Basic-cable shows are multiplying -- and changing the way TV is made

Hidden in the higher reaches of the TV remote, prime-time cable series like "Drop Dead Diva," "Army Wives," "Sons of Anarchy" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" are reinventing the way TV is made.

For years, the few original scripted shows on basic cable were considered the industry's minor leagues. Shows like "Monk" and "The Shield" won some awards and critical pats on the head, but they were anomalies. Now, as the media landscape changes and viewers flock to shows they like wherever they air, series on basic cable are still a junior circuit compared with the networks, but their universe keeps expanding, attracting better talent and growing in vibrancy. Once the province of reruns and sports, basic-cable networks will spend an estimated $23 billion on 1,462 original programs (including reality shows and specials), compared with $14 billion on 863 shows in 2005, research firm SNL Kagan reports. Many of these shows were rejected by the networks, often because they weren't broad-based enough to appeal to more than a niche audience. Now cable, with its narrower demographics, is trying to turn this to its advantage.

"Broadcast used to be like the sun, and everything else was the satellites around the sun. Now, I feel like the sun has exploded and no one knows how many little solar systems will be formed," says Jeff Melvoin, producer of "Army Wives" on Lifetime.