Atelevision special (oftenTV special, or rarelytelevision spectacular) is a standalonetelevision show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a giventime slot. Some specials provide a full range of entertainment and informational value available via thetelevision medium (news, drama, comedy, variety, cultural), in various formats (live television,documentary,studio production,animation,film), and in any viewing lengths (short films,feature films,miniseries,telethons).[1][2]
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The types of shows described as television specials include:[2]
The production of early television shows was very expensive, with few guarantees of public success, and ongoing (weekly) shows typically required a single, majorsponsor to operate. As such, a good deal of programming was one-off shows, accommodating smaller sponsors and not requiring a loyal audience following. As the industry matured, this trend reversed; by the 1950s, most networks aimed to provide stable, routine, and proven content to their audiences. Television executives, such asCBS presidentJames Aubrey, sought to avoid any disruption in viewing habits which might cause viewers to move to another network. These weekly series, though, typically became too expensive for any single sponsor, so stand-alone shows offered a way to continue accommodating the single-sponsor practice, leading to shows likeAmahl and the Night Visitors (1951, sponsored byHallmark Cards as part of theHallmark Television Playhouse) and theFord 50th Anniversary Show (1953, a two-hour variety show simulcast on both CBS and NBC).[1][3][4]
In 1954,NBC presidentSylvester Weaver pioneered an innovative style of programming which he called "spectaculars".[5] These stand-alone broadcasts, usually 90 minutes in length, were designed to attract large, new audiences and bring prestige to the network. The spectaculars aired on three nights every fourth week - a major gamble because it controversially broke up viewer routines and risked stable weekly sponsorship deals.
To address this, Weaver used his "magazine" style which involved selling segments of each show to a different sponsor, a practice which would evolve into the modern "commercial". The three initial spectacular blocks wereHallmark Hall of Fame (Sundays, produced byAlbert McCleery),Producer's Showcase (Mondays, produced byFred Coe),Max Liebman Presents (Saturdays, produced byMax Liebman). In time, the term "spectacular" was seen ashyperbolic, and so led to the more modern and modest term, "special".[3][4] Weaver's strategy was not as successful as CBS's predictably scheduled and prefilmed programs, and he was fired in 1956.[5]
In the 1960s, multi-part specials, which aired over several days in a week or on the same day for several weeks, evolved from this format, though these were more commonly calledminiseries. The term "TV special" formerly applied more to dramas or musicals presented live or onvideotape (such asPeter Pan) than to filmed presentations especially made for television, which were (and still are) referred to asmade-for-TV movies.
In the era before cable and home video, television audiences often had to wait an entire year or more to see a special program or film that had a great impact on first viewing. Today,streaming media such asvideo on demand andstreaming television, often makes it possible for viewers to watch a television special again almost immediately after it is aired, and home video—which has largely given way todigital downloads—makes it possible for the general public to own copies of television specials and films.
