Deconstructing TV's No. 1 Show
'NCIS' isn't young, hip or edgy. It just has the most viewers
By AMY CHOZICK
WSJ
LOS ANGELES—The biggest hit on television this season doesn't generate much buzz. Critics shun it, awards ceremonies overlook it. Its stars rarely hit the red carpet.
Yet CBS's crime-fighting procedural "NCIS" attracts about 22 million viewers each week, more than any other show on television.
We are supposed to be on the brink of a brand new era in television, but "NCIS" doesn't fit. As the networks fight to figure out online, "NCIS" barely has a fan Web site, much less the endless digital dissecting of "Lost." Its viewers seldom time-shift—they sit down to watch at the appointed time. Advertisers crave a young, urban demographic; "NCIS" does best among older folks in the middle of the country. And rather than hoping to cash in down the road with DVD sales as "The Sopranos" did, "NCIS" makes money for its owner the old-fashioned way: through foreign sales and reruns. It's the No. 1 U.S. show in Australia and the top primetime show on its network in France, as well as the No. 1 rerun of a network show in the U.S.
"NCIS" is proof that even if the economics of the business are in upheaval, large swathes of the audience still want traditional storytelling, righteous heroes, and reality that's not offensively gritty
(Continued here.)
By AMY CHOZICK
WSJ
LOS ANGELES—The biggest hit on television this season doesn't generate much buzz. Critics shun it, awards ceremonies overlook it. Its stars rarely hit the red carpet.
Yet CBS's crime-fighting procedural "NCIS" attracts about 22 million viewers each week, more than any other show on television.
We are supposed to be on the brink of a brand new era in television, but "NCIS" doesn't fit. As the networks fight to figure out online, "NCIS" barely has a fan Web site, much less the endless digital dissecting of "Lost." Its viewers seldom time-shift—they sit down to watch at the appointed time. Advertisers crave a young, urban demographic; "NCIS" does best among older folks in the middle of the country. And rather than hoping to cash in down the road with DVD sales as "The Sopranos" did, "NCIS" makes money for its owner the old-fashioned way: through foreign sales and reruns. It's the No. 1 U.S. show in Australia and the top primetime show on its network in France, as well as the No. 1 rerun of a network show in the U.S.
"NCIS" is proof that even if the economics of the business are in upheaval, large swathes of the audience still want traditional storytelling, righteous heroes, and reality that's not offensively gritty
(Continued here.)
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