Networks hyping fall programs less

by Jonathan Storm

The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)

13 May 2008

In spring, an advertiser’s fancy used to turn to gala, big-star entertainment and lots of cocktails and huge shrimp. But times are tough. Monday, the boys and girls from Madison Avenue meandered through an overgrown science fair instead.

Upfront Week - the second full week in May - is the traditional time when the TV networks announce their fall wares. The news is eagerly anticipated by all TV-heads, none more so than the freebie-frenzied media buyers, who throng to one of the last outposts where the big companies still inject plenty of show into their biz.

But handcuffed this year by a 100-day writers strike, a weak economy, and continuing corporate pressure to cut expenses, the nets are going quietly into the future.

The likes of George Clooney, Jerry Seinfeld and Jennifer Anniston used to trot around Radio City Music Hall for NBC. This year, the Peacock, which has not launched a bona fide hit since “Friends” and “ER” in 1994, announced its new schedule more than a month ago, via press release. Monday, it invited advertisers to check out the cool, if star-starved, interactive booths at its New York 30 Rock headquarters.

The failure of producers to come quickly to terms with writers delayed development of new shows, a consequence that fit neatly (what a surprise!) into the networks’ cost-cutting desires.

This spring they are eschewing expensive, full-blown pilot episodes in lieu of mini “treatments,” simple scripts or even just plain ideas from known quarters. So “Boston Legal’s” David E. Kelley is doing “Life on Mars” for ABC, and Jerry Bruckheimer, whose “CSI” franchises have been a CBS cornerstone for years, is producing “Eleventh Hour” for CBS. Featuring charismatic investigators in a fantasy/sci-fi environment, both are adaptations of successful British TV dramas.

Spinning its fourth-place standing in the ratings wars, NBC has declared that ratings aren’t that important anymore. Announcing a whole year’s worth of programming last month, it signaled a willingness to meet individually with advertisers to work specific sales tactics with specific shows.

“It went far better than we could have even imagined,” NBC Universal president-CEO Jeff Zucker told the trade magazine TV Week, and people were once again not surprised.

Apparently, advertisers were thrilled to be asked how to massage the resurrection of the dopey `80s drama with the talking car, “Knight Rider,” or what sort of geriatric care would suit the returning “ER,” or what shade of shocking pink the girls should sport in “Lipstick Jungle” (ranked No. 87 on this year’s Nielsen hit parade behind such stalwarts as “Here Come the Newlyweds” and just ahead of CBS’ Tuesday Night filler, “48 Hours Mystery").

NBC also announced the return of “Heroes,” “Chuck,” “Life,” “Medium,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Law & Order” (plain and “SVU"), “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “My Name Is Earl.”

The writers strike encouraged pickups of most of the freshmen shows at ABC, though “Big Shots” bit the dust. The Alphabet was to formally announce its fall schedule Tuesday, but Hollywood trade papers gave relief to the diehard fans of “Boston Legal” early, reporting producer Kelley and the network had made a deal.

Wednesday, it’s CBS, which seems to hold no surprises, and the CW, where a remake of “Beverly Hills 90210” should turn up on the schedule, and doesn’t that demonstrate the importance of tried and true?

Upfront Week ends Thursday, when Fox, No. 1 despite this season’s “American Idol” sour notes, may have a little celebration and probably announce that “Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s” Joss Whedon is doing a new show for the network.

On a darker note, several Hollywood news mice are saying sayonara to “Back to You” and “New Amsterdam.”

That’s the one about the guy who has lived in New York for 400 years. With no more Upfront parties to crash, maybe he finally decided it wasn’t worth hanging on.