In growing sections of the television drama business, a condition known as “cable envy” has been setting in — and spreading. Cable, the land of small budgets and even smaller audiences, has become the place creators of drama go if they want to take big creative risks — and win golden trophies.
But increasingly, networks are trying to lure talent that otherwise might succumb to the allure of cable. It helps that some of the top network programmers cut their teeth in cable: Kevin Reilly of Fox once was the top programmer at FX, Bob Greenblatt at NBC earned his post because of his success leading Showtime, and Paul Lee, the top programmer at ABC, previously had that job at the ABC Family Channel.
They are not trying to reshape their hourlong dramas along the lines of the hot cable series of the moment, but they are willing to bend traditional network rules.
For example, networks are willing to offer shorter seasons — a staple of cable programming — and to run serialized shows without interruption by reruns. This season interruptions, primarily repeated episodes, clearly drove viewers away from certain network shows. “Unforgettable,” on CBS, sank late in the season after long stretches of reruns.