was closer than I originally thought it would be. CBS has led the way back to the comedy night and has taken NBC's place in that respect, and if the pattern were to continue, that would put FOX as next in line to take over the comedy night after CBS (shudder). Let's hope not. So, while CBS stands alone, for now, as the best of the big four networks, let's give a round of applause to all of the major networks for doing one thing for one purpose, returning to find an original creative voice from the muck and the mire of Reality TV crap in order to give the viewers something worthwhile and truly entertaining, engaging the viewer, strengthening minds instead of melting them with cheap dribble. And thanks to the internet and DVR devices, we don't have to choose one great show over the another on a different network in the same timeslot. This is the age of the viewer, and the networks are finally understanding that Reality TV is a fad genre, and their real bread and butter is the original, creative programming that had once won the hearts of America's viewers. Enjoy the show!
Joe the Pro
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