Canvassing a few buyers’ opinions of the new U.S. TV season, the verdict was unanimous — this offering is “solid but unlikely to produce any breakout hits.” “Solid but not sensational” was the opinion of Dermot Horan, director of Broadcast and Acquisitions at Irish state broadcaster RTE. Horan noted that Elementary, CBS’s new version of Sherlock Holmes, “is doing well, [but] internationally I suspect that those broadcasters who have already bought the BBC version will not want to take it, and it is interesting to note that in the U.K., it went to Sky Living.” Vegas, the new Dennis Quaid series, also received Horan’s nod of approval, although he cautioned, “I suspect that it might skew to an older audience.” For its part, CBS Studios International is, “Thrilled with the performances of Vegas and Elementary [on U.S. TV] so far.” Barry Chamberlain, EVP of Sales for CBS Studios International, added, “We find that viewers in the U.S. are watching [the shows] when they are on, as well as recording them to watch later.” In fact, both series are expected to be renewed, though no official word has been given yet. Volker Lehmann, director of Acquisitions and Co-Productions at ZDF Enterprises, also pointed to Elementary and Vegas as potential highlights in what he otherwise described as, “Another average TV season.” However, he added that the new J.J. Abrams series, Revolution, “is performing better than expected on NBC, but this might be due to the fact that it has hit reality competition The Voice as its lead-in.” Both Horan and Lehmann doubted that this season would produce a breakout comedy, although Lehmann allowed, “The Mindy Project looks the most promising.” Horan and Lehmann’s predictions seem accurate in the U.S., as in the comedy department, there isn’t one major hit, though several shows even with modest ratings have received fullseason orders. Among them are NBCUniversal’s Go On (airing on NBC in the U.S.), starring Matthew Perry as a sportscaster trying to move on after the unexpected death of his wife; Twentieth Century Fox’s The New Normal (on NBC), about a gay couple who uses a surrogate to have a child; Twentieth’s Ben and Kate (Fox), about a single mom who hires her aimless brother as her nanny; and NBCUniversal’s The Mindy Project (on Fox), starring ex-Office writer/star Mindy Kaling as an OB-GYN with romantic/personal obstacles. The only sitcom that’s been axed so far this fall is NBCUniversal’s Animal Practice (on NBC), about a surly veterinarian. Episodes of the series stopped airing in November. The U.S. networks tend to be more willing to renew moderately successful comedy series, as they’re far less expensive to produce than dramas. For that reason, drama renewals take longer. On the drama side, the biggest hit in the U.S. seems to be Warner Bros.’s Revolution (NBC), set in a futuristic world without electricity, and created by J.J. Abrams. The show has been renewed for a full season. Over at the CW, Warner Bros.’s Arrow is a pretty sure bet in terms of renewal. Based on a comic book series, the show has been garnering high ratings (though CW shows traditionally pull in far fewer viewers than competing networks). The first drama cancellation of the new season was Sony’s Made in Jersey (CBS), about a woman from a blue-collar background who gets a job at a whiteshoe Manhattan law firm. Though ratings have not been stellar, critics across the board have called Lionsgate’s Nashville (on ABC) the best new show of the season. It’s fairly safe to say that ABC will hold off on any moves until the show (hopefully) attracts more viewers. Despite lackluster ratings, ABC has given more script orders to Warner Bros.’s 666 Park Avenue, about a New York building with supernatural occurrences, and to Sony’s submarine drama Last Resort. The rumor mill is turning out stories that the next possible cancellations may be Sony’s The Mob Doctor (Fox), about a woman who is roped into working for the Mafia and Warner Bros.’s Partners (CBS), about a couple of friends — one gay and one straight — who are business partners. Interestingly, NBC — formerly the fourth-rated network among younger demographics — has found itself on top this season in regards to the advertisercoveted 18-49s, surprising both observers and the network itself. Reality competition series The Voice is partly to thank for that. At MIPCOM 2012, Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution debuted drama series The Americans (which will launch in January) at the World Premiere Screening. With a full house of 700 viewers, it was one of the most successful screenings. President of International Television, Marion Edwards also noted that Ben and Kate and The New Normal drew quite a bit of attention in the U.S. “This is an exciting time for content developers because there are so many outlets to produce for now, and there are many options for those in acquisitions as well,” said Edwards. For example, Fox is bringing original episodes of Arrested Development to Netflix. Sony Pictures Television’s (SPT) series have been popular among Latin American buyers. “All of our series have been sold to Latin America,” said Alexander Marin, SVP of Distribution Latin America and Caribbean at MIPCOM. “The series fit the specific needs of our clients exactly,” he said, adding, “Demand for our new slate of scripted series has been overwhelmingly high [in the Latin American region.]” SPT has sold drama The Mob Doctor to FOX International Channels Latin America and Made in Jersey to A&E. The Client List went to Sony Pictures Television Networks, Latin America, and Last Resort will air on AXN. Plus, Viacom International Media Networks The Americas purchased Men at Work and Kathy. V I D E O • A G E DE C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 16 F A L L U . S . T V S E A S O N Buyers See Quality, Still Waiting For Breakthrough Dennis Quaid stars in the new CBS series Vegas A scene fromThe Mindy Project
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