Fall lineup favors drama, reality

LOS ANGELES -- A few years ago, when "Seinfeld" and other comedies ruled television, a seasoned producer airily dismissed concerns that TV dramas might be dead.

"Cyclical," he said. "It's a cyclical business. They'll be back."

The dramatic renaissance may be hitting its peak during the 2001-02 season. Combine that with the flood of reality shows and it's sitcoms that are looking lifeless these days.

At the six broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, WB and UPN), new dramas and reality shows total 19, compared to 16 new half-hour comedies. That's 19 hours of angst and adventure vs. eight hours of laughs -- or, at least, laugh tracks.

What drama queens those networks are!

The success last year of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" on CBS helped fuel the trend, especially toward cops-and-crooks shows.

There are four new series featuring federal agents ("The Agency," "24," "Alias" and "UC: Undercover"), one about a small-town sheriff ("Wolf Lake"), another about a crime-busting medical examiner ("Crossing Jordan") and yet another that shares the villain's perspective ("Law & Order: Criminal Intent").

Even the cartoonish "The Tick" is about crime-stoppers.

"They all appeal to different levels of viewers, but everyone's got one on the schedule this year," said industry analyst Stacey Lynn Koerner of TN Media in New York.

More comedy than drama

Among both new and returning shows on the six networks, there are 21 hours of comedy compared to more than 50 hours of drama and reality. In 1993, when "Seinfeld" was making its ratings mark, dramas totaled a scant 24 hours.

There's been favorable buzz for more than a few entries, most notably "Alias" on ABC and "24" on Fox, and for the non-crime drama "The Education of Max Bickford" with Richard Dreyfuss. The Fox comedy "Undeclared," from "Freaks and Geeks" creator Judd Apatow, also has drawn praise.

"Max Bickford" even boasts two Oscar winners, its star (for "The Goodbye Girl") and Marcia Gay Harden (for "Pollock").

"When I look at the new show offerings, there's more than one on each network that I think has a shot. That is unusual," said Koerner.

Networks haven't totally forsaken sitcoms, and some well-known performers are getting the chance to ignite a new comedy boom. Among them: singer Reba McEntire and sitcom veterans Ellen DeGeneres, Jason Alexander ("Seinfeld") and Bob Saget ("Full House").

WB, seeking its first comedy hit, is making the biggest investment by far with five new entries.

Reality series, which have proven not only reliable ratings-getters but an economical short-term solution for schedule holes, continue to be hot.

Besides four new shows, there are further helpings of "Survivor," "The Mole" and "Temptation Island."

Viewers are likely to applaud one trend: There's been relatively little juggling of returning shows outside of a few high-profile exceptions (including "NYPD Blue" from Tuesday to Wednesday, "Touched by an Angel" from Sunday to Saturday, and "20/20" from Friday to Wednesday).

There's also a heartening move toward using veteran actors to enrich series.

Cloris Leachman, Robert Klein, Dabney Coleman, Ken Howard, Victor Garber and Ron Rifkin are among the familiar and welcome faces.

Series debuts stay put

Behind-the-camera talent is on hand as well. TV producers Dick Wolf ("Law & Order") and Steven Bochco ("NYPD Blue") have new series, and filmmaker Wolfgang Petersen ("The Perfect Storm") is visiting the small screen.

A final bit of good news: If you get attached to a new series the odds are increasing that it will stick around for more than a season. Forty-one percent of series that debuted last year were renewed, double the percentage for the 1997-98 season, according to Koerner.

The CBSnetwork is home to the crown jewel reality series "Survivor," which returns with its third edition in October.