What is a show's legacy? What will it take to make a show "evergreen" so viewers will find it for generations to come? These are questions that occur to me in the era of "Peak TV." This weekend, I binged a recent favorite, Judd Apatow's "Love" on Netflix. It is concluding after three seasons and only 34 episodes. I presume, as many current series do, they are wrapping the series having had an ending in mind. Not every series has the sustenance to have a long run. Since streaming services don't reveal its viewership figures, we don't know the viewership of "Love." But even if the series ended on its own terms, even cancelled shows have had a history of being remembered.
Apatow, of course, is no stranger to short-run favorites having the top of the list, "Freaks and Geeks" which ran for one 18-episode season in 1999-2000 followed by "Undeclared" with 17 episodes in 2001-2002. Even the highly-acclaimed "The Larry Sanders Show" from earlier in his career can still be elusive despite six seasons and 90 episodes. The show won many awards, was considered one of the best comedies ever, but even on its original run on HBO, it was reported as low rated. HBO kept it going because of its quality. When it later aired in syndication on Bravo and IFC, the reruns didn't last long, either.
Look at even shows like "Lost," "Heroes," "Mad Men" and "Damages" which ran for multiple seasons at various success, now hardly in the zeitgeist. How about "Dallas" and "Knots Landing" which aired for over a decade? Some of these shows air on streaming services if you go looking for them. What chance does a 34-episode series stand in being "found" by a new fan 20 years from now?
Streaming services have had many series of various lengths, but they proceed to emphasize original programs. This was how earlier models of cable channels grew. In the 90s, TV Land was a haven for forgotten gems. In recent years, sub-channels such as Antenna TV, getTV and Decades have presented curated rarities such as variety shows, forgotten westerns or crime shows like Burt Reynolds in "Dan August." But, as these channels progress, hits dominate. Antenna has mostly familiar favorites like "Wings" and "Murphy Brown," getTV has "All in the Family" and "Sanford & Son" and Decades has had weekend-long marathons of shows like "Mary Tyler Moore" or even long-running oldies like "Our Miss Brooks." They each have an oasis for some rarities, though. I was reminded of the 1970s "The Comedy Shop" featuring stand-up comedians when I recently saw it on a Decades schedule. The hopes are that the hits on the sub-channels will drive viewers to the exclusive shows.
Ten years ago, when I was programming the Chiller network, we aired a one-season wonder called "Profit" starring Adrian Pasdar from 1996. During that time, the 2008 Writers' Strike was going on and original scripted programming was suspended. By going after "Profit" fans at Entertainment Weekly, we were able to get publicity for the series as if it were a new series. They had little else in television to report on during those days. If 2018 is Peak TV, 2008 was Valley TV. Chiller was on the air for only a year with little awareness, but we got an "A" rating for our program in a national magazine. How will the word get out for "Profit" or its 2018 counterparts in the future?
It's likely that, as with cable, there may be more niche streaming services that will curate these kinds of shows. But, years from now, there will be even more services competing! Variety is wonderful but it will be a challenge to be "one-stop shopping" for those of us who forget even our own favorite short-lived shows. Strategy will still be necessary to rotate and emphasize these shows.
Of course, there is also the chance the show will get revived as original programming. Studios are currently trying to resurrect "The Greatest American Hero," "Get Christie Love!" and "Roswell" among others. If they become new series, this would theoretically bring interest to the original series.
Have they revived "Love" yet?
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