TV Sitcoms are Dead, Writers Nervous

Posted on November 7, 2006

The L.A. Times reports that writers are furious at NBC's announced plans to put an unscripted show in the coveted 8 pm primetime slot.

NBC's recent decision to mainly devote the first hour of its nightly prime time to low-cost "unscripted" shows is rattling TV scribes already alarmed by the shrinking number of network comedies requiring their services.
"It's absolutely more bad news for scripted television writers like me," said Tim O'Donnell, whose credits include "Clueless." "It just eliminates the shelf space available for networks to put on what I pitch." NBC has been under pressure from corporate parent General Electric Co. to reverse its profit slide and avoid a repeat of its fourth-place finish last season. NBC is relying on reality and game shows in its first prime-time hour as it faces escalating costs in scripted television.
But executives say they are responding to audiences' desires, stressing that they remain committed to scripted shows as evidenced by the hits "The Office" and "My Name Is Earl." "Viewers are voicing a preference for unscripted choices in the 8 p.m. hour, but that doesn't lessen NBC's commitment throughout the rest of prime time to the most ambitious and accomplished scripted programming on television," NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly said.
Still, NBC's move is especially disheartening for writers who recall the 8 o'clock hour as the launching pad for some of the industry's most successful and celebrated situation comedies, including NBC blockbusters "Friends" and "The Cosby Show." "It's a huge development," said Daniel Petrie Jr., former president of the Writers Guild of America, West. "It gives a sense of surrender on the part of one of the largest and most historical networks."

It's an interesting article which declares that the staple of television for the last forty years -- the sitcom -- is as dead as Mark Foley's political career. As reality shows expand, look for the WGA and the networks to become more at odds as they ask for reality tv writers to be paid like other writers. They do the same job, so they should be pay the same says the WGA. And we agree.