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NBC turns to dramas in bid for ratings revival
2006-05-15
NBC, struggling for two years to replace retired blockbuster comedies, switched gears on Monday to unveil a new prime-time lineup heavy on drama, with a showbiz backstage series called "Studio 60" from the man who took viewers inside the White House on "The West Wing." Trailing the three other major networks as it nears the end of its second post-"Friends" TV season, NBC is desperate for new hits to reclaim its longtime dominance in the ratings race for viewers most coveted by advertisers, those aged 18 to 49. Now the broadcaster controlled by General Electric Co. has decided to bank its turnaround on a slate of six new dramas. These include "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" from Aaron Sorkin, whose previous TV creation, the landmark political drama "The West Wing," ended its Emmy-winning seven-year NBC run on Sunday. NBC executives said new dramas have proven far easier than comedies for all the networks to get off the ground in recent years. Only one sitcom, "Two and a Half Men" on CBS, ranks among the top 20 shows most watched in prime time this season. Sorkin's latest drama also is notable for an all-star cast that includes "West Wing" veteran Bradley Whitford and another familiar face from one of NBC's past hits, Matthew Perry, best known as Chandler Bing of "Friends." They play producers struggling to boost the ratings of a fictional late-night TV sketch show. Popular film actress Amanda Peet co-stars as a new network executive they work for. The show-within-a show formula also is the premise of a new comedy NBC plans to roll out next season, "30 Rock," starring "Saturday Night Live" talent Tina Fey as the head writer of a late-night TV variety show. Alec Baldwin co-stars in the show. While Perry is returning to NBC's prime-time schedule in a drama, the network has pulled the plug on "Joey," the "Friends" spinoff of his former sitcom cohort Matt LeBlanc, due to anemic ratings. NBC also opted not to renew its high-profile Pentagon drama "E-Ring" with veteran movie actor Dennis Hopper. Among the new series taking their place are a high school football drama "Friday Night Lights"; crime drama "Kidnapped," centered on the abduction of a teenage boy; and "Heroes," about a group of ordinary people who find they have super powers. But "Studio 60" was the clear centerpiece of the 2006-07 schedule NBC showcased on Monday at New York's Radio City Music Hall, opening the so-called annual "upfront" presentations by the major networks for leading advertisers. "Studio 60" also marks Sorkin's first big project since he left "West Wing" in 2003 amid reports of problems with production delays and cost overruns. Although widely acclaimed as one of TV's most gifted writer-producers, Sorkin has struggled in the past with drug abuse. The Wall Street Journal reported that NBC executives addressed those issues in a meeting last fall and were reassured he was up for running a new series. "Aaron's back on his game," NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly told reporters on a conference call. "He's in good health, and he's one of a kind." Reilly also acknowledged that his network was "coming off another tough season." But he called it a "banner year for NBC development" and said executives have changed the way they approach the schedule. "If we didn't examine ourselves over the past couple of seasons, I think we'd be nuts," he said. Industry observers have taken a cautious stance on this year's upfront market -- the spring period when NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox typically book 70 percent to 80 percent of commercial time. Competition from other forms of media meant extra leverage for advertisers last year, when spending slipped about 2 percent to $9.1 billion. This year, revenue is forecast to come in again at the $9.1 billion mark or slightly less. Executives from NBC also acknowledged on the call that the upfront market "doesn't look terribly robust" this year. One major advertiser, health products giant Johnson & Johnson, opted to sit out the upfront market and instead start its buying in the fall. A spokesman said that would allow the company to better integrate all of its advertising plans, digital and broadcast. NBC, enduring a ratings slump since the departure of signature comedies "Friends" and "Frasier" two years ago, may be forced to lower its commercial prices for a second straight year, media watchers said. NBC has fewer nights of prime time to fill this fall because of the addition of "Sunday Night Football," its new weekend sports showpiece. Its flagship night remains Thursday, when returning comedy successes "My Name is Earl" and "The Office" will be followed by "Studio 60." Long-running medical drama "ER" will return in the fall immediately following "Studio 60," then take a hiatus in January for the debut of new Irish mob drama "The Black Donnellys." NBC also will debut a new comedy, "Twenty Good Years," starring John Lithgow." ABC is owned by Walt Disney Co., CBS is owned by CBS Corp. and Fox is owned by News Corp. (Additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles) Reuters/VNU
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