Plotline predicament
TNN, MTV cautious with violence in sensitive times
The events of Sept. 11 caused execs at the cable nets to quickly put their original programming under a microscope -- an extensive re-examination of what's appropriate to air in a post-Sept. 11 environment.
Viewers want to laugh again and they want to cry, execs say, but they also want some boundaries.
"There's a general sense that the tonality of virtually everything is being looked at still," says Lyle Schwartz, a media buyer at the Media Edge. "Some topics will stay off the table longer than others.
"You still want to be a little on the cutting edge, to be attractive not bland, but you still have to worry about pushing envelopes."
Few stayed the course
He points out that among the major cable nets, only a handful -- such as ESPN, Animal Planet and the Learning Channel -- have been operating business as usual the last two months.
Seemingly every kind of programming has been affected by the terrorist attacks -- from the selection of movies on Lifetime to Comedy Central's latenight news satire show, "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart." Even the professional wrestlers who put on a weekly show on TNN vowed to slam their opponents to the ground in a kinder, gentler way.
Says MTV programming prexy Brian Graden: "Our audience never grew up in war. We're finding our role (in the war). We're administering, counseling and explaining things to our audience. We've got to be in this for the long haul, to give kids (the information) they need by doing educational segments and specials. We're looking at this as a fulltime preoccupation."
TBS was one of the general entertainment nets that had to take the most steps back when looking at its programming. Bill Cox, senior VP of programming, says the network as a whole was affected because of its male skew and programs that accentuate some aspect of danger.
Among the current shows affected are "Ripley's Believe It or Not," including one shelved seg that featured a man walking up the outside of the World Trade Center on his hands.
Also, the airdates of several original movies have been pushed back and some titles changed. A movie called "First Shot: The President Is Down," one of two sequels to last year's successful "First Daughter" pic, won't air until the summer -- and with a new title.
"Whether it's the action and danger or even the location, like New York," Cox says, "some things would be a hurtful, painful reminder."
Delayed premiere
And then there's "Worst-Case Scenario," a new reality skein that was skedded to bow in January but has been pushed back. It tackles the most extreme situations in which people could possibly find themselves and offers solutions to overcome them. Some already taped episodes feature people trying to escape quicksand and a burning building; they'll still air, Cox says, just not right away.
TNN, which has been billing itself as a pop culture channel, is looking at the content of a couple of its shows, namely hidden-camera series "Ultimate Revenge" and the upcoming "Conspiracy Zone With Kevin Nealon," on which a panel discusses unexplained issues and the audience votes on their point of view.
"I think you'll see us stay away from things like 'Was the Florida election a conspiracy to elect Bush' and stick with more fun, entertaining topics," says Kevin Kay, VP of production for TNN.
Tim Brooks, senior veep of research at Lifetime, says his network has been able to tap into what America is looking for right now -- especially with fare such as Sunday drama "Strong Medicine."
"We're seeing in the ratings that at times like these, familiarity breeds comfort," says Brooks. "The last thing you want to feel is that your whole world is falling apart.
"This benefits those nets that emphasize a certain kind of programming that people love, like Lifetime, A&E and Comedy Central."
It hasn't been easy for Comedy Central, but the net that loves to poke fun at the news is back hitting on all cylinders after a brief pause. Exhibit A: "America Freaks Out," the popular "Daily Show's" category for satirizing, among other things, the anthrax scare.
"People are offended by very different things, but we have to trust our people to know when it's OK to laugh at something," says Bill Hilary, Comedy Central's VP and general manager, "and (Jon Stewart) is the kind of guy you want to check the barometer.
"We haven't played 'That's My Bush,' but we have returned to some other things. It's a constant effort to not cause offense yet be honest to the brand of the network."
Bravo, the New York-based arts and film network, has delayed the start of "It Factor," a 13-part series that follows the less-than-glamorous day-to-day lives of 12 struggling actors in Gotham.
"Some of the actors we were following were pretty impacted, and a show like this takes on a different significance now," says Frances Berwick, Bravo's senior vice president of programming and production.
Cabler also changed the focus of its ambitious "Broadway's Best From the Bravo," a celebration of Broadway featuring pop stars like Shawn Colvin and Trisha Yearwood. The special event will now benefit Bravo's Children's Theater Fund, which has been established along with Theaterworks/USA to arrange for free tickets to theatrical events across the country.
"It's a nice thing to do for kids in New York right now, says Berwick, "a real up-lifter."
