Making a hit TV
show is a tough gig, and most, if not all new shows will fail, so says The Wall Street
Journal.
This year, the
formula for all pilots seems to be: take a safe, well-known set-up and make a
slight twist to it, according to the article. Grimm, which is on NBC's list, is one
example (a dark cop show but with a fantasy/fairytale ring to it).
Also in the
running are ABC's Charlie's Angels reboot (this time set in Miami),
NBC's A Mann's World (about a male salon owner), CBS' Ringer
(welcome back Sarah Michelle-Geller) and Fox's Alcatraz (present-day
investigators try to figure out why 1960s inmates are showing up).
A lot of things
can happen to turn a once-promising idea and into the next FlashForward.
Casting may not work or a premise might not hold water for 22 episodes.
Even shows that
become successes may stray from their original storyline. One example is ABC's CougarTown, the article points out, which originally
focused on star Courteney Cox's adventures dating younger man, but four episodes
in changed to a more ensemble comedy.
Programming times
have an effect as well. Networks typically like to schedule darker, more adult
fare at 10 p.m. and more family
oriented at 8 p.m. What happens when a show falls in the
middle of that? Either the show doesn't work because it can't find an audience
or it's changed around to fit into the network's timeslot plan.
