CBS Dreams of a World Where Actors Are Cheap

The New York Times writes today about Harper's Island, a new CBS series with a unique format: It's a murder mystery whose plot will wrap up, for good, after 13 episodes. If it catches ratings fire, it may lead to subsequent editions, but they would have completely different characters, settings and plots. Executive producer Jon Turteltaub describes the concept as "an anthology that continues in 13-week spurts."

There are several appealing aspects to this model. As the Times notes, starting fresh every 13 episodes means potential new viewers won't stay away for fear they won't be able to follow an already-convoluted storyline. (On the other hand, they also won't have to order earlier seasons on DVD or iTunes to catch up, as Lost and Heroes neophytes invariably do.) It also "maximizes the interest and audience by making the program seem limited in its time commitment."

But the Times never hints at what must be, from a network's point of view, one of the format's biggest selling points: its ultra-low talent costs. Even though Harper's Island will be scripted, from a cast standpoint, it will be more like a reality show than a long-running drama or comedy. Like pro athletes, TV actors are cheap at first and expensive only after a contract renewal or two. On a successful ensemble show the cost of keeping the gang together can be staggering -- for instance, $132 million for the final season of Friends. Even on a series like 24 that really only has one non-disposable character, the actor who plays him can command $13 million a year. Dumping all the characters at the end of every 13-episode arc means never getting held up like that.

At a time when NBC is openly admitting that putting Jay Leno in prime time is about driving down production costs rather than pushing up ratings, you can be sure that the suits at CBS are dreaming of a hit franchise that will never involve a single contract renegotiation for an actor.