TBS and TNT are getting out of making new scripted shows

[TMC]

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/tnt...ry-1235241348/

Variety reports the decision to not make any new scripted content is part of the newly merged Warner Bros. Discovery's attempt at cost-cutting. "It is unclear what will happen to TBS and TNT’s current slate of scripted programming," report Variety's Jennifer Maas and Joe Otterson. "After ramping up their scripted programming efforts in the past decade, both TNT and TBS have significantly pared down their scripted offerings in the last few years." TBS only has four scripted comedies left: The Last OG, Miracle Workers, Chad and American Dad!, while TNT has two dramas: American Kingdom and Snowpiercer. ALSO: Damon Wayans Jr.'s comedy Kill the Orange-Faced Bear is not moving forward at TBS amid Warner Bros. Discovery cost-cutting, but it will be shopped to other outlets.

[MikeLutton]

i remember the days of the old WTBS Super Station schedule i miss it

[TMC]

Recalling TNT's "We Know Drama" slogan as it and TBS exit producing new scripted series

"It might seem like it’s been forever since TNT first branded itself as the go-to basic-cable destination for serious dramas, but the change actually happened in June 2001," says Tim Grierson. "This was during an epochal moment when HBO was starting to establish itself as a top-flight brand, producing acclaimed series like The Sopranos that offered more nudity and adult language than you could see on the regular networks. TNT — which was short for Turner Network Television in honor of founder Ted Turner, who launched the channel in 1988 — offered something that wasn’t quite as risqué. When TNT unveiled 'We Know Drama,' general manager Steve Koonin said that the new slogan was part of 'TNT’s promise to engage the hearts and minds of our viewers with dramatic programming that offers a powerful combination of compelling stories and interesting characters, mixed with excitement, action, suspense, romance and humor.'"

Basic cable is becoming emptier and emptier as a home to scripted shows

"It’s obvious that streamers like Netflix, and Amazon, and Apple are making new scripted shows, but where are the others, the traditional TV powerhouses?" says Lauren Theisen, pointing to the news this week that TBS and TNT are getting out of scripted programming. "Well, they’re on streaming, too. Disney, which owns channels like Freeform and FX, is putting all its instantly recognizable Marvel and Star Wars stuff onto its own streaming service. NBC, which owns several including USA and Syfy, is premiering their new shows on Peacock. And Paramount Media Networks, which owns everything from Comedy Central to BET to MTV, also has a streaming service that seems to get first dibs on all it creates. In short, even though we’re living through a ridiculous TV boom that saw the number of scripted series reach an all-time high in 2021, streaming platforms are the only place to watch them. Cable, for its part, is becoming an afterthought for everything but live events, even as streaming grows and grows into a beast whose insatiable hunger for content must be satisfied. Just check out what’s on cable tonight. It’s a graveyard of mediocre mostly forgotten movies and reruns of sitcoms that peaked during the Bush administration, again and again and again. Six hours of The Office on Comedy Central. Independence Day: Resurgence (I have no memory of this movie), Ford v Ferrari, and then Independence Day: Resurgence again are programmed around exactly one new episode of Atlanta on FX. It’s nothing but Two And A Half Men on, uh, The Independent Film Channel. It’s bleak out there, in short, and it only gets bleaker when you zoom out."

[favoriteshow]

Discovery is also sports free, lower cost and more family friendly than the Warner channels.

I could see the live pro sports being dropped, new scripted content, and maybe even Friends reruns from TBS if it is too expensive. Maybe Samantha Bee's program on TBS would move to HBO Max.

TBS and TNT are iconic cable networks but they would have no purpose at that point. TBS could revert to a superstation with lower cost comedies, and TNT like Ion/Start TV, but they'd essentially be rerun channels.

[favoriteshow]

Originally Posted by TMC

Recalling TNT's "We Know Drama" slogan as it and TBS exit producing new scripted series

"It might seem like it’s been forever since TNT first branded itself as the go-to basic-cable destination for serious dramas, but the change actually happened in June 2001," says Tim Grierson. "This was during an epochal moment when HBO was starting to establish itself as a top-flight brand, producing acclaimed series like The Sopranos that offered more nudity and adult language than you could see on the regular networks. TNT — which was short for Turner Network Television in honor of founder Ted Turner, who launched the channel in 1988 — offered something that wasn’t quite as risqué. When TNT unveiled 'We Know Drama,' general manager Steve Koonin said that the new slogan was part of 'TNT’s promise to engage the hearts and minds of our viewers with dramatic programming that offers a powerful combination of compelling stories and interesting characters, mixed with excitement, action, suspense, romance and humor.'"

Basic cable is becoming emptier and emptier as a home to scripted shows

"It’s obvious that streamers like Netflix, and Amazon, and Apple are making new scripted shows, but where are the others, the traditional TV powerhouses?" says Lauren Theisen, pointing to the news this week that TBS and TNT are getting out of scripted programming. "Well, they’re on streaming, too. Disney, which owns channels like Freeform and FX, is putting all its instantly recognizable Marvel and Star Wars stuff onto its own streaming service. NBC, which owns several including USA and Syfy, is premiering their new shows on Peacock. And Paramount Media Networks, which owns everything from Comedy Central to BET to MTV, also has a streaming service that seems to get first dibs on all it creates. In short, even though we’re living through a ridiculous TV boom that saw the number of scripted series reach an all-time high in 2021, streaming platforms are the only place to watch them. Cable, for its part, is becoming an afterthought for everything but live events, even as streaming grows and grows into a beast whose insatiable hunger for content must be satisfied. Just check out what’s on cable tonight. It’s a graveyard of mediocre mostly forgotten movies and reruns of sitcoms that peaked during the Bush administration, again and again and again. Six hours of The Office on Comedy Central. Independence Day: Resurgence (I have no memory of this movie), Ford v Ferrari, and then Independence Day: Resurgence again are programmed around exactly one new episode of Atlanta on FX. It’s nothing but Two And A Half Men on, uh, The Independent Film Channel. It’s bleak out there, in short, and it only gets bleaker when you zoom out."

With Atlanta on FX, it appears on Hulu as well as Disney owns both platforms. Really, FX could become a linear outlet of Hulu, instead of Hulu as redistribution of the limited FX content. I wonder how many people still think FX/FXM is related to FOX when it's really related to Disney.

[tenter]

Not surprised with this news.

Cable still continues in decline though.

[AB]

Will Snowpiercer on TNT end or will another network pick it up?