Time for another installment of Ask Alan, where I take your questions about the past, present, and future of TV.
Back to three questions this week, starting with a twist on one I get asked multiple times every week. The usual version is, “What TV show would be most excited to see revived?” (Which, given my agnosticism about revivals, is usually either “None” or “Probably none, but maybe Terriers.”) In this case, I was asked which revival I would most dread, especially since Roseanne has surely kicked the business’s revival fever into overdrive.
From there, NBC rescuing Brooklyn Nine-Nine for a 13-episode sixth season prompts the question of whether comedies, like dramas, will eventually start doing shorter, cable-style seasons. While less is often more in TV these days, I do think there are some clear differences between comedy and drama when it comes to how long a season each can sustain.
Finally, in light of the recent travails of Fox (which is on the verge of losing the affiliated studio that makes it financially viable the way the business works now), I was asked whether broadcast networks had ever gone out of business before. Travel back in time with me to 1956!
You can email me questions at askalan@uproxx.com, or tweet at me with the hashtag #AskAlanDay.