Network television has been struggling for quite some time. Many attribute this decline to the rise of streaming services, which let you watch practically any show from any network at your convenience. While streaming is certainly a factor, it’s also important to consider the quality of today’s broadcast network programming. It feels like just yesterday we were enjoying hit shows like The Office, Friends, and Modern Family. However, those successful days seem gone for good.
Today, it seems like real comedy and drama have taken a backseat to themes of forced diversity and virtue signaling. Many shows now feel more like a college acting class exercise than genuine entertainment. If you tune into any network television on a typical night, you’ll notice this trend. Many viewers are turning away from programming that feels overly political and are instead turning to familiar, classic shows that remind them of better television days. Recent data from Nielsen reinforces this shift, indicating a preference for older, nostalgic shows over what some see as overtly “woke” content.
Most watched shows today tend to be on streaming platforms, but surprisingly, they aren’t new productions. While current streaming originals like “Succession” and “The Last of Us” enjoy popularity, they’re outshined by older shows. One standout example is “Suits,” a legal drama that debuted over a decade ago and concluded in 2019. Interestingly, it wasn’t a network show; it aired on the USA Network. However, it has found renewed success on streaming platforms, perhaps due to the allure surrounding Meghan Markle, one of its stars.
While “Suits” garners attention, “woke” programming on platforms like Disney is seeing less success. The 2023 data on most-watched streaming shows is revealing. Among the top 10 shows, titles like Suits, Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Gilmore Girls, and Supernatural have been off the air for years. Among these, two are children’s programs, and the others are beloved shows from the 2000s that continue to attract audiences.
Some Hollywood insiders point to the recent writer’s strike and the resulting lack of new content to explain these viewership trends. But there’s more to the story. America is experiencing a time of division and unrest, with culture battles becoming prominent since around 2016. Older shows bring people back to simpler times, making nostalgia a powerful draw. In 2023, viewers embraced this feeling, flocking to classics that transported them back to “better days.”
Friends is one example, remaining a viewer favorite despite critiques from some quarters about its lack of diversity. Even though it’s been off-air since 2004, many still enjoy its comforting charm. Similarly, Gilmore Girls, with its predominantly white, straight cast, ranks as the seventh most-streamed show of the year, praised by The New York Times as “an endless buffet of TV comfort food.”
While many people are exhausted by likely feeling inundated with themes of forced diversity, nostalgia offers refuge. Network television seems to be fading, and even the original content on streaming services doesn’t match the viewer numbers of classic series. Hollywood might consider taking note of these trends, but the industry seems set in its ways. Thankfully, audiences can always return to beloved shows from yesteryear without the modern frills they could do without.
