http://www.vulture.com/2014/03/fewer-sitcom-hits-could-mean-more-smart-sitcoms.html

There hasn’t been a blockbuster sitcom hit since “Modern Family” in 2009, which has led to networks renewing low-rated-but-smart shows like “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “New Girl,” “Parks and Rec” and “The Mindy Project.”
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/tv-tattle#qvM0S52JbcPGqZ6z.99

This is an excellent article. The networks are simply gonna have to learn to live with "niche" comedy by tapping into market inefficiencies and saying to hell with the singular goal of reaching big audiences. It's now becoming apparent that the quest for a broad sitcom that commands instant ratings success is a fool's game in this environment where there's never been more competition and society as a whole has never been as segmented.

I look forward to a future where networks aren't churning out one crappy sitcom after another that insults our intelligence and actually allow a series some freedom instead of imposing a constant threat of cancellation because the public at large isn't tuning in. With the direction our culture is moving, it's quite possible that The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family are the last bonafide hits we see.

I hope they won't be the last. Lets' hope there will be more smart sitcoms to come.

Yeah, the thing is that the idea of a "broad hit" is simply evolving and changing. There are still a few: The Voice, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, The Walking Dead...but more and more shows are now surviving and thriving by appealing to a specific demographic rather than an entire audience.

Fox's comedies are a great example of this. New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Mindy Project are low-rated shows by the traditional ratings metric, but they do very well in young demos (and in NG and Mindy's cases, young female demos) which earns them spots on Fox's schedule.

This is an excellent article. The networks are simply gonna have to learn to live with "niche" comedy by tapping into market inefficiencies and saying to hell with the singular goal of reaching big audiences. It's now becoming apparent that the quest for a broad sitcom that commands instant ratings success is a fool's game in this environment where there's never been more competition and society as a whole has never been as segmented.

I look forward to a future where networks aren't churning out one crappy sitcom after another that insults our intelligence and actually allow a series some freedom instead of imposing a constant threat of cancellation because the public at large isn't tuning in. With the direction our culture is moving, it's quite possible that The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family are the last bonafide hits we see.

Did comedies like 30 Rock and Parks + Rec hurt NBC in the long term? (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0496424/board/flat/221184564?p=1)

Fox's comedies are a great example of this. New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Mindy Project are low-rated shows by the traditional ratings metric, but they do very well in young demos (and in NG and Mindy's cases, young female demos) which earns them spots on Fox's schedule.

NCIS has bigger 18-34 demo than NG and Mindy.

How do define "smart"?