He put out some great stuff. Oh yeah you did bring up Lost.

You can’t put on Scripted TV for its own sake. NBC should take hints from Cable sister USA. They have cranked out several scripted hits.

RSH: For some time I’ve found it quite ironic that unedited movies with blood, gore, and sex are off-limits (at least without editing) on the networks yet they have no problem showing significant amounts of blood and gore (and offering descriptions of sexual activities) on the alleged newscasts at dinnertime because “it is in the interest of the public to be informed”. Yea, sure, sit down to a nice dinner with a side-order of violent death. Just one of many reasons I don’t bother with network news (ABC, CBS, etc.) at mealtime anymore.

RE: “My point which I haven’t made very well I guess is the shows that are on right now is exactly what the viewers want. They want three CSI’s, 2 NCIS’s, 3 L&O. Viewers want comfort in sameness.”

Well, perhaps a large segment of viewers, yes. However, my atypical habits do not include any of those shows. Right now, actually, I’m not even watching anything that’s on the networks because I don’t care for the offerings. It’s like a vegetarian finding himself at a chili cook-off and all of the contestants have meat in the recipe. Thanks but no thanks, I’ll find something else. For now, it’s reruns of Stargate SG-1 on Hulu (that’s how little I think of current shows).

People want to see what they see IN THE MOVIES ON TV. And they CAN’T!

I remember many years ago a station here in the San Francisco Bay Area started airing movies uncensored. That didn’t last long.

That and the considerable fragmentation of what is available on TV means NO broadcast show is going to do that well unless it has some sort of “perfect storm” that makes it so culturally irresistible that it draws 20 million viewers. And per Sturgeon’s Law, that simply isn’t going to happen.

And of course Sutter is right about “suit-monkees” and “chimpanzees” Guy sounds like a Transhumanist like me…

but isn’t what he is saying is what 30 rock is pretty much about? how the suits (Donoghy) and the accountants are always trying to run everything, they wouldn’t have gotten tracy jordan if it wasn’t for donoghy making them and all that stuff

I think it he explains why, they’re creative, not clones of clones like Three Rivers or CSI Sheboygan.

NBC’s response— Here’s five hours a week of Leno. Leno costs less, and it’s counter programming to drama with which we can’t compete.

My point which I haven’t made very well I guess is the shows that are on right now is exactly what the viewers want. They want three CSI’s, 2 NCIS’s, 3 L&O. Viewers want comfort in sameness.

30 Rock
Friday Night Lights
Kidnapped
Heroes
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Only Heroes was successful for about a season and a half. The other shows – were not watched by a lot of viewers. So do you blame NBC for that or the viewers for not watching. I blame the viewers. They choice to watch the 3rd L&O series and the third CSI series and reality instead

You’re an idiot.

I’m surprised thsi guy likes Glee, I kind of think the idea came from the success of High School Musical. Luckily, they took it in a different direction, but it still seems like an attempt to cash in at points.

It’s obvious you’ve never watched the show.

I mean honestly, everyone is harping on and on about how NBC should put dramas in at 10pm….but over the past 3, 4, 5 years…NBC *HAS* done exactly that – and no one watches. We can’t fault NBC for not TRYING…they have tried….quite hard…but nothing seems to stick. I know people would probably say “oh, but their dramas suck”…but the QUALITY of NBC’s programming isn’t really that bad IMO. I suppose NBC could have kept trying and trying…but as Sutter says…NBC is trying a new system, one that is probably more in-tune with today’s popular culture and actually deals with TODAY’S reality head on (as opposed to ABC, who has 10pm failures almost across the board).

(Your link is faulty btw)

But it is their fault, if you don’t challenge the idiots the idiots become dumber. TV is probably the single most dangerous invention of the last century – it has the potential to devolve human brains, and the dumb don’t notice.

I hear you. No doubt most of the garabage we produced can be blamed on the execs. I was just making the point that if we didn’t all seemingly love the empty calorie intake of mediocre procedurals then the network executives might give us something a bit more challenging.

But a portion of the fault does lay on the executives depending on the level of creative control they have over the writers. I’m not very familar with the process of writing/producing a show, but from what I do understand there is usually an advocacy/political process to getting to getting a script approved for a show. Depending on the willingness of the executives to be persuaded and the producer’s ability to advocate for a particular script, the blame so to speak does lie with the executives.

He writes a good blog but it’s not totally the execs fault. It’s not like they’re stood in 20million homes with a gun forcing people to watch NCIS or any of the other polished but unoriginal procedural dramas out there.