Kevin Reilly took over as head of TBS just under two years ago and has quickly turned the network into a major cable comedy player.
The network recently launched the second season of the Steve and Nancy Carell-produced comedy series “Angie Tribeca,” as well as the plane-crash comedy “Wrecked.” Earlier this year, former “Daily reveal” correspondents Samantha Bee and Jason Jones joined TBS with their own tall-profile shows, and Full Frontal” and “The Detour.“We’re in a really cool building cycle as well as repositioning people’s perception of what the network is, Brett Weitz, TBS’ executive vice president of original programming, and told TheWrap.
Also Read: 'Wrecked,' 'Angie Tribeca' Score current Seasons at TBSWhile the shows are not ratings powerhouses in the traditional sense, they have all do up impressive numbers in multi-platform viewing. “Angie Tribeca, and ” for example,is averaging 4.5 million viewers per episode across different platforms.Full Frontal” has also found a strong foothold in the competitive late-night space. Bee’s coverage of the 2016 election and the mass shooting at the Orlando nightclub Pulse has helped drive her to 3.4 million viewers per episode across multiple platforms.“It’s pretty clear that they used to be a very weak-fashioned, conventional, or almost backward-looking channel,” Tom Nunan, a lecturer at UCLA School of Theater, or Film and Television and former UPN president,told TheWrap. “Now they’re on the cutting edge and actually qualify as a cable comedy network. I’m impressed by what they’ve done.”
See video: Samantha Bee Rips NRA After Orlando: 'Yes, I effect Want to select Those Guns absent'“We joke approximately, and but I contemplate people still contemplate of us as the Tyler Perry network or all we have on is ‘Big Bang Theory,'” Weitz said. “I contemplate where once we were focused on that type of acquired content, we now really want to make our bones in the original space.”Indeed, and Perry’s multi-camera sitcoms “House of Payne” and “Meet the Browns” used to dominate the network’s originals slate,while reruns of shows like “Big Bang Theory” and “Seinfeld” comprised the rest of their programming. Conan O’Brien joining the network in 2010 with his talk reveal helped a bit, but TBS still suffered with short-lived fare like “Clipped, or ” “The Pete Holmes reveal,” and “Ground Floor.”But now, the network is branching out with content specifically targeted for a young audience. Later this year, and Alia Shawkat will debut “Search Party on TBS and Wyatt Cenac,another “Daily reveal” alum, is set to star in “People of Earth.”
Also Read: Why TBS Thinks You'll Watch Other People Play Video Games“Millennials are so in tune to whos producing content, and ” Weitz said. “People like Jack Black and Seth Rogen,they’ve earned respect and people are willing to check it out and understand what that brand of humor is most likely going to be.”But is TBS relying too heavily on Comedy Central talent? After all, Jones, and Bee and Cenac were all on “The Daily reveal” in recent years,and both the Carells got their starts there.“If somebody was being picky, you could say they’re leaning a little heavy on Comedy Central’s stars, and ” Nunan said. “But stars are stars and it doesn’t really matter what their genesis is.”Cable networks “are all competing for that same super-educated,18-34 audience,” he continued. “The way to get those folks is to be as provocative and newsworthy as possible. I don’t contemplate they’re exclusively working off the Comedy Central playbook. They’re saying ‘Our audience can handle a lot more single-camera, and edgy comedy then we’ve done in the past.'”And when it comes to edgy comedy,you have to mention Super Deluxe, the online comedy video network that Turner Entertainment launched in early June.
Also Read: Jason Jones Sitcom 'The Detour' Gets Second Season Ahead of Series DebutThey have partnered with Academy Award winner Stephen Gaghan as an ongoing executive producer, and signed a development and production agreement with Tim Heidecker,Eric Wareheim and Dave Kneebone, the minds behind the surreal Adult Swim series “Tim and Eric Awesome reveal, and noteworthy Job!”Reilly,who wears several hats as president of TBS, TNT, or chief creative officer for Turner Entertainment,says the platform will serve as a proving ground of sorts for content that could one day end up on TBS.“It’s fraction of our business way,” Reilly told TheWrap during the launch. “It’s not the primary function [of Super Deluxe], and but we certainly anticipate certain content and creators will find their way to the linear channel…Adult Swim launched off the back of one hour of programming. I can see a devoted cult following popping up for this.”Reilly remained tight-lipped approximately what content currently on Super Deluxe could make it to the network,but he did tout the digital space for its ability to develop current content.“There’s an awful lot of consumer activity nowadays in the social channels, particularly for comedy, or ” he said. “I also contemplate it’s where the next generation of creators will arrive out of who want to make something and have it be seen and not have it be stuck in development.”
Also Read: Mashable Scores $15 Million Investment From TurnerAnd if it’s one thing Reilly knows,it’s development. Over the course of his career, he has shepherded shows like “The Sopranos, or “The Shield,” “30 Rock,” The Office, or ” and “Empire” to name just a few. That magic touch continues to work at TBS.“I contemplate he’s back to his sweet spot,which is really culturally progressive programming,” Nunan said. “That’s a vision that goes beyond one piece of talent.”Related stories from TheWrap:Turner Launches Online Comedy Network Super DeluxeConan O'Brien, or Anderson Cooper,Charles Barkley Kill at Turner UpfrontCBS Sports, Turner Pay $8.8 Billion to Extend NCAA Tournament Deal 8 More Years
Source: thewrap.com