Talking about a television show’s success is tricky because it’s so subjective.
Whether or not a show is good or bad depends largely on taste. Renewal or cancellation doesn’t work either as ratings perceived as good on one network could very easily be considered abysmal on another.
However, Ryan Murphy has seemingly managed to bypass all of these issues. His most recent work, Scream Queens, was sent straight from pitch to series order by FOX.
So how does Ryan Murphy keep creating ratings juggernauts when it’s no secret that TV ratings have been on the decline for years? Even Glee, easily his most popular show to date (which debuted in 2009 to a huge ratings success) had a hard time keeping ratings high for its full run. That hardly matters. It got multiple seasons of high ratings, and that’s a success. His other recent show, American Horror Story, also performed exceptionally well.
So what do those two shows have in common? The popularity in the 18-49 demographic. That’s how he succeeds. He creates a niche show that appeals to a very specific group of people, and audiences want to watch because it’s original.
This is where Scream Queens comes in. The marketing and execution for this show has been beyond flawless. First off, it’s being sold as a comedy horror. That’s a fairly rare market. Shows that are funny typically have a difficult time producing legitimate scares.
There’s also the actors involved. A show doesn’t star Lea Michele, Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis without a return on that casting investment. It’s practically a guarantee that portraying Emma Roberts as the “Bad Bitch” role will get a viewer out of anyone who has ever said the word “slay.” There is, unfortunately, no scientific data behind that. Except pretty much anything BuzzFeed has ever posted.
The show is playing right into what viewers of ridiculous drama want. The deliciously vague teaser of Emma Roberts blowing a bubble with her bubble gum in sorority girl attire is just scandalous enough to interest viewers. The second teaser does nothing but increase these thoughts. I mean, she’s holding a giant knife and putting on red lipstick.
And here’s the latest teaser.
Viewers know exactly what they are going to get when they tune into Scream Queens come fall. It’s going to be a highly over the top comedy filled with nonsensical characters and completely absurd plotlines. I can’t think of a single reason why it won’t be the most entertaining show.
Feature photo via Entertainment Weekly