Summer was once a time to turn off the television and go outside, for nothing was on but reruns. ABC, CBS and NBC, the three major broadcast networks, aired new seasons from fall until spring, and conventional wisdom said that when the kids are out of school no one will want to gather around the TV in the evenings.
But times change, like the judges of “American Idol,” so this summer there will be plenty to watch. It is true, yes, that dozens of season finales aired in May, and that the musical melodrama of “Glee” will follow suit Tuesday on Fox Network. It is also true, however, that five season premieres aired in May, and that more than two dozen shows will begin their seasons this month. Anyone hoping that TV would rescue them from summer boredom is in luck ““ a new season of “Rescue Me” starts June 29 on FX.
“When cable started programming original fare, they started looking at where’s the least competition, and the least competition is in the summer,” said Ben Harris, a manager and lecturer in the UCLA Producers Program. “People started realizing there is actually an audience in the summer. The audience has probably always been there, but they didn’t want to watch because of the reruns.”
But maybe watching shows live isn’t a make-it-or-break-it-type deal for some viewers, although a new season of “Make It or Break It” starts June 28 on ABC Family. They can always watch the shows stored in their digital video recorder, which might not make advertisers happy, but it’s easier.
“Another fly in the ointment for the networks, a major one, is TiVos and digital recorders, which allow you much more easily to zip past commercials,” said Vincent Brook, a visiting assistant professor in the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. “So what you get from that is more product placement … where they sometimes build entire scenes around products. They try to weave it in seamlessly so you’re not aware that you’re being advertised to, but it’s often fairly clear.”
It may seem as if the advertisers are trying to lie to viewers, but such is the state of a television landscape in transition ““ and a new season of “Lie To Me” starts tonight on Fox.
It is perhaps more likely, though, that the college population will watch their shows online. In that case, it’s almost irrelevant to mention when seasons start and finish ““ there may not be shows from the future online, but there are old episodes of “Futurama,” which begins a new season June 24 on Comedy Central. With the recent announcement of Google TV, which will come installed in Sony televisions, the merging of television and the Internet seems imminent.
“The moment you have television sets connected to the Internet, it’s going to be a whole different era, because people are getting used to the fact that they can watch shows any time,” Harris said. “The idea that you have certain shows at certain times of the week is probably going to be antiquated soon.”
Then again, there are still huge fans of live television, those who might watch the premiere of “Huge” on June 28 on ABC Family. They wouldn’t be alone ““ 13.5 million people watched the series finale of “Lost” on May 23 on ABC.
“They still make a bazillion dollars on television, and television is still ubiquitous, it’s amazing,” said Steve Peterson, a lecturer in the communication studies department. “Things are changing, but they say content is king. If you have a good television show or a good movie, there are going to be people to watch it probably, especially if you market it well.”