Question: I'd like to know why CBS doesn't get rid of its Sunday movies and maybe put some shows on that complement Cold Case, like maybe move its very good 48 Hours Mystery to Sunday, and have Saturday all repeats. 48 Hours seems to dovetail well with both 60 Minutes and Cold Case, and judging by its ratings this summer, 48 does pretty well on a decent night. Other than 48, I'm not sure what could go there. Could you provide some insight into this?
Answer: Part of me (maybe the old-fashioned part) is glad someone is still in the TV-movie game on a regular basis. If CBS gave it up, it would be beyond dead. Some weeks, it even works as counterprogramming (though not much lately). It would be awfully risky for CBS to get into the series game against the ABC powerhouses, though 48 Hours would at least be a low-cost alternative. And the last thing CBS needs is to add more crime-oriented programming to its schedule. So for now, I imagine CBS will keep playing it safe, and now and then, ther ...
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Question: Remember six or seven years ago when Dateline aired on NBC five times a week (no joke!), there were three 20/20s on ABC and two 48 Hours and 60 Minutes on CBS? I even remember Fox trying out a newsmagazine a few years back. Today, critics note the large number of reality shows on television, but I have to think that viewers have always had a taste for unscripted TV. Whereas we used to eat up newsmagazines like candy, the focus has now shifted to the less thought-provoking world of reality television. Am I wrong?
Answer: You're not wrong as far as quantity of these shows goes — the glut of reality shows eating up time periods is very much like the newsmagazine overload of years ago — but the comparison of genres is a little iffy. Newsmags certainly have their tawdry, exploitative side (especially Dateline), but it seems to me the lure of reality TV isn't "reality" in the newsmag sense. To me, most reality shows are twists on the game-show, sitcom, soap-opera an ...
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