Why SYTYCD will stay a summer hit, Psych hits its stride, The Office gets a new timeslot and more!
Sabra Johnson is crowned the winner of So You Think You Can Dance
Question: I know you're a big fan of
So You Think You Can Dance and was wondering if you think Fox will eventually decide to move the show to the regular season instead of the summer. Do you think that would be a good idea? I know summer is becoming more competitive and networks like to have original programming then, but the show has become so popular, it almost doesn't make sense to "waste" it during months when ratings are less important. Plus, it would be great if such a move raised the show's profile (after all,
American Idol and
Dancing with the Stars both started during the summer and became even bigger once they went to the regular season) and I can see
SYTYCD finally solving Fox's problem of how to schedule the
Idol-less fall. But I would hate for Fox to abuse the show the same way NBC did when they tried to replicate the summer success of
Last Comic Standing by throwing together that hasty and ill-advised third season a couple of falls ago. So what do you think — would a move to fall be a good idea? I know Fox originally considered airing this season of
Hell's Kitchen in the spring but eventually decided it was best left for summer. Do you think it's the same for
SYTYCD?
— Mike
Matt Roush: My own opinion is that
So You Think You Can Dance should stay put in the summer, where it works beautifully, and my instinct tells me that Fox will keep it where it is — continuing to launch each season out of the
American Idol finale and letting it play out one cycle a year, which keeps it from being overexposed and burned out. It's possible that
Dance could boost Fox's fortunes in the fall, and that would be the best argument for keeping it off the air during the summer. But the summer months have become increasingly important to the networks' bottom line, and it's in their best interest to come up with at least a few franchises that keep the lights on during these months (
Big Brother for CBS,
America's Got Talent and
Comic for NBC
, Hell's Kitchen and
Dance for Fox, and I'm not sure what for ABC). If
Dance had exploded this year into a bigger hit, then maybe Fox would be tempted. But it seems to have settled into a plateau that's perfectly acceptable for summer but might have more trouble growing in months with more serious competition.
