Comments on: Tuesday Ratings: Fringe Returns Even, Cupid Misses Badly

By: Ratings Results for the Week of April 5th – Heading into the Home Stretch « Axiom’s Edge Network Ratings Tracker

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:41:47 +0000

[...] so the numbers are a bit misleading (what I have posted are from Mediaweek, TV by the Numbers has it at a 3.8 in the 18-49 demographic). Ignore Yahoo TV’s claim that this show might be in trouble. It [...]

By: adam

adam — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:54:14 +0000

i swore i wouldnt watch fringe because of joshua jackson. well nothing else was on that interested me (first episode ) so i tuned in. IT WAS AWSOME ! i was stunned by my own reaction to this program. to bad it was pre-empted by the crapfest of AI . i am overjoyed by its return .

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:18:36 +0000

i do watch 90210 but i tape it cause i watch Fringe and tape The Mentlist

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:13:21 +0000

I’m glad to see that 90210 went up a notch because after its 7 week hiatus its really made some major improvements and is a good show now!!!

please everyone give it a try!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE!

By: Bad Robot !

Bad Robot ! — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:34:50 +0000

The first few episode of FRINGE werent that good, but its gotten way better since then once they started connecting some of the dots and how the whole thing ties together where its inferred a parallel universe Earth “that is slightly ahead of our own” is preparing action against our Earth.

This weeks episode was ok, but seemed more like filler. Though “The Observer” probably from the other Earth standing by the side of the road was very creepy. Question is will that guy ever crack a smile? Even a malevolent one?

By: Richard Steven Hack

Richard Steven Hack — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:48:59 +0000

I see I have an obsessed fan of my own.

The drawbacks of being a one second celebrity by having my name used on Terminator! LOL!

By: ThePattern

ThePattern — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:10:17 +0000

I’m an X Files fan and I love Fringe!

By: igotid88

igotid88 — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 06:48:22 +0000

The first Cupid was way better.

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:02:54 +0000

for those asking about Rescue Me numbers for Tuesday night, it averaged 2.3 million. more info here:

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/04/08/rescue-me-returns-to-solid-numbers/16348

By: Carol

Carol — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:54:47 +0000

I see Fringe being renewed based on its ratings but to me it’s one of the worst written, acted, and storyline shows I’ve seen in years. I only watched the first couple of episodes and it was so bad that it was almost comical. The female lead can’t act and has no chemistry at all with her leading man. As a SCIFI fan, I considered it one of the worst pieces of tripe I’ve seen in a long time and an insult to compare it to The X-Files. However, it seems to have gotten the ratings so I don’t get why its fans are complaining.

By: jay

jay — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:02:15 +0000

Even if Castle is renewed, what kind of a hollow victory will that be? Maybe it gets 13 episodes for the fall when Idol’s not on. It limps along, a pitiful cripple and bottomfeeder with no real fan base and 0% chance of a syndication deal or a third season. Why? Because Cupid is too hideous to ever get back on the air. Whomever said (jokingly?) mABC should duplicate NBC’s Leno stunt may just be on to something.

By: Boris

Boris — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:07:22 +0000

“I find it hard to comprehend why show schedulers seem to have no sense of maintaining a show’s momentum.”

You are too kind to them, Guruji.

By: Richard Steven Hack

Richard Steven Hack — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:02:20 +0000

While the Fringe episode last night was fine, it did nothing to carry along the overall story arc. It was purely stand-alone, although they threw in “The Observer” at the end to somehow connect him to the kid.

I kinda got the implication that the kid was somehow a younger version of “The Observer” – because both are bald and both have the capacity to sense what you’re thinking and feeling – although The Observer can vocalize it. Given The Observer’s connection with the underground “missile” in a previous episode, I suspect we’re seeing some sort of “underground civilization”/”Shaver Mystery” stuff on the horizon at some point. (For those not used to insane conspiracy theories, look up the “Shaver Mystery” via Google.)

This was a bit surprising to me since Fringe was on hiatus and the first story when back did not carry on the momentum of the last story before they went on hiatus. This is the same mistake TSCC made when it returned from a two-month hiatus and spend three episodes literally wallowing in Sarah Connor’s problems. I find it hard to comprehend why show schedulers seem to have no sense of maintaining a show’s momentum.

Apparently the reason the Fringe numbers were good is because the last episode before the hiatus prompted viewers to make sure to check in for the first return episode. We’ll have to see what happens next week – whether the numbers stay the same or get better if the show promises a return to the mythology rather than a stand alone episode.

Anna Torv is one of the better things about the show, although some people apparently don’t like her acting. I find her believable, and probably the nicest rendition of an FBI agent in agency history, better than Dana Scully. And I can’t stand FBI agents!

Walter had the best line last night concerning his penis! I always look forward to his social gaffes and his son’s reactions!

By: clutz

clutz — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:07:18 +0000

Yay for Fringe! IMHO, forget AI and focus on the 9:30 half hour. With even numbers after an eight-week hiatus, plus the Nimoy gossip, Fringe is looking good.

I really enjoyed last night’s ep, although I had hoped for more father-son scenes with Joshua Jackson and John Noble. Anna Torv performed fairly well. She seems suited to working with child costars. The “connection” vibe was carried along nicely, both with mystery kid and with her niece.

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:00:44 +0000

chances of Fringe being paired with Dollhouse for the 2009-2010 season: 0%!

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:58:13 +0000

wow, Ausiello claimed exclusive in the URL (but not in the actual post). I had a post up about it at the same time as Ausiello:

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/04/08/stunt-casting-leonard-nimoy-to-appear-on-fringe/16301

but this news was broken (EXCLUSIVELY — before everyone else hopped on) hours before by http://spoilers.fringetelevision.com/2009/04/fringetelevision-exclusive-leonard.html. At least Korbi at Zap2it had the courtesy to cite the original source. Not so for Ausiello who still has an SEO headline that includes the word exclusive.

Note to Bill: insert EXCLUSIVE into SEO titles for renew or cancel posts

By: ThePattern

ThePattern — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:54:11 +0000

Chad, they should pair Dollhouse with Fringe on Tuesday Nights. Rumor has it according to Nick C., that Kevin Reilly wants to renew it despite bad ratings. I’m thinking they might try Dollhouse and Fringe as two compatible lead-ins.

By: ThePattern

ThePattern — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:50:48 +0000

Also, Spoiler Alert! Leonard Nimoy will be joining the cast of Fringe as William Bell!

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/04/exclusive-fring.html

By: Chad

Chad — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:47:51 +0000

With the shuffling next Fall, they may give Fringe a scripted lead-in that’s a bit more targeted to the specific audience. I understand 498 million people watch AI, but it doesn’t feel like it’s the same crowd that would watch a scifi genre show.

Fringe was a bit boring last night. I’m never a big fan of kid or baby centric type episodes. I always hated it when they did those on Stargate SG:1 and its spinoff show Atlantis.

By: sam

sam — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:59:31 +0000

NBC almost came in 2nd for the night

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:50:46 +0000

The “Fringe is not doing well” meme has been floating around since November; the idea is not that the show’s ratings are doing poorly, but that they are not doing well vs. the price Fox pays for it. Add in some residual resentment from other show partisans about Fringe’s cushy scheduling (after House & AI) – “Fringe should be a bigger hit with those lead-ins!”, and there’s your meme.

That said, this is Fox – they’re willing to pay that rate for another live-action show that people will bother watching before January (they’re up to 3! Maybe even 4!), for now.

By: Ricardo

Ricardo — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:43:58 +0000

Logan, anyone who created Veronica Mars has to be considered a genius.

By: Logan

Logan — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:33:43 +0000

So glad Cupid crashed and burned. Rob Thomas is a hack who keeps bringing back his old projects because he can’t come up with anything new, yet his bootlickers (all 2 dozen of them) will swear he’s a “genius.”

I actually enjoyed 90210 last night. Though I wish Reaper had even half the promotion they get. Reaper is treated like an unwanted stepchild and I don’t get it.

By: charliechan

charliechan — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:02:15 +0000

Word is that Cupid has already been canceled and will not be renewed.

By: Samuel

Samuel — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:00:55 +0000

Kep, you’re right, the mentalist may have 16-19 millions viewers, but demos are still relatively low compared to a lot of Fox shows.

Cool, yeah it may be to soon to talk about season 4-5. But we can now say that Fringe developed a core, cult following fan base. After a 8 weeks hiatus (one that was only 4 weeks after a 6 weeks hiatus…) They came back even. So I think it’s fair to say they passed the test of the core fan base. I remember some Fringe bashing dude back then saying that the show would only prove itself after this break… And here we are.

By: Samuel

Samuel — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:56:00 +0000

Well I saw that on fan forums. Some people though the hiatus was a cancelation…
Seems like a lot of people don’t get inform. So some false rumors on the net and BANG! The show is so gonna get canned.

Robert, lol this is so true.

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:54:52 +0000

Reaper’s half hours were identical to its hour in terms of the demos, and very close in viewers.

By: Charles

Charles — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:52:12 +0000

Ouch to Reaper falling again in the demo, I was hoping it would be able to retain the audience it gained from the other week.

Could we see the half hour breakdowns?

By: John

John — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:34:21 +0000

The Biggest Loser would be averaging like a 4.0 if not for American Idol

By: cool

cool — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:34:00 +0000

Fringe has what, 15 episodes? it’s too early to talk about season 4 or season 5.. please get real.

By: kep

kep — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:33:45 +0000

Let me add to that,

cause people think 9 million is such a terrible number and also because fringe wasn’t the “The mentalist huge” hit of the season.

By: Paul PT

Paul PT — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:30:16 +0000

I hope that Fox looks to Lost example… they could put a season limit. 4 or 5 for example. it could ends before… but not after…

By: Bob

Bob — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:17:18 +0000

Where do people think that Fringe will get cancelled? it had the highest demo ratings outside of AA for the night! What kills me is that it gets almost half the total viewers of The Mentalist but kills in the demos. Shows how skewed the CBS viewer age is.

Fringe was great last night, and I totally see it as continuing for quite some time

By: Paul PT

Paul PT — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:11:50 +0000

This is hilarious…

fringe is not a easy show to follow… so is obvious that is never make such nig ratings like idol.

and in the past american idol have more viewers and the shopws after have lower ratings than fringe. go back a season or two.

cupid story is not a surprise. before it’s premiere everybody knows is destiny…

dancing with the stars ratings are huge… 10 millions viewers from the previous hour, and 3x in the demo…

put ugly betty at 10 after dancing and i bet it could bring at least 10 millions viewers.

and then put again on 8 pm on thursdays.

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:57:51 +0000

I have an idea where the “Fringe is in trouble” meme started. Here’s my top five

1. TSCC fans, looking to deflect
2. Life on Mars fans with time on their hands
3. Dollhouse fans, who feel cheated their show never got the love Fringe got
4. Bored Chuck fans, looking for something to do between now and next Monday night/Tuesday Morning
5. Angry retentionistas!

By: Bill Gorman

Bill Gorman — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:54:49 +0000

Folks, I have no idea where this “Fringe is in trouble” meme started, but it wasn’t my post! Fringe return numbers @ even were good!

By: kep

kep — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:52:29 +0000

And I don’t understand all the fringe hate, either!

By: ThePattern

ThePattern — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:45:53 +0000

Well, the Daily Variety says last nights episode of Fringe had high ratings. It even beat The Mentalist in the Demos.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118002245.html?categoryId=14&cs=1
Based on preliminary nationals from Nielsen, “American Idol” averaged roughly an 8.1 rating/22 share in adults 18-49 and 22.7 million viewers overall from 8 to 9:09 p.m., slightly outperforming its combined ABC-CBS-NBC competition during the evening’s opening hour. Also for Fox, “Fringe” returned from a lengthy hiatus with a projected 4.3/10 in 18-49 and 10.9 million viewers overall from 9:09 to 10:08 p.m.; the “Idol”/”Fringe” combo won the 9 o’clock hour by 2 shares in 18-49.

By: T

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:44:20 +0000

they should cancel Cupid and throw Samantha Who? after dancing with the stars there are 9 completed episodes of SW? right now they could air them all this season instead of bumping up 5 to season 3 like they’re currently planning

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:40:05 +0000

Fringe’s future isn’t in doubt ‘poor’ Idol retention or not. Unless Abrams and co. sulk when/if Fox ends Remote Free TV and decide they don’t want to do another season, which seems very unlikely to say the least I would have thought.

By: Outlander

Outlander — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:37:59 +0000

I thought Fox very strongly signalled back in February that Fringe was being renewed for a full 20+ episode season 2.

By: AC

AC — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:37:51 +0000

I don’t get the Fringe love, I find the show annoying and almost laugh-out-loud awful but I’m happy others like it – I just do not get it.

I thought FOX would have given it a slot on it’s own for the return without Idol as a lead-in to see if it would stand up. Idol lead-in ratings don’t seem too reliable to make a S2 decision on…Sorry kep, but yeah, all shows have lead-ins but a lead-in like Idol is different than most.

By: Jon K.

Jon K. — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:36:13 +0000

Fringe will be back next season, earlier this year there was a big story about how Fringe’s production is moving from new york(?) to canada. You wouldn’t move your whole production if you didn’t know you were coming back next year.

By: R.J Sheedy

R.J Sheedy — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:36:08 +0000

Fringe should have gotten better ratings being on after idol. Plus it was an exclent episode!

By: Bill Gorman

Bill Gorman — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:34:00 +0000

Ah, our friends at tvseriesfinale. I think their motto is “Give me your tired, your poor, Your frantic fan masses yearning to continue to watch their doomed shows…”

By: Blue Sunflower

Blue Sunflower — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:29:57 +0000

Reaper’s got plenty of in-house people to choose from.

Series Produced by
Tara Butters …. executive producer (23 episodes, 2007-2009)
Michele Fazekas …. executive producer (23 episodes, 2007-2009)
Joseph Patrick Finn …. producer (23 episodes, 2007-2009)
Mark Gordon …. executive producer (23 episodes, 2007-2009)
Deborah Spera …. executive producer (23 episodes, 2007-2009)
Tom Spezialy …. executive producer (23 episodes, 2007-2009)
Jeff Vlaming …. supervising producer (22 episodes, 2007-2009)
Thomas Schnauz …. co-producer / producer (20 episodes, 2007-2009)
Jason Parks …. associate producer (18 episodes, 2007-2008)
Kevin Murphy …. consulting producer (17 episodes, 2007-2008)
Kevin Etten …. supervising producer (13 episodes, 2008-2009)
David Babcock …. co-executive producer (12 episodes, 2007-2008)
Peter Lauer …. producer (12 episodes, 2007-2008)
Chris Dingess …. co-executive producer / consulting producer (10 episodes, 2008-2009)
Chris Black …. consulting producer (5 episodes, 2008)
John Blair …. associate producer (5 episodes, 2009)
Craig DiGregorio …. producer (5 episodes, 2009)

More information: http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/reaper-tv-show-support/

Petition: http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/reaper-petition/

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:28:30 +0000

Ouch for Cupid and ABC in general it seems.

By: Jessy

Jessy — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:17:12 +0000

Why are the viewers way down for DWTS? Didn’t it’s results use to get like 20m?

By: kep

kep — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:09:21 +0000

Samuel, maybe its because of the attitude of some people, especially the jerks who keep saying how Fringe would struggle if it wasn’t for a good lead in. Look, ALL shows have a lead in in some form so give fringe a damn break!

By: Elizabeth Hunt

Elizabeth Hunt — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:01:09 +0000

Yeah Melissa R I agree. Cupid is so lame, what was ABC thinking? I mean it is just such a nothing show, and irritating on top of it. It’s more fun to pound nails with your head than watch it. Rather than being smart and touching, it’s wise-ass. Yuk.