Turning Successful Television Programs into ‘Franchise’

In 1990 a television program called ‘Law & Order’ made its debut.   It completed its 20th Season in 2010.  It was the longest running television program.

What is significant is that the producers, realising the power of the show, the interest it caused, created ‘spin-offs’.

In 1999 ‘Law & Order Special Victims Unit’ began.  It is still in production.

In 2001, ‘Law & Order Criminal Intent’  aired;  it completed in 2011; after ten years.

In 2005; ‘Law & Order Trial by Jury’ aired but was a failure, so ended after one season.

In 2010; ‘Law & Order – Los Angeles’ was aired, but was a failure, so ended after one season.

However; the creation of the Law & Order ‘franchise’  was sort of a template for other shows to follow.

CSI began in 2000 and ran for fifteen seasons.

CSI Miami began in 2002 and went for ten seasons.    This was followed by CSI; New York which ran from 2004 to 2013.

CSI Cyber began in 2014 but was canceled in 2016.

NCIS began in 2003 and is still on air.    It’s first Spin off, NCIS; Los Angeles began on 2009 and NCIS; New Orleans began in 2014.

As is obvious; all three of these franchises deals with solving crimes.   The first is a police procedural, but the second and third go deep into forensics.

The interesting things is that each of the series in the Franchises aired simultaneously.   That one could watch Law & Order, (all three separate series) in one week,    just as one could watch CSI and NCIS.  This ‘tripling’ of viewership is what is revolutionary.

The stars of each could pop into the spin offs and a plot could go from one place to another.

Having large, ensemble casts allows replacements.  No one Actor can hold the series to ransom.  If one gets annoyed an thinks he needs more money or air time, s/he can leave.  The replacement is painless and doesn’t cause a problem in viewership.

Those who stay have permanent jobs, (virtually) which is amazing for actors.   Outside of Day Time Soaps, the stability of becoming a character on one of these shows has that security rarely known in the acting profession.

Tapping into the public’s current interest now is how to be successful.   Not to think of something similar to the show, but to have the show in a different place or different section of the same place, is the way to gain viewers.

If, for example, the idea of this occurred to those in Star Trek, TNG,  there could have been a useful ‘mining’ of Klingon culture by having a series based on a Klingon ship, etc.

The ‘franchise’ works because people are interested in the plots; how the crimes are solved.  The characters facilitate, they aren’t the centre of the universe.

This has caused a shift in focus.

Instead of people turning on to see this actor or that actress, they tune in to see the story.   They like the characters, but none of them can control the program.  The intelligent realise it.

Maybe after they leave and find themselves unemployed or bouncing from one guest appearance to another over the years, but the ‘show’ goes on without them.

Having ‘spin offs’ , creating a franchise, keeps the show alive so that new versions are possible at any time.