TV Shows: Distinct "Looks" On Different Networks?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Can you identify the network from a TV show’s distinct “look?” If so, please explain how.

Thanks!

2

NBC: Everybody’s white, except for the token black guy.
ABC: Everybody’s white, except for the token hispanic guy.
CBS: Everybody’s white, except for the token asian chick.
FOX: Everybody’s naked or eating something gross.

Yes, I am just joking.

What do you mean ‘look’?

3

What I mean by “look” is hard to describe: I guess a combination of lighting (for example, on sitcoms it seems to me that NBC had darker lighting than, say, ABC), film stock (or whatever they use for these shows…videotape)…you know, a show’s “look.”

Sorry if I’m being confusing here!

4

CBS shows look kind of hazy, ABC’s look brighter, and NBC’s look darker? At least that’s my take on it.

5

I know what you mean. I’ve noticed it. CBS has a different look than NBC, etc. Its not something you can really put your finger on making it hard to explain.
In the 80s when I watched a lot of TV, it seemed you could even tell what network you were watching by the style of the sets too.

Jon

6

I noticed that starting in the 80’s maybe? that NBC started having a “look” to their shows that was somehow more “polished”. I would assume it’s the type of film used, or whether it’s shot direct to videotape or not. Shows like The Cosby Show and Cheers had a certain look, whereas ABC shows, like Roseanne and Drew Carey have always looked a little “cheesy” to me. CBS seems to be trying to emulate that style now. I don’t watch a lot of CBS shows, but I saw that CSI show a couple of times, and they seemed to have pretty upscale production values. Fox, too, started out with that sort of cheesy look, but then I remember reading that when they came out with X-Files, they went with a more expensive process that gives it a more polished look.

One dead give-away for ABC shows is the lead-in shots, where they show the exterior of the building to establish the scene. My God, those are crappy. It looks like they just built a scale model and smeared vaseline on the camera lens hoping nobody would notice. I think the sets have a lot to do with it, too. The Cheers bar was a real breakthrough, I think. It had a real elegant look to it. Before that, sitcoms tended to have pretty minimal sets.

7

BTW, I think this ought to go in Cafe Society.

8

UPN: Everyone’s black, except for Buffy and her crew.

And now, everyone’s black.