“Crossover” Television Shows

 

 

“CROSSOVER” TELEVISION SHOWS

I watched something interesting last night. Allow me to share it with you since most readers probably missed it.
One of Marieta’s favorite TV shows is “Chicago Med.” We watch every Wednesday night. It’s one of the few weekly series we make time for that airs on regular television.

“Chicago Med” spawns from the Dick Wolf stable of steady and ratings-reliable TV shows, probably best exemplified by the long-running franchise “Law and Order.” NBC has been the undisputed king of police- and crime- and hospital-themed programming dating back to all the great detective shows from the 1970s. In fact, NBC was the first network to standardize certain nights of the week with definitive themes. Wednesday has been “Chicago night” for the past decade.

Three shows run in succession on Wednesday nights: (1) “Chicago Med” (2) “Chicago Fire” (3) “Chicago P.D.”
Until this week, I’d only seen “Chicago Med.” I just didn’t have the time nor interest to add another two hours of commercial television to my schedule each week. So, even though they are likely very good shows, I never invested a second watching them.

Last night, NBC did something very unusual — at least it was something I don’t recall happening since CBS’s “All in the Family” crossed over into “Maude” when the two Norman Lear-centric casts merged for a short time into joint shows and crossover stories (Maude was actually a spinoff from AITF).

“Chicago Med” began a new episode called “Reckoning.” So, the full hour was devoted to a story, but with ALL THREE CASTS sharing the spotlight equally. Well, Part 1 ended and then Part 2 picked up immediately where the story left off, continuing on “Chicago Fire.” Of course, I was hooked and we had to watch. The hook and bait worked. Two hours into the story, I know knew more about the other casts, which I had not seen before. Then, Part 2 ended, and the story continued on “Chicago P.D.” as Part 3. Not only had the hook and bait worked, now I was pulled into Dick Wolf’s NBC boat. Catch of the night.

I must admit this was a brilliant way to build an audience. I’m sure many viewers routinely watch all three shows on Wednesdays, but there are just as many like me who do NOT want to spend too much time getting absorbed in new TV show. Well, they finally got me.

We see “crossover” collaborations in popular music all the time. That often works, too. Two artists, perhaps with very different followings, work together and then the market doubles for the new product. Think Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett. But until last night, I’d never been so effectively manipulated (which I mean in a good way), which inspired me to seek out a new shows, with new casts, and fresh stories from the same high-quality production company.

In a way, I hope television shows don’t do this too much in the future, because the possibilities are endless. But “crossover” television does work. I admit, it worked on me. My Wednesday nights are now filled, at least until re-run season.