Commentary

Post-Baseball, Who Will Post? So Far, NBC, Fox Aren't Knocking Them Out of the Park

This could be a memorable and mythical season for events that haven't occurred in years - the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series of baseball and NBC losing the World Series of television.

Starting this month - the November sweeps - the real race begins to be the king of the TV broadcast networks. And just like the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals, NBC needs a few big hits to make it through the season.

The odds aren't in its favor as a number of new shows - or existing ones - have landed in a certain ratings range they are not likely to get out of. "Joey" isn't going to be a world-beater on Thursdays. "Law & Order" is probably not going to regain its No. 1 status on Wednesday.

Since the framework for the season is pretty much set, NBC would need another surprise mid-season show, such as "The Apprentice," to pull off a victory.

Since misery loves company, NBC could have a traveling companion.

Now that the World Series is over, Fox is just starting its real season. Fox has a great rating send-off from its big-rated baseball playoffs and World Series. Its bet for the year is - surprise - more reality shows, for which the network is devoting 60 percent of its primetime schedule.

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In the past, Fox has mostly flopped in launching shows off baseball's big promotional push. What's worse is Fox's even deeper dependence on reality this season. No matter how well some of those shows are doing, we all remember "Joe Millionaire" which came into its second season a dollar short and a day too late.

Considering the unexpected rise of scripted dramas in the form of ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," viewers may not be as desperate as Fox programmers think they are to get back into reality. Fox could be chasing a programming curve that has gone around the corner.

NBC uses reality more as a last resort, with its bread still buttered by scripted programming. It now has the "The Biggest Loser," a reality contest for the fat person who becomes the thinnest, fastest. But "The Biggest Loser" has yet to become a big winner.

November will tell the tale of the tightest and perhaps, just like the Red Sox, the most surprising and myth-breaking races. Look not just at the U.S. presidency, but also for one broadcast network to create its own saga.

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