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Every year there are dozens of television shows that hit the airways only to be canceled within a year or two.  However, there are other shows that manage to run for 10 years or more.  What makes these shows last for so long?  What’s different from long lasting shows from short running shows?  Are the long lasting shows better then the short lasting shows?  The shows that last for years seem to have the same principles that allow them to endure for the long term.  Shows that only last for a season, a year, or two seem to lack these principles.  I don’t believe that all shows can have these same principles; otherwise all television shows would be very similar.  Therefore, the television industry (viacom, cbs, disney, fx, usa networks) produce mediocre shows that are made for very little, have big impact, and have the ability to attract a lot of eyes; and therefore, advertising dollars.  I’ve always been fascinated by the power of television: nearly everyone watches it and hundreds of millions worldwide are literally enslaved to it.  The internet is the next best medium to attract a large audience, and there is room for anyone to attract a large audience online; there are not FTC restrictions and expensive start-up costs.  Let’s discuss the components of long term lasting shows and how to create short term shows that can have a big impact for a small production amount.

Television shows that are able to stay on tv for a long period of time generally have the same components.  The following are some more recent television series that have lasted a long time:

Friends
Seinfeld
Simpsons
ER
Law And Order
Cheers
Frasier
90210
Wheel of Fortune
Jeopardy
The Price Is Right
Saved By The Bell
Sopranos

I’m sure there are other televison shows that have lasted a long time that I’m not thinking of.  The aforementioned shows share the following components:

Modernity - they are based in the present and can more easily be assimilated by the audience

Relationships - the shows all have internal friendships/romances that bind the characters together.  This is the most prominent component of a majority of long-term shows.  For example: Jerry and Elaine from Seinfeld, Tony and Carmela from Sopranos, Frasier and the British maid, etc….

Random scripts - the ability to easily create goofy and loosely connected scripts.  Television shows that are not flexible are hard to maintain and create content for.  Shows like Wings and Cheers are not as flexible as shows like Seinfeld and Friends.

Comedy - comedy is much easier to sell then violence and sex, as it appeals to a much larger audience.  Comedy almost seems to bring together advertisers and audiences on a much larger scale then say a show based on sex or violence.

Time slots - I can only imagine that certain time slots are better then others.  I would assume that Monday, Thursday, and Sunday nights are more watched then other nights of the week.  Therefore, these are very competitive times and the major networks compete for the most eyes/advertising dollars.

Gameshows - gameshows are nothing more then brands, they don’t necessarily have to be exciting.  Show’s like Jeopardy are widely enjoyed because of Alex Trebec, the “image” of it, and because the audience gains knowledge and get’s to “play” against the contestants - but not because it’s exciting.  Networks are so heavily invested in their game shows that I would doubt that they would ever go away.  Show’s like “Who wants to be a millionare” never did well in syndication, but was a HUGE winner when it first hit the airwaves.  I believe the show went international and has appeared in nearly every westernized country.

Sex - yes sex sells, but a majority of longer term shows don’t make sex the main focal point of the show.  Shows like Seinfeld, Sopranos, Friends, etc… certainly incorporate sex but it is never the main plot line.  Shows like Desperate Housewives, the OC, 90210, and others seem to make romance/sex the main selling point of these shows.

When considering how to get a television show off the ground and in the “minds-eye” of the general public there are numerous methods to do this.  Networks can’t pour a tremendous amount of advertising dollars on billboards, preiodicles, other networks, etc… as it would be an arbitrage play against the amount of advertising dollars they are able to generate themselves.  The following are two of the better methods I have seen to promote a television show:

Promos - advertise a newly created television show on your own television network.  Nearly every network does this, and it’s nothing new.  Movie studios do the same thing with movie theatres, but they probably have to pay the movie theatres to do this.  It’s rather annoying to see local news stations plugging television shows, but it’s commonly done; not very professional.

Internet advertising - websites like BuddyTv.com and Tv.com are great launching pads for new television shows to attract an immediate audience for very little money.  There are numerous ways to advertise online: skins on major websites, cpm buys, cpc buys, newletter and email blasts, mobile alerts, and integrated sponsorships.

Long term television shows are the bread and butter of the major television networks.  The components of many of these shows are very similar.  My observations aren’t complete and I’m certainly missing many of the components, but please leave comments and let me know what you think makes a television show stick around for the long term.  Additionally, please leave comments on how television shows are promoted and launched into the foreground of the general public.