Producer Arthur Smith, founder of A. Smith and Co. Productions, says avoiding format fatigue means meeting audience expectations with meaningful change.
When an ongoing TV series is being produced – whether it’s Amazing Race, Survivor, or Hell’s Kitchen, it’s always important to avoid complacency, freshen the format, and bring new things to the table. This applies to both annual recurring shows and to the resurgence of rested formats, as we’re about to see with the return of American Idol and Cash Cab.
If the show is off the air for some time, it’s even more important that the aforementioned changes aren’t subtle, so audiences can latch on to what you as a producer are trying to do, especially in terms of upgrading the show to give it a new feel. Of course, it’s not a good idea to freshen it in a way that doesn’t retain the main mission of the show, but it certainly needs to be elevated. The goal is for viewers to say to themselves, “Oh, OK, THIS is why they brought it back … it’s newer, it’s bigger, it’s better.” I’m not talking about “a fresh coat of paint.” There needs to be meaningful changes.
Another thing to be cognizant of is the brand of a show. Of course, a strong brand really helps with launch (because awareness is baked in), and when you have successful, established brands like Cash Cab and American Idol, their brands go a long way towards getting people in the door, and deservedly so.
But – and this is a big one – having those established brands doesn’t lessen the challenge for the producer, and in many cases, it makes it more difficult, because there are increased levels of anticipation and expectation from audiences. The producer needs to have the right mixture of the original elements that made the format successful and a number of new elements that elevate the show to a new level.
June 12 on NBC, we have the return of two of our series on NBC; season 9 of American Ninja Warrior and season 2 of Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge.
Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge (Mark Hill/NBC)
With Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge, audiences will still see and feel the core of the show, but there are a number of significant changes that we have made for season 2. We have a completely redesigned course, more obstacles along the lines of the infamous “slip wall”. Every obstacle has been designed in such a way that the only way to be successful is to work strategically as a team. The setting is also completely different as we have taken over an abandoned factory. It is shot under the lights at night with several new technical innovations as well. Also, joining the broadcast team are Olympic Gold Medalist, Apolo Ono, World Series Champion Nick Swisher, and from ESPN radio, Kelvin Washington.
American Ninja Warrior (Tyler Goldman/NBC)
The team who work on American Ninja Warrior are as far away from complacent as you can be – we have evolved as the ninjas have evolved. The courses that we had in the first few years are significantly different than what we have now, and this year’s round of applicants weighed in at a whopping 75,000 submissions – up from the few hundred we had in the initial seasons. Development of obstacles is year-round, and there is no offseason. The athletes are constantly training and developing their skills and strengths – and with rise of ninja gyms, it’s vital more than ever that we stay ahead of the curve and continue to challenge everyone.
At the end of the day, great content boils down to: casting, format, and execution. Big brand or no brand, broadcast, cable, or OTT – if all three of those fundamentals are not the best that they can be, a show is going to have a difficult time finding an audience.
American Ninja Warrior and Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge air Mondays on NBC.
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