ABC hit a ratings home run with its decision to turn over Thursday nights to Shonda Rhimes and brand the entire block as TGIT (Thank God Its Thursday), but that’s only part of the network’s recent turnaround, ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee said Monday.
The network’s full-throated embrace of diversity and limited series have also contributed to its rise in the all-important Adults 18-49 viewer demographic, Lee told AdWeek.
TGIT itself is a reboot of an old ABC brand from the ‘90s, the family-oriented TGIF block that featured favorites like Full House, Boy Meets World, and Family Matters.
“We took a brand that my boss Bob Iger invented [in 1989], TGIF, and we burnished it. It was very sweet to take a dormant brand and reinvent it on Thursday as something that was just as fresh today as that was then,” he told the magazine.
Lee said that he can’t just package and brand the other nights on his schedule to replicate Thursday’s success.
He pointed to a schedule that embraces America’s new demographics (How to Get Away with Murder, Cristela, Black-ish, and Fresh off the Boat) is just as important as TGIT in the network’s recent success.
Lee also strongly suggested that he would continue to experiment with limited series like Secrets & Lies and American Crime—despite faltering ratings. Look for new characters and settings (think: True Detective and American Horror Story) in their future.
Read More: AdWeek
Brief Take: There’s no doubt that ABC hit a home run with a solid brand on Thursday nights, but the network’s turnaround is also thanks to smart programming and experimenting with new formats.
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