With the broadcast television season winding down and most scripted series about to go into hibernation for the summer, it's instructive to look at the power of network franchises.
Of the Nielsen company's 20 most popular scripted series on the air last week, 12 were parts of franchises — the three “Chicago” dramas on NBC, the three “FBI” shows on CBS, for example. That's without counting the CBS comedy “Young Sheldon,” even though it began life as a spinoff to “The Big Bang Theory.”
