A Second Life for Live TV Drama

That trigger raised at the tail end of the Television Critics Association39s summer tour in Los Angeles last week is live drama series For roughly the first decade of TV39s existence over the late 1940s to the late 1950s drama dominated primetime lineupsOne night might have includedamp160Big Town or The Web with a set cast of characters and storylines while another offered prestigious anthologies with new plays and stars week after week such as Playhouse 90 Kraft Television Theater and Studio One coming at you live from New York or Los Angeles Genre anthology programs were in vogue as well be they Lights Out Danger or Tales of TomorrowIn NBC39s case live primetime drama made an impression on daytime drama For three years plus in the mid1950s the network produced Matinee Theater bringing the curtain up on a new hourlong play five days a week 52 weeks a year on a modest budget The idea was ambitiousamp160and so was the range of material Look at this Matinee Theater production on YouTube of the classic Edgar Allen Poe tale The Fall of the House of Usher Bet you will be surprised by itLately as in the last decade NBC has taken the lead among the broadcast networks in going live at night First came talentvariety competitions such as America39s Got Talent and The Voice and December musicals the last two years with The Sound of Music and Peter Pan with The Wiz slated this December For a second act NBC is taking a bigger live bet this fall bringing on Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris originating from New York Tuesday nights and turning Undateable from a filmed sitcom to live telecast on FridaysIn comes Bob Greenblatt NBC39s chairman of entertainment programming and selfprofessed live television advocate With no prompting from TCA attendees at his presentation Greenblatt disclosed a desire to launch a live drama series He39s explored the idea with a few producers and if the right idea and logistics come together NBC will go forward on that course next fallNo doubt from this corner that the idea and logistics can come together We39ve got the benefit of technology to pull it off via minicams GoPro cameras computer graphics satellites and drones to originate a program from anywhere There39s no shortage of writing directing and acting talent Plus the anthology format in its original setting new story and players every week is a perfect avenue to create outstanding live TVAll it takes is someone willing to respond to Greenblatt and fire up some economic and creative imagination What say you Shonda Rhimes Or Dick Wolf Or Ang Lee Or Spike Lee Or the next great TV generator out there Are you willing to turn this possibility into reality next fallHere39s a bet you will Here39s a bet you39ll open the door for a new era of live drama on the tubeUntil the next time stay well and stay tunedThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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A Second Life for Live TV Drama

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A Second Life for Live TV Drama

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