Comments on: TV Ratings: A hit for FOX - Highest-rated World Series game one in 5 years

By: Bill Gorman

Bill Gorman — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:33:58 +0000

ABC is down substantially and they barely have any crime dramas. Looking at the list of scripted shows that stayed in their time slot hardly screams "crime shows are down" to me.

By: Shem

Shem — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:45:03 +0000

TVD isnt really compatible with Top Model- I thought it would have gotten 2mil+ but then again i’m not into vampire.

SVU fell back! And Top Model did well.

By: Holly

Holly — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:43:23 +0000

A lot of broadcast TV is down in the ratings simply because broadcast networks are in a decline due to cable, but I don’t think there is any evidence that crime dramas are really falling off in ratings. In order for the “crime dramas are failing” argument to work, you’d have to show that they are down more than other types of shows on broadcast, which they are not. ABC has only two crime dramas and is down significantly from last year. Crime-laden CBS on the other hand, is nearly even (up in viewers, slightly down in two of the demos). The two L&Os on NBC had a rough start but have been growing.

By: ohiogirl

ohiogirl — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:04:32 +0000

I see a falling off in ratings in general with the glut of crime dramas. So many are playing on cable stations, they can be found just about any time of day. Viewers don’t feel the need to catch the weekly network episodes when thy know they will see them bouncing around in syndication for the next decade.
I do hope ‘The Middle’ catches on. I see it as a type of ‘Seinfeld’ or ‘Raymond’ show that started off slow until word of mouth brought them both attention. Every character is perfectly cast, as opposed to Kelsey Grammer’s ‘Hank’. Not even Emmy winning Grammer can be expected to carry a show with so many flaws. There’s been a lot of hate towards him, as the star, but let’s face it. He deserves a medal for trying to gel that cast together with such pitiful writing, directing, set…you name it. He needs to be on TV, but can’t we find a better vehicle than this? Why take his show’s character as a professional snob out of his element? NYC and Wall Street would have been the perfect backdrop for him, with limitless story to draw on in this economy. Makes one scratch their head and wonder ‘who writes this stuff?’.

By: forg

forg — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:27:54 +0000

^Typo for AI8, what I really mean is AI season 9.

By: forg

forg — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:27:09 +0000

The big challenge for the ABC Sitcoms is the premiere of AI8, I hope they could maintain “renewable” numbers under intense competition.

By: Holly

Holly — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:16:24 +0000

Without A Trace did quite well after CSI for several years before it was moved.

By: vsaint

vsaint — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:08:05 +0000

Is LOST post spot really a problem relative to other top rated shows.
CSI i don’t think has ever developed anything at THUR 10pm?
it has spawned to 2 spinoffs.
Grey’s spin off has developed nicely, after being moved to post spot.
HOUSE did well with Fringe, but look at it now.

By: Holly

Holly — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:22:28 +0000

@Jeremy, With rare exceptions, networks don’t make renewal decisions in October; they wait until April or May.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:20:22 +0000

Modern Family rises again! Season 2 pick up?

By: Dan

Dan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:31:42 +0000

Riff Rafferty & Tommy – ABC has always had problems with dramas in the 10pm wendesday slot. I could list all of them but most of them have aired post Lost. Eastwick unlike the other ABC 10pm dramas has a lower rated lead in, Cougar Town. Airing against CSI NY is also hard for the series. Had Eastwick aired after Desperate Housewives, it may have had survived, but its likely to end after 13 episodes in December.

By: forg

forg — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:02:27 +0000

Yay 3.7 for Modern Family! The Middle is still okay, I hope it could climb to 2.5 eventually. Cougar Town is also steady (Lisa Kudrow will guest star soon so I guess it could touch 3.5 for that episode).

At least the Wednesday line up risk of ABC brought some good results since the ratings are not trending down week-to-week for 3 of the comedies unlike Pushing Daisies (*sniff) and DSM .

Eastwick is a cute show with a potential guilty-pleasure type of concept that could have been a hit if it was executed well, the problem is that it had a weak pilot IMO. It could have a been a good alternative for CSI NY and Leno but oh well. At least for this week they beat Leno

By: unknown

unknown — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:17:49 +0000

AMAZING MODERN FAMILY NUMBERS!! Not Even 30 Rock getting numbers like those. Congrats to such an amazing Show. And Good for The Middle as well. ALl the middle needs is a much better lead in. Maybe MF/The Middle instead ABC? lol

By: tom

tom — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:56:47 +0000

never thought I would see the day when SVU would end up in 4th place in their timeslot. This show has fallen hard this season. with the huge pay raises they gave Hargitay and Meloni, NBC isnt getting much bang for their buck!

By: Stella

Stella — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:36:56 +0000

Why is Leno on. The man is never funny.

By: R.G

R.G — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:06:34 +0000

I did watch the Monsters v. Aliens special, but I can’t tell if it’s good or not because I haven’t seen the movie yet.

By: Manny R.

Manny R. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:41:28 +0000

I enjoyed every inning of the first game of the World Series ….

By: Bill Gorman

Bill Gorman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:32:55 +0000

Holly, that did it, you motivated me!

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:24:10 +0000

Eastwick had its best episode of the season last night! It was written greatly and acted suberbly. Same with The Middle. Modern Family was good last night, I actually laughed this time. Glad to see that it is up in the ratings. Cougar Town is still my favorite of the comedy line up.

I watched the Monsters vs. Aliens special last night also and was not impressed, it was not as good as the movie.

By: Holly

Holly — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:16:00 +0000

I think the “it’s a niche show” needs to go on the Bingo card.

By: Jared

Jared — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:15:39 +0000

Wednesday are my night to watch TV…

8pm- Top Model on the CW
9:30pm- Cougar Town on ABC
10pm- Eastwick on ABC

im really surprised Eastwich isn’t doing better in the ratings. that show is on fireee!

By: Tommy

Tommy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:08:41 +0000

I think Eastwick’s problem is that it’s too much of a niche show for a major network. It’s a cute show, but it’s genre isn’t something that can succeed on Broadcast TV. It would probably have done better on cable, but sadly for the fans I doubt they will see it move to cable or any other channel.

By: andrew

andrew — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:00:36 +0000

Thank you, everyone, for your replies. *sigh* I’m going to watch and it enjoy it while I can, even though I thought some of the jokes were out there (like when Roxie said something about kicking Pastor Dunn in his taint). And what kind of woman leaves a paper strip full of hot wax under her armpits while she answers the door?

By: Riff Rafferty

Riff Rafferty — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:57:56 +0000

I will say that the roaring failure of “Eastwick” is probably one of the disappointments of the season. To me, at least. Probably to ABC, as well. Obviously, I wasn’t expecting big things out of it (it’s based on a 22-year-old film and a 25-year-old book and airs in one ABC’s biggest problem areas). But a drama premiere to lose viewers every 15 minute increment — and then to continue losing viewers for 4 weeks running — well, I wasn’t expecting that. I really don’t know why it’s failed so miserably. It’s a feast for the eyes, it isn’t annoying like “Pushing Daisies,” and the chicks are all smokin’ hot babes. It’s clear a lot of time and effort was put into the look of the show (the cinematography, special effects and art direction are all top-notch) and it’s really upsetting that people would rather watch the utterly-inept “Grey’s Anatomy.” (Has anyone ever seen “Grey’s Anatomy” in HD? Ye-gads. Who is their cinematographer? Stevie Wonder?)

By: Bill Gorman

Bill Gorman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:42:45 +0000

andrew, the CW has explicitly stated in the past that they do not plan to pick up the failed shows of other networks. And Eastwick is a failed show.

By: Holly

Holly — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:41:22 +0000

@andrew,

First, it’s already failing on a higher-profile network with bigger budgets and better lead-ins than the CW could dream about. It would, without a doubt, lose a huge portion of its audience in the move. Meaning it would drop to below what the CW wants with a higher pricetag.

Second, and more importantly, it is geared far too old for the CW. The CW caters to the teen girl demographic. If they wanted a show about witches, they’d look for one about a group of high-school-aged witches, not one with witches with high-school-aged daughters.

By: silvia

silvia — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:40:09 +0000

How did last night’s RW/RR: The Ruins do? ~ Silvia

By: Julia

Julia — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:39:55 +0000

Andrew, Eastwick is a failure on ABC. It would do even worse if moved to CW. Picking up total failures from networks that are actually able to attract more viewers is not a smart idea. Modest failures, okay, I can at least see the argument, though I still think it would be a bad idea, and would take a miracle to happen, but utter failures like Eastwick? Keep dreaming.

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:32:07 +0000

Eastwick is the best show to air on TV for a long time. I hope its ratings get over that 2.0 mark. With the greatness that was last night’s episode, chances are the ratings will be just as high/higher next week. Hopefully this happens. It needs to get a back 9 ordered or at least come back next season. Here’s to hoping!

And The Middle is hilarious and I enjoy Cougar Town and Modern Family.

By: andrew

andrew — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:30:28 +0000

Robert, why do you say The CW would pass on Eastwick if it was looking for a new home? 5 million viewers would be great for the network (which I would like to see get ahead SOMETIMES despite Dawn). Is it because it might perform lower in 18-34 vs. 18-49?

By: R.G

R.G — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:29:09 +0000

The Monster v. Aliens special was a flop after all.

By: Paul PT

Paul PT — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:57:33 +0000

Cougar town total viewers are very low.

If ABC put a best drama in 10 pm this could help get bigger numbers.

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:34:56 +0000

Tommy – Your right, they could pull 1 of the two. If thats the case then Id bet Forgotten after December 1. I could see Forgotten airing long enough to still air post Dancing but once it airs post Scrubs, then it will be in trouble. Another thing to think about is what will ABC replace Forgotten or Eastwick with between now and when they make their midseason schedule. FOX would air House or Bones repeats, CBS would run CSI or NCIS repeats, NBC would run L&O or SVU repeats, in the slot of a cancelled series but ABC is different. ABC never airs Grey’s or Housewives reruns in a cancelled series’ slot they would just air specials.

Both series have dropped but they seem steady for now. If Eastwick continues to stay around 5 million it may stick around long enough to air all originals but Forgotten will have a large drop once Scrubs and Ted premieres. Its likely ABC will announce Eastwick and Forgotten’s fate in a couple of weeks once their midseason schedule is announced.

By: crystalabell

crystalabell — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:27:41 +0000

Re-runs are the pits so early in the seas on. There are very few shows that I want to see more than once. The only one so far this season was the second last episode of Lie to Me.

By: Mr October

Mr October — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:26:29 +0000

NBC just wishes the Olympics were every month.

Vancouver 2010 is just a little over 3 months away.

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:24:40 +0000

Johnthemon – Thats what I had hoped ABC would have done with Pushing Daisies Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Money’s last few episodes last January, though the remaining episodes were pushed until May-August.

Robert – ABC did air According to Jim and Eli Stone originals on December 30 last year after christmas was over, so it is possible Eastwick could atleast finish up then. ABC seems to like Eastwick but I dont see them ordering new eps, which is why they could air originals in place of repeats. Originals of both should air through December 15th and 16th. Which would leave 1 Eastwick original left and 2 forgotten episodes. Should ABC air specials on the 22nd and 23rd ABC can air the last Eastwick on December 30 and the last 2 Forgottens on December 29 and January 5.

If I ran ABC I would just burn off both series and finish them in late December early January so there would be no need to return either one in the summer. However should either series be pulled in December its very likely that ABC burns the remaining eps off next summer.

By: johnthemon

johnthemon — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:04:33 +0000

what ABC could do with Eastwick/Forgotten is air the last few episodes in January before their midseason schedule fully returns.

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:04:03 +0000

Dan, though it MIGHT be different this year, but recent history is networks (ABC, too) have gone with repeats and specials Christmas and New Year weeks, even as burn off I’d be surprised to see the December 22/23, 29/30 eps of Forgotten and Eastwick airing as you describe

By: johnthemon

johnthemon — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:03:28 +0000

So you don’t post 18-34′s because you got lazy? Sounds like a good enough reason to me.

I don’t get what people see in “The Middle” I felt they were trying way too hard and it just came across as forced. Just me.

By: Tommy

Tommy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:59:27 +0000

I’m just saying that they could pull 1 if not both of them before the 13 episodes air. December is all about Christmas Specials and repeats, they wouldn’t need to air repeats of either show, just pull them from the schedule completely and use that air space to air something else. I can see pulling the shows off the air after 9 or 10 air and then burning off the remaining 3-4 at a later time just like they did with the shows that got canceled last year. (And those shows started the week after Premiere week so that only accounts for 1 episode in your theory)

By: Riff Rafferty

Riff Rafferty — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:53:28 +0000

“The Middle” has had 5 terrific, hilarious episodes in a row. Probably my biggest pleasant surprise of the season, since I wasn’t expecting anything from it. (Compare that to a certain wretched “comedy” on NBC, which I was expecting a lot from.) The cast are magic together. May this show get the 5-year run it deserves.

“Modern Family” has been a lot more uneven with some really poor episodes but is non-stop laughs when it’s firing on all cylinders, like it was last night. Speaking of which, what the hell is ABC doing with that show? “Run for Your Wife” was the second one shot and, to anyone who’s even bothered to watch the thing, was clearly meant to air second. Did it get held up in post production or something? Because it was the funniest one to date — not to mention LOADS better than the 3 clunkers that preceded it. Somebody needs to tell Jeff Bader and company you’re supposed to push back the bad episodes, not the good ones.

As for “Cougar Town,” somebody needs to tell their wife to lay off the Botox (and whatever other plastic surgery specials she’s had in the back room of a bar in Tijuana). It took me 15 minutes into last night’s episode to realize that wasn’t a Halloween mask.

And “Eastwick” — well, it didn’t fall for the 6th consecutive week in a row. That’s… something. I guess.

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:50:56 +0000

Tommy – Those shows finished up in the summer but thats because both were only able to air 9 and 10 by December (DSM would have aired 10 if its thanksgiving episode wasnt rescheduled) Eastwick and Forgotten both began in premiere week (September 22 and 23). Both have aired 6 episodes a piece and without any repeats, if all episodes air as scheduled, Forgotten should finish up on December 29 and Eastwick should finish up on December 23 or 30. If I ran ABC I would just burn the duo off through December rather than air repeats. I already know once Scrubs and Ted premiere in December, the Forgotten will dip to a series low and with Modern Family and Cougar Town going into repeats in December, so will Eastwick.

Forgotten’s Next Airings
November 3
November 17
December 1
December 8
December 15
December 22
December 29

Eastwick’s Next Airings
November 4
November 18
November 25
December 2
December 9
December 16
December 23
December 30

The 15th 22 and 29th are scheduled as repeats, but ABC may opt to air originals if they wont order anymore episodes. Same with Eastwick’s 16th 23rd and 30th.

By: Johnny

Johnny — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:49:19 +0000

Wednesday night network television is scary year round, not just around Halloween.

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:38:40 +0000

John, mostly simplicity, but there was also the issue that in some discussions with Nielsen we wanted to play the “but everybody ELSE is doing it!” card. Nobody else (that I know of) publishes 18-34 show data for the overnights

By: johnthemon

johnthemon — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:33:55 +0000

@ron, I think the Middle belongs in the 8:00pm hour by the virtue of it being very family friendly. I think they should put it at 8:00, and put a new show behind it midseason.

I have a question for Bill/Robert, why don’t we see the 18-34 numbers anymore?

By: ron

ron — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:27:30 +0000

ABC Wednesday has turned out about as well as they could have reasonably expected… One genuine hit (Modern Family), One doing decent enough for a 2nd season(Cougar Town), one bubble standard that could improve with stronger support (The Middle) and one stinker (Hank). The results this week show they need to keep that off the air permanently.

I agree with those who think The Middle would work well behind MF but ABC have boxed themselves into a corner as CT can only really air in the 9 o clock hour and they can hardly move it to another night while its doing well.

By: Tommy

Tommy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:23:25 +0000

Dan keep in mind DSM, & PD both finished airing their episodes later in the year. So ABC could certainly pull the shows before all 13 have aired, and decide to burn them off in the Summer.

By: Chris the TV sage

Chris the TV sage — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:17:32 +0000

@5506: “It’s the Great Pumpkin” is a 30-minute show – more like a 33-minute show, even with editing, given there are more commercials now than in the 1960s. For the one-hour slots, they add an even-more-edited version of “You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown”. This practice started in ’06.

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:16:00 +0000

Andrew: No.

By: andrew

andrew — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:14:48 +0000

Robert or Bill — Say ABC cancels Eastwick. Do either of you think The CW would pick up the show? So far, it doesn’t look like an effects-laden show like Charmed, so it can’t be that expensive for another network to produce.