2013 TV Upfronts: This season was one to forget
As the broadcast networks wrap up a week of touting new shows to advertisers in the hopes of persuading them to spend billions on commercials, it seems like a good time to review how last year’s new shows did.
It’s not a pretty picture.
In the 2012-13 TV season, 42 television shows premiered on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the CW. Of those 42, so far only 11 are coming back for a second season. The casualties include “Made in Jersey,” “Do No Harm,” “Partners” and “Animal Practice.”
No wonder only CBS and the CW were up in viewers and all were down in the coveted 18-49 demographic.
Of the five networks, the CW (“Arrow,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Carrie Diaries”) and ABC (“The Neighbors” “Nashville,” “The Taste”) are bringing back the most shows for a second season. Fox (“The Mandy Project,” The Following”) and NBC (“Revolution,” “Chicago Fire”) have two shows each coming back for a sophomore season. CBS is returning just one (“Elementary”).
As soon as the networks finish announcing their fall schedules, the production companies start boasting about how many new shows they had picked up. The problem is that’s not the real way to keep score. Success is keeping shows on the air and eventually getting them into syndication.
On that front, Warner Bros. is the leader among the major players. The studio has 18 veteran shows on the broadcast networks. It also has 13 new shows coming next season. CBS Television Studios has 13 returning shows, and 20th Century Fox Television has 12.
Already there have been 54 new shows announced for the 2013-14 season and an additional 17 premiering this summer.
Of course, being announced doesn’t always mean getting on the air. Remember “Friend Me” or “Next Caller?” They were shows CBS and NBC unveiled in May 2012 that were canceled before ever getting on the air.
ALSO:
Bruce Rosenblum exiting Warner Bros.
ABC to offer live feed of network via Watch ABC app
Fox Sports likely to launch two new national channels in August
Follow Joe Flint on Twitter @JBFlint.
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