GSN spends some money

Have to admit I didn't see this one coming. Seems like too much money for our little game show network. And GSN has lately emphasized traditional game shows.

But the network just plunked down some coin for seasons 4-14 of Dancing With the Stars. Might miss my guess, but I'd say the show will easily become GSN's highest-rated. Lately, any show that gets 500K viewers can claim that distinction. And DWTS should be able to clear that low hurdle with a dazzling leap. Even in its most recent, not so hot season, the show can pull around twenty million folks.

DWTS also skews toward those "adult female" demos we've heard so much about lately, so it should fit right in with GSN's audience. I'm sure that the GSN Internet boards will erupt with it's-not-a-game-show yelps, and I don't intend to watch the show myself. But the hoofers should definitely help the network's numbers.

The danger is ridiculous scheduling that burns out the show, just as Amazing Race expired a few years ago on GSN. Not really sure how the show will fit into the network's current checkerboard schedule. We'll see starting in January.

As with Improv-a-Ganza, I'm worried about the show succeeding all too well, and GSN crowding more non-traditional stuff onto the network. Improv-a-Ganza flopped big because it was a demo misfit for GSN. But I doubt the dancers will stumble nearly as badly.