Remember when Bruce Springsteen wrote “57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)”? That was in 1992. We all laughed and nodded our heads but went back to watching MTV, Friends, Seinfeld, Frasier, and other favorite commercial television shows.
Or go back to NBC’s “ER,” attracting more than 30 million viewers at its peak on Thursdays. At its peak, according to Variety, the medical drama came close to a 40 share meaning that 40% of people watching television were turned into the series.
There may have been 57 channels in Springsteen’s song, but fast forward 30 years, and there are 1,761 commercial television station on the air in the United States with viewers now watching television on their own schedules. Watching regular TV series turned into binging series.
Many of us grew up watching three television stations and UHF, along with the necessary rabbit ears that always needed tending. Free television now consists of (according to strength of signal) ABC, MeTV, followed by PBS, CBS, NBC, HSN, ion, FOX, and some others originating from New York.
Although not a regular watcher of television. I’ll watch the occasional Sunday night 60 Minutes, WMUR weather in advance of a storm (School? No School? asks the school nurse), The Rifleman, Columbo, and the original Law and Order (501 episodes! Occasionally I can say, “I’ve seen that episode before.)
Remember back in the day (the 1980s) when the day following, say, a Seinfeld episode, we all stood around the water cooler talking about the previous night’s episode? Puffy shirts? Man hands? Wedding invitation envelopes fatal when licked? The contest? That was a time we all went to work and didn’t work from home. Those stolen minutes of chat time and camaraderie among coworkers are gone.
But in these post-Covid days, streaming has taken over much of what we view. Aren’t we always asking friends which streaming series they are currently watching and can recommend?
And let’s not forget those (usually free) channels with commercials that attract niche markets, or channels where the commercials follow a show’s lead in presenting products of interest to say, the cooking/baking crowd or Home Shopping Club viewers. No more commercials that attract all audiences. (Perhaps except for the Super Bowl).
But all is not lost:
“Broadcast shows, whether they be procedurals or family-friendly comedies, have never gone out of vogue,” says Craig Erwich, the president of Disney Television Group, which includes ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals.
And now, these deep libraries, which broadcast shows have a unique ability to become over the long run, are fueling the streaming platforms. Hulu, in particular, you look at the performance we see on ‘The Rookie’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ where there are new generations of fans coming in and consuming massive amounts of the shows and enjoying them because they are timeless. It’s a format that continues to be relevant and enjoyable.”
The moral of this story, if there even is one, is that there are few television shows that bring entire audiences of all persuasions together anymore, when the entire family got together to watch a certain show, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, political debates, or a Moon landing as exceptions. No more staying home for “must see” TV. Those days seem to be disappearing and as a larger community I think we are poorer for it. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to tune in another “Law and Order.”
You can reach Annette Kurman at annette.kurman@gmail.com.