[Richard Dower]

On US network tv.....
Over the last 2/3 seasons a large portion of so called "high concept" shows have failed, though i admit there have been a small few successes [Once Upon A Time springs to mind].

The list is long now, but a few of note The Event/Flash Forward/The Cape/Alcatraz/Terra Nova/Awake etc etc.
The knee jerk reaction is "stupid Americans being fed on a deit of reality crap" or "too stupid to 'get it' "....is it really that simple?, or is it the shows themselves were crap or just the usual "the ratings weren't there". Tbh i think the question is somewhat complex, it's probably a combination of many factors....not least that how people view their tv these days is radically different from a few years ago.

On demand, streamimg, media players and rips etc. have all had a huge impact on network ratings. Year-by-year viewing is trending down, but to juxtaposition this....cable viewing numbers are on the increase.

Some speculate in 5 years network tv will be over or simply full schedules of reality shows and singing competitions, as that's where the money is coming from.....sadly

lots has been said on the subject, probably raised a few times here already, but hey....tis a slow Summer/tv time

[StupidLikeAFox]

It could be down to the fact that if people donts see the first few episodes they dont bother getting in on the show, whereas something like the Big Bang Theory you can pretty much jump in at any point.

Or else the miss the first few episodes and then go download them all at once, which doesnt affect the ratings

[andala]

I think it's for the same reason people read less and less books. We're getting intellectually lazy, we can't be bothered to stay focused for too long so what generally is more appealing is something that doesn't demand too much thinking, has short visually varied segments rather than a long, complicated plot. TV lives off advertising so it's natural they go for shows that are likely to attract masses, which leads to losing quality.

Like people said in the thread about tv being far from reality, nobody wants to watch forensic investigators spend hours looking via microscopes in a sterile lab with white tiles, we want cool gadgets, fast action, beautiful people and we definitely do not want to feel stupid, hence simplified plots

[Sir Digby Chicken Caesar]

because most of those shows were poorly made ****?

you can be as high concept as you want but unless you actually make a good product people wont watch

[mike65]

High concept is shorthand for clever idea not for a clever engaging well written story. First principles first please.

[Jogathon]

I loved Flash Forward and was gutted they cancelled it! I think I understood it too but then I'm, err, highly intelligent, I swear.

[matrim]

I think that a small part of it may be not knowing if a show will last more than a season so not wanting to get invested without being sure.

As you said cable shows are on the rise and this may be in part because they are less likely to get cancelled.

[boneyarsebogman]

Simples.

Americans are getting dumber.

[S.M.B.]

All of the above but in the following order!

- Poor quality derivative shows finding their way onto network TV.
- Mainstream TV audiences reluctance to watch serialized shows where they can't just dip in and out of on a weekly basis.
- A further subsection of a shows viewership wanting to watch a show in bulk whether via DVR or DVD boxsets.

[LeinsterDub]

The main thing I think is the target audience are all tech savvy. It was the same with battlestar everyone I know who watched it downloaded it.

[ArmaniJeanss]

Originally Posted by Richard Dower

The list is long now, but a few of note The Event/Flash Forward/The Cape/Alcatraz/Terra Nova/Awake etc etc.

I made a decision not to watch any of these shows after Lost.

I think that 'mysterious things are happening, our intrepid cast must get to the bottom of it' type shows are fundamentally flawed in the American TV model.

Because either a)
they get good ratings and the network continually greenlights it for another series, leading to convoluted superfluous story arcs and 'making it up as they go along' problems.
or b) it gets cancelled between series leading to a hanging cliffhanger with no actual conclusion.

[Skerries]

The Event - interesting but needed to have done something bigger and unfortunately and belatedly they did in the last episode
Flash Forward - was good and was starting to come it's own but again we needed something to draw us in more
The Cape - absolute rubbish and a travesty to the Superhero genre
Alcatraz - I felt this was the new Fringe but needed to change tack like Fringe did after the first series as that was very freak of the week as well
Terra Nova - too sterile and family friendly
Awake - I am liking this but it's not at the top of my must watch shows and would like to know where it is going

[don ramo]

quiet simple really these shows are so expensive to make, so you need massive revenue streams coming in to make up for it, shows like terra nova cost so much to make that it probably required 15million viewers plus a week to be able to generate enough advertisement revenue to justify its cost, it pulled in 10 million viewers, which wasn't really that bad a rating when you see Fringe getting renewed last year, with about 4-5 million viewers, (it was obviously renewed this year for a final season but FOX kinda committed to a fifth season when they gave it a 4th and bringing it so close to 100 eps) on the same network, how much did it cost to make???

and the networks seem to need there money back immediately, i think HBO were the first to click onto this, that its impossible to get all your money back straight away, you invest wisely and in a good product and you forecast your profits, and it seems to be working out quiet nicely for them so far,

also, most of the creative people on network shows are just sh1t, some shows just seem to wonder aimlessly for a while before they finally click, and at that point its to late, these people always say they have a plan, yet seem to change it about 6 or 7 episodes in due to low ratings, they cant change it 3 or 4 eps in cause them episodes would have been filmed already, they need to come up with a plan and stick to it,

and there always seems to be shows that you know should be on cable I.E firefly, but are on network television for some reason, and i think most showrunners should know if there show will work on the networks, and if not plug it to a cable network, but then you wont make as much money and get the recognition you feel you deserve, all the big shots and cool dude are on network TV, but all the best talent is over on cable,

also looking at GOT here, when was the last time you saw a network show jump 50% in viewership from one season to the next, hell even 20%, it does seem like if you miss the train at the start then you aint ever getting on,

i always find it funny how a show like breaking bad gets talked about so much when it only pulls in 2 million viewers a week, then shows like CSI and The Big Bang Theory are never really talked about yet pull in 5-10 times the numbers

high concept works, when its made by the right people and sold to the right people,

[mike65]

The Singing Detective was high concept you know and that's million miles removed from the pap of the above.

[Buttonftw]

Because some people like to watch Glee or 2 and a Half Men and enjoy when shows they're too retarded to get get cancelled.