I hate to burst everyone's bubble, but the latest statistics show that sex isn't selling well for prime time TV. Shows like Skin, Coupling and the like are all getting the canceled. My thought is that those kind of shows are for people who can't afford pay-per-view.
So here are some of my musings about what might be a successful TV show.
1. Characters with depth and actors that can actually act well enough to portray that.
2. Actors that are hot, though not breaking the first rule.
3. Mix of humor and drama in good proportion.
4. Clever, witty humor sells better than slapstick or silly humor.
5. Drama that can make you feel like all of your friends and family have died.
6. Action and lots of movement on screen.
7. Relationship issues that make you want to kill one character or another.
8. The show should make you want to yell at your TV set as though it could do something about what you're watching, yet you still don't change the channel.
9. Being slightly educational helps make the viewer feel less guilty about watching the show. Couse, you don't have to really teach anything, just make the audience feel like they might be learning something.