• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, July 16, 2010

We have reached new ground in the 10-year-old history of modern TV reality shows: the death of a major cast member.

Discovery Channel pulled in big numbers -- 8.5 million viewers -- for the rough world of crab fishing in "Deadliest Catch," all to watch how the show handled the death of Captain Phil Harris. This made the episode the third-most-watched telecast in the network's history, following two shows 10 year ago, "Raising the Mammoth" and "Walking with Dinosaurs."

When reality seems very real and dramatic, viewers come a-calling. It was hard not to be interested when Discovery was running all those melancholy TV promos on many networks.

Other ongoing open-ended reality series have also produced dramatic story shifts as well. Discovery Network's TLC channel also grabbed big viewership in a number of episodes of "Jon & Kate Plus 8,"culminating with news of a dramatic marriage breakup.

This can be good -- and bad -- news for advertisers: What happens after these big cataclysmic events?

I wasn't a follower of "Deadliest Catch," but it seems Harris was a key cast member  with interesting traits. How can he be replaced?

Some shows have a tough time adjusting. TLC tried to find a venue for a new "Jon & Kate Plus 8." For many obvious reasons, though, the friendly-family little reality show about parents dealing with eight kids needed to end its existing format.

A&E's Network's  "Dog The Bounty Hunter" had some similar problems back in 2007, stemming from controversy over the use of a racial slur made by major cast member, Duane "Dog" Chapman. Yum Brands pulled its ad sponsorship of the show; and A&E stopped producing episodes.

But three months later -- after effusive apologies -- it started up again

Closed-end reality competition shows --singing, dancing, cooking, hair-cutting, styling, etc. -- have an expected and controlled series of story arcs, as well as a firm ending.

But what about an advertiser who has invested a lot in one open-ended reality show? Even with ratings guarantees, if a single TV asset changes dramatically, it can be puzzling to figure out what to do.

TV marketing and sponsorship is much more fluid these days, especially with so much choice out there. What marketer can afford to hang around waiting for changes?

Shows with some real-life consequences usually make for compelling television. But then the job for TV producers becomes even harder -- once the big accolades and viewership totals are yesterday's news.