Opposite page:

Top right: Dan Friedenzohn, right, with
friend Rick Goren, is catching up on the '80s
hits he missed

Bottom left: 'Ally McBeal" has captured
hearts and viewers among young Jews.

This page:

Left: Young adults like the soap opera-style
melodrama of "Melrose Place."

Middle left: "The Simpsons" haven't lost
favor.

Middle Right: Griffin and Julia on "Party
of Five."

Right: Rachel
and Ross'
mishegoss
intrigues view-
ers.

Far right: A
scene from
"Melrose
Place."

Football," Jody Borock's guy friends
watch "Party" and "Melrose." The 26-
year-old business analyst says she must
tape Fox on Wednesday nights if she's
not home. She also watches
"Melrose," "Ally McBeal," "Friends,"
"ER" and "Seinfeld."
Rob Cohn, 26, of West Bloomfield,
does not have a lot of time for TV, but
he does enjoy "Seinfeld."
"It's intelligent and witty. It's the

best show on TV — if you have a
bad day or good day at work, you
can still come home and laugh."
But not everyone agrees. "I
choose 'Frasier' over 'Seinfeld,'"
says Carl White, 27. "'Seinfeld' —
a show about nothing — is getting
old." White also likes "Caroline in
the City" because "it's the only
comedy that centers on women
that is funny. It doesn't try to tack-

le gigantic issues or take things too
seriously."
Although a hit, "Seinfeld" is not
terribly innovative, according to
Jimmie Reeves, assistant professor at
the School of Mass Communications
at Texas Tech University. Reeves is a
scholarly television critic who writes
about TV for academic journals. "In
some ways 'Seinfeld' is a throwback
to the '60s and '70s — showing
happy people with happy problems.
There are no real serious social issues
taken on. It deals with funny things
like masturbation, but doesn't explore
anti-Semitism like 'All in the Family'
did."
Myndi Grauer, a 24-year-old media
buyer at J. Walter Thompson, says she
watches a lot of TV because it's part of
her job. She enjoys NBC's Thursday
nights, "Party of Five" and "The Drew
Carey Show." "In college we used to
watch '90210' with groups of friends
and eat dinner. Now everyone is so
busy, I'm usually taping things and
watching them later."
According to Reeves, when Fox first
entered the market 10 years ago, no
one expected it to survive. "People
laughed at a fourth network because
network TV was already eroding. Fox
managed to do it with its crazy and
ingenious programming philosophy to
target the youth audience."
There are more shows reaching the
18-24 demographic because advertisers
are interested in the younger market.
"If you are recruiting a consumer
at age 18, there is a good chance
you may have that person buying
your product for 50 years," says
Reeves. "It is also easier to get
people to try out new brands
before they have become loyal to
a specific brand."
There may be Fox and NBC
overkill for some, but others
have their quirky picks. "I watch
`Miami Vice,'" says Aric Melder,
26, of Birmingham. "It's action-
packed and I miss the '80s."
"Charlie Rose" and "Larry
King Live" are Dan
Friedenzohn's top choices. But
the 26-year-old attorney says he
can't get enough of "Dallas"
reruns. "I love 'Dallas.' I started
watching it when I was a kid and
then I kind of grew out of it but
I never found out what hap-
pened so I started watching
again," he says.
Whether a new show or a nos-
talgic series, young adults tune in.
Okay, and some cry.

❑

11/7
1997

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