Talking Absentia acquisitions through a network TV lens

Today is the final edition of our Absentia acquisition series, where over the past several days we’ve gone through and listed what some possible homes could be for the Sony TV series starring Stana Katic and Patrick Heusinger.

Are there a number of worthy venues out there? We do think that we’ve shown that, but through this article the goal is to look at the one that is the ideal to some and the chill down the spine to others: Network TV.

Let’s start things off here with what is the clear and obvious merit to a show like Absentia going to a major channel like an NBC — ratings. More viewers will watch the show because more viewers have access to it. They have morning shows to promote it, tons of ad money, and in terms of content, mystery thrillers with law-enforcement angles have been all of the rage for many years now and it’s not slowing down any time soon.

Alas, there is one very clear problem when it comes to any network interested in picking Absentia up, and it ties back to scheduling. If the show was to premiere on a major network, it would most likely be beyond the fall unless they were to put the show on Saturdays … and that’s not a good move for anyone. That night is a kiss of death no matter who you are unless it’s Saturday Night Live, and that’s a little bit of an exception since you’re talking about a live, late-night comedy experience.

Let’s go through these major networks one by one and see if there are any good fits among the group, even if it means a midseason launch.

CBS – Is Absentia too serialized for the network? That’s possible, since they love their crime dramas to be a little more of the story-of-the-week variety. Yet, there could still be some merit in them picking this up as a contingency for the winter / spring in case some of their other crime dramas fare badly. They have shown more of a willingness to program Saturdays.

NBC – This seems like a fairly good fit given that you could draw parallels between this show and a Blindspot or The Blacklist in that they’ve got these big, elaborate central mysteries to them. NBC technically has a hole right now in their fall schedule after Blindspot on Friday nights, so this could be the show’s only opportunity to get on a broadcast network this fall without having to go on at on a Saturday.

ABC – This one’s challenging. While it was ABC Studios and not the network itself that made the decision to remove Katic from a potential Castle season 9, there are still wounds there. While a home for the show is better than no home at all, we understand that there’s potential elsewhere where there isn’t such division among fans.

Fox – The network does like to be edgy, and there are some qualities to this show that would work there more than the other three networks above. We’d say that NBC is the most suitable home of the bunch, with Fox in second place.

The CW – It’s the wrong audience. Also, their schedule is totally stacked.

Do you have a broadcast preference for Absentia, and would you be okay waiting past a fall launch if it meant more viewers got a chance to see it? Share below!

Meanwhile, head over here to see some further news regarding Absentia, including more of our recent article series. (Photo: Sony.)