A day after NBC announced online initiatives and more supernatural shows to cash in on the popularity of Heroes, Disney's (NYSE: DIS) ABC revealed that it's moving in a different direction.
Many of the serialized thrillers and soaps that ABC hoped would duplicate the success of Lost -- like Daybreak, The Nine, and Six Degrees -- are toast. ABC's new fall slate features seven dramas and four sitcoms, few with the narrative complexity that might alienate viewers if they missed a single episode.
At least one should be a slam dunk. Private Practice is a spinoff of the wildly popular Grey's Anatomy series. After watching CBS (NYSE: CBS) multiply its CSI success, and General Electric's (NYSE: GE) NBC spawn several Law and Order shows, ABC would love a shot at expanding a killer franchise.
One of the more notable additions is Cavemen, in which Joel, Jamie, and Nick are cavemen living in modern-day Atlanta. You've seen these Neanderthals before -- they're the stars of Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B) GEICO ads. ABC announced that it was working on a pilot earlier this year, but it seemed unlikely to make the fall calendar.
If things go well, Berkshire Hathaway shareholders won't mind. The company doesn't have a say in the creative process, but it stands to collect licensing revenue along the way. The brand recognition won't be too shabby, either.
Other shows include a Christina Applegate comedy about amnesia, and a drama about four alpha-male CEOs. I know, they don't sound all that promising on paper, but ABC hits like Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives seemed corny at first, too.
This is an important week for the industry, as the major networks preview new shows. Even though they're still months away from airing, now's the time for advertisers to rally around the more promising ones.
Good luck to Joel, Jamie, and Nick as they battle the deluge of misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding the Neanderthal community. If the show fails, at least we can say that the cave paintings were on the wall.
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Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz is sad to see The George Lopez Show off the fall slate, but he'll give some of the new shows a chance. He does own shares in Disney. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. The Fool has a disclosure policy.
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