The Confounding Case of NBC

"When someone you love dies, you don't lose them all at once. You lose them in pieces over time..." — Joe Wentworth, "Simon Birch"

When I was growing up, NBC was my favorite network. It had the best shows and it was the most popular channel. By the time I got to college, when I was studying mass media and got to do analysis projects, NBC was hurting. When I was a junior in college, I wrote a report on the network. I identified some large vulnerabilities (along with my group) that could cause the network problems if something wasn't done to correct it.

It's been nine years since I graduated college, a decade since that project, and NBC hasn't changed course. It's gone from the No. 1 network in the 1990s to a distant fourth among the big four networks in 2012. The questions are how has that happened, and can it be fixed?

In the 1990s, NBC became the No. 1 network thanks to broad appeal shows. It was a populist network with a strong identity. "Must-See TV Thursday" was a big part of that. It had huge, mass appeal comedies like "Friends," "Seinfeld," and "Frasier." It also had big, mass-appeal dramas, like "ER," "The West Wing," and the "Law & Order" franchise at its height. It had a strongly branded identity.

Now, it's the only one of the big four networks without an identity. Consider the competition. CBS is the home to formula-driven, audience-friendly comedies and dramas. Their key demographic is older viewers. Their shows are predictable and accessible, and they dominate the market that way.

ABC seems to have targeted the female demographic. That's not to say that men don't watch the network, but the dramas that built it up — "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," "Private Practice," "Castle," and "Revenge" are prime-time soap operas more likely to draw female viewers. The network compliments that with reality hits like "The Bachelor" and "Dancing With the Stars" that, again, target the female demographic. The network also added accessible, mass appeal comedies — like "Modern Family" — to help anchor it's rotation.

FOX continues to be the edgy network, aimed at younger viewers. FOX isn't afraid to take chances on edgy concept shows — like "24" and "House" — that build niche audiences, and mix in mass appeal shows aimed at younger viewers, like "American Idol." They have also hit it with shows like "Glee" and "New Girl," which squarely target younger viewers. And it's worked in building a solid brand.

Now think about NBC as currently constructed. What's their niche? What's their target? If you think about it, you see elements of stealing from the other three, but no clear network identity of their own. And that's a huge problem.

Aside from the blessing that is the NFL on Sundays in the fall, NBC doesn't have a lot of network bright spots. It's Monday night lineup has performed well this winter — with "The Voice" and "Smash" gathering viewers, though "Smash" continues to fall off. But look at that success — it's hard not to get the feeling NBC is, in many ways, copying the success of FOX with "American Idol" and "Glee." Though critics say "The Voice" is a better executed concept, you can still see the fingerprints of imitation in the move.

And NBC's newest show, "Fashion Star," feels like it's trying to capture some of the popularity of "America's Next Top Model" and "Project Runway." It may work, to some degree, but it gets the network no closer to forming a brand identity.

The problem with NBC is that, for years, while its aging hits slowly went off the air, the network found no successors to take their place. Meanwhile, it seems to have missed on shows that could have worked well. For instance, NBC studios produces "House," yet the network let the show go to air on FOX, where it has been a hit for eight seasons.

NBC has, over the past few years, continued to create quality programs, but they have failed to land an audience. "Friday Night Lights" was one of the finest family dramas ever made, but few people seemed to follow the show. To its credit, NBC gave the show a five season run. "Chuck" was a fun, light, and clever comedy/drama that, again, failed to find a sizeable audience. That has been combined with other creative misfires — including a failed 10 p.m. variety show experiment — that have continued to set the network back.

Even its vaunted Thursday night comedy block isn't the draw it once was, due in part to a philosophical change in programming. "Must-See TV Thursday" was about broad, mass appeal comedies. That doesn't exist on the network now. "The Office," "30 Rock," "Parks and Recreation," and "Community" are all funny, well-made shows. However, they are not mass appeal comedies. They are erudite, well-written, smart, and full of social commentaries and inside media jokes. They appeal to a certain demographic and are very sharply written. However, in terms of network size ratings, these aren't the kind of shows that are going to pull in a big audience.

We live in a world where, sadly, people don't want to think that hard when they watch TV. Some do, and those are the rabid fans of NBC's comedies. (I'm one of them). But that isn't the kind of base that provides the big ratings numbers a major network needs to succeed.

NBC has compounded those problems with some creatively curious choices. "The Playboy Club" was a complete misfire, both creatively and in terms of concept. It lasted just two episodes and brought little aside from scorn and derision. The idea of turning "The Firm" into a weekly TV series didn't work either. Then there were shows that started rocky and found their creative footing too late, like "Prime Suspect." The acting was good, the show started to coalesce, but the audience had already disappeared.

NBC has found a couple creatively strong shows still. "Awake" is a high-concept drama that's beautifully executed. It's about a man who endures a car accident and finds himself bouncing through two different realities. He doesn't know which one is real. The acting is great and the show is fascinating, but, again, it's not a mass appeal model. It's ratings are in line with other NBC shows, but it's not the kind of break-out hit needed to jump start a network. But considering that NBC's new programming chief formerly ran Showtime, maybe they've decided to become home to quality, niche programming.

There are no easy answers for NBC, but at some point the network is going to have to decide on an identity and pursue it. Otherwise, it will remain the patchwork collection of shows that it currently resembles.