It started with Mr. Robot and now continues with The Sinner. Pretty interesting read:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/will-usa-networks-embracing-the-dark-side-with-the-sinner-lead-to-ratings-redemption-2017-08-04
How is it interesting? I feel like that article says a whole lot of nothing.
But honestly, how successful would a network with shows like Psych be in today's TV climate? They simply had to change before they were irredeemably thought of as a joke. They needed viewers to associate their name with quality series in a post-Breaking Bad world.
I remember when I recommended Mr. Robot to one of my friends, her response was "On the USA network? Wow, I never watch anything on the USA network."
Well, precisely.
I get what you're saying but before you make too many assumptions about "today's TV climate," what would you guess is the top rated drama on television today and has been for something like the last eight years?
It's not a show like Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones or Fargo or House of Cards.
It's NCIS. Yes, NCIS--the bland, vanilla police procedural--is BY FAR the top rated scripted drama on television. And while that undoubtedly has something to do with the fact that it's on a non-cable network and not everyone has cable, this fact doesn't entirely account for the utter ass whipping that NCIS is laying on these kinds of shows.
Except for the last season, when Breaking Bad averaged around 4.3 million viewers, Breaking Bad ALWAYS averaged less than two 2 million viewers per episode. The last season of NCIS, on the other hand, averaged nearly 15 million viewers per episode. And its highest-rated season averaged about 21 million viewers.
My parents actually have stopped watching USA shows for the most part. They liked Suits and Royal Pains and a couple of others. Why did they stop? Because on Suits they use the word "goddamn" too much. I got them to check out the pilot for The Sinner and they didn't like it. Too dark, they said.
So while it may be shows like Breaking Bad that give a network its hip credentials, and these shows may achieve strong fan-bases (especially from younger people), that's often not what mainstream America wants to see. Often times, what they are looking for is family-friendly entertainment that that they are comfortable with . . . a kind of entertainment "comfort food" if you will. And they are tuning into those kinds of shows by the millions week after week.
And, at least for a while, that's exactly what USA was offering. Now USA is trying to move on to something else, but it's not because NCIS (and shows like it) aren't still wildly successful.
I do get your point...I am always taken back when I see shows like "Dancing with the Stars" as top rated programming.. I get that people need their escapes and that network is still thriving with its mostly mediocre programming.
But I also think that basic cable and even network are seeing the writing on the wall..Things do change...and they're in the process of moving in another direction and they want to be a part of that change.
All the changes in the last decade or so started out slow and subtle and then snowballed to where some people think everything was always this way. It happens quickly.
I'm not a "younger people" but jumped ship on network several years ago..They churn out product like an assembly line and are too impatient and fixated on immediate ratings to give anything decent a chance. And the writing is generally dismal..Recently I tried to give several network tv shows a chance (The Mist and Salvation) and the writing seems so subpar to what I'm use to on Cable...and now even most basic cable channels. TNT and USA (and some others) are working hard on changing that vanilla image..
I do think more and more people that discover these shows will have a hard time reverting back to the formula tv of the past. And there's an increasing number of ways to view different content and more options available every day.
I do think there should always be family friendly programming that isn't bleak and gritty and graphic and all the characters don't have to die or curse or simulate sex...But right now darkness is what grabs everyone's attention.
Real quick, The Mist is not a network show. It's on Spike. I actually kind of like it BTW, but I do seem to be one of the very few.
Personally, I think that in regard to the non-cable television networks, the one that has always put out the most interesting programming is FOX. While I watch very little network TV, in the last few years I did enjoy Season 1 of Sleepy Hollow, Season 1 of Wayward Pines and the X-Files revival season. I thought those were all good.
In that same timespan, the only show on any of the other networks that I watched a full season of was NBC's This is Us (which I really enjoyed).
Most of the shows I watch these days are either on cable (basic or premium) or they are exclusives from the various streaming services. Currently I'm in the middle of The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu), Game of Thrones (HBO), The Mist (Spike), Ozark (Netflix) and The Sinner (USA). So I obviously agree with you that the best stuff is being put out by the cable networks and they are really the ones leading the charge in terms of quality TV. We've been steadily seeing TV get closer and closer to movies in terms of quality and style. In fact, with shows like GoT, I think we're already there.
What will this mean for the regular networks though? I don't know. Occasionally they have tried to go the dark route, like with Hannibal, but it only lasted . . . what was it, three seasons?
Personally, I think there should be room for everything. I can appreciate that some people just don't WANT to have to watch shows with a bunch of language and sex and graphic violence. And occasionally I get my fill of that as well and want something a little bit lighter. So I think there will always be people who want the kind of programming that network TV has always been known for. On the other hand, as cable continues to be successful offering shows that are more theatrical in nature, I expect that we'll see the networks dip their toes into those waters more and more.
Both of you are not wrong. The same can be said about the music industry, the constant prop up of popcorn singers and watered down pop rappers that the industry still loves to lean on.. Network tv is the same way with bland procedurals and reality tv. For tv and films "light and accessible" entertainment vs. "dark challenging" sometimes serialized entertainment has always been a divider for tv/film audiences. All the way back to shows like NYPD Blue and Homicide, and before that there was East Side/West Side tv series back in 1963. People still like their escapism probably why so many people hated the ending to The Mist film lol. Or couldn't get into the grey vs grey vs black morality of The Wire. People like their entertainment streamlined (especially genre shows/movies). So basically no moral dilemmas, no morality plays, no deconstructions, no bleak tones/settings. just good ole fashioned good vs evil, probably why the Marvel movies are so well liked (the Netflix shows are a totally different animal though). I personally find that boring but...it is what it is.
shareAdvertisers want access to a younger audience than the one watching NCIS, or at least the younger audience is far more valuable.
Also, the ncis audience is less likely to contain the type of people who convince others that the thing they are doing or wearing or driving etc ... is cool, although I have no idea if that's either true or important.