TV Eye

Jason Bateman of Arrested Development

This was one of those weeks when I was asked my "expert" opinion on a variety of TV-related subjects. On the heels of these questions, I discovered the digital time-capsule project co-sponsored by Forbes.com and Yahoo! Mail. Writing messages to yourself to be read in five, 10, or 20 years gets you thinking of the present in new ways, as well as speculating what, in this case, TV might look like in the near future.

For example: What is podcasting, and will it destroy TV?

In very simple terms, a podcast is the audio portion of a program, downloaded and converted to a sound file (like an MP3) to play on a digital device. As the "pod" in the name implies, iPods are the presumed device, but your computer and your cell phone may work, with adequate equipment and software. Most podcasts, though not all, are snippets of programming (TV, radio, Web) edited (or not) for podcast. Its on-demand quality is based on a simple subscription program that allows pod people to receive notices when there is new content for downloading at their leisure. Not surprisingly, ideas are brewing to create content specifically for video podcast. According to a Nov. 11 New York Times article by Laura M. Holson, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (the Emmy Awards people) are creating a category for video content created specifically for handheld devices.

So, will video podcasts kill TV? No, though they pose new challenges to advertisers and others who want to make money from it. That, and I find it hard to believe that anyone will find vegging out in front of their cell phone attractive, and sports events play better on a big screen, don't they? Ideas are rapidly brewing to exploit the small, small screen. In the works, according to the Holman article, are several animated short series, specifically created for podcasts, including one based on the comic book created by Seth Cohen, the lovable geek played by Adam Brody on The OC.

For those of us who need our TV- and video-watching screens at least as large as our heads, I dream of a video podcast future where pod-friendly devices come in all shapes and sizes, including my stay-at-home TV. Content will be downloadable, on demand from any device I choose, to any device I choose.

Which brings me, somewhat curiously, to the second big question of the week. What is going on with Arrested Development?

It didn't help the show's already weak ratings when AD was pulled during the World Series. Then the series took a break in filming when Jason Bateman had throat surgery. Now, Fox has decided to pull the show during November sweeps. It returns on Dec. 5.

Depending on what trade publication you read, the show has either been outright canceled or simply trimmed; in other words, the show's third season order has been reduced from 22 episodes to 13 episodes. It makes sense to assume Arrested Development is doomed, given its on-the-air/off-the-air status, and, most importantly from the network's perspective, its low, low ratings. Which is why I want my dream of a VOD/Netflix/podcast hybrid to come true and come true fast. I would download a podcast of Arrested Development if I could watch it on my TV. If I ruled TV world, I would order the full season of Arrested Development and have it podcast-ready. In the meantime – and this is going to sound stupid coming from a TV critic – forget TV and focus on DVD sales. Just like Freaks and Geeks, Wonderfalls, and the first season of Boomtown, Arrested Development will go down in history as yet another series too good for network TV.

Other Trends

Single-storyline programs: According to a Nov. 7 Mediaweek report, several networks are ordering shows that use the technique (like Fox's 24). And it's not just crime dramas or thrillers. One show features a day in the life of a couple getting married.

Single-storyline dramas, and especially serialized dramas, are doing very well, specifically because of DVRs, I say. But I also think that any series playing into its 10th season and beyond is a dying breed. Case in point, it was recently announced that the WB has given last rites to its popular goody-goody series, 7th Heaven. Besides the desire to exit on a high note, the larger truth is that attention spans, new technology, and changing tastes make shorter format programs more digestible. I've always thought that U.S. TV should take notes from the very popular telenovela format, not necessarily in content, but in how they're packaged: as a stand-alone product, to be savored like a good book or a short story.

Speaking of telenovelas, NBC-owned Telemundo has plans to produce their own Spanish-language, prime-time content to be aired in the U.S. That's fine and good, but I'm still waiting for bilingual or English-language telenovelas.

As always, stay tuned.