Welcome back Josef Adalian of The Wrap who was very ill with complications from the flu for a while. We're glad he is feeling better and is back on the beat.
But I worry Joe isn't back to 100% yet when I see him tweeting stuff like "Ratings are Good, But So Is Buzz," which links to an article on six shows with that are buzzing: Glee, Modern Family, Parks & Recreation, The Good Wife, The Real Housewives of Atlanta (which has already finished its most recent cycle), and The Vampire Diaries.
Joe writes:
But while Nielsen numbers are still incredibly important to a show's long-term survival, both broadcast and cable networks are increasingly interested in how series are rating in the pop culture as well as in the overnights. With out-of-the-box hits harder to come by, networks know they need to be more patient with shows than in the past.
Indeed, TV network PR is increasingly interested in how series are perceived in the pop culture, it can serve them for purposes of PR spin, and hopefully lead to viewers. But so far, there's no data that suggests that pop culture buzz and ratings have much of an intersection. The Big Bang Theory seemingly has less social media buzz than Gossip Girl, but which Warner Bros produced series makes more money for the studio?
Moreover, four out of the six shows Joe highlighted (Glee, Modern Family, The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Vampire Diaries) have good to great ratings for their networks and relative competitive landscapes. NeNe will probably have her own show someday, but The Real Housewives of Atlanta is a ratings beast for Bravo -- it's the best of the entire Real Housewives franchise. It's not just buzz from Bravo's perspective, it's ratings! Same for The Vampire Diaries which is a huge hit relative to CW's lineup.
Glee has very decent 18-49 ratings (over a 3.0 is very decent for a broadcast network in this day and age) and fares even better in the younger women demos. And Modern Family has provided very decent 18-49 ratings for ABC, who has struggled at launching successfully rated sitcoms as well.
I'm not sure there is actually much buzz for The Good Wife. It has decent ratings relative to everything, but relative to CBS' where it airs, it's ratings are below average and it is already shaping up to be one of CBS' bubble shows when it comes to renewal.
Parks & Recreation definitely has some buzz with the community of TV Critics who adore it. Its ratings are below average for NBC but it has been trending up, plus we've seen data that although it has relatively few viewers, the percentage of them in high income (annual household income of $100K or better) households is very high relative to most shows. NBC doesn't have much to work with so we can definitely see them sticking with it. It won't be because of buzz, though the buzz won't hurt it and those who believe in buzz will be able to claim victory!
On the Internet, Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles had a lot of buzz, and well, you know. Where there is truly buzz, there are ratings to back it up.
Ratings are huge and buzz is always nice, but I'll take the ratings for House and The Big Bang Theory over Gossip Girl's buzz every time.
Glee – Never have watched
Modern Family – Watch sometimes live after the middle, could care less if it is renewed, amusing but not laugh out loud funny like the middle.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta – Never have watched
The Vampire Diaries – Never have watched
Parks and Rec – We watch Recording, Still not sure why as it is not a great show, I like Amy Kohler, I dislike Leslie, could care less if it is renewed, maybe Will Arnett appearance will perk it up.
The Good Wife – Only I watch off recording – It is just ok but I could care less if it is renewed
So I guess I really could care less about the renewal any of these shows, none are must watch for me.
I love Glee (and I’m a straight male in case anyone wants to stoop to childish name calling as I have suffered on other boards) and I really hope it gets renewed.
I also love watching the eps of MF. My main problem is that I am at our church youth activities on Wednesday nights so Hulu is a godsend.
I never have given P&R another shot since its debut last year.
Vampire Diaries is riding the Twilight train.
Real Housewives of (insert big city name here) needs to be canned. I despise reality TV shows.
Actually, internet “buzz” is akin to phone-in polls. Any statistician will tell you that any phone-in poll has been and always will be nonsense. It’s not a random sample. Phone-in polls get a disproportionately large number of people who feel strongly negative about the subject. Andy Kaufman getting kicked off Saturday Night Live with a phone in poll was a joke for example, as the vast majority of callers would be people who didn’t like him, and disliked him enough to get off their butts and phone in.
Now, the internet isn’t quite like that, but usually the people who post comments and participate in fan boards are those who have polarized opinions about a show. You see it whenever a “this show is canceled” post in added here: the fans cry, and those who hate it say good riddance. If you don’t care, you don’t post. Now, that creates a lot of internet buzz very easily if you have an international fanbase with a large number of highly motivated/active fans on the internet. 4,000 people means nothing in the ratings, but if they’re posting constantly about their show, it certainly seems a big deal.
Rest in Pieces Parks & Recreation
Buzz is the penny of the ratings world. Just as a guy who has no money will dig through his couch for every penny he can find a Network with virtually no viewers will cling to a “buzz worthy” show.
Otherwise it’s all pretty much b###s###
Well Glee, Modern Family, and Vampire Diaries have both buzz and ratings so they should be a shoo in for a second season each. As for Parks, its ratings are bad but Im hoping NBC keeps it, however come may it feels to me that Parks may be axed and the other comedy trio on NBC will get renewed. With The Good Wife, im confident in renewal, but it seems likely when CBS axes Numb3rs, they may put Good Wife on Fridays at 10 for 2010-2011. That will really test the shows strengths.
It is “COULDN’T care less”, not could. Just a pet peeve of mine.
I agree that while buzz is nice, buzz alone is not going to keep a show going that has crappy ratings.
I’d like to see Parks & Recreation renewed. I wasn’t a huge fan of the few episodes that aired last spring, but they’ve really fleshed out the characters this year and the show is really finding its comedy footing. Nick Offerman as Ron “Effing” Swanson is comedy gold, and they’ve toned down Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope so she’s less annoying and more likable. If you haven’t watched P&R this season, you should definitely give it a chance while your other shows are on hiatus over the holidays.
I want both Parks & Community renewed (both have gotten better), but NBC may only renew 1 for next season, which sucks. The Office and 30 Rock are a lock for 2010-2011 so NBC may have to make a decision between the newer comedies. I still say it would have been smarter to air veteran 30 Rock at 8, followed by Parks, then Office at 9 leading into Community, but it seems NBC would rather focus on competing at 9:00 then developing their 8-9 comedies.
I don`t care about other shows, I JUST WANT `VAMPIRE DIARIES` BACK!!!!! Like NOW …..:o
When ratings are unreliable, you have no choice but to consider other factors including “buzz”. While buzz might not be an accurate representation of what people are watching, neither are the Nielsen numbers. The real picture is probably somewhere between the buzz and what Nielsen reports.
If tv ratings were not a monopoly they would be more accurate and “buzz” would mean less.
I’ve been reading a lot of raves from TV critics for The Good Wife which is something new for CBS shows. It’s older skewing so that’s why it does not receive that much online buzz because it does not have the rabid fanbase and well the concept of the show is not really something that is usually discussed a lot online. The ratings are decent but I hope it goes back to 3.0 to ensure renewal.
Parks is getting a lot of good reviews this season too
“But I worry Joe isn’t back to 100% yet when I see him tweeting stuff like “Ratings are Good, But So Is Buzz,” which links to an article on …. The Good Wife”
What are they buzzing about? How CBS sent out gift certificate bribes to critics to write nice things about it?