Networks hope audiences are ready for a laugh

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Of 71 scripted pilots in contention for slots at the five networks, 33 are half-hour comedies and 19 of those are multi-camera formats.

America: Do you feel like laughing?

The television industry hopes so because a slew of family, buddy and workplace comedy pilots might be coming to a small screen near you later this year. Despite the cloud of anger and anxiety hanging over the nation because of the ailing economy, the broadcast networks believe the genre is poised for a comeback.

That there is even a pilot season -- the annual springtime ritual of dashed hopes and broken dreams as networks test potential new shows -- is notable. Last year, some networks declared that the writers strike had pushed the industry into a year-round model and would force them to abandon the usual winter and spring development season. And although the recession can be largely blamed for about 40 fewer pilots this season than in recent years, there are still more scripted shows in the works than most industry insiders expected.

The mad scramble ends in mid-May with the ‘upfronts’ in New York City, where network executives unveil their fall season lineups in hopes of attracting billions of dollars in Madison Avenue advertising.

‘I know that people are still trying to play with the model, but what I think we all realize is that even though it can be somewhat dysfunctional and we’re all competing for the same thing at the same time,’ said Suzanne-Patmore Gibbs, executive vice president of drama development. ‘Here at ABC, we do well with deadlines. We like to see things in context.’

Read the entire article: Networks hope audiences are ready for a laugh.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: Kristen Johnston, left, and Kathryn Hahn costar in ‘AB FAB’ for Fox. (Carin Baer / Sony Pictures Television)