Cable vs. Network Series

Burn Notice (the principal cast of is pictured above) has been renewed for, not one, but two more seasons.  True Blood has garnered numerous Emmy and Golden Globe wins and nominations.  Mad Men has taken home the Outstanding Drama Series award two years in a row at both the Emmys and the Globes.  Both Weeds (about to begin its sixth season) and Breaking Bad (currently in its third) are enjoying critical acclaim and awards recognition for their respective stars, Mary-Louise Parker and Bryan Cranston.

It might seem that these five series that have enjoyed great success over the last few years (Weeds being the oldest of the bunch, having premiered in 2005) do not have much in common besides critical success and fan devotion.  There is one other string, however, that binds these certified hits together: the fact that not a single one of them airs on a major network (ie. ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX).

It seems that cable series are starting to take over and their successful performance at awards shows in recent years makes one wonder if the major networks even have a fighting chance.  Lacy Baugher of New Media Strategies sheds light on this recent shift in primetime power: "The riskiest, most interesting television remains the providence of the cable channels. USA’s character dramas are absolutely second-to-none...They often rival production values of more established network series...FX is constantly proving their “There is no box” tagline true with edgy fare such as Rescue Me and Nip/Tuck, both of which push the boundaries of “traditional” television and expected characters. And SCI FI’s beloved (and, lamentably, recently wrapped) Battlestar Galactica is probably the best TV series of the past five years, save only HBO’s incomparable police drama The Wire.  Even AMC, a channel previously known for its dedication to classic film, is getting into the TV act, producing stellar original dramas like Mad Men and Breaking Bad."

Promotional Trailer for USA's Burn Notice Season 4, courtesy of Hulu.com

Cables series run relatively uninhibited by network interference and demands from the suits up above.  This allows for a certain creative and artistic freedom that network television can only dream of (granted, if a network series is successful enough in the ratings, the higher-ups rarely meddle).  Network creators, producers, and writers also have to accommodate for age-groups, time-slots, commercial breaks, and ratings for such aspects as violence, sex, and language.  These are all facets of production that barely register as a blip on the radar of your average cable series.  Cable series creators are free, not only to tell their stories how they want to tell them, but to have as much time as they want - free from commercial interruption - to do so.

Not all network series, however, seem doomed.  Lost has managed to thrive creatively and artistically for six seasons on ABC under the careful guidance of show-runners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and series co-creator J.J. Abrams (who himself has found success on numerous networks with Fringe (FOX), Alias (ABC), and Felicity (The WB).  Even Baugher, despite her strong advocacy for cable series, names Lost one of her "must-see" shows (along with NBC's Friday Night Lights) while NOW Magazine recently named the island-set drama "the best show on TV right now."

Even Lost, however, despite a flourishing, complex, mythological plot brought to life by a cast that is as talented as it is diverse, has failed to receive much love from either the Emmys or the Globes recently, even after scoring the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in its first season and the same award at the Globes the following year.  Network series hardly seem to be able to get a word in edgewise. According to an article in The New York Times, channels such as HBO are overpowering awards ceremonies (the 2009 Emmys alone garnered the thriving station 99 nominations).  The highest amount of nominations for a major network was 67 for NBC.  Lost received 5.

With Lost about to end its successful six year run, and no apparent successor in sight, the future of network television is murky, clouded in indecision and doubt as to what direction to take next.

Above image: Sharon Gless, Bruce Campbell, Jeffrey Donovan, 
         and Gabrielle Anwar in Burn Notice promotional image;
Credit: Flickr Creative Commons. Click here for source.