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GUEST BLOG #56: Diane Holloway on TV's Friday night sights
[Bianculli here: Contributing critic Diane Holloway shines her Friday night lights on that evening's broadcast prime-time programming, and finds reasons for both cheer and disdain. Personally, I like Fox's Dollhouse more than she does, but I'm clearly in the minority. Even the genre fans flock in larger numbers that hour to Syfy's new Stargate Universe -- and that's on cable...]
Please, networks, don't give up on Friday night
By Diane Holloway
Is Friday night making a comeback on network TV? Or is it still one of the spots where prime-time series go to die?
Yes, I realize that scheduling is less and less important in the Age of DVR. Thursday night viewers no longer have to choose between Grey's Anatomy and CSI. They can watch them both, whenever the mood strikes, and they can even add The Office to the mix.
But there is still something to be said for when and where a show airs -- if only because it seems that viewers are more likely to set their DVRs to record on a weekday or a Sunday than they are on a Friday or Saturday night.
Let's get Saturday out of the discussion right away, because this is the least-watched night of the TV week, and justifiably so. About the only thing new on network TV is gruesome true crime on 48 Hours. Wait, Fox has Cops and America's Most Wanted. But who cares?
Fridays, on the other hand, might be making a comeback. Maybe network programmers figure the sour economy will keep folks home that night, so they're scheduling accordingly. CBS has three hours of fresh prime time now. So do NBC (at least for now) and Fox.
ABC has been rerunning a couple of its so-so new series (Flash Forward and The Forgotten), leading into new episodes of 20/20. But this month, ABC will bring back new installments of Supernanny (ick) and Ugly Betty (yeah!).
CBS picked up NBC's dropped Medium to pair with Ghost Whisperer for a supernatural double-bill. The Big Eye wraps up Friday night with the durable Numb3rs. I'm not a fan of any of these shows, but viewers enamored of emotional women and the things that haunt them have something to look forward to.
Whether NBC wants to or not, the network has its fifth night of The Jay Leno Show, preceded on Fridays by fresh chapters of the nearly-dead Law & Order and yet more crime/scandal with Dateline. But good news is coming. On Oct. 23, the very promising cop drama Southland returns. It was a bad sign when NBC bumped Southland from Thursday's old ER spot, but at least it got picked up. We'll see how it fares on Fridays.
As for Fox, well, that network's younger viewers aren't likely to be home watching or recording the awful new comedy Brothers, the awful returning comedy 'Til Death or the tawdry melodrama Dollhouse.
But it wasn't such ancient history when Friday nights were prime viewing time. NBC ruled the '70s with Sanford & Son, Chico & the Man, The Rockford Files and Police Woman. In the '80s, the network struck gold with the hip-and-cool Miami Vice.
And who can forget the Friday night blockbuster Dallas? From 1978 until 1991, millions stayed home to see who J.R. was going to swindle or screw. VCRs were starting to catch on then, but most people watched the Ewings' nighttime soap shenanigans live, so they wouldn't miss out on the water-cooler chatter.
Today's splintered audience prohibits Dallas-size blockbusters on any night of the week, and Friday remains a less-popular TV night. But it's good to see the networks aren't giving up entirely. Maybe there's life yet in that little corner of the schedule. For the sake of Southland, I hope so.
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UPDATE Thursday 7 p.m. ET --
Turns out it's too late for Southland. NBC just pulled the plug after six second-season episodes were produced (and none televised). Read more here.
Of course views flocked to SGU... SeeFee (er, SyFy) advertised the heck out of it. If FOX would do that for Dollhouse it might be a slightly different story (not seen a single ad for it on Fox... even on Fridays). I expect SGU numbers to go down (its better than SG Atlantis... but not up to SG1 in its hey-day). I'm hanging in for Dollhouse... will DVR Betty. Already bored with SGU.
I was just talking about The Friday night TV issue with a friend at work and she would love to find a good show on that night (and even Sat.) and I totally agreed with her. First I still think we need to get away from this whole 18-45 demographic idea (I am almost 30 and she is in her 50s but we seem to like the same shows). And let's not forget who really has the money to pay for the things we see in the ads. Now that that is out of the way, we need more good writers, because the writing is always where a good story begins. Finally give it some time to find that audience, keeping in mind that it will still be smaller then Sun-Thurs and a new age a Friday TV could work. Although I love Ghost Whisperer and Numbers (and for now Monk and Pysch) and if I'm home-which is most Fridays-I will watch.
I can recall some pretty good fare not all that long ago: Joan of Arcadia, Providence, Life with Bonnie, Less than Perfect, and one I faithfully watched every Friday with my young son, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. (Love that Melissa Joan Hart grew up to be normal & nice.)
The whole Jay Leno thing has me reeling -- and not in a good way.
Last Friday I was watching Dateline, and sadly realized it wasn't two hours any longer because now Leno's on at 10 pm. Ugh...
I was further annoyed when I missed the first new episodes of Law & Order SVU because I'm used to tuning in at 10 pm and not 9 pm.
I'm happy Ugly Betty is back, as I find the show quite adorable. Super Nanny -- all I can say is that parents need to see it once to truly appreciate their own children. If you had these little monsters at home, would you really want it televised for all of tv land to see? These parents don't need a British import, they need to do some serious b-u-t-t kicking (figuratively, of course).
I'm curious as to how other viewers are reacting to how Leno had hogged the NBC evening schedule. More is not always better. I see his show as an impediment not an improvement.
I do remember when Fridays we stopped everything to watch the X-Files until it was moved to Sundays. And I guess it is ancient history when Saturday night was solid and one of the highest rated of the week with All in the Family, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart and The Carol Burnett Show.
Shout out to Gregg B!! I also remember Saturday night as the actual preferred viewing night of the week. I can remember inviting friends over to sit and watch and have a drink or two. They were great shows that were enjoyed by all. Sunday night was for the tv movies, but Saturday was for the sitcoms & Carol Burnett. Sigh...
The best thing on Friday night is USA's Psych. It's essentially a buddy cop show where the main guy, Sean, acts like he's a psychic to work for the police dept. Really he's just a super-observant son of a cop. His buddy/business partner, Gus steals the show. It came out before the other network fake psychic show came on and is much better. So much better, that it might be my favorite show on right now. Everyone should at least DVR it to watch on a lazy laundry saturday morning.
Leno is going to ruin the tv landscape for many potentially successful shows because of his time slot. As the article says, even Law & Order SVU is having a hard time with the time change. As I mentioned above, I missed the first few episodes of the new season because of it.
I feel badly for the cast & crews of the new NBC shows who are going to end up out-of-work due to the stupidity of NBC. I think non-Leno fans are going to feel such deep animosity for him because of this.
On the upside, however, the other networks must be thrilled.
Does nobody but me watch PBS? Bill Moyers Journal and NOW are often riveting TV. I would categorize both as the best news programming being aired.
RIP Southland...RIP
Actually Friday night is DVR catch up night until Monk and Psych. And I remember Saturday's with Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newheart and Carol Burnett also. Good TV.. Remember advertiser's...people in their 50's and 60's usually have more money to spend than 18 year olds....so you need to cater to us also.
Lastly, I happen to like jay Leno..sorry..went to school with him so feel I need to support the hometown boy.
Patrick, because of your post I'm going to check out Psych.
I'm usually home on Friday nights, especially in the winter. It really was fun to have a great show like Joan of Arcadia or Providence to look forward to. It put and end to the week and a start to the weekend. Plus there's something that feels better about knowing that it will be on, instead of scrounging around for a movie.
Anyway, I look forward to Ugly Betty. Most of the other shows mentioned don't mean much to me. Especially not Jay Leno, Eileen.
About the viewer demographics. One of my all time favorite shows was Boston Legal. Does anyone remember the last episode or so, where the cast talked about being dropped because there wasn't anybody young in it? How they were all too old, so it didn't appeal to the 20 somethings? They argued in court that older people deserved something better on TV than shows made for teenagers. I so agree.