CarterMatt’s Scare-O-Ween: ‘Scream Queens’ and what other shows can learn

Let’s start with getting the bad news out of the way for this particular edition of Scare-O-Ween, our daily feature looking at the great creation that is the Halloween special: “Scream Queens” is not delivering the commercial success that we and so many others thought it would. While we never thought it would draw “Empire” ratings, we thought the great cast (Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma Roberts, Lea Michele, and more) plus the comedy would get the show “American Horror Story” numbers.

Unfortunately, the numbers have never turned out that way, which means that many are missing what may be one of the best examples of how to celebrate Halloween on TV. “Scream Queens” has been airing a multiple-part Halloween episode, one that contains things that are special (Chanel’s hilarious Taylor Swift “tribute”) while also delivering the same trademark scares that you would hope for from this show. With costumes, it is celebrating the fun and the creativity of the Halloween; with the Red Devil mystery and much more, it is celebrating some of the fear.

Since there’s not too much to analyze for what we feel like is a pretty pitch-perfect representation of Halloween, what we want to focus on instead here for a minute is something else: What other shows can learn on from this:

1. Referencing pop culture – So many shows try to be current, but what better way to do that than setting it in the moment? Maybe this hurts replay value down the road, but it gives you more viral potential in the present.

2. An actual budget – Is it really too much to ask for some Halloween props and costumes? By this, we don’t just mean someone sticking a pumpkin in a briefing room like we see on some shows.

3. Finally, a genuine love for the holiday – We know that for some shows, a Halloween episode is not for everyone. However, for superhero series or at least some with a science-fiction component, we have no idea how this can be completely ignored.

Interested in getting some other news when it comes to “Scream Queens,” head over here to see a preview for Tuesday’s episode! Also, you can sign up here to get some further TV news, plus some exclusive updates, via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Fox.)