If September is what first comes to mind when considering new television shows, there are some 82 reasons to think again. That’s the number of new programs that have or will premiere on cable networks post-Memorial Day through August, based on an informal survey. That doesn’t even include existing series that are starting new seasons (HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” USA’s “Burn Notice,” etc.) or new programs on broadcast TV (NBC’s “Love Bites” and ABC’s “101 Ways to Leave a Game Show”), because the latter usually aren’t built to last.
Eighty-two. Something new virtually every day.
The deluge illustrates rapid change in the television industry: It’s only been a few years that cable networks have actively sought to exploit the broadcasters’ summer vacation to suit their own needs, and already some executives wonder if they will have to look elsewhere on the calendar.
“The competitive landscape every year just gets harder and harder for everyone,” said Laureen Ong, president of the Travel Channel, whose new summer series include “Mancations” and “Paranormal Challenge.”
The new shows run the gamut. There are celebrity-based reality shows, featuring the likes of Roseanne Barr, Brad Garrett, Sarah Ferguson and Ryan and Tatum O’Neal. Cooking (“Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction”) and design (“Million Dollar Decorators”) are well represented. Big-budget scripted series are bowing (“Falling Skies” and “Torchwood: Miracle Day”). There are plenty of odd professions in the spotlight (tattoo artists, aquarium makers, tow truck operators).
When John Landgraf, president and general manager of the FX network, brought “The Shield” on the air in 2002, there were a total of 35 new scripted series that premiered on cable networks for the entire year. So far in 2011 it’s nearly 90, he said, with half the year left to go.
Networks like FX, USA and AMC all learned over the past decade how one or two critically praised new series can transform their reputations, so it’s no surprise others have tried. Same thing for nonfiction programming.
Summer became the favorite proving ground because, with broadcast networks offering almost no new scripted series in those months, viewers are eager to experiment.
“You would never really launch a new season or a new show at any other time aside from the summer or January,” he said. “It’s unbelievably competitive now during the summer. Most networks, including us, are thinking we might be better off launching some other time of the year,” said Dave Howe, Syfy’s network president.
