Military TV, Television - Military Times

For starters, cable’s USA Network is No. 1

Summer TV viewers are finding more original series than ever on cable these days — and No. 1 USA Network is leading the charge.

USA is airing a record six dramas this summer, and in October will add new episodes of” Law & Order: Criminal Intent”, as one branch of the storied crime franchise migrates from USA’s struggling sister network NBC.

(In a reverse swap, NBC might adopt USA’s “Nashville Star”, a country version of “American Idol” that’s produced by NBC’s new entertainment chief, Ben Silverman.)

Among new USA shows are “Burn Notice”, about a fired CIA spy, due next week, and a new reality project to be unveiled today called “Dr. Steve-O”, led by the “Jackass “star. The show is described as “Queer Eye” in reverse, a makeover show aimed at turning “wimpified” guys into real men. “Steve-O” will follow wrestling on Mondays this fall.

A major rebranding effort, the return of WWE wrestling, the big series push and reliable reruns (“House, Law & Order: SVU”) helped USA regain its cable crown last year.

The network averaged 2.6 million viewers in prime time last year, up 13 percent from 2005, and has held steady so far this year. USA leads Disney Channel, TNT and ESPN, the only other networks to average more than 2 million viewers each night. (Chief rival TNT, which had been first, was down 7 percent in 2006.)

At a meeting for financial analysts last week, Jeff Gaspin, chief of NBC’s cable group, says he mentioned the channel’s No. 1 status “not less than three times.” (NBC also owns Sci Fi and Bravo.)

“We can’t underestimate the value of being No. 1 to cable operators and advertisers,” Gaspin says. “It’s a tremendous shot in the arm, and it will pay off in the marketplace.”

In contrast with NBC, in fourth place and sinking, USA is a fast-growing crown jewel for the company. But it, too, stumbled several years ago, when it lost wrestling and struggled without a clear identity, while rival TNT had established itself as a haven for drama.

Audience research revealed that many viewers thought USA felt like “a worn-in shoe,” says Bonnie Hammer, who added USA to her role as head of the Sci Fi Channel in 2004. “The main word was tired.”

The network’s return to the top coincided with wrestling’s return in October 2005, after a five-year stint on the smaller Spike channel. “I can’t deny for one minute they’re a major contributor,” Hammer says.

But USA has come to be defined by its original dramas.

Though it had occasional hits over the years with such shows as” La Femme Nikita”, the network began hitting its stride only recently. “The Dead Zone” and “Monk “appeared in 2002, “The 4400” was added in 2004, and “Psych” landed last year. At least one more drama, “In Plain Sight,” is on tap for 2008.

Their common thread? Slightly flawed heroes, character dramas blended with traditional “procedural” crime-solving, and “really good escapism (viewers) don’t have to take too seriously,” Hammer says. That marks a contrast with what she calls the “darker, edgier” environs of FX, which gets more credit (though smaller audiences) for its original dramas. USA’s new motto: “Characters welcome.”

And much of it “has the same TV tonality,” says ad buyer John Rash of Campbell Mithun in Minneapolis. “It’s broadly accessible, and yet there’s a consistent programming feel to the network.”

USA programming chief Jeff Wachtel says he owes a debt to TV history. “We’re finding new ways to do successful shows from the past,” he says. “Monk “owes a debt to “Columbo “as “Burn Notice” does to “MacGyver”. “One of the things we love is a show where the lead character’s strength is also the weakness. If Monk weren’t so obsessive about details, he wouldn’t notice all of these patterns” in solving cases.

Also scoring big numbers is “The Starter Wife” (tonight, 9 ET/PT). Debra Messing’s miniseries about a dumped Hollywood wife averaged 5.4 million viewers for its May 31 premiere, and ends next week.

(Gigi Levangie Grazer, author of the book on which it’s based, last week split with her husband, producer Brian Grazer. “The timing of it is unbelievable; only in Hollywood,” Hammer says.)

But today’s crowded cable landscape makes standing out more difficult. “Monk “initially competed “in a relatively virgin landscape” for scripted cable series, Wachtel says. But with many shows competing for attention, some can get lost: “Dead Zone “and “4400” returned Sunday sharply down from last year, to some of their lowest ratings yet.

“They’re doing great,” says Kagan Research analyst Derek Baine, “but the challenge is just that they’re in an area that is very competitive,” as a general-entertainment network that competes with both broadcast and cable, and “they get more vulnerable” to cyclical ups and downs.

New shows, old favs on USA

Currently on the air, or on the way, on cable’s USA Network:

— The Starter Wife (Thursdays at 9 ET/PT through June 28). Miniseries stars Debra Messing as the jilted wife of a Hollywood mogul.

— The 4400 (Sundays at 9 ET/PT). Fourth season of the sci-fi drama about thousands of missing people who suddenly resurface with newfound abilities.

— The Dead Zone (Sundays at 10 ET/PT). Sixth season of the series based on the Stephen King novel, about a hero (Anthony Michael Hall) with psychic powers.

— Burn Notice (Thursdays at 10 ET/PT, starting June 28). New series stars Jeffrey Donovan as a fired CIA agent seeking to explain his sudden status while using his skills to help others.

— Monk (Fridays at 9 ET/PT, returning July 13). Sixth season of the series about an obsessive-compulsive detective (Tony Shalhoub).

— Psych (Fridays at 10 ET/PT, returning July 13). Second season about an extremely attentive crime-solver (James Roday) who pretends to be a psychic to explain his talent.

— Dr. Steve-O (Mondays at 11 ET/PT, starting Oct. 1). New reality series features “Jackass” star traveling the country to “de-wussify wimps, nerds and couch potatoes” nominated by pals or relatives.

— Law & Order: Criminal Intent (October). Seventh season of this spinoff moves to USA from NBC (which will continue to air reruns), with Vincent D’Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe and Chris Noth.

— In Plain Sight (2008). Mary McCormack stars as a federal marshal dealing with people in the witness protection program.