US Imports – The Hits & Misses
This week sees the start of Friday Night Lights on ITV4, the latest in a somewhat dwindling line of US television imports.
Just as it’s getting harder for UK heavyweight channels BBC One and ITV1 to come up with fresh, new, audience-grabbing programmes, it’s even tougher in the harsh world of US network TV.
For the current 2006-7 season there have been a number of high profile casualties for debuting series, the latest appearing to be Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
The Saturday Night Live-esq show from Alan Sorkin, creator of the classic The West Wing, has recently been pulled from NBC’s Monday night schedules (replaced by another new show The Black Donnelly). It’s rumoured that Studio 60 will return during the summer, which is usually the time when bosses “burn off” series that have little chance of being recommissioned.
If Studio 60 does end up in cancellation it will be Channel 4’s second recent US import to not receive a second season run (after the Geena Davis presidential drama Commander In Chief).
Channel 4 can at least take heart from the fact that they acquired the rights to one of the biggest hits of the current US season, Ugly Betty.
The comedy drama series set in the bitchy world of an upscale fashion magazine, has already earned its leading star, America Ferrera, a Golden Globe award (along with the cast picking up Best Show).
Having slotted into Channel 4’s Friday night line up, the show, following an initial Celebrity Big Brother ratings boost, attracts audiences of around three million viewers (rebounding from the recent poor ratings for Unanimous, The Russell Brand Show and terrestrial premieres of four-year-old The Simpsons).
Heroes, another success from the new US TV season, has just pitched up on Sci-Fi in the UK. The fantasy drama, about a group of individuals who suddenly discover they have super powers, opened with an audience of 420,000 across its first two episodes on Monday night.
Jericho, currently being broadcast on Hallmark, whilst not attracting the same audiences has still performed well. The drama, set in the aftermath of a series of nuclear explosions the US, has attracted figures of around 150,000 for its debut episodes, placing the series amongst the channel’s most popular imports Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU.
The performance of Heroes and Jericho will be watched closely by BBC Two (who optioned the former) and ITV (who took the latter).
Shows that have seemingly already bitten the dust include: Shark (optioned by ITV), The Nine (Five), Six Degrees (ITV), Kidnapped (C4), Vanished (Five) – following their respective removals from US evening schedules.
It remains to be seen when or where these show will turn up on British TV schedules. Once again it proves that since the demise of Friends, Frasier, Sex In The City and with ER possibly drawing to a close, it is increasingly difficult for British TV networks to find shows that can be sure to guarantee strong audiences.
BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com Channel 4: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.com Five: 020 7550 5555 www.five.tv