A television special (often TV special, or rarely "television
spectacular") is a stand-alone television show which temporarily
interrupts episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time
slot. Specials have been produced which provide a full range of
entertainment and informational value available via the television
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).The types of shows described as television specials
include:The production of early television shows was very expensive,
with few guarantees of public success, and ongoing (weekly) shows
typically required a single, major sponsor 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 as CBS president James 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 like Amahl and the Night Visitors (1951, sponsored by Hallmark
Cards as part of the Hallmark Television Playhouse) and the Ford 50th
Anniversary Show (1953, a two-hour variety show simulcast on both CBS
and NBC).In 1954, NBC president Sylvester Weaver pioneered an
innovative style of programming which he called "spectaculars". 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.
spectacular") is a stand-alone television show which temporarily
interrupts episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time
slot. Specials have been produced which provide a full range of
entertainment and informational value available via the television
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).The types of shows described as television specials
include:The production of early television shows was very expensive,
with few guarantees of public success, and ongoing (weekly) shows
typically required a single, major sponsor 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 as CBS president James 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 like Amahl and the Night Visitors (1951, sponsored by Hallmark
Cards as part of the Hallmark Television Playhouse) and the Ford 50th
Anniversary Show (1953, a two-hour variety show simulcast on both CBS
and NBC).In 1954, NBC president Sylvester Weaver pioneered an
innovative style of programming which he called "spectaculars". 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.
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