Shoes Dropping

OKAY, OKAY, WE KNOW. The sky is falling.

But if you're a purveyor of scripted TeeVee ware, maybe that's not all a bad thing. From the L.A. Times' ShowTracker column:

Is the recession driving viewers away from reality programming?

There has been so much chatter about politics and the economic meltdown on TV this fall that it's obscured another reality: Some of the networks' biggest unscripted series have been sinking in the ratings.

Now, it could be argued that all of network TV is down. But virtually all of the series that have shown improvement this fall are scripted shows. Among them: NBC's "30 Rock" (up 23%), the CW's "Gossip Girl" (20%) and CBS' "Ghost Whisperer" (8%) and "How I Met Your Mother" (12%).

So, what's up?

Part of the explanation is TV's natural aging process. Many of the reality shows currently on network schedules are, not to put too fine a point on it, old. "Survivor" is in its 17th cycle, an eternity given that TV lifespans roughly approximate dog years.

And what about that economy? Well, hard times may not have any direct effect on what people choose to watch. But there's little doubt that during times of upheaval, viewers' tastes can shift. For example, the deep recession of the early 1980s may have created a fertile environment for the success of nighttime soaps about the treacheries of the rich and infamous, such as "Dynasty" and "Dallas."

Thus, at the outset of what looks to be another deep recession, the sudden success of once-suffering comedies such as "30 Rock" and "Mother" is striking. As the Dow continues to spiral down and jobs dry up, viewers may have decided that their everyday lives already contain more reality than they can bear.

There is opportunity here. Traditionally, as people retrench, stay home, spend less, maybe they do look for other things. Six months from now, maybe all those "the sitcom is dead" articles will look silly.

You have Canadian networks pre-freaking while their bottom lines are still robust - talking layoffs, expense cuts, the sky is falling -- and blaming the CRTC not giving them free money. Next will be the predictable demands to be let out of doing their (already minimal) Canadian Content.

What if someone stepped up?

We need a content Warren Buffet. Stat. Grow a pair, lock and load, and try to put something on the air that makes people's lives a little more enjoyable. Out of panic can come opportunity.

Apparently people are looking for, you know...distractions.