Media Cannibalizes the Network to Save It

How did this guy wind up becoming the king of cable TV?

In case you missed the news, the Sunday finale of former Public Emeny hype-man Flavor Flav's Bachelor-style reality show, Flavor of Love, became VH1's most-watched show ever -- the Number One non-sports telecast of the entire year on basic cable.

Nevermind that the show basically features burnout Flav sampling the wares of women who once would have been relegated to the back rows of one of his videos; the true charm of the show is that it is so blindingly, obviously awful.

But while Flav climbs the ratings by working his way through a passel of Pussycat Dolls rejects, parts of the rest of network television seems stuck in a slow, nightmarish dive into oblivion.

NBC has decided to move its football drama Friday Night Lights to the Monday at 10 p.m. berth once held by its greatest hope, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, in a move that feels conspicuously like re-arranging deck chairs on the you-know-what. And its parent company has already copped to a plan which involves cutting $750 million from the company -- including a reduction of 700 positions, taking all scripted programming out of the 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. timeslot all week and moving MSNBC from New Jersey to Manhattan (no word on what that means for My Name is Earl and The Office - now airing at 8 p.m. Thursdays).

As with so many similar announcements, it feels like NBC is doing less with less and calling it more.

In particular, it's bet on high-minded quality dramas don't see to be working out so well. Lights, Studio 60 and Kidnapped are all going down in flames while stuff like the Deal or No Deal-style 1 Vs 100 finds better traction with viewers (I'm also warming to the X-Men-style drama Heroes, as we see more powers and less angst)

There's a sense that the stakes couldn't be higher and the cartoons are winning the war. Even ABC's once-powerful Lost is losing ground to Mandy Patinkin as an FBI profiler and Gary Sinise's pinched, predictable forensics guy on CSI:MY is the king of Wednesday television.

Somehow, this isn't the golden age of TV I envisioned when the season started.

(I'll be taking a break until Wedneasday for vacation -- the longest intentional break from posting i've taken since I started this thing. Make a note to rejoin me on wednesday and i'll try not to bore you too much with tales from my Jamaican getaway...assuming I even come back!)

Comments

[chase]

Only if you take Jake Plummer too ...

[The ILL Literate]

Oh, yeah, and Chase? Is that thin Denver air messing with your brain? Studio 60 is GREAT!

Also... I guess you heard the Bucs kicker just won a game with a 62-yard-field goal. In HOT, HUMID weather (obviously).

Try THAT, Mr. Jason "I can kick 63 up here in outer space" Elam!"

(Regardless, we want John Lynch back.)

(And can we have Al Wilson and Champ Bailey while you're at it?)

[The ILL Literate]

I hope you're digging the time off, Eric. And as usual, I'll pick up your Times blog posting slack...

...um...

...OK, so no one's going to believe that. But I'm agreeing with your notions on broadcast TV. Especially considering that Studio 60 is a brilliant, massively entertaining show, while the actual show it's clearly spoofing, SNL, sucks ass.

Speaking of which, I'm pitching the cancellation of SNL over at the Ill Literate blog, not just because it isn't funny but because, well... let's just say Flavor Flav is involved.

Kenan Thompson as Flav? Horrible idea? As Flav says, Yeah, boyyyyyyyyyy... SNL is a joke in yo town.

Check it out over at the Ill Literate.

And as for broadcast TV, the mass public gets what it deserves... and we're just going to have to make friends with pay cable.)

[Chase]

You want ganja? Come to Denvah-mon! The Mile High .. ummm .. something.

I just mailed in my absentee ballot (they're predicting chaos here in Colorado with new voting system) and I voted in favor of Leeegalizing It, Mon! (Not that I bother with the stuff anymore, hard to be a stoner AND a runner .. but what the hell do I care if someone else does, same with Gay Marriage, I voted for that two, who the hell cares who marries who?)

I can't agree with your angst over Studio 60, blech ... but addicted to Friday Night Lights, enjoying 30 Rock, still hooked on Lost ... Nip/Tuck's providing a good season ... Survivor always worth a look ... CSI:Miami becomes a better and better parody of itself every week, it's so damn pretty to look at ... But I'm hard pressed to find a lot more. Last season had a lot more to offer.

Floridians who vacation in Jamaica are just plain weird. Go to New England and breathe some cool fresh air for gods sake!