Lazarus TV
Dec 18, 2013, 12:00 PM | Updated: 1:59 pm
In the beginning, there was nothing…an empty void…it was NBC network television.
So on the first day, God created “The Sound of Music Live,” and it was good. In fact, it was very good: More than 18 million people watched.
And on the second day, God said, “Run it again. It’s a nice story about a good family.” And that was good too, adding millions more viewers to an experiment that may have changed television.
How risky — presenting programs that make people feel good. Isn’t that a real gamble in the days of meth dealing on “Breaking Bad” and the obligatory maggot-covered cadavers to open shows like “Bones” and “CSI”?
Don’t get me wrong. Those are well-written dramas that use graphic violence as a plot element. So does “Macbeth.” But clearly, America will respond to family entertainment and not just ones that smell of edelweiss.
NBC meanwhile responds to its KO of the competition last week by announcing the emergence of a new heavyweight, a follow-up to its massive miniseries “The Bible” that had an average of 13 million viewers earlier this year.
Imagine enriching, inspiring stories on TV. Now, these are a few of my favorite things.
I’m Pat McMahon.
