Out With The Old, In With The Old. The Fall TV Lineup.
Now that the networks have released their fall schedules, it is safe to say that it might be a disappointing year. I'm assuming that you happen to care for new and original content.
The new Fox fall lineup seems to have many in the industry perplexed for two reasons. First of all, there are very few new shows and second of all, Fox plans to air something called the "Fox Family Comedy Wheel". Before you start to wonder what the intriguing title means, or assume that it is possibly a celebrity edition of a popular game show, allow me to demystify the title and point out that "Comedy Wheel" is a polite way of saying "reruns". Basically you will get to watch some of your favorite episodes of "That 70's Show", "The Simpsons" and "Malcolm In The Middle" on rotation.
Of course, it is not the first time we've seen reruns in prime time, but never has one of four major networks dedicated a time slot specifically for reruns as part of their season lineup. As if this isn't mind boggling enough, the Fox Family Rerun Wheel has been given a lead-in time slot, scheduled for Wednesday's at 8 pm this fall, right before "Grounded For Life". Gee, what does that say about a TV show which has to rely on reruns for its lead-in.
On the other hand, the move isn't that surprising when you look at many of the factors involved. First of all, we are in an economic slump. This means that networks advertising revenue will be scarce this fall. Second of all, networks have already been looking to cut costs because of increased competition from cable, the internet, and so on. Third of all, up until now, most networks have tried to cut such costs by airing reality shows like Survivor, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, etc. These show are cheaper to produce because you don't have to pay actors or writers. But Fox has had its share of problems when it comes to reality television. The gruesome "Police Videos" series seems to be a turn off for advertisers and who could forget the "Who Wants To Marry A Multi-Millionaire?" flop? On the other hand, "Temptation Island" will be returning this fall, but even that is hardly the most successful reality show ever to hit the air. If a network like Fox can cut costs by airing reruns then why not? That is pretty much the only option they have left.
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