

That's why it worked for the comedy-oriented TBS to pick up the broadcast show Cougar Town when ABC dropped it last year. (Pictured: Josh Hopkins and Courteney Cox) The programming convergence between cable and broadcast networks may have already begun, with shows like Cougar Town jumping ship from ABC to TBS.
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At that time, Lifetime was TV for women, with original scripted shows for female leads when they weren't on broadcast networks." "Lifetime was the most-watched cable network for a period of 18 months in 20," points out media scholar Amanda Lotz. It became known - or perhaps infamous - for its original content. One of the leaders was actually a channel for older women. He points out that until fairly recently, cable barely registered in the ratings. "Imitation is the sincerest form of television," jokes TV critic Eric Deggans. Or, depending on your tolerance for gore, don't.) (See The Following on Fox or Hannibal on NBC for examples. So are we looking at a convergence between scripted shows on broadcast and cable? It's hard not to wonder, when you see broadcast networks rushing to replicate gruesome death scenes like the ones relished by The Walking Dead's enviably sizable audience. That's more than triple the audience for The Good Wife on CBS that same night. Last weekend, 25 million viewers combined watched The Bible and The Walking Dead on basic cable channels.

Mad Men comes back for its sixth season Sunday at an opportune moment for basic cable.

Television This Spring, Rejoice At Rebirth Of 'Mad Men'
