Which Sunday series will be the most impacted by the increasing competition with cable?
CRAIG: ABC’s Betrayal will have a lot of trouble, especially once certain 10PM cable shows start coming back. Crisis will have a similar problem on NBC at midseason.
I don’t know if cable will be the culprit, but I think NBC might have trouble getting audiences to believe in Believe, regardless of the quality… launching on an all new night is hard for anybody. Increased cable competition certainly won’t help!
SHILO: As much as I want it to succeed, I think that Betrayal is in a lot of trouble. In addition to following a weakened Revenge, it’s in the awkward position of looking and seeming like a cable show without having the creative latitude that cable shows need in order to generate buzz and survive. To make it on Sundays, especially at 10:00 on broadcast, you have to have something that rises above the clutter and make people want to watch you above all the other options they have. Similarly to 666 Park Avenue and Mistresses, Betrayal has a salacious concept that they can’t go all the way with and I have the sinking feeling that people are going to be disappointed that the show isn’t as juicy as it could be, which defeats the purpose of having a show like this.
In terms of returning shows, I don’t know how much rope The Good Wife still has on CBS. It might be helped by all four prior seasons being released to Hulu Plus and a syndication deal beginning next season, but it’s a prestige drama that has to compete with other prestige dramas and CBS isn’t in the same position as HBO or Showtime where lower live ratings don’t really matter. The Emmy winner might simply be squeezed out of its slot due to overcrowding and having to deal with similar progress.
