Serialized Drama - Effect of Serialization On Commercial Success

Effect of Serialization On Commercial Success

Complex story arcs may have a negative effect on ratings by making entry more difficult for new viewers as well as confusing fans who have missed an episode. Networks see them as riskier than dramas that focus on a self-contained story of the week. Tom O'Neil of the Los Angeles Times notes: "They're chancy because these shows are hard to join midway through." As of 2012 CBS has not aired a serial drama in many years, in part because of the success of its non-serial procedurals.

Scott Collins of the Los Angeles Times states that "serialized storytelling ... though popular with hard-core fans and many critics, requires more dedication from viewers and has almost certainly tamped down ratings for many shows." The article also quotes an ad executive who states that close-ended story lines " it easier for new viewers to tune in and figure out what's going on." According to Dick Wolf, serialized elements also make it more difficult for viewers to return to a show if they have missed some episodes. Cheers co-creator Les Charles regrets helping to make serialization common: "e may have been partly responsible for what's going on now, where if you miss the first episode or two, you are lost. You have to wait until you can get the whole thing on DVD and catch up with it. If that blood is on our hands, I feel kind of badly about it. It can be very frustrating."

Another problem is that many fans prefer to record these show and watch the whole season in one session. These viewers are not included in TV ratings as they are much less likely to watch commercials than live viewers. The move away from live viewing and toward DVR, iTunes or Hulu has hurt many shows' prospects because there are fewer or no commercials and they may be fast-forwarded or out-of-date.

Concerned about the toll on ratings of complex story arcs, networks sometimes ask showrunners to reduce serialization. Network executives believe that standalone episodes serve as a better jumping on point for new viewers, although this may result in a conflict with regular watchers who tend to prefer more focus on story arcs. Alias began as a more serialized show but later became more stand-alone under network pressure. During season 3 of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, showrunner Ronald D. Moore was also pressured to make episodes more stand-alone. This move resulted in negative criticism from both fans and critics, and Moore revealed in the Season 3 finale podcast that the network finally accepted that standalone episodes simply do not work for the story he is trying to tell. Moore has also stated that a major reason why the network was reluctant to greenlight Caprica was because story-arc-heavy series notoriously have difficulty in picking up new viewers, as compared to a series composed of mostly standalone episodes. According to Todd A. Kessler, the second season of Damages will be less serialized in order to render the show more accessible to new viewers. Tim Kring, creator of Heroes, has also suggested that his show may move away from serialized storytelling: "I think the show needs to move towards in order to survive."

Networks also discourage complex story arcs because they are less successful in reruns, and because standalone episodes can be rerun without concern for order.

Entertainment Weekly and Chicago Tribune have expressed concern that declining ratings may lead to a major reduction in serialized storytelling. To highlight the situation, in the 2006–2007 season, no fewer than five high-concept serials were introduced, including Jericho, Kidnapped, Vanished, The Nine, and Drive, all of which experienced fairly quick cancellation due to low ratings. In 2010 and 2011, more high-profile, high-cost serials failed to achieve success, including V, The Event, and FlashForward.

Some reviewers have also noted that serialized dramas are at a disadvantage at major awards shows such as the Emmy Awards. Such shows generally have to submit an atypical self-contained episode in order to gain recognition. Curiously however, since 2000, every single winner of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series has been a Serial Drama. The West Wing (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003), The Sopranos (2004, 2007), Lost (2005), 24 (2006), Mad Men (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) and Homeland (2012).

In terms of DVD sales, however, strongly serialized shows often perform better than shows which are strongly procedural. 24 (Season 6), Lost (Season 4), Heroes (Season 2), True Blood and even ratings minnow Battlestar Galactica (Season 4.0) sell significantly more units than hit procedurals such as CSI (Season 6), NCIS (Season 3, Season 5), CSI: Miami (Season 4, Season 5) and Criminal Minds (Season 2, Season 3).

Serialized shows tend to develop a more dedicated fanbase interested in exploring the show online as well as becoming customers of additional merchandising.