Networks rely on reboots, franchises amid streaming’s rise

As the TV industry rushes into the future with streaming services, traditional broadcasters unveiled 2021-22 schedules that rely heavily on familiar series brands and reboots of decades-old shows.

There’s even a two-fer based on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” the Las Vegas-set forensics drama that dazzled viewers when it arrived in 2000. Get ready for “CSI: Vegas,” a CBS remake complete with original stars William Petersen and Jorja Fox and, in a sign of diversity progress, Black actor Paula Newsome as the lead investigator.

The annual network tradition of wooing potential ad buyers with lavish New York City presentations of upcoming shows and their stars was reduced by COVID to a virtual presentation for the second year.

But a deeper disruption came with the announcement that Discovery and WarnerMedia plan to merge, adding yet another media behemoth with streaming services — Discovery+ and HBO Max — to the fray that began with Netflix.

The broadcast networks aren’t merely on the sidelines. Most are aligned with streaming services through their corporate owners, such as Disney’s ABC and Disney+, which means they’re both competing and cooperating.

The strategy to double-down on standard network fare comes as lavish streamed shows including “The Crown” draw critical acclaim, Emmy Awards and subscribers. But it’s ad dollars that the networks need, and they’re uniquely positioned to provide the mass audiences that justify them.