The Media Drop

For a few weeks now, I’ve been bouncing around the idea about how CBS and NBC have both made pretty big names for themselves with one type of programming or another, but ABC doesn’t exactly “stand for” anything, or at least have something to lean on. The theory is like this:’

• CBS has its CSI set of series, with Miami and New York flavors having been added a few years ago to the traditional Las Vegas set. At least two of these series, the original and Miami version, seem to have a pretty good popularity as far as watercooler talk goes, and I believe that DVD sales are probably pretty decent for them as well. As those shows go on in years, the folks who pick up a set of DVDs or watch a friend’s - binge watching, as those of us who are afflicted can related to - that either translates to new viewers on television now, or additional sales of DVDs to come at season’s end.
• NBC, on the other hand, has its stable of Law & Order programs, which, whether they’ve lived (Law & Order SVU) or died (Law & Order: Trial by Jury), they’ve continued the work of Dick Wolf. In fact, MSNBC runs a series of programs (Crime & Punishment) that had run on NBC from 2002-2004, and those were “reality-based,” featuring a district attorney out of San Diego. While Law & Order hasn’t made its way to DVD (at least not legally), it’s in syndication all over the place. USA & TNT, among others have all snagged major viewership while carrying those shows in repeats

So what about ABC? Sure, it’s got a hit in Lost and another in Grey’s Anatomy, and surely Boston Legal has some regular watchers, but there’s nothing “to speak of” that makes ABC what it is. Is it possible they’re going for the legal drama, building on what “Boston” has going for it, and adding a yet untitled legal show that will feature Scott Wolf?

I don’t mean to be cliche at all, but we all know that many a television producer has pulled out his or her own hair in the last few years as the networks have been more than eager to pull the plug on a show that doesn’t appear to have big ratings coming for it, so why not find something that works, make it not suck, and stick to it? That can’t be that hard, can it? I think that if Lost, Alias, and other shows of their ilk (at least when Alias was early on) were all thrown together, with a funny or two, and perhaps another adventure another night, then would ABC have something to “live” on, or do they need something that’s spin-offable in order to play hardball with the competition? I think they might.