Is TV Land Getting Too Far From Their Roots?

I’m quirky. I like to leave the TV on when I sleep. I remember years ago, my choice for an overnight channel was Nickelodeon, back when they were showing Nick at Nite. I was excited when the network TV Land was founded, as there was finally a place where I could watch some of my favorite older TV shows. However, looking at the station today, it barely resembles what it started out to be.

Over the last few years, the percentage of “classic” series shown on TV Land has decreased, while other programming has been on the rise. Most notably, no one could have predicted the success of the network’s first original scripted sitcom, “Hot in Cleveland,” with “classic” stars Betty White and Valerie Bertinelli. This year, they introduced two more original shows, “Retired at 35,” and “Happily Divorced,” the latter of which premiered just this month.

Between these new offerings, reality shows, and infomercials, there is now less time in the network’s schedule for the classic TV shows for which they were originally created. The network rarely comments directly on this trend, but their general response is that there is no way to satisfy all viewers, and that shows do come and go on the network in an effort to reach a wide variety of people. I understand there is no way to placate everyone, and even in reading forums and boards before writing this article, I found people with quite differing opinions on how long a show should be out of production before being considered a classic.

Right now, their schedule is what I would call reasonable. They are not currently airing any of their original reality shows (such as “Harry Loves Lisa” or “The Cougars”), and between their afternoon block of “Gunsmoke” and “Bonanza”, and their comedy shows ranging from “The Andy Griffith Show” to “Everybody Loves Raymond” (which many detractors complain is too recent) they cover several decades. However, there is definitely room for improvement. Adding a few more earlier shows, perhaps even some from the 40s and 50s, as well as from the 60s and 70s would be a good start.

With rumors that “Gunsmoke” and “Bonanza” may be leaving the network soon, as their syndication contracts may be expiring, many fans are lamenting losing some of their favorites. Unfortunately, this is often how the system works, and it is possible that another channel offered more for the programs. Hopefully, if these shows do leave the network, they will be replaced by other classic fare.

There is one more thing about all of this that is disturbing. TV Land has a Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/tvland), where they post news that fans of their network might like to see, like birthday wishes for stars of yesteryear, or the sad news regarding the passing of beloved actors such as Peter Falk. In the “info” section on the page, it states they are about “modern and classic TV sitcoms” which may indicate a shift in the direction for the network. Putting the word modern first could mean the are putting more of an emphasis on recent shows and less on classics. Also, the use of the term sitcoms, rather than simply TV shows is puzzling, and might mean that in the future we will see fewer drama series on the network. Their website still says “classic and original TV shows” so perhaps the Facebook wording is simply a poor choice rather than indicative of a network reboot. I did not find any hard evidence either way.

According to some Facebook users, they have been banned from the page for making comments against the network for their programming choices. Now, to be fair, it is possible that some of the comments were out of line, as people can be very outspoken and passionate about things like this. However, some of those who have been banned claim that they were nice, polite, and respectful with their constructive criticism. If indeed people are being banned from this page for merely stating their opinions, and they have not been out of line in their comments, then this is bad form on the part of TV Land.

In response to the actions of the TV Land page, another Facebook page was started, by an anonymous user. The page, “Tell TV Land To Stick To The Classics” has become a place for people to freely express their opinions about the network, and the name is a rallying cry for those who want TV Land to return to their roots. They have a Facebook poll going, asking if people would rather watch the new, original programs, or classic programs. While they currently don’t have many answers to the poll, the percentage in favor of classic programs is much higher than any other response. People there hope this is the start of a grassroots effort that will eventually get the network’s attention.

I hope the powers that be at TV Land really take a good hard look at their choices and consider some changes. Some people are being a bit too critical of the network, but I do think that overall the trend has been away from classic programming, and this is something that should be reversed. Yes, you want to appeal to more viewers, but I don’t think it should be at the expense of your original fan base. I saw one comment that has been expressed in various ways by many people, that I think sums it up quite nicely. TV Land, don’t forget who brought you to the dance.