Networks want viewers back for fall

NEW YORK -- If you had been strolling on Fourth Avenue in Manhattan one morning last week, you might have come upon "NYPD Blue," visiting from Los Angeles to shoot location scenes.

Deployed along a city block were Dennis Franz (Detective Sipowicz), several of his co-stars plus police cars and ambulances all waiting in the heat for the cameras to roll.

Even with summer still in force -- at 8 a.m., this day already was sweltering -- the television industry has resumed production for fall, and there could be no more reassuring sign of it than seeing New York's (Fictional) Finest back on the streets.

Granted, "NYPD Blue" entering its 10th season lacks the creative vigor it once had. The show is like a cop near retirement, hanging on to make his pension. After all this time, he's seen it all. And so has the seasoned "NYPD Blue" viewer, long past the point of being surprised by the show that used to pack surprises every week.

But that isn't bad. That's "comfort TV," which last season became the networks' favorite buzzword and, now, their obsession, as they start the new season in a climate of fear.

TV is nothing if not a mirror of society and, society-wide, fear is in vogue. No wonder. If you believe the news this summer, not only is your 401(k) a lost cause, but your child needs a personal bodyguard 24/7, and your airline pilot needs a Breathalyzer.

Plagued by demons

Meanwhile, the collective psyche of the TV industry is plagued by its own special demons. Eroding audiences. Runaway production costs. Those confounded TiVo gadgets that let viewers zap commercials.

In June, Variety reported that despite near-record ad sales in the preseason "upfront," "making money in network television has never been harder. Only two webs (NBC and CBS) turned a profit last year, and the outlook for 2002 isn't much brighter."

In this jittery environment, "comfort TV" must move to the next level. Call it "rescue TV," pulling viewers and networks back from the edge.

At a moment when everyone is feeling preyed upon, ABC's righteous "NYPD Blue" will be joined in prime time by no fewer than 20 crime-and-punishment series -- seven of them new.

Many of the other shows are more modest and "old hat."

A few upcoming series (including NBC's drama "Boomtown," and, from ABC, the Bonnie Hunt sitcom "Life with Bonnie" and the wacky mystery "Push, Nevada") are stirring critical interest. But clearly no one at the networks is looking to revolutionize drama or comedy this fall. A climate of fear breeds lowered expectations -- from network and viewer alike.