The Death of Network Drama


It's no secret that the television landscape has changed a great deal the past few years. With the proliferation of cable series — both HBO and Showtime and basic cable channels — the competition has never been greater.

And the response from the traditional networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX) — which traditionally dominated the TV landscape — has been a formula that retains high ratings but takes them out of the critical acclaim hunt. Consider the top rated drama on Network TV for last season, "NCIS." The show put up great numbers, is fairly popular, and has no chance of earning an Emmy nomination. Such is the landscape for dramas in 2012.

Networks, for the most part, have allowed their dramas to fall into predictable patterns and formulas. But with all the competition out there, that just won't get it done when it comes to awards season. Even shows that used to yield plenty of nominations — like "House," "Grey's Anatomy," and even "CSI" — are now after thoughts come awards time.

This year's Emmy nominees say it all. No network drama is in the running for Best Drama series, and only one network drama — "The Good Wife" — even yielded any acting nominations. That is not a good sign for the networks. And with the comedy category slowly being taken over by cable networks as well, soon the networks might be irrelevant come award time.

And it seems like this is just the pattern that will continue moving forward as more and more smaller channels aimed at niche audiences get into the original programming game. Networks may still draw the most eyeballs, but they no longer dominate the critical acclaim.

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