TV’s titans of predictability
Forget the critical darlings and flavours of the month: long-running crime, medical dramas rule the airwaves
Who would have thought a sitcom starring Jenna Elfman interacting with an imaginary friend would make for good television?
Not surprisingly, ABC’s Imaginary Mary, featuring an animated cartoon character, didn’t get renewed for a second season. And the executive who greenlit that project has good reason to wonder whether they will ever eat at Tao again.
Imaginary Mary joined a long list of road kill during TV’s “cancellation” season this summer, including Toronto-shot Ransom and legal drama Conviction. There were also plenty of lacklustre, opportunistically branded TV reboots of movies — which nonetheless failed — including Training Day and Rush Hour. And just for good measure, The Odd Couple (again).
Getting past Season 1 is a crapshoot in TV land — especially with so many new broadcasters pumping out an unprecedented amount of content. That’s why it’s even more impressive when shows demonstrate longevity.
While the attention this fall from fans and critics will be on new shows such as the return of Will & Grace or CW’s Dynasty reboot, or just about anything by Marvel, there are a handful of shows that fly under the radar. They are among the most profitable on TV, appealing to an older demographic, showing the power of traditional television isn’t dead.
The longest, continually running scripted shows aren’t necessarily the best or flashiest.
“This is the kind of comfort-food television; they’re like old slippers that viewers like to come back to and advertisers like because they deliver audiences,” media consultant and veteran broadcasting executive Malcolm Dunlop says.
Good quality, serialized drama will get you Emmys. But it seems if you want longevity, nothing beats a police or medical procedural.
The top longest-running Hollywood prime-time shows that are still chugging along today are procedurals. That includes NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, at 19 seasons and counting, and CBS’s NCIS with 15 seasons.
In third place you have ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy at 14 seasons, followed by CBS’s Criminal Minds at 13 seasons and CW’s fantasy procedural Supernatural at 12.
“Nobody ever talks about NCIS at the water cooler the next day. But everyone watches it,” Dunlop says.
Network executives know that fans like to return to the embrace of familiar stars and the surety that something will be solved in an hour, says Dunlop, a former head of programming for Rogers television, which owns City.
The reality is: not everyone has time to watch an entire season of Broadchurch to figure out whodunit. They want their mysteries wrapped up in a bite-sized 42 minutes.
“At the end of the day, the writers are creating characters that people want to invest in and to stay on that long-haul journey,” says Dennis Heaton, a showrunner who, last year, wrapped the final season of his own innovative CTV procedural, Motive.
Networks also like crime procedurals because they’re good business. Episodic shows can be aired out of sequence, perfect for syndication.
The other long-running scripted shows are animated: a TV executive’s dream since they’re usually cheaper to produce and you can always threaten to switch up the voice talent come contract time.
Fox’s The Simpsons is the longest running American sitcom at 28 seasons. It has already been renewed for two more seasons, meaning it will surpass Gunsmoke in number of episodes. Comedy Central’s South Park, meanwhile, has been on for an astonishing 20 seasons.
News and game shows tend to have longer lifespans. NBC’s Meet the Press is the longest running continuous show at 69 years strong and CBS’s 60 Minutes remains a Top 10 contender even at the age of 48.
Canada does have some distinction in the longevity category: Hockey Night in Canada is the longest running sports show, while teen drama Degrassi has been going for 37 years — although in various incarnations and on different networks.
So who better to ask about the state of broadcast television than the person who writes it and the person who buys it?
The Star asked producer and writer Heaton and Dunlop, a former buyer of TV series, to discuss the Top 4 longest running scripted shows on TV and the Top 2 animated series. (Ratings are by the Toronto Star.) Law & Order: SVU
(out of 4) Season premiere: Sept. 27, CTV Stars: Mariska Hargitay and Ice T Who would have thought a drama that feature a sexual assault every week would be good TV? Well, give that guy a raise. Dunlop: “We bought this show in syndication for Rogers and it did incredibly well. People really relate to these characters.” Heaton: “They deal with the worst of humanity. They roll around in filth and yet they continually show their best side. There is an aspirational quality to the characters.” NCIS Season premiere: Sept 26, Global Stars: Mark Harmon and Sasha Alexander
There must be a whole lot of crime going on in the navy. Because NCIS has spawned NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans. Can NCIS: Toronto be far away? Special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service solve crimes in the U.S. navy. Maria Bello joins Season 15. Heaton: “How could you not like Mark Harmon? He inherited the mantle for likability from James Garner. If you don’t like Rockford, then there’s not much you can like.” Dunlop: “It’s foundational procedural television. You can keep changing the cast and it doesn’t lose a beat.” Grey’s Anatomy Season premiere: Sept 28, CTV Stars: Ellen Pompeo and Kevin McKidd
Get over it: McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey) is dead already. But this Shonda Rhimes flagship remains the bedrock of medical dramas. Set in Seattle, it follows the intricately linked lives of doctors and interns at the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Dunlop:“It’s really a very grand soap opera that has people coming back. I have daughters that haven’t watched it before and now they’re watching all the old episodes.” Heaton: “Doctors fighting to save lives under a pressure cooker. That’s a constant theme, but they obviously do it incredibly well.” Criminal Minds Season premiere: Sept 27, CTV Stars: Joe Mantegna and Paget Brewster Shemar Moore has lately decamped to star in upcoming series SWAT. Viewers get a look inside the FBI’s Behavioural Analysis Unit, focusing on the folk who profile criminals. But serial killers deserve a worthy adversary with Moore gone. May we suggest a guest appearance by Clarice Starling? Heaton: “It’s about the team. The idea of the law enforcement unit as a family. You are investing in relationships that survive under adversity.” Dunlop: “In television we’re always thinking what’s the next big thing. And there is an incredible amount of stuff to choose from. But people still return to Criminal Minds because of the comfort level.” Supernatural Season premiere: October on Space Stars: Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles
This American fantasy series is shot in Vancouver. It has elements of horror and features two brothers who fight demons and monsters. The scariest thing is the 1967 black Chevy Impala the brothers ride. Heaton: “Two brothers, fighting the supernatural. It’s a buddy flick, it’s a procedural with an investible back story.” Dunlop: “Amazing that it still has so much appeal and it’s got a younger audience than some of the other long-running shows.” The Simpsons Season premiere: Oct. 1, Global Stars: Dan Castellaneta and Yeardley Smith South Park Season premiere: Sept. 13, Much Stars: Trey Parker and Matt Stone
When The Simpsons premieres later this year, it will beat Gunsmoke for most episodes: “Take that Gunsmoke,” Homer Simpson said in a news release. On South Park, meanwhile, creators Stone and Parker have said there’ll be less emphasis on Donald Trump this season. Dunlop: “They both remain relevant because they’re timely. They talk about what’s going on in the world and they haven’t gone stale. Just really smart writing.” Heaton: “They can go incredibly crazy, but they always revert to their first position, which is family comes first. They’re both on top of events, but with South Park especially it’s almost like a political cartoon. They are extremely connected to current events, which keeps it fresh.”