How Dead Is Cable TV?

How much worse can it get in the 2020s? I don't know what the standards are for every single channel and conglomerate, but it probably varies. Streaming has grown more and more. Apps on phones. Everything. The future is looking very grim. Which channels have suffered the most. This is courtesy of ctv.kwayisi.org for some networks changes and their look at cable in general.

The reason why I'm curious is because of Viacom and CNN. You get one look at Viacom and it is a mess of channels. BET has stayed consistent in a year's span. Interesting considering all the Martin and Fresh Prince reruns with airing the same films over and over. Comedy Central has suffered with a 15 percent decline from last year. They have a library they can dig into instead of airing The Office and South Park. How about movies that don't star Adam Sandler and Vince Vaughn? No knock against those two guys, but comedy variety is a thing. CMT is a shell of itself, but is doing a tiny bit better. MTV's numbers have stumbled with some uptick recently. It's a zig zag despite tries to not air three plus days worth of Ridculousness. MTV2 and Classic's numbers are a very small blip. They're not at risk given the standards.

Nickelodeon has dropped a bit at 26 percent. I don't know if it's the network in general, but the lack of shows that aren't SpongeBob SquarePants, not enough airing of shows, the political route they are going. Viacom is trying to pander on every channel they have, but this is bad for a network that has kids as the demographic. Nick at Nite doesn't even have much either. A stark contrast from 2005-06. Paramount Network saw a small decline of 9 percent, but it has fluctuated wildly. Cut the Bar Rescue marathons and not have reruns of shows from their other networks, and it could fare a little better. Maybe some films that aren't the usual ones they air. TV Land also fluctuates. That channel suffers from having the same shows over and over, but they're not overaired for the most part. VH1 has suffered a bit at a 22 percent decline from a year perspective. Do they have any new shows or new anything? Something that isn't a rerun or the same films? Viacom's smaller stuff is doing okay. The big channels I would be worried about.

There was to be a ratings drop at CNN. To drop 45 percent from where they were a year prior, that says something. Too many controversies with anchors, getting exposed by other media channels. These channels do have social media presence, but it will not save them as a channel. Turner has its highs and lows. Headline News is not doing well, but not struggling badly like CNN. TBS is steady despite a 9 percent decline.The amount of shows and films helps, but they could do better with cutting hours of Friends and The Bing Bang Theory and give other shows they have a license to a chance. TNT has done a lot better. I'd argue some of their original shows and airings of acquired shows and films has helped. The NBA, not so much. While not declining hugely, TruTV is near the point of an average of less than 100 thousand viewers. As much as I like Impractical Jokers, airing less of it could help. More airings of stuff like Tacoma FD and Fast Foodies would alleviate Joker fatigue. I don't think airing movies has helped at all.

What channels do you think have suffered the most? I intend to do more blogs about cable in the near future.

Final Tacoma FD Thoughts

The season has finished up. My take on Tacoma FD as a whole is that it was not as bad as I thought for a ten episode run. A number of the episodes were strong. One or two that were kind of weak, which is typical of any show that begins a run if a network still has confidence in them.

Most of the characters were generally funny. It doesn't always go the R-rated route in how they approach scenes and situations. Even the cursing is minimal at points. They all feed off each other well and the pacing was good. The main leads are given adequate time on screen and showcase the strengths and weaknesses of each other. None of the guest stars were arrogant in any manner. There are a lot more positives in how the show did stuff.

There are a few negatives. Some of the episodes can drag on a little bit. Certain gags and jokes do overstay their welcome. It did feel a bit boring in a handful of scenes The only character I was ever bothered about was Ike, but it depended on the scenes in question. He's a dimwit and can be obnoxious, but he wasn't a huge bothersome.

That being said, I think if they were to continue on with a second season if it gets renewed, there is a bigger chance to perfect the characters and try to fix a couple issues of an otherwise funny show that could last a few years. Hopefully, truTV stays committed to it like a few of their other scripted programs.

Tacoma FD Initial Impressions

Over the past year, I had been hearing about the concept of the new TruTV show, Tacoma FD. For a channel like that, they have been trying their hand at getting some scripted material. Stuff like Those Who Can't, I'm Sorry, and maybe Amy Sedaris (Is that scripted? I feel like it is) have stuck around and have given chances to shine in the wake of many Impractical Jokers reruns (I like the show, doesn't mean it needs 10 hours of reruns like Law and Order on USA) For the first two episodes so far, they are hilarious and is the lighter firefighter version of Super Troopers.

This all starts with Terry McConkey, played by creator Kevin Heffernan. If you're expecting a Farva type guy, you're going to be disappointed since he is serious about the job. Things have to be done professionally, and Terry tries his best to keep things at bay, which usually fails. Doesn't help his friend, Eddie Penisi, played by creator Steve Lemme, is looking to cause mischief with the other firefighters. Given the other firefighters, they usually do what Eddie or Terry ask or tell them to do.

As far as the premise, Tacoma ain't great for battling fires. Wettest town in the country. But they still do stuff like get kids out of wells and help people get back into their homes after being locked out. The last episode involved a war between the cops, giving a Reno 911 type scenario, but with pranks instead of incompetence. And at the end of it, there is no happy ending for both sides. With the humor, I saw a bit of some of their stuff on a web series Heffernan and Lemme did back in 2013 and it works better here than it did on their web series. Some of the other ways of doing comedy is very laugh out loud.

My only concern will be whether this stuff will hold up for audiences and if they can do more with a second season if given a green light on that. I don't know. However, they could create some interesting moments with the next episode going forward when Terry's daughter joins the squad and how she handles the mischievous side of the group. For now, as a fan, I am sticking to it until it comes a point where there's a few mediocre episodes in a row.