Don't write broadcast TV's obit yet

By Brian Donlon

Drew Barrymore has come a long way from her harrowing scream after she was frightened by cuddly little E.T. in Steven Spielberg’s beloved 1982 classic film. 

Last week she entered the talk show wars with CBS selling her new fall daily show to such local station groups as Nexstar, Sinclair, Weigel, Scripps, Gray, Tegna and Meredith at the annual NATPE programming conference. 

Drew and Nick Cannon look to join 2019 entrees Kelly Clarkson and Tamron Hall in competing with long-running Ellen DeGeneres. It seems like talk is back on broadcast television. As the saying goes, timing is everything. Nine years ago the talk format seemed headed for format graveyard to join westerns and variety series. Willoughby Productions went for the big play with “The Bo Eason Show,” headlined by former NFL player turned empowerment guru Bo Eason. We came close to a deal with two studios, but the failings of the genre coupled with the fast-changing world of TV viewing habits at the time could not convince the powers to make an investment in a personable, albeit not widely known, retired pro footballer. 

But talk is back and that is good for the broadcast television business which has another obituary about it written every day.  Almost always, the cause of death is listed as strangulation from cord-cutting. To paraphrase the great Mark Twain, reports of TV's death have been greatly exaggerated.  

Recently much was made about the Golden Globes, which, for the first time had no nomination for a series or actor in a drama or comedy from the traditional networks: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox or the upstart CW. 

Now, I’m not sure when exactly the Hollywood Foreign Press Association -- which runs the Globes -- became the ultimate arbiter of taste in TV. Remember, the HFPA awarded Pia Zadora “New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture – Female” for her performance in “Butterfly.” 

 Pia who? “Butterfly” what? 

Exactly! 

 The aspiring actress/singer was married to a multimillionaire named Meshulam Riklis who allegedly bribed voters into voting for his wife. Ms. Zadora beat out a couple of no-names in some little-seen films such as Elizabeth McGovern in “Ragtime” and Kathleen Turner in “Body Heat.” 

There is a love affair with the streaming outlets now. For writers, producers and actors Netflix and its ilk are the homes of creative freedom. Each streamer presents opportunities free of intervention from "network suits" and providing a fortress where artists can push the envelope and thrive.

For consumers, the love affair is simple. Give me what I want when I want it.  

 The reality though is that for every “House of Cards” or “The Crown” on Netflix we’ve had “Real Rob” and “The Ranch.”

For all the marvelousness of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” on Amazon Prime there is the mess from Woody Allen, “Crisis in Six Scenes.” 

 Creating content is not an exact science, no matter the platform.

Despite the critical acclaim and popularity of original content on these new services and the services to come (HBOMax, Peacock and who knows what else), traditional television has not become some a broadcasting backwater where washed-up veterans and unknown up-and-comers now ply their trade. 

Quite the contrary, like talk which may be enjoying a mini-renaissance in syndication, network television has been pushed by the streamers not only to create differently, but to do what it does well, better.  

 Consider: 

 CBS’ Blue Bloods – This 10 year old series (and how many programs on any platform last for a decade anymore?) is a family tale of three generations of New York law (NYPD police commissioner and his two sons) and order (the commish’s district attorney daughter). It has a bona fide TV star in Tom Selleck, a fine cast with Donne Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes and Broadway veteran Len Cariou. It routinely wins its Friday at 10 pm time period attracting 8 million viewers. That’s down about 3 million from five years ago, but it has become so popular it has gotten the "Law & Order"-style marathon treatment several times on ION in its syndication run. 

 NBC’s Blacklist – The high-concept series starring the avuncular James Spader as a master criminal turned FBI informant turned mystery man has been pulling in about 4 million viewers each week. Down about 4 million from five years ago, but it has suffered from long layoffs and bouncing time periods – it has had seven different time slots.

"Blacklist" did hit 12.5 million viewers in 2013 and 2014 and 25 million following the 2015 Super Bowl though so it has had its success. Enough success, to spawn a comic book, a video game and a TV spinoff (“Blacklist: Redemption”). The series has a solid cast and frequent eye-opening guest stars for extended story arcs such as Parminder Nagra, David Strathairn, Christine Lahti, Brian Dennehy, Aida Turturro, Alan Alda, Paul Reubens, Gloria Reuben and Jane Alexander. Not bad!

But you watch the show for Spader’s scene eating performance as “Red” Reddington. It is truly a virtuoso performance week in and week out.

CW’s “Arrowverse” – In feature films, Disney’s Marvel Studios/Comics receives all the super-powered plaudits for its “extended universe” and melding the likes of Ironman, Thor, Dr. Strange, Captain America, etc into the most successful packaging of movies ever. For Warner’s DC Comics, the silver screen has been like kryptonite to Superman with epic failures (the recent “Joker” notwithstanding). 

 However on the “little” screen the packaging of “Arrow,” “The Flash” “Supergirl” “Legends of Tomorrow” and now “Batwoman” has been almost as smart and deft as the Marvel movies. While the time-traveling “Legends” often has its tongue firmly implanted in its cheek and the fate of “Arrow” is questionable given the departure of star Steven Amell, the crossover specials of the last two years have been certified TV events in the tradition of the “old” big “sweeps” events that you just don’t see anymore.  

 NCIS New Orleans – If all of CBS' procedurals are varieties of Campbell’s Soup, then “NCIS New Orleans” is the rich, flavorful gumbo only found off Bourbon Street.  

 You could not promise me the winning lottery ticket in Powerball to watch the other editions of "NCIS" or its distant cousin, “Criminal Minds.” But the ‘Nawlins crime series boasts several features that make it a fun watch.  

 First, Scott Bakula – in the tradition of Tom Selleck -- is an honest to goodness TV star. From “Quantum Leap” to “Enterprise” to “Men of a Certain Age” (where he warranted Emmy attention) to his role here as Dwayne “King” Pride, he puts it all out there for viewers. 

Secondly, only a few cities can co-star in a primetime program and New Orleans is one of them. From “second line” parades to Mississippi vistas to the homes of the Garden District, the drama offers a visual eclectic menu. Plus, you can’t go to the Crescent City and not take in some toe-tapping tunes and the show’s producers have gone out of their way to “cast” such as acts as Corey Henry & the Treme Funktet, Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Night Sweats and local legend Trombone Shorty.  

 Serve up some Po’ Boys, pour yourself a hurricane and kick it back with the King.  

Fox’s Deputy – It’s rare these days for a mid-season replacement to make so much noise out of the box. Its premiere pulled in nearly five million viewers and showed a 33% increase over the time period a year ago. Producers can thank the heft of some heavy promotion during Sunday NFL games for the boost. 

Stephen Dorff, fresh off his turn in HBO’s “True Detective” has been a good watch once again. Here’s he’s a fish out of water or maybe a horse out of the corral might be a better analogy. 

He’s an LA County Deputy Sheriff assigned to the mounted division who patrols the oft times rough and tumble backroads of the San Gabriel Mountains. A veteran “lawman,” he has no use for the hierarchy and its trappings. So of course, following the sudden death of the duly elected sheriff, he is thrust into becoming the new sheriff in town due to some archaic rule in the codicils of government that few were aware of -- including Dorff's character. So now this maverick is in charge of nearly 10,000 deputies and the law enforcement for 153 unincorporated communities of Los Angeles County. 

It's unlikely you will see the cast of “Deputy” collecting a slew of awards at the Emmys or Golden Globes nor will it light Twitter afire. It's not that kind of show (see Golden Globes above). Some of the plot points do push credulity (i.e. an undercover deputy, played by Brian Van Holt, becomes a foster parent to two children who he just happened to have killed in the line of duty). But there are some twists that along with Dorff places this program somewhere between guilty pleasure and must-see TV.   

CBS’ Tommy – Premiering February 6th, this drama presents Edie Falco -- one of the best actresses from premium cable in “The Sopranos” and “Nurse Jackie” where she won Emmys for both – to weekly primetime network series TV. While she was featured in Dick Wolf’s 2017 limited-run series for NBC, “Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders” this is her first turn as a headliner for one of the “Big Four” broadcast networks' weekly dramas. Oh, and it’s a good one! 

While Steven Dorff is overseeing LA County law enforcement, Falco is taking on the LAPD. Like Dorff, she is out of her element too and cast into power unexpectedly. She’s a former member of the NYPD who is appointed the first female chief of police in the City of Angels after a sexual harassment scandal brings down her male predecessor. She mixes law and order with compassion and grace. Maybe there is a crossover down the road with Tom Selleck’s NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan in “Blue Bloods.”  

Not available for screening at the time of this writing but there are two other series which hold promise. The first is ABC’s “For Life,” based on the real-life experience of Isaac Wright Jr., who was wrongfully convicted as a Jersey drug kingpin and sentenced to life. Behind bars he studied law and helped fellow inmates before helping free himself. Look for that on Feb. 11.  

Next is a series that debuts in March. Usually, on network television there are throwaways. Once there may have been hope for them, but bad scripts, productions miscues or poor casting often doom these programs. They are put on to fill a hole in the schedule and offer few expectations for networks or viewers.  

That may not be the case for “Council of Dads.”

Based on the best-selling book by Bruce Feiler, who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, he was immediately filled with fear. Not of dying as much, but more importantly, he was filled with concern for who would be there for his wife and daughters if he were gone?  

Feiler recruited a “council” -- six extraordinary men -- to be part of his family’s lives. This heartwarming and at times humorous book was called by author Jon Meacham a “revealing portrait of the archetypal human story of love, temptation, betrayal, and endurance.” 

 Love? Temptation? Betrayal? That's coming soon to network TV, so don’t cut that cord yet.