Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 05/15/25

If it ain’t broke, break it. That would seem to be the Hollywood credo given how the industry took the most efficient, profitable and free-est news and entertainment content delivery system ever developed and, out of combination of greed and hubris, smashed it into a confusing and expensive mish-mash of channels that consumers are expected to pay for individually just because they possibly have a show or two that they might be interested in checking out.

The new media order. which began less than 20 years ago when Netflix launched its streaming business in 2007, is already showing signs of cracking up as consumers have realized that paying for programming that was once available for free is not a good deal – especially when so much of the new programming is so often dark, uninspiring and hostile to their faith and patriotic values, particularly when compared to the old-style broadcast shows.

Over the past week or so, the four major broadcast networks released their fall schedules to far less fanfare than in the old days when they were perceived as the big leagues rather than a dying breed. I personally think they’re due for a turnaround.

Here are my thoughts on how that could come about. I’ll start with five general ideas about how network television can retake its position atop (or, at least, near the top) of the media pyramid.

1. Streamline your content. By that I mean, stop strewing your stuff all over the place in ways that make it hard to find. I believe a good system would follow the old network model of building strong nightly lineups that audiences can look forward to watching for free when they first premiere (yes, this can be a selling point). From there, viewers could catch them either through free streaming with commercials or, if they really hate ads, through premium paid streaming.

By following this pattern, shows would be easier to promote while the finite number of hours to program would reduce the sort of content glut we have now where most people can’t even name most of the fare being dumped on the market over several platforms. That glut, I believe, actually reduces our cohesion as a society as so many people are off by themselves watching things alone rather than together as a community. I can’t help but thinking that that – intentionally or unintentionally – sows some of the division we’re seeing now. Conversely, the advent of streaming that allows viewers to catch up with shows they miss could encourage the networks to fill their prime-time hours with more original content on broadcast. All in all, I think a nice balance would be struck between plenty of choices but not so many that the culture itself becomes diluted.

2. Develop a dependable brand. Respect everyone but don’t try to be all things to all people. Personally, I think the largest – and most under-served – market is that of ordinary folks who may tilt a little to the right or little to the left but are tired of seeing their traditional values mocked by supposed purists on either side of the spectrum. Pursuing that, produce programming that is diverse and optimistically puts the focus on people of various backgrounds and beliefs moving forward and getting along.

3.  Avoid proselytizing. While it’s to be expected that certain shows will have a certain point of view, people want to feel like their own points of view are also respected. When tuning into television, people don’t want to be preached to – about religion or politics. They’re willing to hear a story reflecting someone else’s perspective. They just don’t want it shoved down their throats by people who seem to think they’re better than them.

4. Avoid gratuitous violence, sex and language. I know it sound prudish to say, but the world is crass enough. Every show doesn’t have to be for the whole family (though more of that would be nice) but even adults don’t want to come home from a hard day – in an often hard world – and be confronted with bloody assaults, overly graphic sex and foul language. We live in an age when even politicians and news anchors are routinely dropping F bombs. People are looking for a way to chill out from that kind of stuff. Avoiding cursing, in my view, is less about prudishness than it is an exercise in self-control that encourages rational discourse while respecting your audience. Over-the-top violence, sexuality and language are very rarely necessary to tell a good story.

5. Bring back opening sequences for TV series. Why’d they ever go away to begin with? For a lot of people, the theme songs help make the shows. For networks, they served as free advertising living in the heads of the audience.

What’s more, beyond being catchy, many of them we optimistic. Sending people to bed with a hopeful tune can’t be a bad thing. If it’s about ad money, they could even be sponsored with a discreet company logo at the bottom of the screen.

Come on, who doesn’t love hearing these blasts from the past?: The Jeffersons, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Friends, Cheers, Mission: Impossible, Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Hill Street Blues, Good Times, The Greatest American Hero, One Day at a Time, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laverne & Shirley, The Golden Girls, Bonanza, Dallas, The Love Boat, and of course, Happy Days.

I literally could go on all day, and you can call some of these corny if you will, but they succeeded in putting you in the mood for the show that followed – and, beyond that, making people feel good. In these days when it seems like were inundated by dour entertainment, I think people of all ages are hungry for the sort of unabashed optimism these songs represent.

In my next post I’ll follow-up with  some ideas for each individual network. To the folks running, CBS, Fox, NBC and ABC, you’re welcome. I do this because I actually love television and would like to see you folks succeed. I really do think network television can be looked at as a calling to help bring people together in trying times – while at the same time producing big profits that employ a lot of people. Godspeed to you all!

John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.