Thursday, February 28, 2008
Gen Y still not represented on network television
I watched the television debut of Quarterlife on NBC Tuesday night. The semi-edgy drama had debuted online at Quarterlife.com as Web-based series and premiered on MySpaceTV in November. The first episode garnered almost one million views on MySpace and YouTube and the show was licensed for television six days later.
However, Quarterlife’s network debut attracted only a tepid 3.1 million viewers. While NBC hasn’t formally decided to pull the plug, sources have told The Hollywood Reporter entertainment news service that such an announcement is forthcoming. This is undoubtedly a setback for those hoping to see Web video make a clean transition to the living room TV.
It’s also a setback for network television.
Quarterlife is from the co-creators of Thirtysomething and My So-Called Life. It’s an edgy, honest look into the complex lives of a group of twenty-somethings.
Yes, there are romance plots, but the show largely focuses on Gen Y’s difficulties transitioning into the workforce. There’s the student who is bartending at night, the writer who can’t relate to her Gen X and Baby Boomer editors, and the friends who started their own business and are struggling to get work and be taken seriously.
These are all relevant issues to Generation Y, but other demographics are likely to be disinterested in the challenges of today’s aspiring professionals. Perhaps that’s why the show was a hit on-line, but bombed on network television. After all, Gen Y uses the Internet more than they watch television.
In any case, there’s an obvious generation gap when a show like this is produced.
My So-Called Life followed a similar path. It was a realistic mid-nineties teen drama series about a 15 year-old girl and her trials and tribulations with being a teenager. The show won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy.
Still, after just 19 episodes the show was abruptly cancelled. The show had a loyal following of teen and twenty-something viewers, but producers (and parents) felt the show was too edgy because it addressed topics such as teen sex, drugs and alcohol use, and featured a character that was gay.
Boomers and Traditionals were shocked by and disinterested in the show’s content, so the show was discontinued. During an era when the icon of family television was The Cosby Show, a show like My So-Called Life didn’t stand a chance.
Similarly, during an era when the icons of twenty-something television are American Idol and Friday Night Lights (also appreciated by other demographics), a show like Quarterlife doesn’t stand a chance.
Cable channels, like CW, are home to programming tailored for younger audiences. But there simply aren’t enough Gen Ys watching network television to sway the programming in their favor.
More importantly, I don’t think the Xers and Boomers are interested in programming that is relevant to this age group, so it’s not being provided on the main networks. At least not yet.
As millions of Boomers begin to retire in the next few years, network television and network news will begin to lose its largest, most loyal demographic.
That’s when network executives will realize the next-largest generation out there isn’t watching television and they will scramble to fill the void.
Indeed, Quarterlife is ahead of its time.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say network television is lagging way behind.
However, Quarterlife’s network debut attracted only a tepid 3.1 million viewers. While NBC hasn’t formally decided to pull the plug, sources have told The Hollywood Reporter entertainment news service that such an announcement is forthcoming. This is undoubtedly a setback for those hoping to see Web video make a clean transition to the living room TV.
It’s also a setback for network television.
Quarterlife is from the co-creators of Thirtysomething and My So-Called Life. It’s an edgy, honest look into the complex lives of a group of twenty-somethings.
Yes, there are romance plots, but the show largely focuses on Gen Y’s difficulties transitioning into the workforce. There’s the student who is bartending at night, the writer who can’t relate to her Gen X and Baby Boomer editors, and the friends who started their own business and are struggling to get work and be taken seriously.
These are all relevant issues to Generation Y, but other demographics are likely to be disinterested in the challenges of today’s aspiring professionals. Perhaps that’s why the show was a hit on-line, but bombed on network television. After all, Gen Y uses the Internet more than they watch television.
In any case, there’s an obvious generation gap when a show like this is produced.
My So-Called Life followed a similar path. It was a realistic mid-nineties teen drama series about a 15 year-old girl and her trials and tribulations with being a teenager. The show won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy.
Still, after just 19 episodes the show was abruptly cancelled. The show had a loyal following of teen and twenty-something viewers, but producers (and parents) felt the show was too edgy because it addressed topics such as teen sex, drugs and alcohol use, and featured a character that was gay.
Boomers and Traditionals were shocked by and disinterested in the show’s content, so the show was discontinued. During an era when the icon of family television was The Cosby Show, a show like My So-Called Life didn’t stand a chance.
Similarly, during an era when the icons of twenty-something television are American Idol and Friday Night Lights (also appreciated by other demographics), a show like Quarterlife doesn’t stand a chance.
Cable channels, like CW, are home to programming tailored for younger audiences. But there simply aren’t enough Gen Ys watching network television to sway the programming in their favor.
More importantly, I don’t think the Xers and Boomers are interested in programming that is relevant to this age group, so it’s not being provided on the main networks. At least not yet.
As millions of Boomers begin to retire in the next few years, network television and network news will begin to lose its largest, most loyal demographic.
That’s when network executives will realize the next-largest generation out there isn’t watching television and they will scramble to fill the void.
Indeed, Quarterlife is ahead of its time.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say network television is lagging way behind.
Labels: Generation Y, My So-Called Life, NBC, network television, Quarterlife
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