Thursday, March 28, 2024

Golden Globes: Only One Network Drama Nominated, All Others Cable

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How did this happen?

Of the five Golden Globe nominated TV dramas, only one is from a regular network. That would be “The Good Wife” on CBS.

The other four were from cable–“Mad Men,” “The Walking Dead,” and “Breaking Bad” from AMC; “Dexter” from Showtime, and “Boardwalk Empire” from HBO.

Not a single one of the Made for TV movies or mini series came from a broadcast network. Again, all cable.

Indeed with one or two exceptions, all the acting nominations for TV are in cable. Hugh Laurie, Julianna Margulies, Chris Noth, Tina Fey, and Alec Baldwin are the few who came from regular TV.

Has TV given up on drama entirely? It’s now just a vast desert of crap reality shows, disposable, unmemorable, pointless programming. It’s not like cable TV is successful because it’s racy. Most cable shows can be re-edited well enough to go into syndication, their nudity or foul language not noticeably absent.

No, it’s about being smart. Cable dramas don’t talk down to the audience. They’re not full of cliches. They have something unique. Aside from “The Good Wife” and “Lost”–now gone–network TV is now this vast desert of crap reality shows: unimportant, unmemorable. Reality TV is to TV what rap is to music. Just like there’s no music from the 90s to cover because all of it was rap that sampled music from other eras, reality TV can never be remade for future generations. Why do you think TBS reaching back to remake “Dallas”? It’s not like “Fear Factor” is returning.

Steve Bochco, where are you?

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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