There was a time (actually, not that way back) when the launch of a brand new TV present felt like an occasion. Community publicists would attain out weeks prematurely.
Forged interviews would flood your inbox. Critics would display the primary few episodes, social media would mild up, and by premiere day, you knew one thing was taking place.
Now? I’ve seen exhibits quietly get renewed for a second and even third season earlier than I’ve ever heard of them. That was once extraordinary. And I say that as somebody whose literal job is to know what’s on TV.
What occurred? Peak TV died, and with it, the infrastructure that used to help present launches.
Studios slashed in-house publicity groups and handed the reins to exterior businesses — a few of that are entertainment-specific, however a lot of which deal with exhibits like a generic product to maneuver.
And irrespective of how good they’re at advertising, there’s a vital distinction between somebody who has pores and skin within the recreation and somebody who doesn’t.
You may really feel it. You see it within the emails that sound extra like a gross sales pitch than a dialog.
You see it within the missed screener hyperlinks, the copy-paste press releases, the shortage of engagement, the entire absence of urgency. Even the retailers that need to help a present are generally flying blind.
And don’t even get me began on the billboard obsession. Studios are nonetheless spending severe cash on big promo shows in Los Angeles, the one place that least wants them.
Should you’re within the business, you’re not watching a present since you noticed a billboard on Sundown. You’re watching it as a result of somebody you belief informed you it was value your time.
Should you’re an on a regular basis viewer exterior of LA, you in all probability by no means even knew it existed.
We’re in a second the place tv wants extra help, not much less.
Manufacturing in LA is down double digits. Viewership is fractured. Audiences are overwhelmed. And as a substitute of investing in visibility and discovery, studios are pulling again. It’s baffling. Actually.
The worst half? The disconnect between what the business hypes and what viewers truly care about is getting wider. Hacks is in all places. Critics like it. The forged wins awards. And but, I don’t know a single one who watches it.
I’ve tried a number of occasions myself and simply couldn’t join. However someway, it stays an business darling and retains getting lined like a must-watch cultural staple. Is it good? Perhaps. Is it widespread? I don’t know.
And that’s the issue. We’ve stopped measuring visibility in viewers connection. We’ve changed real buzz with echo chamber noise.
And right here’s the kicker: I’ve gone on the lookout for proof of simply how damaged this has develop into. I’ve messaged associates about new seasons of exhibits I by no means even knew existed.
However now I can’t discover these messages as a result of I can’t bear in mind the names of exhibits I by no means knew existed. That’s how forgettable TV might be when there’s nobody backstage ensuring we truly see it.
And it’s not nearly new TV both. Basic exhibits are being resurrected quietly on streaming platforms with zero fanfare. I realized that Knots Touchdown — one in all my all-time favorites — was accessible on Plex and later Prime Video solely as a result of I’m in social media teams dedicated to Knots Touchdown.
These are followers who’ve been begging for years to see the present once more, and when it lastly lands on streaming, you’d assume somebody may, I don’t know, announce it? However no. Nothing.
Simply one other silent add dropped into the algorithm void. These individuals are passionate. They’re vocal. They usually’re fully ignored.
It’s not about wanting extra content material. It’s about giving the content material we do have an opportunity to be seen.
And it’s not simply concerning the exhibits themselves — what’s lacking is your entire ecosystem round them. Upfronts was once a significant business occasion.
We waited on pins and needles to see which exhibits had been getting picked up, and extra importantly, what they seemed like. New present trailers had been like Christmas morning for TV lovers.
Now? ABC barely has a single scripted present on the launchpad exterior of 9-1-1: Nashville.
The TCA press occasions — one other large supply of early entry and perception — have been canceled two occasions in a row. And though I used to be by no means formally accepted to their little celebration, some networks would nonetheless attain out and share the wealth, inviting exterior critics to take part.
That’s the place we’d get every kind of juicy, significant details about upcoming programming. That entry mattered, particularly for critics and editors not based mostly in New York or Los Angeles.
Positive, a few of that disappeared as a result of a number of crass critics began posting out-of-context quotes on social media for clout. However that’s the exception, not the rule. Most of us confirmed as much as do the job proper.
We took it critically. And with out these entry factors, the hole between the viewers and the content material simply retains rising wider. Publicity isn’t a luxurious. It’s not a garnish. It’s the trail between the display and the viewers.
TV doesn’t want extra exhibits proper now. It wants individuals who care sufficient to make us care.
Till that occurs, get able to preserve listening to this one from critics, viewers, and editors alike:
“Renewed? I didn’t even realize it aired.”
We’re not a content material farm — simply individuals who love TV.
A bit of help goes a great distance. Drop a remark, give it a share, and even take into account turning off that advert blocker — it helps greater than you realize.