A few months back, Stuart Elliot wrote an article in the New York Times about what's hot on the new U.S. TV season. He refers to the spate of supernatural shows and quotes one expert as saying this trend "is reflective of increasing anxiety--personal, economic, and national," and that many of the shows that failed last season were "too close to home" in taking on subjects like domestic terrorism, kidnapping, and hostage-taking.The new series are more about fantasy and the spiritual. Another trend is escape into the glitzy and sexy world of the rich and glamorous.
However, it's another observation in the article, this one by Steve Sternberg, executive V.P. for audience analysis at Magna Global, that is more important for writers trying to come up with new ideas. Sternberg said, "People are not looking for a genre, a program type." Instead, they want shows "that are like nothing else already on, and nothing like each other." Notice that he says this is what the audience wants--not necessarily what people at the networks tend to order. Sometimes bridging that gap is the uphill part of our battle, but it's one worth fighting.
And in a few more weeks, we'll know h ow the trends of May stand up to the whims of the audiences of October.
