Apr 6, 2014 4 min read

Series such as “The Good Wife,” “Blacklist,” “Parenthood,” “Scandal,” “About A Boy,” “The Middle” and, yes, “Neighbors,” leave little doubt that it’s been a great year for network television. So great, in fact, that the 2013-14 season may one day be labeled as one of TV’s golden eras. It’s a shame, then, that fewer people are tuning in.

Ten years ago, many of those series would have been reeling in well over 15 million – and perhaps even 20 million – viewers per episode. This season, half of that number would suffice to make them a hit.

To say the networks have been trumped by cable is an understatement. On any given Sunday, AMC’s “The Walking Dead” draws more viewers than any series on any network. The History Channel’s “Vikings” is siphoning viewers from the networks’ keystone Thursday night. “Duck Dynasty,” “The Talking Dead” “Pawn Stars” and “Rizzoli & Isles” continually chip away at network fare, as do some current network shows now airing reruns on cable, with “Modern Family,” “Big Bang Theory” and “The Middle” among them. And cable constantly barrages the network with quality shows. For instance, “Walking Dead” goes on hiatus, and “Mad Men” replaces it.

While CBS, the leading network, still averages about 10.8 million viewers in prime time compared to 2.5 million to 3.5 million for the leading cable outlet, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of cable shows taking on the five networks at any given moment.

Primarily because of cable, what qualifies as a network hit has changed dramatically. In the mid-’60s, “The Beverly Hillbillies” was at times attracting 60 million viewers. When it was canceled, it was still seen by more people than today’s top series, “NCIS,” (about 19 million viewers). That comparison is all the more astonishing when you consider that the population has about doubled in that time period.

The networks, I think, are flummoxed about their future in general – and next season’s schedule in particular. That became evident when CBS renewed its entire lineup last month save for two shows: “The Mentalist” and “The Crazy Ones.” (It was a given that the barely-on-the-radar “Intelligence” won’t be returning). At the same time, it added Thursday Night Football, even though it already has the top-rated Thursday lineup. These seemingly oddball strategies are upon further review quite visionary.

Simply put, CBS knows its future – and it’s not in scripted television. With few exceptions – especially with the desired age group – live television is the key to success, whether it is with sports, award shows or contests.

In this day of social media, immediacy is everything. It’s why many filmed series promote live tweeting with the cast while the show is airing; it’s why the proliferation of awards shows continues and why the networks are renewing a love affair with the same sports they were once content to shuffle off to cable.

CBS knows that while “Two and One-Half Men” isn’t half the show it used to be, it still will bring in more viewers than any new sitcom, if only due to habit. It’s equally aware that while “The Good Wife” attracts an audience primarily out of its target age range, the odds are against any new drama faring any better. If the network hasn’t given up on creating a new “buzz” show, it’s proceeding cautiously. After all, why spend what presumably was a large chunk of change to bring Robin Williams back to the small screen when audiences quite clearly weren’t excited.

If there’s still room for scripted fare, it appears to be in the mode of Netflix. Film a dozen episodes of a series, then let audiences watch it in clumps of four, six or 12. Until networks come to grips with that concept, they are undoubtedly ahead of the game by airing the game – live and in living color.

It may not be “The Beverly Hillbillies,” but in terms of ratings, it is “bubbling crude.”