Question: I can’t figure out why TNT is canceling all the crime shows. First, it was Rizzoli & Isles, which I loved, and now Major Crimes. I love this show because it is about cops, yes, but also family. I consider it to be one of the best shows on TV now. Why do the networks cancel shows like this and leave junk like The Bachelor on? —Jeane, Gastonia, NC
Matt Roush: Don’t blame TNT for The Bachelor, which is ABC’s stain on the popular culture. If TNT were going all-out into developing reality programming, which it isn’t, that might be an issue. But the situation with TNT is a regime change in which the old-school procedurals that used to define the network have been retired, one by one, culminating with the end of Major Crimes—which spun off from The Closer, once TNT’s signature series (and never equaled in my book). Like USA and several other competitors, they’re moving away from the mainstream to produce edgier, darker crime and genre dramas, which may not be as popular but are intended to attract a different demographic. And maybe even compete with premium channels and streaming for critical and awards attention, though that is so far an uphill climb. For me, watching these networks altogether abandon a successful formula to satisfy a niche itch is a perilous strategy. Why not keep the tentpoles that allow you to take risks?
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