I think it's really ...
Question: I think it's really interesting how
Psych became such a hit on USA. The same with
Saved's success on TNT (although I find the show a dull
Rescue Me knockoff). Some channels (both cable and network) have found certain formulas that really work, and then stick with that brand.
Psych, for instance, fits seamlessly into the USA brand by being a cross between
The Dead Zone and
Monk. In fact, I want to further compliment USA on the best ad campaign I have seen in years. I actually stop fast-forwarding on my DVR to watch those hilarious USA ads featuring their wonderful array of characters. My wife and I love them! But my question goes back to the failure earlier this year of
Love Monkey (also a wonderful show) on the stodgy, serious CBS network. CBS puts on this wonderful, sweet and quirky show and it fails; so they go back to their dull formula with the ridiculous
The Unit, and it's a ratings smash. Do you feel that networks and cable channels (after a scenario like this for CBS) are increasingly going to stick to what people associate them with? I personally only watch one CBS show,
How I Met Your Mother, because I find other CBS shows so dull, and when the network does break out of the box with something like
Love Monkey, the typical CBS viewer ignores it, and people who prefer other channels may not even realize that CBS actually
had an interesting show for the first time in ages.
Answer: This is an interesting take on how networks brand themselves, a necessity especially for cable networks, which only need a few signature shows to create an identity in this crowded marketplace. USA is on a roll lately, with Bravo (with
Queer Eye and
Project Runway) and Sci Fi (with its variety of niche programming) close behind.
The Closer has done wonders for TNT (though I'm not sure I'd classify
Saved as an instant success just yet; haven't been keeping track of how that's holding
Closer's audience, and creatively, it's problematic). With broadcast networks, it's a different situation. CBS is the most traditionally mass-appeal of the Big Four, and their formula is working for them very well, even if what they're selling isn't what you're buying.
Love Monkey was a calculated risk to try something different and go way younger. I was dismayed at the scheduling of the show, which, if memory serves, premiered around the time that
American Idol was starting, so it was upstaged in the media. It came on between cycles of
The Amazing Race (CBS' youngest-skewing show) and wasn't able to use that as a lead-in. And CBS was nervous about
Monkey to begin with, so when it didn't prove itself right out of the gate, it was pretty much doomed. It will be interesting to see how CBS treats its new fall "off-brand" shows, such as the apocalyptic
Jericho and the dark criminal caper
Smith. (I'm not crazy about either of them just yet, but I respect the effort.) CBS is in a position of strength across the board, which should encourage them to take risks. Usually, it's the struggling networks (like ABC a few years ago and NBC right now) that end up taking us to unexpected places. I'm not sure which network
Love Monkey would have flourished on, but CBS was probably the least compatible fit.
