I am tired of the networks ...
Question: I am tired of the networks saying they are revolutionizing the way they schedule programming, only to present a conventional fall/midseason schedule. The latest culprit was NBC, home of all things 1980s. After pledging year-round launches of shows, the network outlined a schedule that includes a traditional fall start, a midseason slate and a schedule for Summer 2009. Forgetting the fact that projecting a summer schedule for
next summer is most likely a joke at this point, doesn't this just seem like a huge waste of time? I understand they want to connect with advertisers, hence the abandonment of the traditional upfront, but I just wish they wouldn't insult our collective intelligence by promising
groundbreaking new schedules when all they offer is one exactly like they did last fall.
Answer: I agree it did all seem a bit of a smokescreen to hide the fact that NBC's programming itself isn't giving us much to be excited about. This year-round model isn't all that revolutionary, especially when you see the same old reliance on reality TV to keep the lights on during the summer. Not to mention how patently absurd it is to announce a slate of shows that won't even premiere for more than a year. But what it really boils down to is that scheduling only matters if there's something that matters to put on the schedule. That's where NBC has fallen short lately.
