Is it signficant that no broadcast network drama was nominated for an Emmy for the 2nd year...

[Yavin4]

in a row? Yes, Downton Abbey, a PBS show was nominated, but no other show. HBO lead all nominations with 108 total nominations. CBS and NBC tied with 53.

My opinion is that it is indeed significant. Higher quality dramas are not being created for the masses. They're only available via subscription services like cable and netflix.

Movies and TV are very culturally significant. In the 1970s and 80s, broadcast networks produced mini-series like ABC's Roots, NBC's Holocaust starring Meryl Streep, and the Burning Bed. Thoughtful, challeging dramas that took the nation by storm and provoked deep conversations and increases awareness.

Those kind of shows are not being made freely for the public at large, and that's a shame.

[JI7]

1. crappy reality shows for no talent fame whores

[Yavin4]

3. For a struggling family

that's all that they will have access to.

[Boom Sound 416]

18. Gore Vidal said

Never turn down sex or the opportunity to be on television.

(He may have been quoting someone else)

[MrSlayer]

2. Shows like that cost money to make.

Reality shows and ginned up karaoke contests are cheap to produce and maximize profits.

Plus you can do things on cable that you can't do on the lame networks.

Of course the best stuff would be on cable. Hell, some things aren't on tv at all. Arrested development, House of Cards and the like. That's the wave of the future.

[Yavin4]

5. Get your point

But networks have more money than cable. They should be able to make one or two dramas that are of high quality.

[bigwillq]

7. I think "The Good Wife"

is a high-quality network show. One of the few, though.

[Logical]

19. Seems more like a soap opera to me. n-t

[bigwillq]

20. It is a bit soapy

but some of the cases are really interesting and relevant. Most are about a current event.

[Logical]

21. I agree, I have seen some great stories. I am not big on random sex hookups either. I think....

shows need to have them now days to keep an audience.

[Jawja]

25. Agreed.

Love it

[Ilsa]

28. It may be soapy, but the stories stay interesting

and entertaining. It's the last drama that I watch on network. I cannot stand the fake reality shows.

I also watch Longmire on A&E, and I just started watching The Bridge on FX. Aside from that, I watch three of the Sunday night dramas on HBO, including true Blood, Game of Thrones, and the Newsroom.

[MrSlayer]

8. Maximizing profits is all they care about.

It's almost not worth it to make a drama series that has to compete with HBO or Showtime which are free to use language, nudity and adult situations.

Even AMC is on the next level.

They are t interested in putting on quality programming, they really aren't.

[naaman fletcher]

9. But it is quality programming...

You think the series's on HBO are of lower quality then the stuff on network tv?

[MrSlayer]

10. No, the exact opposite.

My fault for the pronoun confusion.

They, the networks, aren't interested in quality programming.

The pay channels definitely are.

[naaman fletcher]

12. ah ok lol.. nt

[ejpoeta]

27. of course the cable channels are.... they want you to subscribe to their channel.

networks on regular tv don't have to get you to subscribe. all they need to do is get you to stop on their channel when flipping through. and what gets attention that way then a train wreck like reality tv? if you are watching broadcast tv, then you probably have nowhere else to go. so you will get what they feel like giving you.

[geek tragedy]

4. economics. networks used to take a chance on dramas, knowing

that a lot would fail but some would turn out to be very successful. Now, it's all about sitcoms and reality shows, much cheaper to produce (smaller casts, fewer guild members earning union wages, etc).

[gvstn]

6. It is a shame.

Each network puts maybe 4 scripted dramas on their schedule each year and most a cancelled before the 3rd episode.
I haven't watched a new drama since The Good Wife on the major three networks.

I think part of it has to do with revenue. If a cheap reality show gets surprisingly good ratings the profit is huge compared to a scripted drama where each year the cost goes up. The fact that they don't even try is sad. Greed wins over quality.

My personal pet peeve is that every time there is a niche channel that tries to be educational or slightly more interesting, the big studios/networks buy it up and then switch it over to reality type programming. Think: Bravo, A&E, Court tv, TLC, Discovery and even Headline News. It is like they have a vested interest in serving us up crap.

[Initech]

11. It looks like the mini series is making a comeback.

I know Fox has a few in the works and so does NBC. But the fact that cable is winning in the drama dept. shows how far along TV shows have come in terms of the quality being produced. Would you rather watch Breaking Bad or Keeping Up With The Kardashians?

[Bluenorthwest]

13. Kardashian Krap is on Kable, E! not on a network, Breaking Bad is also on cable.

nt

[Bluenorthwest]

14. Yes and no. None was nominated for "Best" but network dramas were nominated

in acting and other major fields. The 70's/80's dramas you mentioned were each 'event' programs, Movies for TV or Mini Series, the networks have always had a lack of excellence in drama and have done better with comedy. The standards of broadcast prevent networks from attempting many subjects.
To say 'those kinds of shows are not made freely' is true, but they never were. 70's drama was stuff like Emergency, Little House, Waltons, Dallas...oh the greatness of a Falconcrest!!!!!
Thoughtful dramas that take the nation by storm were and are rare. The 'masses' have cable. AMC, which has Breaking Bad, Mad Men, etc is not even a premium it comes with basic packages.
Part of the problem is about 'broadcast' vs 'narrowcast'. The broadcast networks have to please you, me and also the 'faith community' and Republicans and everyone to really thrive. Hard to have a strong point of view under that sort of burden.
And of course, your dream time TV was without any LGBT characters, African Americans and other minorities were still fighting for a crumb from the Big Network Table, women never, ever got to produce shows nor often to portray nuanced or powerful characters. Was all of that really so great?

[Yavin4]

16. "Medical Center" in 1975 was the first drama to tackle transgender issues.

Shows like Hill Street Blues and Homicide: Life on the Street were the forerunners for a show like "The Wire". Other good dramas were "St. Elsewhere" and "Lou Grant". David Chase, creator of "The Sopranos", worked on "The Rockford Files". Other shows include "ThirtySomething" and more recently "The West Wing".

[Boom Sound 416]

17. women never, ever got to produce shows...

That part is not so true. I was helped by the woman who produced the Milton bearle show. And let me tell you, decades later she still had a whole lotta juice at ABC.

These days woman near dominate the cable networks in both managment and development and most channels are run by women.

Personally, I've always preferred to work for women rather men in the industry.

[Bluenorthwest]

15. Here is a good summation of 1980's TV dramas, I'd love to hear which ones

you liked best, anyone here. Some great, some not so but that decade laid the groundwork in talent and content that we are harvesting today,,,,,
http://www.avclub.com/articles/1980s-tv-dramas,55221/

This is extremely interesting to me, perhaps too much so!

[SoCalDem]

22. Censorship is largely to blame

subscription tv allows writers to write what they want..and they don;t have to write "goldarnit".. and they show some skin too..

like real life

[Cha]

23. The shows I like aren't necessarily nominated. but, I think

they're excellent tv.

I don't even have a tv. I watch online the day on hulu or pay 2 buck a pop on amazon.

I see your point though, Yavin.. not everyone likes what I do and would rather be watching the shows on HBO and Showtime that must be paid for on cable.

P.S. and, no, they're not reality tv.. yuck.

[burnodo]

24. It's significant that ABC, NBC, CBS Are not the dominant providers anymore

Writers and producers pitch shows to TNT, A&E, SHO' HBO, etc. because they're likely to pay better or take greater risks. Somebody went to A&E and said here's this show called Mad Men. Someone went to NBC and said here's this show called the Playboy club. That lasted, what, one episode? Or was it two? Chancing to watch regular TV recently I saw this show on ABC called "Celebrity Wife Swap." I thought, are you kidding?

[liberal N proud]

26. Didn't Scandal get a nomination? It runs on broadcast network.

But, between the reality shows and the same old story lines, network drama's suck.

[TransitJohn]

29. You can't really blame the networks, when they take a gamble

and produce a decently-scripted original drama, it never gets ratings. Today's America isn't really interested in high-falutin' fiction, they appear to WANT America's next top singing person.