In the lingo of my guilty pleasure “Gossip Girl,” OMFG Batman!
The crazy kids at the CW have ordered at least two more episodes of “Gossip Girl” this season. Why is this relevant besides giving me two more hours of Penn Badgley worshipping time? It signifies an important trend in TV the past few years: the end of the TV season as we have come to know it.
Yes, there may still be room for basketball and baseball seasons, but when it comes to those insanely beautiful people in the box, there is no longer room for a September through May romance with a summer hiatus written in the fine print.
One reason is the shift in programming from the formerly tame cable channels such as TNT, TBS, FX, and AMC (just to name a few). In recent years, these channels upped the bet during those months once written off as “slow summer” and replaced their endless movie marathons with high-rated hits like “Saving Grace” and “My Boys,” as well as Emmy-winning fare with “The Closer” and “Mad Men.” These networks also offer scripted products during the networks’ prime period with “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Raising the Bar,” but it seems the former group is reaping most of the buzz ““ so surprising considering ABC’s No. 1 hit this past summer “Wipeout”..
Secondly, now that networks and cable channels alike have had to adjust to the internet boom in recent years with streaming full episodes, taking away fans’ beloved characters such as McDreamy and the crew of “How I Met Your Mother” for three whole months is nearly impossible. Cue the entrance of webisodes for shows such as “Lost” and “The Office,” which keep the storytelling ball rolling and satisfy viewers while simultaneously strengthening their appetite for more.
Finally, there is that five-letter word barely heard above a whisper: strike. Many of last season’s high-profile network shows such as “Private Practice,” “Chuck,” and “Pushing Daisies,” were forced off the air during the 100-day writers’ strike and waited nine months to return only to find that those who had tuned in for their first few episodes had since tuned out. On the other hand, shows that stretched the typical TV season a bit and returned last spring, “How I Met Your Mother” for example, saw increases in audience numbers as a result. If only the high energy “Pushing Daisies” and the great guilty pleasure that is “Dirty Sexy Money” had taken a risk and done the same, they may not be so close to getting the ax from the higher powers in Burbank. Although the most recent update has a SAG strike pegged as unlikely, even the slightest possibility of another television blackout should push showrunners and executives towards more forward thinking.
Looking to the television of yesteryear, shows that only appealed to very niche demographics such as the original “90210,” “Saved by the Bell,” and most recently “The O.C.” banked on high initial buzz and found a way to stand out from the crowd by airing new episodes during the summer. You know, like that one summer the Bayside High gang worked at Malibu Sands and Zack Morris fell for a pre-“King of Queens” Leah Remini? Yeah, I know you know what I am talking about.
Even earlier this current season, “Gossip Girl” and the new, really skinny version of “90210” were able to get exceptionally high ratings relative to the rest of the CW’s slate by starting only three weeks earlier. Three extra episodes for thousands of more viewers a week? It seems like simple math, but I’m a North Campus major so maybe I’m missing something.
Between the ever-rising popularity of the Internet for TV-viewing purposes and the huge, steady sales now coming from the TV on DVD section of retail, the traditional TV season is sooo five years ago; or in the words of the hipsters I love to watch, TV seasons are dunzo fo sho.