The broadcast networks are desperate for your attention. They know that you're overwhelmed with their programming and distracted by cable, the Internet and now even streaming services. Plus, they didn't produce a new major hit this season, and their ratings are suffering for it.
That's why this year's crop of nearly 100 series pilots at the five networks (48 comedy and 50 drama from the five networks) is all about being big: big stars, big producers, big concepts.
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The Big Bang Theory has turned into a full-blown supernova. The sitcom, now in its sixth season, has been on a roll this year, posting ratings highs several weeks in a row. On Jan. 10, it crossed the threshold of 20 million viewers for the first time.
"We think it's pretty amazing," says executive producer Steve Molaro, who took over as showrunner this season from Bill Prady, co-creator of the series with Chuck Lorre. "It's an honor to have so many people watching the show." Molaro credits the sitcom's exposure in syndication — particularly on TBS, where Big Bang often tops the cable ratings charts — for boosting the CBS episodes. "Syndication has reached a lot of new people," he says. "I try not to get caught up in the numbers, but it's fun."
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