Throwback Tuesday: What Is A Winning TV Formula

Back in December of 2009, I wrote a column focusing on what is a winning TV formula; and for this Throwback Tuesday, I thought it would be fun to revisit that column.

Over the decades since television was invented, creative people have been working on a winning TV formula. In other words, what kind of programming (be it comedy, drama, sci-fi, education or talk/variety) works best with the viewing audience. What will they tune in to each week (or in some cases daily) and keep coming back for more?
In the early days of television, variety shows and comedies were the norm with dramas thrown in here and there – especially the daytime serials, better known as soap operas. As the decades progressed, certain winning formulas emerged, such as medical dramas and cop shows or comedies.

The top two medical-based programs that stand out from the rest are:

1. M*A*S*H* – The 1970’s hit comedy based on the award-winning box office success of the same name was a comical look into the Korean War that ran for 11 years, garnering countless accolades from the entertainment community as well as the general viewing audience. In fact the series finale, which aired on February 28, 1983, became the most-watched TV episode in US history with about 106 million viewers. The series graces the list of all-time great shows in the annals of television history.

2) ER – Overseen by the late Michael Crichton, this medical drama hit the airwaves on September 19, 1994 – and ran for a record 15 seasons on NBC. Over that period of time, the series had its ups and downs, but the power of medicine and human emotion always came through. The finale of the series aired on April 2, 2009, was the longest-running medical drama in American primetime TV history and became the most Emmy nominated series of any TV show in history.

The police procedural – or cop drama as it is better known – has been a staple on television for nearly five decades and two of the most prominent cop shows were:

1. Dragnet – Perhaps the most famous and influential police drama in media history that was on both radio and TV, chronicling the cases of dedicated Los Angeles police detective Sergeant Joe Friday, which was portrayed by legendary actor Jack Webb (who also served as producer). The series ran on TV from December of 1951 to August of 1959 and again from January 1967 to April 1970.

2. Hill Street Blues – The 1981 to 1987 Stephen Bochco series chronicled the lives of the staff of a single precinct in an unnamed American city, receiving critical acclaim. The innovations in production of this series also influenced production of dramatic TV series in North America. Over the seven seasons the show was on the air it earned 98 Emmy nominations. In fact, in its first year on the air, nine cast members were nominated for Emmys and for the only time in Emmy history all five nominees in an acting category were from a single series: Hill Street Blues.

Science Fiction – Sci-Fi, as it is best known, has also been a staple with television for many decades and two of the most influential series include:

1. Doctor Who – The longest-running science fiction television series in the world, this perennial BBC classic is also the most successful series of all time, in terms of its overall broadcast ratings, DVD and book sales and iTunes traffic. The series debuted in November of 1963 and ran until December of 1989; there was a television movie in 1996 then it made a triumphant return in 2005 and has continued to air to the present day. In that time 11 actors (the newest incarnation of the Doctor is to take place at the end of December) have appeared as the Doctor, manning the TARDIS and traveling time and space with a multitude of companions over the years.

2. Star Trek – Without question this Gene Roddenberry series about interplanetary travel is the epitome of classic sci-fi television; and while it may have only originally lasted for three seasons; in the years to follow its debut on American television, the show became a franchise consisting of 6 spin-offs and 11 featured films, with another one expected to hit the box office in 2011.

Comedies – Comedy has always been a big part of the television era, none more so than these two series:

1. I Love Lucy – The most watched show in the US for four of the six seasons for which it aired, and being one of only three series to end its run at the top of the ratings (matched only by Seinfeld and The Andy Griffith Show), this classic black-and-white comedy is considered one of TV’s all-time best shows (regardless of genre); and unlike most shows of its time, it filmed in Hollywood (rather than in New York) and helped launch the industry standard three camera technique for filming comedies.

2. Friends – Being one of the longest running comedies in TV history, this series chronicled the lives of Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey; a group of friends in Manhattan who occasionally lived together and shared living expenses. The series ran from September of 1994 until May of 2004 and its series finale garnered 52.5 million viewers, making it the fourth most-watched series finale in TV history.

Educational programming – or children’s programming as it became better known – has probably been one of the most influential forms of programming on television. The two most important series were (are):

1. Sesame Street – The longest running children’s program on US television has been on the air since November of 1969 and recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. With memorable characters such as Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster and Elmo (among countless others), this series has become an important landmark in television history and has taught countless generations valuable lessons.

2. Mister Roger’s Neighborhood – The second longest running series on PBS next to Sesame Street this series ran from February 1968 through August of 2001 (with repeats running in many markets from September of 2001 through September of 2008). The series was characterized by its quiet simplicity and gentleness with Mister Rogers speaking directly to the viewer about important issues of the day, sharing in arts and crafts and interacting with his friends; especially those from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

Talk, Daily Serials and/or Variety – In the earlier days of television, variety shows were the norm as were daily serials – i.e. soap operas. As the decades progressed, variety shows went by the wayside while soap operas flourished and talk shows became the norm. Two of the most prominent series within this genre include:

1. The Oprah Winfrey Show – This talk show is the longest running daytime television show in the United States and is also the highest rated talk show in American history. The show has its roots in AM Chicago, a half-hour morning show airing on WLS-TV in Chicago. Winfrey took over as host in 1983 and within a year took it from last place to first place in the ratings. Three years later it was relaunched with its current title and was picked up nationally. Winfrey recently announced she would be finishing her time in daytime talk in 2011.

2. Guiding Light – This daytime soap opera is credited in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the longest-running soap opera in production and the longest running drama in television and radio history; it is also among the longest running broadcast programs in history of any kind, across radio media for 72 years and then television media for 57 years. Airing its last episode on September 18, 2009, the serial had more than 15,000 episodes after its first broadcast as a CBS radio program in 1937.

Many series have come and gone over the decades for which television has existed – some good, some bad and, well, some just mediocre. But, like the shows listed above, there are special programs that just work well. And that is the sign of a winning TV formula.