Ben and Friend of the Podcast Earl wrap up the just finished TV season.
The Movies & A Meal Podcast
TV Talk: 2023-24 Season Recap
I'm Earl Holland here with Ben Pincerga and you know it's become an annual ritual as we call it the roll out and wrap ups of the TV season and we look towards the next season. This is a unique year because of the writer strikes and the actor strikes and how that's all sort of did a lot of damage and changed the course of a lot of networks but I don't want to compare it to a real life situation that's serious but I always think about the 2020 MLB season where they went to 60 games to get a season. But here there are no COVID champions so this is just a very interesting look and rundown of the past TV season which really started in January or February and ended in its normal time in May and rolling into the next one. So Ben I'm glad to be able to be a part of this and thank you for allowing me to have some of this real estate on movies in a mail especially the TV edition. We've always talked about ratings and how over the years since the invention of television there have been other things that sort of start taking away from ratings whether it people going out on Saturday nights there's movies and now of course there's cable there's satellite and they're streaming now which makes it a smaller pond for eyes for the TV networks. Yeah you know TV is still a viable medium for arts but it's just not as many people are watching it nowadays because there's so many other options. And I also think sometimes the quality of it also plays a role in that. One thing we always get into is sort of discussing ratings and shares. Ratings are the percentage of all possible TV householder viewers in the country. Shares are the percentage of households or viewers actually watching TV at the time. On the biggest question you could say years ago you would see on TV when the 100th episode was such a big thing because of course that's celebrating them going into the syndication route where that's very renewable and we can get a lot of money off of that. Now it's even joined down the threshold is now 80 episodes if you can get to at least four years of 22 episodes if you have a show that's very viable you can make it a while. The question is will there ever be even in this group of shows will there ever be one that reaches 10 seasons. I think if it's going to happen it'll still be CBS but even when we'll get to it even CBS seems to be quicker now with the hook you know I would think maybe two or three years ago if we brought up an NCIS spinoff I mean it's probably a lock for 10 years but we've seen as well probably talk about with like NCIS OIE things change production gets expensive and they're just quicker with the hook now so I don't know the answer to that. And speaking of money of course there's this big issue that might also lead to the cancellation of shows they call it own shows versus on own shows like you said high production cost if for example if there's a show that is on Fox and technically it's not owned by Fox it's owned by Disney they're not inclined to keep it unless it's the Simpsons or family guy or some of those other staple ways that honestly you can get mass production out of that you can do two or three seasons in advance something new this always well not really new but something that has really been big since really the most previous writer striker a couple years ago even you go back to the 90s reality shows competition shows game shows they are cheaper programming you know ABC corner of the market almost about 15 oh I feel like almost 15 years ago about but almost about 10 years ago with their funding games they change the shows but most of times they're they're big properties and you know normally they're running the summer but they actually took a role in the forefront in the fall then CBS is also getting in on that in fact somebody else is getting on that we'll mention that a little later you know there are shows that have been canceled and announced that they're ending not all of them ended in May some of them are ending in the fall like blue buds but before we go into that and we'll talk a little bit more let's go to the rundown of the networks some of the numbers haven't aren't actually fully accurate but pretty much the name is the same give or take a few other the other networks the CW they are the lowest ranked network lower than the Univision in telemundo next are they bought the majority of the CW from both Paramount and Warner Brothers and they are really starting to flex their muscle interestingly enough programming on all seven nights sports on Saturday movies on Sunday it's a bit different I always think about the early days of Fox's rollout how they did one night a week then they started doing two nights then they started doing Sundays and then they finally I think by year two they went seven nights a week you know their strategy is still aiming at 18 to 49 instead of the 18 to 34 heavy reliance on imported shows and internationally before they end up getting their own shows and some of that stuff starting to show up now going through renewals of interest all American seven seasons Superman the lowest their seasons going to finally air in the fall their final season of four wild cards that sort of debuted I guess during the spring pen and teller full loss it got an 11th season of the cancellations of interest people are probably looking out for Walker ended after four seasons and all American homecoming got the axe recently looking at the new shows this fall ww and xt is moving from USA to network television trivial pursuit game show our long game show hosted by LaVar Burton that will be on at eight o'clock on a night to be named Scrabble will follow that that is hosted by Raven Simone that is another game show and then shows like the librarians the next chapter another spinoff of that librarian series that used to be on TNT and then another show in the spring good cop bad cop which is a dramedy and another one Sherlock and daughter which is a BBC import and then another show called Joan as a drama is that's going to be sorry Sophie Turner what are your thoughts on the CW what can we say about the CW they're still writing the same game plan they're running down other scripted shows even something like Walker which I think for CW standards would probably be considered a hit I mean they're they're winding that down and vapor more you know live action and unscripted stuff I mean I think that's why the wrestling is a key part and I don't know what they're going to do I mean if we had when we have this conversation two three years from now I wonder how many scripted shows they're going to have really the only shows that I watch on this notebook or pen and tell are foolish and whose lines it anyway I'll check out Scrabble in tribute pursuit just to be my ear and everybody's been waiting for LaVar Burton to get his one game show since he basically got screwed in that whole cluster of the jeopardy auditions um Fox this is a surprise because Fox at one point led to 1849 demographics last year 1.0 million and they were at third now they're fourth Gordon Ramsay shows everything you know if he doesn't have his fingers on it you'd be surprised that's the Gordon Ramsay network everybody has one big star who has multiple shows on the network and that's Gordon Ramsay America's most wanted of course which is a surprise you'd think that would have their Saturday nice locked up after college football unless you're going to put it on Friday Smackdown will be leaving in August WWE loses a network to their shows and gains one with the NXT one moving to CW and we'll see what happens at Friday again most of the shows on their own by 20th century five 20th century slash Disney and mainly a Sunday night block renewals of interest 9/11 alone star that is their sixth season the Sunday night block is usual animal control is going into a third season family guy is still there grimsburg and crap bobbles got their second season honestly grimsburg was funnier than i expected but yeah definitely pretty good cues that was renewed for a second season the cleaning lady a fourth season alert missing persons renewed for a third season crime scene kitchen got a third season the floor got two seasons second season and third season lego masters gets a fifth season special forces world's toughest test gets a third season the cancellations of interest housebroken a new show is coming this season doc which is a drama universal basic guys slash to hogey brothers animated series which we mentioned before in the last one rescue high surf a drama extracted which is a competition show going Dutch is a comedy starring Dennis leery murder in a small town that is a drama your thoughts on fox i'm shocked that fox is here in our ratings order here honestly like i don't really have any interest in any of those television series but you know good for them some of these shows you know still kicking obviously you know you have your simpsons and your family guys and whatnot you know they found their niche and they keep doing it so good for them ABC this is a biggest surprise third they are third 4.29 million viewers course money night football select games and dancing with the stars they decided they're probably gonna put it on a lot more long term so they can get back to uh filling spots with a lot of shows especially with a good doctor anything can they ascend to second place ever again i don't know this is in the 90s this is in the 80s this wasn't the early 2000s i don't think that'll ever happen renewals of interest the conners the seventh and final season very shortened grace anatomy 21 season keeps going we crossed i'm not dead yet because again when i'm doing my notes i did not completely cut them out the rookie is going on to a seventh season you know Nathan filling on is getting close to have a multiple a show with multiple seasons as two characters uh will trend another season third looking at the cancellations and endings of interest not dead yet station 19 and the good doctor two of those we knew were coming not dead yet was not even though they revamped the cast adding brad garret that might have been the beginning of the end uh new shows for the fall and spring there is dr odyssey which is a drama airing to to be announced but that is basically if you took doc from lookbook that's basically what it is uh with joshua jackson the golden bachelor at hey we knew this was going to happen high potential which is a drama starting katlin wholesome from it's always semi and philadelphia and a docu series called skamanda skamanda skamanda i don't know who knows it's a docu series but we'll see how that goes your thoughts on avc what season do we change is the title of the rookie to the veteran because yeah Nathan villan's been he's been doing it a long time you know we'll try it's interesting because you know that's one of those tried and true formulas of someone who has a unique set of skills and becomes a detective you know we've seen that sherlock and you know you know shows like house the mentalist you know those kind of shows and uh it still works but you know good for abc and you know you mentioned before will they rise any higher in the ratings wars i'm not sure but i you know they should take a victory in the fact that they beat fox i mean that's that's a pretty decent accomplishment especially because i feel like abc's been just really down the dump slightly but you know they've turned around we didn't talk about abad elementary right yeah that's another guaranteed yeah yeah that's another like flagship show of theirs that kind of the underpinnings of their success i think in the last uh tv season yeah i guess we can take the simpson job with user for this abc at least we're not fourth anymore that's that's always the thing looking at nbc we knew this was happening they're number two they're always going to be top two barring the era post-friends where it was a disaster and they finally got themselves together because abc wasn't any better and actually fox was second one year anyway they have the olympics in july 2024 i'm wondering does that actually count towards our ratings in the uh 20 24 25 season i'm not sure because it's that weird spot where it's all july and august deal and no deal two deal and no deal island season two i said really because you know it seemed like it was really savage for the lack of competition and very lack of interest in it sunday football keeps on chugging dick wolf all his shows except well now the long order block is now two shows i don't know well again like so many things have been uh haven't updated the court when you're rushing that's what happens night court is still rolling as well renewals of interest night court it was a concern whether you're going to get third season or not uh the one chicago block is back the long orders there's only two of them now i can call the cancellation because you move it to another network so to me it's canceled you move it to streaming for peacock low post versus low pass for season three the irrational and found of course they got their renewals cancellation of interest quantum lead it seemed it was very hype the first season and again maybe because the the writer strike it killed his momentum extended family one season it was not good i tapped out all after what two or three episodes long order organized crime i said move to peacock la fire and rescue and uh hot wheels the ultimate challenge i watched that up as i watched the series and i was very excited all the way up to the finals but they just all of a sudden eliminated two cars when it came to six and you need enough for a final so it was that was probably a let down new shows this spring brilliant minds that was initially called dr wolf that's a drama uh that's not exactly kinto uh st denitz medical comedy that uh that is a comedy and that is going to be sort of office meets scrubs i assume there is an event series in the spring called the america's uh competition reality show called destination x a happy place so reba macatire's back in it uh television so comedy is basically she's bringing back some of her uh some of her cast from reba and nothing at all you just do what you gotta do and join a garcia is she back i don't know all i know is that most of peterman is that that's the only thing i can definitely uh say and the hunting party is another drama is the show formerly known as dr wolf about a doctor who's a werewolf it was star if only and if it's star tracy jordan i'd be in on it like crazy but uh no it's it's probably good doctor of basically good doctor 2.0 i think it's good doctor 2.0 or i don't know good doctor slash quincey i don't know it's tough okay it could be house yeah yeah well i mean he could i think exactly quinto could do a probably a decent house impression i was a little surprised about law and order organized crime just because of the pedigree obviously um you know law and order spu uh owes a lot of its early success or you know mid mid part of success because of the chemistry and uh between uh christopher meloni and merca hargody uh you know they tried to the crossover they tried to make sure that the shows were very intertwined so they have that interaction again uh yeah i had to do a double take i remember i was looking at your notes and i thought okay well the original law and order is probably gonna go you know that's and then i looked again and was organized crime that was surprising what would be surprising if you see after this season of organized crime christopher meloni has moved back to law and order uh spu you know he said he did not want his character to be killed all that that meant there's going to be a potential of him coming back and of course the king the tiffany network uh the american's most watched network for the 16th consecutive year in a row uh it is cbs the address is cbs super bowl brought in big ratings and that led to a very very very very huge um top drama and and really it you know it solidified some of the shows they added two comedies in the fall now last year we talked about how they got it they in time probably almost five years five or six years uh we'll get another sitcom on cbs top drama most watched show tracker and then nci s is falling right after that top comedy is still young shelving of course new drama is tracker as well renewals of interest the fbi's oh the nci nci s and nci s cydney blue bloods will have their final episodes as full the show that cannot die it is what it canceled renewed then canceled and renewed it it's got the brooklyn bridge treatment except it actually never left the air we'll talk about that i have question mark eight and final season question mark it might go not that might actually make it 10 it might slow it might make it a 10 the neighborhood seventh season Cedric the entertainer and max greenfield great combination fire country third season ghost fourth season tracker of course as we mentioned elsmith and raid the cage those are the only freshman renewals that are off top on my head aside from nci s andy but i don't even know if that's nci sydney is technically if that's their first season or their second season going in and after midnight with taylor tom linson that is second season and of course they're dominating uh late night so but we don't count late night stuff because yeah different time cancellations of interest so help me Todd that was a big all a big hub of everybody was talking about the really how it ends on a cliffhanger and we'll never get to see the end of that uh csi vegas also they had to edit the end just to make sure they didn't fall into a cliffhanger like they did with so help me talk nci s hawaii as well new shows fall they held matlock all the way to the fall uh that's the drama spin off with cathey baits georgamandy's first marriage as we mentioned spring hollywood squares uh hosted by well produced by drew berrymore hosted by nate browlson uh nci s origins so they're they're going back into the mark harm and well i guess hoppas house that is the damon wayans and damon wayans jr show stonewall reality show called the summit and if they can't beat this uh format over and over let's not go back into the well let's dig into some of sir Arthur Conan Doyle's other things instead of Sherlock Holmes but this one is Watson a drama what are your thoughts i probably said this on every time we have done these kind of episodes but cbs's comfort food and continuity um you see that with your nci s's and your fbi shows but also you you mentioned swadd i mean shamar moor has been a cbs guy through and through i mean this and criminal minds and yeah young and yeah so um and the same thing with a guy was not just in throw but um the guy who headlines and who produces fire country you know he was on that show seal team with david boryonis before that was shipped off from cbs to paramount people are comfortable and like seeing these guys on our network and we're just gonna keep them on there uh you know like i said um there are some cracks in the armor a little bit and i mentioned nci s's which you will think it would just have a license to run forever but canceled um you know the hawai one like i mentioned before production costs they're still going pretty strong however again um you know some people i know or who seem to be devoted cbs watchers i think even they are getting a little tired of the same old same old of all these shows that were mentioned is there anything that you're looking forward to in all five of these networks i mean not really i mean i suppose um even even swadd who you know it's it's almost a joke um of me being kind of a big proponent of that show and you know it's fine and i was surprised like i think last year when i got surprised renewal the you know it's basically like okay we'll give you guys one last season you can wrap it up and they wrote it like that and a lot of the characters we're kind of given um you know off ramps um you know the main cast the original ones and then suddenly they're like oh yeah no we're gonna stretch it out a little bit i don't know if that's a good thing i feel like that's a bad thing i don't know um i want to ask well what about you you know you're the avid tv person so what are you what are you excited about new shows i don't know i'll check out Hollywood squares to see what it's like like i said i'll check out trivial pursuit and probably check out Scrabble apparently and i always say this and me and mark tomorrow big gay show fans no one ever says the Chuck Woolery version of Scrabble has ever been able to make a version of Scrabble that is actually entertaining because every time they try to go truth of the game it turns out slow meticulous slow methodical and awful other than that i don't really think maybe St. Dennis medical i'll give that a shot and i'll probably give happy splacer shot because it's Reba nope i don't see anything i'd actually want to watch i guess the divide comes to this i think if you are looking for a quote-unquote prestige aka dramas you're probably not going to find them for the most part on a network show but i think that what the networks have what you mentioned kind of playing within the rules um the comedies um i think you're always going to have like an avid elementary or you know i mean i mean we some people kind of hate on it a little bit and like i said i've seen the light or at least i can understand the appeal of a big bang theory or young Sheldon and um i think the those like those kind of slots will always come out of network tv for the same reason you mentioned of like you know you're kind of constrained so maybe you can't do uh the wire on a you know ABC or whatever but um you know you can darn well do uh a good comedy again man thank you for letting me uh drop in on the movies in the mail tv edition and you know right now i don't have anything to promote i am just out and about there are still episodes of the sports records podcast you can check out who knows maybe if i get motivated enough you might find a new one here and there but who knows but again i appreciate you letting me be a part of this oh yeah no problem no problem um i guess i'll do the plugs for us you can always find us or email us at moviesinamioog@gmail.com we're on twitter/x at moviesinamio and you can find us at any podcast platform kind of thing um you know Earl uh again uh you know thanks for uh for doing this thanks for kind of being the catalyst for this episode but i think this for this episode um i guess uh for Earl and myself uh see you. 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