In which I worry about 'Glee'

I think Glee is in trouble.

Not to offend all you Gleeks out there, because I consider myself a major fan of the series, but something is just...off about the first two episodes back. I cannot put my finger on it. Is it the long lay-off between the first 13 episodes and the back nine? Is it the overwhelming sense that the series has been overhyped during that period? Not really, because I expected that.

DirecTV to save 'Damages?'

Rumors abound that Sony, producers of Damages, is looking to DirecTV for help in paying for a fourth season.

Not to be a contrarian here, but is this really necessary?

Innovations, er, "Innovations" from broadcast networks -- CBS

Curious to what this all means? Read my introduction to this multi-post series.

We tend to think that CBS has had the best run of success in the last handful of years, but after my research did my mind get blown?

Innovations, er, "Innovations" from broadcast networks -- An introduction

Though I have been using it for more, this blog was primarily constituted for a course about the changes in what we refer to as "television." Along with this blog, I am also working on a presentation/paper about the content and format innovations from "traditional" (read: broadcast) networks in this dynamic time.

Over the past few weeks, I've been doing some fairly in-depth research into not only what series the four majors -- ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC -- have aired, but also what "kind" of series. Thanks to The Futon Critic's fantastic DevWatch and ShowWatch archives, I was able to go back five years to the 2005-2006 television season and determine every single series the broadcast networks have aired. From there, I researched each series to determine both the format and the "type" of characters the series (if scripted) showcased. After hours upon hours of scrolling, reading and entering into a five-tabbed, color-coded Excel sheet, I am both surprised and not surprised at what I found. Thus, I thought it would be nice to share some of my findings in this space with anyone who wants to read them.

But first, let me clarify a few of the statements or choices I mentioned above as a way to introduce the posts I'll be writing in the next week or so about each network, because I know you're asking the following questions. I'll ask them for you.

NBC reboot has begun: Where to now?

Tonight -- well, I guess this week since Leno's Tonight Show started yesterday -- is the makeshift reboot of NBC's schedule, as it's newest hope for ratings success, positive critical response and good buzz, Parenthood debuts at 10 PM.

In the last year, NBC's undergone a slew of changes that more or less led to nothing. So where do we stand with the Peacock network?

More spin-offs coming to a TV set near you

This semester, I am hoping to research how television content will change in the 21st century and so most of my posts on this blog will discusses issues relating to genre, narrative, etc.

Two recent announcements give us an indication of one way programming content will move, at least on the major broadcast networks: spin-offs.