10-13-2008, 08:57 PM
By Marlene Benedicto
2008-10-12
Financial crisis will bring blue-collar sitcoms back
During times of economic crisis, TV viewers need shows they can relate to. Or at least that’s the opinion networks seem to be leaning towards.
As the economy goes down the toilet and the country’s mood changes, TV executives are looking to lift people’s spirits with comedy, according to the New York Post.
“The tradition has been, in times of difficulty, comedy has fared really well,” Kim Rozenfield, senior vice president of current dramas at ABC, told the publication.
“I don’t think [audiences] want to see a show about the fall of the Lehman Brothers. We’re developing a lot of comedies,” said NBC’s programming head, Ben Silverman.
Anticipating that the economy wasn’t going to be as strong as it once was, execs began developing shows that feature working-class characters. As viewers look to TV as an escape from their economic problems, execs expect a revival of sitcoms and other escapist-type shows.
“One thing that is definitely happening is, as the economic crisis has entered the zeitgeist, certain projects become more relevant and others less,” said Jennifer Nicholson Salke, who oversees the comedy and drama development at Twentieth Century Fox Television.
Several comedies have already been pitched. One is a comedy from Shawn Ryan (creator of The Shield and The Unit) titled The Millionaires Club, which centres on “a group of working-class people who get together and pool their cash.” Another show is Two-Dollar Beer, which is “set in the blue-collar world.”
“Think back to the Rosanne paradigm,” Salke told the Post. “As I look at my development report, those projects are sitting at the top of it.”
But shows like Dirty Sexy Money, which revolves around the very rich Darling family, also create a sense of escapism for viewers, so expect a continuous stream of these types of status-driven shows.
“I don’t think you’d find the Darlings suddenly brought to their knees financially because of the turn in the economic climate,” said ABC’s Rozenfeld. “Dirty Sexy Money is a soap at heart, an escapist show. They are so fabulously wealthy that this is sort of like a hangnail to them.”
tv guide
2008-10-12
Financial crisis will bring blue-collar sitcoms back
During times of economic crisis, TV viewers need shows they can relate to. Or at least that’s the opinion networks seem to be leaning towards.
As the economy goes down the toilet and the country’s mood changes, TV executives are looking to lift people’s spirits with comedy, according to the New York Post.
“The tradition has been, in times of difficulty, comedy has fared really well,” Kim Rozenfield, senior vice president of current dramas at ABC, told the publication.
“I don’t think [audiences] want to see a show about the fall of the Lehman Brothers. We’re developing a lot of comedies,” said NBC’s programming head, Ben Silverman.
Anticipating that the economy wasn’t going to be as strong as it once was, execs began developing shows that feature working-class characters. As viewers look to TV as an escape from their economic problems, execs expect a revival of sitcoms and other escapist-type shows.
“One thing that is definitely happening is, as the economic crisis has entered the zeitgeist, certain projects become more relevant and others less,” said Jennifer Nicholson Salke, who oversees the comedy and drama development at Twentieth Century Fox Television.
Several comedies have already been pitched. One is a comedy from Shawn Ryan (creator of The Shield and The Unit) titled The Millionaires Club, which centres on “a group of working-class people who get together and pool their cash.” Another show is Two-Dollar Beer, which is “set in the blue-collar world.”
“Think back to the Rosanne paradigm,” Salke told the Post. “As I look at my development report, those projects are sitting at the top of it.”
But shows like Dirty Sexy Money, which revolves around the very rich Darling family, also create a sense of escapism for viewers, so expect a continuous stream of these types of status-driven shows.
“I don’t think you’d find the Darlings suddenly brought to their knees financially because of the turn in the economic climate,” said ABC’s Rozenfeld. “Dirty Sexy Money is a soap at heart, an escapist show. They are so fabulously wealthy that this is sort of like a hangnail to them.”
tv guide