MTV’s “Teen Wolf” is the latest scripted cable drama getting the after show treatment in what’s becoming a growing trend.
The half-hour “Wolf Watch,” announced last weekend at Comic-Con, is set to kick off the second half of “Teen Wolf’s” third season Jan. 6.
It now joins companion shows that have come into vogue since AMC launched “The Walking Dead” after show “Talking Dead” in 2011, then adding “Talking Bad” for the final eight episodes of “Breaking Bad.”
Earlier this fall, FX premiered an online after show for “Sons of Anarchy” called “Anarchy Afterword,” airing after three episodes this season.
And though it now airs five night a week, Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live” has its roots as an online-only companion show for “Top Chef” (which eventually morphed into after shows for Bravo’s “Real Housewives” franchise).
“We found there’s a huge appetite for information that you can’t fit in the shows. The fans go nuts,” says Mina Lefevre, head of scripted development at MTV. “After you’ve watched the show you’re left with this ‘oh my God’ moment. As a fan, you want to talk about the show and an after show fulfills that need.”
“Wolf Watch” will be hosted by Jill Wagner, who played Kate Argent on the series (she was killed off), and will give fans insight into the show, feature guest appearances by cast members sharing behind-the-scenes dish and will include celebrity super fans. “She’s truly a fan of the show and all the mythology and she also brings a little bit of an insider perspective because she was on the show,” Lefevre says.
Though MTV has aired occasional live specials for “Jersey Shore” and “Teen Mom,” “Teen Wolf,” with its heavy lore, was the first to lend itself to a regular after show.
As TV networks seek to stanch the flow toward time-shifted viewing, a live after show is a way to make an “event” out of a scripted series that might otherwise end up on the DVR. It’s also a way to keep the conversation going after the credits roll — watch the show live, with the bonus of sharing immediately in the discussion on air and on social platforms ( Facebook and Twitter). And many fans are biting. Five million viewers tuned into “Talking Dead” on Sunday following “The Walking Dead” Season Four premiere, a record for the show. “Teen Wolf” saw strong ratings for its previous live specials, with Lefevre hoping “Wolf Watch” “can continue in that trend.”
Though “Anarchy Afterword” is archived online so fans can watch at their leisure, live viewing offers the opportunity to call in and have a question answered by creator Kurt Sutter or a cast member.
“It gives them a chance to be engaged and excited about what they just witnessed and have a community to share that with,” says Chuck Saftler, president of program strategy and and COO of FX Networks.
“There are many ways to do that these days — this just gives you a little bit more of an interactive way to do it with real people.”