Needle, Meet Haystack

Things get replaced and upgraded every day.  People get promoted at work.  Software developers release new versions of their programs.  New appliances are purchased.  And in the realm of television, shows go off the air to be replaced by similar shows.  But never in TV history has this action been taken to the extreme as much as it has recently – NBC is replacing Law and Order with Law and Order: Los Angeles this fall.

I’ll say that again: a show was just replaced with its almost-identical spin-off.

At about the time of the shift, it was also announced that if Law & Order Classic got renewed, it would be the longest-running drama in TV history (in the US, anyway), beating out Gunsmoke for top honors.  Instead, Law& Order Original Blend is being put out to pasture.  The only thing that is startling about this is why.

The difference between the stories in Law & Order v1.0 and L&O:LA isn’t as pronounced as in the other spin-offs, where the focus is on special victims or the intent of the criminals.  To an outsider, the only difference seems to be the locale (New York City versus Los Angeles) and the cast, even though Law & Order Grampa Version has had a lot of cast changes in its 20-year run.  So the only excuse I can think of is this:

NBC is “shaking things up.”  Again.

Now, granted, this has been proven to work.  Fans pop up out of the woodwork to support their shows, old viewers return, and people get excited to talk about the program again.  The problem is, this strategy loses a bit of currency every time it is used.

After all, it’s the strategy used for the Betty White episode of Saturday Night Live.

Or the Conan-Leno feud (and hey, I fell for it, too) – the ratings bump that resulted from the publicity from that bad decision was great.

The good thing about “shaking things up” is that it revitalizes a failing brand, creating a conversation about it and bringing in new and old viewers who have been drawn in by the controversy.  This in turn can translate to a surge of popularity and support.

The problem is, coming up with new conversations all the time doesn’t build a lasting allegiance; the numbers are often temporary.  In fact, this strategy of short-term thinking can often damage the brand overall, as viewers become more resistant to gimmicks, and long-time fans may feel betrayed.  Additionally, not taking public opinion into account (again, Re: Team Coco – and yes, that’s a real picture) creates backlash and problems with solvency of many of the brands involved.

So, if one does deign to use this approach, the hubbub must be justified – high quality content, loyalty incentives to keep the new followers while appeasing the old, and continuing to develop a solid brand relationship are all necessary to sustained success.  You can build off of a gimmick, but it requires a lot of work at relationship-building to justify the initial attention grabber.

Even if Law & Order Oh, That’s Still on TV?  With the Guy from ‘Kangaroo Jack’?  I Should Watch That gets a ratings boost and manages to inspire enough petitions to get its historic 21st season, or if the controversy leads to a record number of viewers for the first episode of L&O: LA, that’s no clear indicator of sustainable results.  They still need to earn the trust and respect of the viewers, and that’s not something that can be done as easily as getting that buzz.

So meet the new boss, same as the old boss – we don’t know how long they’ll be sticking around, but things might start feeling awfully familiar.