Comments on: Nielsen Ratings: May 16, 2008: Au Revoir Moonlight

By: Debbie

Debbie — Sun, 25 May 2008 03:29:41 +0000

I may be naive-but I just don't get it. The network has to make money,got that, but there is SO MUCH really bad television out there. Why would you drop a program that has held its own, has class and even more possibities to show ,after one season? Is it smart to spend money on a new project when you have a diamond like MOONLIGHT right in front you? Moonlight , you will be missed. May the powers that be reconsider.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Sat, 24 May 2008 22:29:41 +0000

By: swiss100

swiss100 — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:03:14 +0000

Shonda,
I feel your pain…the best we can hope for is another network picking the show up. That said, there are hurdles to climb, one of them being Alex O's contractural ties to CBS which could preclude him from participating in Moonlight. Another is the fact that the show is expensive to produce relative to programming on CW or SciFi (many shows made in Canada)…not to say it can't be done and so far, WB has yet to pull down the sets or told the organizers of the crusade to stop. Clearly, somebody is listening and there are efforts to save the show. We can hope, but we have to be real too, it's long odds.

By: shonda

shonda — Tue, 20 May 2008 06:17:20 +0000

When one is discussing vampires DEAD isnt an option. Vampires live forever!!! I don't understand the business side of all of this, but I know that I enjoyed watching Moonlight every single Friday night. I am hoping someone else picks up the show or CBS comes to its senses. I for one will not be watching anything on CBS, this was the one and only show I enjoyed on their network, so its not a stretch to say I wont be watching. Hope they realize the mistake they made. Women wanting to watch more women??? Ha what a joke!!!! Someone needs to get a reality check and I dont mean that crappy reality tv either.

By: Guess Who

Guess Who — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:21:39 +0000

Moonlight is dead and buried. It aint coming back now matter how many bags of blood are donated. After the Jericho fiasco where the ballyhooed NUTS Campaign resulted in the loss of millions of viewers the networks arent going to listen to a few hundreds crazed fans no matter what they do.

By: Jen

Jen — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:47:36 +0000

Negative people need to get a life. When your done working your part time job at stop and shop, pursue another career, instead of pretending like you know who the TV industy operates. Its foolish of you to stop a herd of Online fans trying to save their show. I never saw moonlight but must agree that I never saw any advertisments for it. Except for in TV guide, Who I think gets it right more then this site does! And as someone before me said, this isnt suppose to be a mean-spirited message, im just a no-it-all with a comptuer and internet access.

By: Pat

Pat — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:37:00 +0000

So CBS replaced C2H, which did better than the two other Friday night shows, from what you are saying? In a year without a writer’s strike. That doesn’t make great business sense… In terms of Moonlight. Granted the numbers are not HUGE like a few of CBSs shows and the big shows on other networks. But I would like to point out that Moonlights numbers stayed fairly consistent across the season. From the beginning of last fall’s season to the most recent episode data, CSI , an established show, has *lost* almost as many viewers as Moonlight had, that’s -28% total -40% for the sacred 18-49 demo. House is down 5 million, that’s -28% total and -35% of 18-49. Grey’s Anatomy down almost 5 million, that’s -25% total and -28% of the 18-49 demo. So there’s a bleeding of viewers going on across the networks and the biggest shows on TV. Why not keep a show that was doing well (not GREAT) in it’s time slot and give it time (and promotion!) to grow.

By: Pat

Pat — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:37:00 +0000

By: nat

nat — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:29:00 +0000

Wow, it looks like all the networks are suffering, viewers seem to be slipping through their fingers! I wonder if the Writer’s Strike has had a lasting effect on them? I have to say I’m disappointed that moonlight hasn’t been given a chance for a 2nd season. I don’t know if this new program CBS are putting in the 9pm timeslot will do any better, it seems like a one season plot to me! And how exactly is it designed for women, the clip I’ve seen so far just shows women…no men… I’m not sure the idea of a women chasing after a man, for a whole season, really makes me feel all that empowered!

By: nat

nat — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:29:00 +0000

By: JanSwear

JanSwear — Mon, 19 May 2008 01:38:40 +0000

Please bring back Moonlight.

JanSwear
janice@gddsco.com

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 19 May 2008 01:37:00 +0000

I can’t believe CBS canceled Moonlight. I feel the TV networks don’t care what the viewers really like.

Janice Swearengin
janice@gdssco.com
256-882-2361

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 19 May 2008 01:37:00 +0000

I can’t believe CBS canceled Moonlight. I feel the TV networks don’t care what the viewers really like.

Janice Swearengin
janice@gdssco.com
256-882-2361

By: Laura

Laura — Sun, 18 May 2008 23:24:00 +0000

I think CBS could have gone either way on Moonlight, and that in the end it was a judgment call on their part. I understand them wanting to change the overall balance of their weekly schedule, but I disagree with how they chose to do it. Still, I’m not giving up on the chance of getting Moonlight back in some form, or on some network. Frankly, I’d watch it if it were Internet only.

By: Laura

Laura — Sun, 18 May 2008 23:24:00 +0000

By: Audra

Audra — Sun, 18 May 2008 19:18:11 +0000

I think CBS canceling MOONLIGHT is the biggest mistake that this network ever made and I pray that some other network picks this series up because I feel that CBS killed it before it really took off.

SHAME ON YOU CBS SHAME ON YOU ALL

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:49:00 +0000

Belle, NBC has tried the strategy of rerunning shows during the week (all Law & Order Saturday), as has ABC (with Grey’s and Desperate Housewives) and the CW does it as well. Ratings wise, it hasn’t been a winning strategy for the nets with most of the encores doing very badly. Theoretically, the broadcast nets should be trying to maximize their scale with shows that can reach at least 10 million. But that theory of scale seems to be a thing of the past.

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:49:00 +0000

By: belle

belle — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:02:00 +0000

House is a big hit and stars Brit Hugh Laurie.

Anyway, Moonlight was a phenomenon as far as developing a fandom, and is an entertaining way to spend a Friday night. I’m off the beloved demo, being much too old, but hey, and must wonder why don’t advertisers want my money. My usual Friday schedule this season has been Moonlight at 9, taping Dr. Who; Battlestar Galactica at 10:00, taping Numb3rs, sometimes tape or watch the Sci-Fi shows after 11. The big 3 networks should take a scheduling hint from cable and show some of their shows more than once a week.

By: belle

belle — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:02:00 +0000

House is a big hit and stars Brit Hugh Laurie.

By: Peter L

Peter L — Sun, 18 May 2008 15:54:00 +0000

Katarzyna, you’re making a lot of assumptions here. First of all, you’re assuming that the same people that watch GW watch Numb3rs as well. Although I’m sure there are millions, there are not 8 million, or even 7 million. They attract two different crowds. I myself (being in the 18-34 male demo) only watch Moonlight (rare from I what read) and Numb3rs. My friends and co-workers don’t watch either because most of them are tired of police and detective dramas. While my small circle of friends in the middle of New York is by no means even close to the measure of other circles around the states, I think I can confidently say that the idea of a group (if it exists) of ignorant Americans boycotting television because of foreign actors is completely inane. Why didn’t they boycott the Office, a direct product of British TV? Moreover, I am avid TV watcher and only knew Sophia Myles was British because she was in an episode of Doctor Who (a British show…) and had no idea Alex O’Loughlin was Aussie until I read your post. I wouldn’t believe everything you read in the comments of blogs…

This post isn’t intended to mean-spirited, I hope it doesn’t sound that way, I just wanted to get my opinion across…

By: Peter L

Peter L — Sun, 18 May 2008 15:54:00 +0000

This post isn’t intended to mean-spirited, I hope it doesn’t sound that way, I just wanted to get my opinion across…

By: bristol

bristol — Sun, 18 May 2008 13:28:00 +0000

Please CBS bring back Moonlight that season finale was the best. Can’t believe I will never see Mick and Beth again. This truely is the only show I watch except Nascar. What would it cost to bring Moonlight back?

By: bristol

bristol — Sun, 18 May 2008 13:28:00 +0000

By: Gwen

Gwen — Sun, 18 May 2008 12:52:00 +0000

It isn’t like Moonlight was the only show that lost viewers in that slot this year. Both the Price is Right and Ghost Whisperer lost viewers when in that slot and had the number rebound for Numb3rs.

By: Gwen

Gwen — Sun, 18 May 2008 12:52:00 +0000

By: Katarzyna

Katarzyna — Sun, 18 May 2008 12:14:00 +0000

Never say never… BTW, have you ever tried to find the reasons why “Moonlight” didn’t do as well as it theoretically should? Reading people’s comments on TV Guide’s Matt Roush article about “Moonlight ” cancellation I’ve read the comment which made me really sick, but if you think further about it, this could be the reason why SOME people who were watching Ghost Whisperer went somewhere else for an hour and returned for Numb3rs. That person – he or she, no idea, said that he/she don’t want Australian and British actors on her/his TV screen in American show. Alex O’Loughlin is Australian, Sophie Myles is a Brit, in last Friday’s episode there were two more Aussies – wonderful Claudia Black (why the hell CBS didn’t advertise her presence in this episode, they should know that she has quite big fan base – FARSCAPE, Stargate SG-1?) and Jonathan LaPaglia. I’m pretty certain that there are much more Americans simply boycotting Aussie/British actors in American shows and this is the main reason why “Moonlight” was loosing audience in comparison to GW and Numb3rs. I’m not familiar with these shows, but I’m pretty sure that their cast are all Americans, right?

By: Katarzyna

Katarzyna — Sun, 18 May 2008 12:14:00 +0000

By: Mike d

Mike d — Sun, 18 May 2008 06:34:17 +0000

The Gladiator promos for “the beast” look like something made for the WWE, I think this show would be better off made for cable.

By: Josh

Josh — Sun, 18 May 2008 04:04:00 +0000

I can’t wait for WWE Friday Night Smackdown to move to MyNetworkTV so then MyNetworkTV can beat The CW in the ratings. Maybe next season MyNet will be in the fast national ratings.

By: lunarlover

lunarlover — Sun, 18 May 2008 02:55:00 +0000

I agree. Maybe it’s time for the CW to focus less on its younger viewers (it has difficult to measure their numbers and how to advertise to) and go with Moonlight fans who have already committed to support any network that will pick up the show. We do realize this is a business as well and want adverisers to “buy” into the show too. Our money will go with Moonlight.

By: Bill Gorman

Bill Gorman — Sun, 18 May 2008 00:21:00 +0000

LSW, I think the narrow 18-34 emphasis [and female 18-34 at that] by the CW is relatively unique to them among broadcast networks.

The other networks and their advertisers seem to value adults 18-49 [although Les Moonves at CBS will say he targets 25-54 because that's what he gets].

Thing is, that’s not new. That emphasis on the age demographic group has been around for a very long time.

You could argue that emphasis is driving folks outside the demo to cable, and you may be right. But I think the broadcasters are just trying to deliver the maximum number of what their advertisers want.

And those advertisers want adults 18-49.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 17 May 2008 23:56:00 +0000

I think broadcast television needs to “shift its paradigm”. From the entertainment news I’ve been reading, the 18-34 crowd that CW and other broadcast networks are trying to cater to are not into traditional television viewing but in watching shows online. So it seems like broadcast television is abandoning the middle aged and older audience that is comfortable with television for one that is just not interested. I think they should shift their focus to making shows online for the younger crowd and shows on television for us old fogeys.

After a few more years, there just may not be a desire for broadcast television anyway. Until this television season, I had gotten away from broadcast television and was watching mainly cable networks. This year broadcast offered some interesting looking series like Moonlight, Journeyman, Chuck, Pushing Daisies, etc. and so I tuned in again.

It just seems like between broadcast, cable, and the internet that a show like Moonlight with a loyal audience of seven to eight million viewers should be able to find a home.

By: angie

angie — Sat, 17 May 2008 23:09:00 +0000

Why is it that when a show doesn’t do well, fans automatically start blaming 1) the time slot and 2) promotion and 3) the ratings system? It’s like irate fans read from a manual or something! It sucks to lose a show you like (how about SciFi abruptly canceling Farscape? That still pisses me off), however, at some point logic must kick in. If people want to watch something, they will find a way no matter what.

That said, there’s no point in even trying to get Moonlight onto the CW. First, it’s owned by CBS, which is controlled by Les Moonves, who also therefore controls the CW, and who pulled the plug. Also, Moonves isn’t going to make the same mistake twice, by listening to fans’ clamoring and bringing back a show and then having them not tune in. Jericho fans gave every sci-fi genre fan a bad name. No thanks to them, we’ll likely never get a network to respond to fan furor again. And secondly, the CW only has one more year in it. As I said months ago when the WB launched its own online streaming venture, they are going to pull out next year and that will be the end of the network.

By giving Dawn Ostroff control, Les Moonves ran the network into the ground. They aren’t just targeting younger audiences–they are apparently targeting younger, STUPID, audiences. Farmer Wants a Wife? Even young people want quality program, not the trash the CW is spawning. Apparantly Dawn Ostroff & Co. is incapable of understanding this, and because of that, the network is doomed. Anything that moves to that station will die with it.

I will mourn the loss of Supernatural. However, I will not go nutso over campaigning to get it back. At the end of the day, it’s just a t.v. show.

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Sat, 17 May 2008 22:26:00 +0000

It doesn’t matter what the media says really. Les Moonves is involved heavily in the decision making process too apparently, so I consider it obvious that both Dawn Ostroff and Nina Tassler have the green light on the Fall schedule. Does that mean they won’t look back someday and think, “Wish we’d have done XYZ?” Of course not. And it doesn’t mean that by November they won’t completely overhaul the C-dub again, but by then Sophia Myles is very likely to have her next job. So I really don’t see any way the show airs on the CW. Let me reiterate: I think there is no chance of that outcome.

Nikki Finke’s last report on Moonlight was that it’s dead, dead, not coming back to life, dead. I wish I didn’t agree with her and I’m sorry for the fans of the show.

By: Rafferty Rulz

Rafferty Rulz — Sat, 17 May 2008 22:06:00 +0000

Dear Mr. Seidman:

You may or may not be right regarding Moonlight going to TheCW, if as you said they are skewing a younger audience. However, I would ask you to read the following WSJ article about the state of TheCW

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121089546043097065.html?mod=hps_us_whats_news

Nina Tassler might say no to Moonlight going to TheCW, but wouldn’t you agree that Dawn Ostroff, a longtime associate and protégé of Les Moonves, might see an opportunity to stop the bleeding (TheCW has lost $2 billion and 22% of its audience) since its inception.

Moonlight has a core audience of approximately 8 million fans. Even Nikki Finke, deadlinehollywood, reported that Moonlight has more than twice the number of viewers than Gossip Girl which could make Moonlight the most watched show on TheCW.

I believe I read someone commenting that the cancelling of Moonlight by CBS was a business decision. I contend that a network currently loosing money, viewers and one of its lynch-pin shows (Smallville), which will be going into its 8th and possibly last season, picking up Moonlight would make a good business decision. It’s a production of Warner Bros which co-owns TheCW, Moonlight has an audience that will follow it to TheCW, regardless of the viewers age. I would suspect those numbers would attract advertisers and with Twilight hitting the theaters in December 2008, I believe TheCW could use Moonlight to piggyback on the frenzy that movie will create.

Just so you know, I’ve appreciated your support of Moonlight and look forward to reading your comments.

By: Polly

Polly — Sat, 17 May 2008 21:15:00 +0000

Bill – Thanks for your link on the New York Times article about the upfronts. Very interesting. Sounds like the advertisers weren’t that impressed?

This comment probably doesn’t go on this post, but don’t know where else to put it. Always enjoy the variety of links that you and Robert provide.

By: Doug

Doug — Sat, 17 May 2008 21:12:00 +0000

Regardless of ML’s ratings, it’s dead. Over. Poof. Gone. Get over it, because it’s not coming back. After the Jericho fiasco of last year, nobody is going to pick up a marginal show again after cancelling it because fans are “upset.” Because in reality, those “upset” fans may constitute 10% of the show’s audience.

Regardless of what you may think, ML’s ratings aren’t great, and they’d be much worse if it was not hamlocked between two hit-ish series. CBS’s Friday night fortunes are stagnating and it’s not going to turn that around by renewing the weakest show on the night.

By: Rob

Rob — Sat, 17 May 2008 21:02:00 +0000

Gwen-no matter how you see it Moonlight’s numbers are bad. You compare it with GW. Moonlight bing a 9pm show should do better than GW, and it consistently lost about a million from its lead-in.

By: Gwen

Gwen — Sat, 17 May 2008 20:55:00 +0000

Rob- (not Robert) GW is not slightly down from last year – it is way down. It’s 2006 premier was 10.3 million viewers, It’s 2007 premier was 8.7 million viewers. That is a drop of over 15%. This happened in late October 2. For Friday October 19, 2007 GW had 8.92 million viewers and 2.4/9 in the demo. Compare that to a year earlier and GW was averaging 10.27 million viewers and 3.0/11. If you compare finales part 2 of the season finale for GW aired on 5/11/07 and received 9.09 million viewers with 2.6/11 in the demo. This year 8.36 and 2.0 in the demo. That is a decrease of 8%. That is more than a slight drop.

Moonlight has also stayed more constant since the end of the writer’s strike. Ghost Whisper lost 7.1% of its viewers from its post strike premier on April 25. Moonlight has only lost 5.4% of its total viewers.

By: Polly

Polly — Sat, 17 May 2008 20:53:00 +0000

Rob – I guess that was the point I was making when I referred to Grey’s and CSI numbers. I really don’t like looking at C2H because no one knows how it would have performed this year. I agree with Moonlights numbers. I was just hoping in light of the strike that CBS would take (the strike) that into consideration. I think when you have a show off air for months and then let it be known that it is “on the bubble” it’s a little unrealistic to expect it to perform better than it did before. Especially when most of your other shows are not performing better and you can’t point to the BBT numbers because it had already been renewed so viewers weren’t leary of watching it. JMO

By: Rob

Rob — Sat, 17 May 2008 20:20:00 +0000

Polly, 700000 for GW and 200000 for Numbers is not a big drop, especially when you compare it to other shows. The same for the demos. Numbers hardly dropped at all However Moonlight lost from C2H 3 million viewers and 0.8 in demos. And again that has happened to a show that CBS hoped it would bring good 18-49 numbers. If Moonlight would’ve gotten 6 million viewers but 2.5 in demos CBS would’ve renwed the show without a doubt. But unfortunately for the show it skewed amazingly old

By: Polly

Polly — Sat, 17 May 2008 20:15:00 +0000

Rob- I guess my interpretation of slight is a little different because a drop off of 700,000 viewers from last year seems like a lot to me. However, in light of the CSI and Grey’s drop offs in the millions maybe slight is the right word. The demo drop off is still troubling though.

By: Rob

Rob — Sat, 17 May 2008 20:11:42 +0000

Somwe Moonlight fans should pay a visit to a specialist or something. Offending someone just beacause offers some data that is not to their liking is insane

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Sat, 17 May 2008 20:07:00 +0000

Peter, I didn’t see any preliminary data for the NBA games on ESPN last night. Based on past weeks the Friday games on ESPN have been averaging roughly 2.8m-3.6m.

Katarzyna, the ratings are live plus same day DVR viewing. Figure the additional six days will add roughly another 500,000 viewers (a little over a million total, but half of them or so occur within the same day). Numb3rs and Ghost Whisperer both had more DVR viewers than Moonlight in the live plus seven day DVR viewing results.

By: Moonlight Forever

Moonlight Forever — Sat, 17 May 2008 20:02:00 +0000

Go to hell, Rob. Moonlight wasn’t promoted well even before they cancelled. Additionally, it has a notoriously difficult hour for any show. Moonlight was never given a fair chance. In view of it’s challenges, 7.56 is incredibly successful.

By: Becky Key

Becky Key — Sat, 17 May 2008 19:55:00 +0000

Moonlight has consistently won its time slot and continues to do so! CBS should have never canceled this show. All across the networks, television viewing numbers are down compared to January. Taking this into consideration, the percentage that Monnlight’s numbers are down is miniscule compared to other shows, including Ghost Whisperer. Also, during the month of May colleges and high schools are having graduations on Friday night so the slightly lower numbers could be caused by this.

Last night’s Moonlight episode, titled, “Sonata,” was superb! The show is really hitting its stride now and this episode did not disappoint. Even my skeptical husband started watching these last four new episodes and he likes the show because it has action, drama and humor.

Moonlight fans are not giving up on this fantastic show. We are fighting to keep it alive by presenting it to other networks…and there ARE other networks interested. We will have to see what plays out but know that Moonlight fans are unlike other fans, we are determined, dedicated, “rabid” and do not give up easily. Almost 8 million fans WILL follow Moonlight to whichever network seizes the opportunity to obtain this terrific show!

By: Rob

Rob — Sat, 17 May 2008 19:46:00 +0000

These are “live+same day DVR” results. But don’t worry, DVR numbers and TIVO numbers don’t have a lot of influence, probably half a million more viewers for a show like Moonlight

By: Katarzyna

Katarzyna — Sat, 17 May 2008 19:42:00 +0000

Are these “Moonlight” ratings only for watching LIVE? What about TiVo’s, DVRs and people watching the episode later on CBS’ website? Do they also count?

By: Peter L

Peter L — Sat, 17 May 2008 19:41:00 +0000

Robert, any idea what ESPN’s ratings were with the double header of the NBA playoffs? I’d imagine most men in the demo would have tuned into those and ignored American Gladiators and Dodgeball, which would account for the dismal ratings and demo.

Too bad about Moonlight, it was a good show. I don’t know that I’d want a second season. Revived shows never have the intensity they once did…