How the networks will fare midseason

By Diego Vasquez
Dec 11, 2007

Evaluating broadcast network lineups and showsDuring the summer months, viewers have become programmed to look to cable for fresh programming as the broadcast networks go into a heavy rotation of reality shows. Come January, with the writers’ strike ongoing and the broadcast networks readying slates stacked with reality shows, cable could once again benefit, and not just from viewers looking for alternatives to “Farmer Wants a Wife,” one of those new reality shows. The networks are also considering repurposing scripted cable shows from their sister cable networks, such as Showtime’s “Dexter” airing on CBS and USA’s “Monk” on NBC. That would give the shows a huge amount of exposure and could lead to future ratings growth for cable programs. Though media people think some midseason reality shows have potential, including Fox’s “Moment of Truth,” in which contestants are hooked up to lie detectors, they also see a very real possibility that audiences will quickly tire of reality and look to not just cable but also other media to fill the void. Brad Adgate, senior vice president and corporate research director at Horizon Media, talks to Media Life about what midseason shows look most promising, which look least, and why you may start seeing primetime NBA games on ABC.


The networks publicly have been insisting that their ratings will not be much hurt by the upcoming glut of reality programming in the wake of the writers' strike. Do you think the public will embrace reality, because that's all there is, or will we see a backlash against this much unscripted programming?

There are two things. First, there’s an awful lot of reality on cable, so the lines between broadcast and cable will be blurred even more.

Second, the networks have shown a propensity as the season goes on toward airing reality in time periods that aren’t working, with the hopes of getting some sort of ratings boost. And that’s already been happening.

But it really depends on the amount, and it sounds like it will be a lot.

It’s like everything else. We could very well find out what the threshold is of viewers’ acceptance of unscripted programming with this writers’ strike.


Which network's midseason schedule looks the strongest? And the weakest?

Fox, of course, because of “American Idol,” and also because they have 15 hours a week [of programming]instead of 22. And they’ve always been pretty strong.

They also have “Canterbury’s Law,” “New Amsterdam” and the Parker Posey comedy “The Return of Jezebel James.” Also, Fox can always stretch out “Idol.”

ABC is connected to Disney so it may go a little more sports-heavy through ESPN, as well as air some theatrical releases.

Maybe they’ll go with an NBA game now and then that would otherwise air on ESPN. Games with LeBron James or the new Celtics, or maybe even a high-profile college game.

NBC has Universal but also USA, which has been the highest-rated basic cable network in primetime, and so they may run “Psych” and “Monk” and “The 4400,” things like that.

I’m not saying that these will all do huge ratings, but at least they offer viewers something different than reruns and reality.

Tony Shalhoub is the one of the most honored actors of the decade, with two Emmys, two SAG awards, and a Golden Globe (11 total nominations) for his portrayal of the extremely OCD Adrian Monk on USA's hit comedy detective series Monk. Recently BostonNOW talked with him about the role that has brought him such acclaim.

Boston Now: Looking back to season one, are their directions that Monk - both the character and the series - has gone that surprise you?

Tony Shalhoub: You never really know when you start a show ... well, I should rephrase that ... it's better if you don't know when you start a show exactly where it's gonna go. I don't want to know. Even when I do a movie, I don't want to know everything about my character because I want to be finding out things in the process. When I first started doing it I wasn't sure it was a comedy, frankly. There was a drama with some comedic elements, some quirks, but as all good material does, it started to take on a life of its own.

BN: Do you think Monk had an advantage being on USA, where they didn't have as many original shows to push and could focus their energy on one show?

TS: I do, I think it was the right timing, the right network. The show was at ABC originally. They had the property for a number of years and for various reasons it got stuck in development limbo. That was way before I was attached. It wasn't until it got walked across the street to USA, and even there it sat for almost a year, but then certain people got involved and breathed life into it, and it took off.

BN: Not that I want the show to end anytime soon but as you approach 100 episodes, have you started to think about how you might want Monk to go into the sunset?

TS: You know we've talked a lot about it. I think ideally I would love to have the final episode be a feature, where all the loose ends get tied up. See if we can get people to actually go to a theater. I know there's a lot of younger fans of the show, which is a great demographic for movies, and I think with the right material, and the right timing, it could be a really fun movie.

BN: I apologize for this question being straight out of "Interviews for Dummies" but since you have so many, what do you do with all the award statues?

TS: I dust them. They just sort of sit there and stare at me. They remind me that I'm a has-been. They're all on one little table in the living room. I had them on the mantel for a while but then my wife thought that was a little too in your face.

BN: Did you have them on the mantel with a little spotlight shining right on them?

TS: No (laughing) ... She said, "now that there are so many of these, do you really want them all up high on the mantel, the first thing people see when they come through the door?" And I said, "yes." She said, "lets put them here in the corner so people can see them on their way out. They can leave with a good impression." They've been relegated over to the far corner.


Don't miss Monk, Fridays at 9 pm on USA.

The when: Fridays at 9 pm/ET on USA Network

Why watch?: The introspective detective is back on the job for the second half of Monk's sixth season. Tony Shalhoub (see related Q&A here) plays Adrian Monk, the eagle-eyed and obsessive-compulsive investigator with fears galore (dirt, asymmetry, heights, pretty much everything), whose sharp mind still fingers the right culprit every time. Add to that his wife Trudy's mysterious and haunting death 10 years ago and you've got one complex crime-fighter. But don't get your tissues out yet. Despite those facts, Monk has some of the smartest humor around. And this many years in, it still remains a refreshing and believable jaunt into a life very different from those we usually see on TV. We only wish the season were even longer.

Who's who: Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) gets by with a little help from his assistant/right-and-left-hand woman, Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard), who always has a hand wipe at the ready. Though Monk always sleuths out the bad guys in the end, he also gets tips from SFPD detective Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), his sometime-boss who, along with his second-in-command Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) have come to respect the high-maintenance investigator's unorthodox working style. But Monk might not be the man he is today without his therapist, the wise and very patient Dr. Kroger (Stanley Kamel).

What's next: New adventures are nigh as the detective gets into more trouble this season getting locked in a bank vault, becoming a surprisingly successful painter, and even running from the law himself in the cinematic two-part season finale where more clues about Trudy's death will be revealed.

Say what?! Though Monk now films in San Francisco, it's first season was filmed in Vancouver and Toronto — not an easy feat when you're trying to make your set look like Northern California.

What do you say? Monk fans, what keeps you tuning in on Friday nights? Got any ideas for new Monk cases you'd like to see? And do you think the mystery of Trudy's death will ever get solved? — Sandra Kofler

Whee! This sure made my day!
Michael gets his own golden trophy! AWESOME.


An ad seen in Variety magazine, Jan. 14, 2008

I'm also digging this new banner on the main USA Burn Notice webpage:

"Mr. Monk Goes to a Bank" eventually unravels to reveal a sufficiently creepy premise. But it's a pretty long slog to that satisfying moment.

The unusually thin script for this episode revolves around a small object, one which serves a purpose in a most unlikely situation. But its size and delicacy make the object (a bracelet) difficult to incorporate into any physical business. So we don't get to watch Tony Shalhoub Monking around in his brilliant style.

SPOILERS COMING

Simpsons fans ought to know that Dan Castelleneta only appears in one scene. He plays a character who provides a key piece of information, then he drops out of the story. (In case you don't know what Homer's vocal source looks like: his character runs the pawn shop.) So why is he in the episode? My guess is that, as a guest star, he provides a perfect red herring.

It's fun to see Natalie (Traylor Howard) going ga-ga over Adrian in his security guard uniform. ("Look at you!") And Randy (Jason Gray-Stanford) saves the day with a hilarious message device and a goofy obsession with a silver, live mannequin.

Natalie's Christian Louboutin slingbacks are adorable. Watch for the moment when Natalie and Randy have a bit of business clearly choreographed to show off those red soles. Cute!

Now that the writers' strike is nearing an end, here is the post-writers strike status of network series as of Sunday. The networks have yet to officially announce what shows are coming back and when and how many original episodes they'll have before the season ends in May. So the situation is extremely fluid and the fortunes of individual series could change from one day to the next. We will be updating this list as often as possible over the next few weeks.

"Monk" (USA): Back as scheduled in mid-summer.