Post by managermike99 on Sept 15, 2016 23:42:28 GMT -5
Channel 97 ; 2013-14 Season Preview
Liberty TV has announced that Channel 97 will return for it’s 5th season on Saturday, October 5th 2013 in its new Saturday night 10:30pm time slot. As has been widely reported in the industry, while ratings have been relatively low for the show it has distribution deals in Europe, Japan, Canada, and Australia which provide enough funding to keep it viable. Liberty has announced that this will be Channel 97’s final season on the network, however it has agreed to carry the show on it’s Gen80 cable network if the producers can find enough other revenue to bring it back for a 6th season.
Looking back at it’s 2012-13 season the introduction of Tristan to the show was panned as a “jump the shark” move and his role was scaled back during the year, and the producers even lampooned themselves by titling one of the episodes 4.11 “Jump the Shark”. Without a lot of other major changes the show continued to take on an episodic feel with the potential romance between Graham and Victoria not coming to completion.
The show’s ratings did a slow climb during the year as viewers fled new shows and returned to Channel 97, and the vote of confidence from the network and producers helped as well. The show opened at a 0.6 demo, and rose to 0.9, and even hit a 1.0/2 3.05 high for episode 4.19 on April 22nd. The 22 episode season finished with an average demo of 0.79 in the Monday 8pm slot.
It’s competition during the Monday 8pm slot was stiff with ABC offering Dancing With The Stars and The Bachelor at mid-season, CBS countering with How I Met Your Mother, CW with 90210 and the Carrie Diaries mid-season, FOX with Bones, and NBC with The Voice and Biggest Loser at mid-season. With every genre represented and tough sit-com competition from HIMYM the low ratings of Channel 97 did not bother network executives.
This season will see Channel 97 move to Saturday nights at 10:30pm. While this is often seen as part of the “dead zone” of network television it actually bodes well strategically for a number of reasons. It takes the show away from formable opposition, it takes it to a spot where comedic sketch shows have often been put, much of the show’s views are through PVR and next day Sunday is better then next day Tuesday, and if the College football games on the other networks turn into routes then it could draw viewers who are flipping the channels. Network executives are hoping to retain 100% of their audience in the new spot. The time slot features college football on ABC and FOX, crimetime repeats on CBS, and repeat programming on NBC.
The biggest show development this year is the departure of the main character no less, as Liberty negotiated the release of Will Forte so he could helm the new dramedy Night Moves. Forte however will star in the first episode, as well as the two final episodes. Taking his place in the show will be none other than the show’s creator “Weird” Al Yankovic. Uncle Al long presumed dead will return to the show and take back his television studio (and farmhouse). Can Uncle Al manage to keep the channel viable?
Even though the show may continue on through cable and syndication the writers are focusing the year on a swan song which will pay tribute to many of the zany moments of TV, pirate radio and TV stations and events, bringing in guest stars with some meaning (Michael Richards “Kramer” from Seinfeld will return as he was in the original UHF; Fran Drescher as a DIR/PROD ), and allowing several cast members to each pen and produce an episode of the show (Curtis Armstrong, Paul Dano, Will Forte). Behind the scenes the void left by Will Forte will be covered by more input from the Saturday Night Live alumni and influenced writer/directors Phil Lord, Jorma Taccone, and Andy Crocker.
Al Yankovic remains the creative force behind the show as creator and executive producer, while John Hyde is the showrunner, and Jay Levey supervises the writers and is also an EP. Bill Fishman and Kelly Makin remain the busiest of the directors while Curtis Armstrong, Paul Dano, Will Forte, Fran Drescher, and Al Yankovic will also take turns behind the camera this season. There has also been hints that more guest directors may be brought in as well. The senior writing staff consists of Al Yankovic, Jay Levey, Phil Lord, Jorma Taccone, and Andy Crocker. It should be interesting to see if the show changes its cadence to appeal more to a SNL / SCTV / sketch comedy audience on Saturday night and less on a traditional sit-com audience.
Some of the episodic storylines that are being worked on are to tribute/lampoon UHF, Rock of Ages/Cop Rock, Geraldo Rivera’s Al Capone vault special, George Michael’s Sports Machine, Solid Gold, Michael Moore, Max Headroom, Tokoyo Rose, Radio Caroline, Hackers, WarGames, Videodrome, The ‘Stans, and many more.
Liberty TV has announced that Channel 97 will return for it’s 5th season on Saturday, October 5th 2013 in its new Saturday night 10:30pm time slot. As has been widely reported in the industry, while ratings have been relatively low for the show it has distribution deals in Europe, Japan, Canada, and Australia which provide enough funding to keep it viable. Liberty has announced that this will be Channel 97’s final season on the network, however it has agreed to carry the show on it’s Gen80 cable network if the producers can find enough other revenue to bring it back for a 6th season.
Looking back at it’s 2012-13 season the introduction of Tristan to the show was panned as a “jump the shark” move and his role was scaled back during the year, and the producers even lampooned themselves by titling one of the episodes 4.11 “Jump the Shark”. Without a lot of other major changes the show continued to take on an episodic feel with the potential romance between Graham and Victoria not coming to completion.
The show’s ratings did a slow climb during the year as viewers fled new shows and returned to Channel 97, and the vote of confidence from the network and producers helped as well. The show opened at a 0.6 demo, and rose to 0.9, and even hit a 1.0/2 3.05 high for episode 4.19 on April 22nd. The 22 episode season finished with an average demo of 0.79 in the Monday 8pm slot.
It’s competition during the Monday 8pm slot was stiff with ABC offering Dancing With The Stars and The Bachelor at mid-season, CBS countering with How I Met Your Mother, CW with 90210 and the Carrie Diaries mid-season, FOX with Bones, and NBC with The Voice and Biggest Loser at mid-season. With every genre represented and tough sit-com competition from HIMYM the low ratings of Channel 97 did not bother network executives.
This season will see Channel 97 move to Saturday nights at 10:30pm. While this is often seen as part of the “dead zone” of network television it actually bodes well strategically for a number of reasons. It takes the show away from formable opposition, it takes it to a spot where comedic sketch shows have often been put, much of the show’s views are through PVR and next day Sunday is better then next day Tuesday, and if the College football games on the other networks turn into routes then it could draw viewers who are flipping the channels. Network executives are hoping to retain 100% of their audience in the new spot. The time slot features college football on ABC and FOX, crimetime repeats on CBS, and repeat programming on NBC.
The biggest show development this year is the departure of the main character no less, as Liberty negotiated the release of Will Forte so he could helm the new dramedy Night Moves. Forte however will star in the first episode, as well as the two final episodes. Taking his place in the show will be none other than the show’s creator “Weird” Al Yankovic. Uncle Al long presumed dead will return to the show and take back his television studio (and farmhouse). Can Uncle Al manage to keep the channel viable?
Even though the show may continue on through cable and syndication the writers are focusing the year on a swan song which will pay tribute to many of the zany moments of TV, pirate radio and TV stations and events, bringing in guest stars with some meaning (Michael Richards “Kramer” from Seinfeld will return as he was in the original UHF; Fran Drescher as a DIR/PROD ), and allowing several cast members to each pen and produce an episode of the show (Curtis Armstrong, Paul Dano, Will Forte). Behind the scenes the void left by Will Forte will be covered by more input from the Saturday Night Live alumni and influenced writer/directors Phil Lord, Jorma Taccone, and Andy Crocker.
Al Yankovic remains the creative force behind the show as creator and executive producer, while John Hyde is the showrunner, and Jay Levey supervises the writers and is also an EP. Bill Fishman and Kelly Makin remain the busiest of the directors while Curtis Armstrong, Paul Dano, Will Forte, Fran Drescher, and Al Yankovic will also take turns behind the camera this season. There has also been hints that more guest directors may be brought in as well. The senior writing staff consists of Al Yankovic, Jay Levey, Phil Lord, Jorma Taccone, and Andy Crocker. It should be interesting to see if the show changes its cadence to appeal more to a SNL / SCTV / sketch comedy audience on Saturday night and less on a traditional sit-com audience.
Some of the episodic storylines that are being worked on are to tribute/lampoon UHF, Rock of Ages/Cop Rock, Geraldo Rivera’s Al Capone vault special, George Michael’s Sports Machine, Solid Gold, Michael Moore, Max Headroom, Tokoyo Rose, Radio Caroline, Hackers, WarGames, Videodrome, The ‘Stans, and many more.