Somehow Commenters Will Make This Item About Moonlight
CBS has effectively pulled the plug on Swingtown, moving it to Friday at 10pm beginning this week. It started strong, with 8.6 million viewers for its debut, and much more importantly a 2.8 rating in the adults 18-49 demo. However, by last week it had dropped to only 5.32 million viewers, and only an overnight 1.6 demo rating. Demo starved CBS was likely initially elated about the show, but now is resigned to its failure.
An amusingly accurate interpretation of CBS remarks from Tom Jicha at the Sun Sentinel:
CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler said the other day that she is proud of the show but wished it had better ratings.
Translation: We thought we had something, but we were wrong.
And they're giving Flashpoint another chance in Swingtown's old slot Thursday at 10pm. It won its timeslot, but started weaker than Swingtown, with 8.13 million viewers, and an overnight 1.9 demo rating. It slipped to 7.12 million viewers and approximately an overnight 1.5 demo rating in its second airing. That's not a good trend. However, CBS seems to want to give it a chance in a somewhat more viewer rich environment. I wouldn't bet on its success there either, but CBS has little to lose by trying.
I think they should have done this initially. Flashpoint fits much better with CSI than Swingtown did. While Flashpoint might not have a chance at a second season (at least in the US), I do think it will hold more of the CSI lead-in than Swingtown did.
I’m shocked. Not really. It’s shows like Swingtown that makes people think they could make a tv show.
What demo did CBS think would be interested in this show?
Agreed. I suppose they were trying to have a 1-2 punch with Numb3rs on Fridays, but Friday is even more of a graveyard in the summer. With all the reruns showing on other nights, you’d think CBS would be willing to try mixing up the schedule to get some better viewership for these new shows. But no, they’re more interested in spending the summer getting all their old people (who take forever to acclimate to schedule changes) used to the bulk of the timeslots for the fall. Come on CBS, do something different for once!
How can you cancel a summer show? Who watches a show faithfuly in the summer time.
Unlikely that a summer show would be removed from the schedule with new episodes remaining, but it will be “cancelled” in that it won’t return once its episodes finish.
Am I the only one who thinks that these Moonlight commenters are ridiculous?
First and foremost, they had their chance to make a statement. The show’s post-WGA strike return was heavily advertised on a daily basis. CBS promoted the heck out of it and it had a very good lead-in–the subject-appropriate Ghost Whisperer, which has done suitably well in the 18-49 demo for being on CBS and on Friday nights. Moonlight never took off. It started very slow and ended very slow. There was no high point. (At least with Jericho, ratings peaked somewhat halfway through the first season) For these Moonlight fans to make such a big deal about CBS’ decision carries little weight and is frankly, pathetic. Everything about CBS from now on will automatically involve Moonlight & Jericho. Fans need to know when to just give up, especially with a show that had basement ratings from Day One.
As for the swap, I think it’s respectable. Flashpoint easily fits in with CBS’ procedural drama niche and should do respectably after CSI. Frankly, I think this show might actually turn up as a midseason replacement. It’s established, is merely a simulcast from CTV’s airings, and has a similar feel to Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
I do think what’s holding Swingtown back is its raciness. If this program was on Showtime or HBO, there would obviously be suggestive scenes and profanity that would fit in with this kind of lifestyle (and more drugs, one would think). On CBS, it seems as if the inability to actually show what’s going on is holding the show back from a storyline advancement position. The cast is very good and the stories could be much better, but that would only come under the helm of HBO, Showtime, or another high-rate premium net.
CBS seems to have problems with their new programming.
Darn.
Why anyone wants to glorify sexual promiscuity is beyond me. The era of Swinging only led to the spread of STDs and destroyed families.
If CBS had left Moonlight on the TV on Friday nights they wouldn’t be having all these problems. CBS should have listened to their former viewers.
If they want their ratings back they need to bring back Moonlight and all the wonderful writeres and actors.
“If CBS had left Moonlight on the TV on Friday nights they wouldn’t be having all these problems.”
So…if CBS hadn’t canceled Moonlight they wouldn’t have a show on Friday that is showing enough promise to be moved to the prime post-CSI slot? Well, for once I agree with the Moonlight fans.
Or do you think that Swingtown would have gotten better ratings on Thursday if Moonlight was still on Friday? It’s not like Swingtown replaced Moonlight (especially since it was picked up long before Moonlight was canceled). Or do you think they should have stopped showing reruns of Numb3rs and had Moonlight reruns as Flashpoint’s lead-in? Since Numb3rs improved on Moonlight in both viewers and the demo every single week, it seems unlikely that Moonlight reruns would do better than Numb3rs reruns.
I personally think CBS is “circling the drain”. They just don’t offer any quality TV shows that compare to what I can watch on cable networks. I turned off CBS when they cancelled Jericho, Moonlight, and some other shows prior to these. In my opinion, CBS is a cop show, canned laughter, type of production network. This network does not value quality or viewers.
CBS was wrong for not giving Moonlight a chance to grow, instead they put on c**p in its place. CBS deserves what they get….I hope Swingtown and Flashpoint go down the tubes and well as the show that will replace ML in the fall. Nina does not have a clue….all the actors on ML were great, Alex (Mick) was the lead therefore we refer him as the show. I hope another network has the balls to give ML a chance.
A fan of Moonlight
Just getting past what CBS did in the past, if they cared about viewers and ratings they would open their eyes to the huge following of the Twilight series and upcoming movie and get the closest thing to Twilight on the planet back. A good business move would be to have Moonlight waiting for those fans who come out of the theaters in December wanting more. More being a beautiful vampire/mortal romance that can be watched by entire families. The vampire genre is huge in novels and upcoming movies and television, but Moonlight is unique (like Twilight) and is without graphic sex and violence. All prejudices aside for one show or another – if they want ratings and new viewers who are, “as the bloggers like to say” rabid about their shows, the money is to be made by bringing back Moonlight. The newest Twilight trailer is coming up on two million hits – the figures are there, CBS.
I’ll admit, I am a big Moonlight fan and desperately what a home for it – and think CBS really messed up. But that can be fixed, we will come back and watch Moonlight and be very grateful – I only hope CBS reconsiders it – and, yes, especially with the HBO vampire series and Twilight – this is a big deal!!
CBS has made some poor decisions starting with the cancellation of Moonlight. The show had just started hitting its stride and had great potential. I am one of “those Moonlight fans” who still believe that CBS blew it!
Well, you did mention Moonlight first. These two shows are hardly worth commenting. I’m not bothering with any programming on that network any more because If the stories turned out to be any good, the network would just cancel them like they canceled Jerico and Moonlight.
Apparently some of these recent posters haven’t bothered to read the title of this article, probably not even the article itself which doesn’t even mention Moonlight, or the writer’s prediction that is unfortunately coming to fruition…
“Somehow Commenters Will Make This Item About Moonlight”
Must you be so transparent? Have a little respect for the writer in that he’s trying to discuss something ELSE, and that is Swingtown and Flashpoint.
Casey, whether he’ll ever admit it or not, Bill Gorman will read your comment, smile from ear to ear, and shake his head in violent agreement. I wish I could get a picture of it and post it on the blog!
Thank you.
Moonlight fans, we don’t hate you and we’re sorry that your favorite show got cancelled. Seriously. But, the same comments over and over again, and hijacking any comment thread related to CBS — while to be expected, does get old for us fast sometimes.
One more MOONLIGHT fan who hopes CBS or some other network will pick up Moonlight. some people may not care for it, but millions of us do. WE NEED OUR SHOW BACK! CBS would be wise to join in the Vampire resurgence and bring Moonlight back.
I am not surprised Swington is going down the drain. People who want to watch that kind of show will not see what they want because it is not on cable. People who think swinging is horrible will not watch the show period. So who exactly was their audience supposed to be? If CBS had really been committed to this show, they would have put it on their Showtime network.
Honestly I don’t like to see any show fail because I love entertainment. That said Swingtown just never made sense to me. The storyline was just old and boring. I’m not sorry to see it go. Maybe Flashpoint will find some viewers on Thursdays.