| Scoreboard |  |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Viewers (million) | 14.53 | 12.65 | 6.13 | 5.60 | 4.36 | 2.80 |
| Rating/Share: Adults 18-49 | 3.4/8 | 4.1/10 | 2.7/7 | 2.1/5 | 1.7/4 | 1.4/3 |
| Rating/Share: Adults 18-34 | 2.2/6 | 2.8/7 | 2.5/7 | 1.9/5 | 1.8/5 | 2.1/5 |
ABC won the most viewers for the night, but CBS took both the 18-34 and 18-49 age demographics.
Chuck fans will be happy to know that when it comes to Chuck vs. Last Week, Chuck was up, both among 18-49 year olds and 18-34 year olds. The same can’t be said for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or NBC’s Heroes. And since My Own Worst Enemy has been cancelled, it’s probably not worth talking about.
Dancing with the Stars still rules the roost in viewers, with CBS comedies and CSI: Miami taking the demos. That’s pretty standard lately. DWTS still has its legs, pulling in well over 20 million average viewers for its final half hour. And Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother are performing very well for CBS. Tip o’ the cap to HIMYM, it again had a better 18-34 rating than Two and a Half Men with many fewer viewers.
Heroes fans: a.) I’m still watching. Begrudgingly perhaps, but still watching. b.) it’s not going to get cancelled at these levels, but it can’t keep going down either, and finally, and most of all, c.) all that DVR, internet viewing, iTunes, blah, blah, blah? Save it for someone who cares (perhaps Ben Silverman)!? There are two reasons it doesn’t matter:
It’s true these numbers don’t count all viewing, but it’s also true that it’s basically these broadcast viewing numbers (or a variant of them we don’t have access to) that pays the bills. And even factoring all of that other stuff in, the trend is definitely down. In the most recent live+7 viewing, Heroes didn’t crack 10 million viewers even with DVR baked in. While the method that NBC uses to report its internet streaming is BS and they haven’t really figured out how to make any money from it, even that trend is down.
I think the best NBC can really hope to do is stop the bleeding for Heroes here at these levels. It’s very hard for serialized shows to reclaim viewers once it has lost them. If you think that those viewers are now watching online, you’re wrong. Some of the lost viewing, sure, but make no mistake: Heroes has less viewing than it had in season one or season two, or even at the beginning of the current season. Those viewers didn’t find an alternate viewing mechanism, they bailed on the show completely. NBC knows this.
Both Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill were down versus last week for the CW, but a quick scan of the female 18-34 viewing audiences the shows target, looks to be the same week over week.
If you want to compare with last week’s overnight results, have at it!
Full details:
| Time | Net | Show | Viewers (Millons) | 18-49 Rating/Share | 18-34 Rating/Share |
| 8:00 | ABC | Dancing With The Stars | 19.30 | 4.2/10 | 2.8/8 |
| CBS | The Big Bang Theory | 9.70 | 3.7/10 | 2.7/8 | |
| NBC | Chuck | 6.80 | 2.6/7 | 2.1/6 | |
| FOX | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | 5.31 | 2.0/5 | 1.6/4 | |
| UNI | Cuidado con el Angel | 4.45 | 1.7/4 | 1.9/5 | |
| CW | Gossip Girl | 2.88 | 1.5/4 | 2.2/6 | |
| 8:30 | CBS | How I Met Your Mother | 9.84 | 4.3/10 | 3.7/10 |
| 9:00 | ABC | Dancing With The Stars | 20.69 | 4.6/11 | 2.9/7 |
| CBS | Two and a Half Men | 15.23 | 5.3/12 | 3.2/8 | |
| NBC | Heroes | 7.59 | 3.6/8 | 3.8/9 | |
| FOX | Prison Break | 5.89 | 2.3/5 | 2.3/6 | |
| UNI | Fuego en la Sangre | 4.94 | 1.9/4 | 2.1/5 | |
| CW | One Tree Hill | 2.73 | 1.3/3 | 2.0/5 | |
| 9:30 | ABC | Samantha Who? | 11.12 | 3.0/7 | 2.1/5 |
| CBS | Worst Week | 10.37 | 3.2/7 | 2.0/5 | |
| 10:00 | CBS | CSI: Miami | 15.39 | 4.2/11 | 2.6/7 |
| ABC | Boston Legal | 8.43 | 2.3/6 | 1.4/4 | |
| NBC | My Own Worst Enemy | 3.99 | 1.9/5 | 1.8/5 | |
| UNI | Cristina | 3.68 | 1.5/4 | 1.5/4 |
Shows are sorted by viewers in each time slot.
Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2008 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
Definitions:
Fast Affiliate Ratings: These first national ratings, including demographics, are available at approximately 11 AM (ET) the day after telecast, and are released to subscribing customers daily. These data, from the National People Meter sample, are strictly time-period information, based on the normal broadcast network feed, and include all programming on the affiliated stations, sometimes including network programming, sometimes not. The figures may include stations that did not air the entire network feed, as well as local news breaks or cutaways for local coverage or other programming. Fast Affiliate ratings are not as useful for live programs and are likely to differ significantly from the final results, because the data reflect normal broadcast feed patterns. For example, with a World Series game, Fast Affiliate Ratings would include whatever aired from 8-11PM on affiliates in the Pacific Time Zone, following the live football game, but not game coverage that begins at 5PM PT. The same would be true of Presidential debates as well as live award shows and breaking news reports.
Rating: Estimated percentage of the universe of TV households (or other specified group) tuned to a program in the average minute. Ratings are expressed as a percent.
Share (of Audience): The percent of households (or persons) using television who are tuned to a specific program, station or network in a specific area at a specific time. (See also, Rating, which represents tuning or viewing as a percent of the entire population being measured.)
Time Shifted Viewing – Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data – Live, Live+Same Day (Live+SD) and Live+7 Day. Time shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs which are currently in approximately 24.4% of all U.S. TV households. Live+Same Day (Live+SD) include viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3:00AM local time when meters transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing. Live+7 Day ratings include incremental viewing that takes place during the 7 days following a telecast.
For more information see Numbers 101.
So Heroes did lose a bit in the 18-34 demo. (BTW, I love that you now link to the previous week for easy comparison. I know you did a lot of the time anyway, but everyday is better!) But no doom and gloom predictions from me this week, since it did stay level. If it really has leveled out here, I guess they’ll get a fourth season to figure out what went wrong the past two seasons.
can some plz explain why FOX is not bringing back prison break in jan when last night it had 5.89 million whereas terminator had 5.31 million and prison break gets higher demos as well????
also Heroes ratings are disappointing
7.59 million compared to season 1 ratings is terrible
Heroes had another series low in viewers for the second week in a row
cam: from article:
“Prison Break” will also be back later in the season after its SCHEDULED winter hiatus.”
PB keeps getting better numbers. It won’t save it but hopefully it’ll make FOX give it a proper ending
Prison Break is a piece of garbage but, wow heroes is doing pretty bad.
If someone wants to see ratings in viewers from season one on Heroes, here you go:
http://www.heroes-list.net/page.php?29
All as usual – CBS leads in viewers with help TW&H & CSI-Miami, also TW&H and other CBS comedy are strong in demo. I glad for Chuck, TBBT & CSI.
Prison Break is coming back. FOX clearly wanted to give Sci-Fi Friday a try. PB will probably air on Mondays with 24 when it comes back, once House is all out of episodes.
T:SCC is up on total viewers, compared to last week(Not that it means much). But, at least people are sticking with it in it’s crappy time slot. Considering, how complex this episode was, and having far less action compared to last week, I’m pleasently suprised.
Amb@ss@dor, I’m usually good with acronyms, but what in the world is TW&H?
Chuck gaining about 600,000 viewers is definitely good news, especially in the week NBC canned two shows. haha…if NBC had actually advertised the show, or you know, Yvonne’s “shower” scene, might have been more. I would imagine after that cliffhanger there will be a slight bump in the ratings next week. They really should not have shown the preview though. Would have been awesome just closing the episode with Sarah holding the watch.
Terminator looks to have gained about 200,000. Not much but I suppose that can’t hurt. At least it’s trending the right direction.
Curious to see what NBC does with Heroes, if they’ll promote it as heavily for next week just to keep the ratings steady.
Heroes had almost half the number of veiwers as two and a half men thats low
Not bad in the 18-49’s but i guess for the show its terrible. NBC must be pulling its hair out.
Hope Heroes recovers: i really hope people continue to watch… really sad
Julia, based on the context, I’d say Two & a Half Men?
I think the HEROES numbers are horrible. NBC spent the last week promoting the hell out of the show. I was confused by the promo though. It appears it was really a promo for NEXT WEEK. Which couldn’t have made people who hadn’t tuned in for a while happy (to be fooled). HEROES has had steady ratings drops. Then they promote the hell out of it on multiple GE owned networks. The result? A drop of 200,000 viewers and some in the 18-34 demo. Meanwhile the 18-49 holds strong.
I believe they had a HEROES promo during every other commercial break during Sunday Night Football including having Al Michaels talk about the episode at one point (during live on air promo spots). All they could do from that was keep the demo the same? How many people who had been watching stopped watching (because the show gets worse and worse)? How many people who don’t normally watch (but maybe used to) watched because of the promos?
NBC wanted the numbers up not down. To me this wasn’t good considering the strong push for the show. Meanwhile the show that wasn’t pushed nearly as much, CHUCK went up about 600,000 viewers and in the demos.
Also I think MOWE went up because new people watched HEROES who hadn’t been watching and they just decided to watch the new show (maybe clueless it was canceled).
I figured, Holly, but I can’t figure out how TW&H=Two and a Half Men.
I agree Nick some of the promos are really shit to be honest and make the show out bad if you ask me: i hope that the big episodes will draw in new veiwers: god every Heroes fan is crossing their fingers. Personally although Heroes may not be as good as it once was but i still think season 3 is better than 2: gotta say though Heroes is still my favourite show: with some others (30 Rock, Ugly Betty, DH, Family Guy, Simpsons, American Dad and South Park from America) but Heroes is the only one that may be gone by the end of the year if the numbers continue this way.
Soooo – for once I was home and had nothing to do when SARAH CHRONILCES came on – so I watched it “live” and didn’t have to tape it – I love the possible “multiple futures” scene… another solid episode for SARAH CONNOR…
To all you sick of CHUCK & HEROES continued up and down episodes – SARAH hasn’t missed a beat -You can watch any season 2 episode on internet and season 1 (9 episodes) on DVD…
I would think SARAH will be on hiatus during Christmas so you’ll have time to catch up and then get ready to at least tape SARAH on Fridays this FEB.
ROCK ON SARAH!
P.S. – I love the sneak peek at THE STAR TREK MOVIE coming out in MAY they showed during SARAH last night…W- O- W- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I only hope, as SARAH gets closer to MAY, they will do the same for a T-4 TRAILER.
Fin, Ugly Betty might be in trouble come May, as well.
Boston Legal does pretty shit considering its ABC: who i feel sorry for seeing as they kept BL around for Life On Mars which also failed (well wasn’t great) in the ratings. Poor ABC
Oh yeah and Ugly Betty, sorry forgot that was only a mid-season renewal (don’t know why).
Nick C, I don’t know about clueless, I actually watched MOWE last night because it was cancelled. haha…I wanted to see what just got canned so I didn’t change the channel after Heroes. Of course now I see why it got canned.
I think Heroes numbers would have been much worse without the promotion, in fact I’d bet they’d be down around Chuck’s numbers. Stopping the bleeding is all the promotion (how many $millions?) got NBC. So for any NBC executives reading, I’d still advise panic.
fin, the series finale of Boston Legal will be Dec 8
Wow Heroes was like a million below its average so far.
Thanks for the link to last week’s numbers Robert! Don’t know if you always do that, but it made it really handy to compare.
Sigh. Well T:SCC gained some viewers and held steady in the demos… so that’s something. Fridays aren’t going to get any better… I can’t think of a single network show that was geared towards a younger audience that did well on Fridays. Not a single one. If someone else can, please share!
Love PB so I’m glad to see that it keeps leeching viewers away from Heroes? (I’m assuming). Don’t care– glad to see it holding its own because this season has been great.
Surprised to see how well MOWE did in the demos! It was up pretty significantly in 18-34 from last week, and it had less viewers!
Why is the headline Chuck beats Sarah Connor? That was the most important thing we learned from these ratings? It’s only happened every time Chuck’s aired this year, and Chuck is finishing third in the timeslot. It’s not going to make me believe Chuck is a better show than Terminator either.
Robert, any chance you could make a recap post of Terminator this season? I know you did it a few times last season for Terminator and LOST and I’m curious to read your thoughts about Terminator this season.
Robert, you’re right-on here with Heroes. And I like(d) the show, but feel the same begrudging loyalty to it.
With Heroes, they made the mistake of introducing these characters early on who have no real boundaries in terms of what they can do with their powers. I think the initial appeal of the show was in how will these characters work together using their unique powers and limitations to solve problems (hey it’s X-men!). Now, you have these artificial constructs that they have to create to limit what these characters can do. These super-powerful characters like Peter should have been something they introduced to the universe later.
Vader, I don’t expend a tremendous amount of energy with the headlines, other than knowing it is better to include some show names in the headlines than not to do so. We don’t measure better in terms of “quality”, we measure them in terms of numbers. There, Chuck is better than TSCC. It’s not a subjective opinion, it’s just the way it is. I could speculate on a lot of the reasons why it’s true.
As far as recap/season-to-date style posts for specific shows, they wind up being some more work to maintain and are not always worth the trouble. That said, its possible those types of posts could start showing up in March or April. It’s not really valuable now to do so with shows that have full season orders already, but examining what will be back next year is a different story.
Maybe it’s just me, but I think the DVR numbers help the network decide what shows they need to advertise more in order to bring more viewers to the actual broadcast.
I can’t help but notice that SUPERNATURAL is slowly passing GOSSIP GIRL and ONE TREE HILL for viewers. This is the 2nd week in a row that SUPERNATURAL did better than either of the other shows. It continues to make me wonder, what would happen if Dawn promoted it as much as either of those shows?
SUPERNATURAL is imho one of the best shows on TV today. The writing, acting, etc. all goes by unnoticed by the masses. How would this show do on FOX?
SARAH ROCKS!
…I finally got to see SARAH as it aired out live on FOX – I normally tape it and watch later during other shows…I know they want SARAH on until T-4 comes out – that’s a potential huge amount of Terminator fans seeing the movie –
$50 million at the box office just from the “SARAH” viewers…
…anyways, I tried CSI Miami because i saw a lot of promotion for it as they said it would be a “gripping” episode……..WRONG !! IT WAS LAME, not gripping, weak,,,,,and what is it about the lead charachters one liners?
He never had to say a paragraph in his script – they were one or two lines here and one or two there…
Also something about the cast that is fake…unlike the original CSI show
(which is still one of the best shows).
The cast on MIAMI is too pretty – even the men?? What gives???
And how can Hirashio live in Florida and look like he has a Vitamin C deficiency?
And finally.. please does CIRCUS WITH THE STARS have to “STILL” be 90 minutes?
Aren’t there only 4 couples left??
Someone let me know when the “CIRCUS” leaves town!
What happened on CSI: Miami that it had such a huge jump? I was just starting to hope that one of the CSI shows was finally starting to die.
TW&H = Two and a half men?
Robert, come on, how could an article featuring Summer Glau ever be considered “not worth the trouble”?
The season finale of DWTS will be next week
Nick, I think one of CW’s biggest problems is the inability to promote shows properly. I haven’t watched CW since I gave up on Reaper after three episodes, but I paid pretty close attention to the promos during Veronica Mars’ one season on CW. The best rated episodes for all the “second string” shows were also the ones with the heaviest promotion. Then the next week they would nearly completely cut the promos again and the ratings would sink. But CW had this idea about just using Gilmore Girls and Top Model to advertise the whole network, which failed miserably.
TW – TWO & H – HALF = so, I gues it’s Two and a half man.
TSCC is like a dead fish flopping around on the deck of ship. The only reason it will stick around is Terminator 4 – after that, bye bye, as its usefulness will be at an end.
Heroes? A muddled mess. Really just spinning its wheels. Next week everyone loses their powers? Then I guess they come back with Mohinders miracle power juice? Spin…spinnnnnnnnnnn… spinnnnnnnnn. It was hilarious when they said Daddy Petrelli wants to give 1/2 of people powers. Same as THE 4400. They arent even trying any more. Just, air THE 4400 Season 4 in its place and be done with it.
FrankJ, but it wouldn’t BE an article about Summer Glau. If you can set up an in-person interview with her for me, I’ll do 5 posts a week. Of course I’d do 10 on Chuck if you can set that up with Yvonne Strahovski.
I don’t know how many times it can be said, but NBC is truly a disaster! Heroes ratings are pathetic. What a shame that the network allowed such a promising series to deteriorate so quickly. They really should have brought it back last spring after the strike. Perhaps then the bleeding would have been less severe.
Yea the ratings for Heroes were indeed better in the last seasons.
Like I said before, time to plan an exit strategy or maybe NBC should move Heroes to USA for the final seasons since they own USA. Don’t you dare say Sci-FI because the numbers for Heroes are NOT THAT LOW!!! Moving Heroes to USA could tank it too but in any case its time for Heroes to plan its exit.
I like Heroes in spite of all of its flaws. I am not one of those who thinks it has jumped the shark yet. The trouble is that Heroes is more of a soap opera about people with super powers. People expected Heroes to be something else when it did not pan out that way…people stopped watching. If you were hoping that the ‘Heroes’ would be going to somekind of hideout to fight evil…your were mistaken. I would have loved to have seen the show go that way but what can I say. Charlie Sheen is happy that is womanizing ways are winning the viewers…I think he that way in the real world and not just on TV.
Expect the serialized drama to settling down on cable. Most shows their have 10 to 16 episode runs and its not just the pay channels like HBO and Showtime. Its USA, TBS, FX and then some. Look at The Shield, Burn Notice, Monk, Psych etc. All ran on regular cable channels with 10 to 16 season runs but no more than 16 episodes per season.
Broadcast TV is more confortable with self contained shows with the minmal archs.
wow, what happened to the CW! first time this season that GG and OTH have gone under 3m!
“They really should have brought it back last spring after the strike. Perhaps then the bleeding would have been less severe.”
The strike really did not help the show. Doing a serialized drama on six to seven episodes would have been a challange. Lost did not take a severe hit as Heroes did in that angle.
Sarah Connor Rules. Last night’s episode was another example of exceptional writing, and some excellent acting. It’s really too bad that this show underperforms as it does, because it really is quite good. Someone else on this board mentioned the Star Trek commercial during TSCC, and yes, I was as equally impressed. Great Promo (It was R.G.)
Gaps dont kill a good show, bad lazy writing that goes around in circles does. Thats why Heroes which once has 11-12 million viewers consistently can barely manage 7.5 million now and falling. The only thing keeping it afloat is the key demo 18-49 and even that is a shadow of what it once was.
Of course there is a general trend away from serial dramas. Seems as if people have short attention spans and dont want to think about what happened last week or the week before. Its like “Get it over in 60 minutes and be done with it!”
JT, I for one don’t buy the “long break killed it,” theory. Cable has done this for ages. There is generally 9 months between seasons of a show on HBO or Showtime. The Sopranos, Sex in the City, etc. surely didn’t suffer from a break.
So that argument really is pointless. I think bad writing is the worst mistake and when you do it on a sci fi program it’s much worse than other genres. Well there are some fanatics that will forgive anything and they generally make up about 33% of the sci fi crowd but there just aren’t enough of them. With the rest you have to have strong characters and good writing (continuity is big with the sci fi crowd). HEROES just doesn’t have strong characters or good writing. The problem is it’s a show from TIM KRING. As soon as it was a success NBC should have paid him off and been done with him. KRING is an idiot who couldn’t handle continuity on a show like CROSSING JORDAN. What was NBC really expecting?
The Sci Fi/Comic book crowd are a mostly unforgiving lot. If you screw with them, they will abandon you and not think twice. It doesn’t matter if it’s a popular comic that changed writers and the new writer writes a couple bad issues. The fans leave. They rarely come back unless a new writer or an old writer return.
They are extremely critical of Hollywood. In their minds many titles have been treated poorly or at best given an average treatment. One thing about comic book fans is that if you do something right, they buy in bunches. I believe BATMAN had been wallowing in sales until Frank Miller’s DARK KNIGHT RETURNS came out, and the fans bought that series up in numbers DC hadn’t ever seen. Look at this year’s DARK KNIGHT. You do something right and the fans will reward you.
HEROES has treated those fans like step children. If it was a comic book, it would have changed writers by now. Hollywood doesn’t know how to make anything for comic book fans. I believe DARK KNIGHT was a fluke.
Prison Break did it’s same, while 2.5 men and Worst Week where up suprisingly, But Big Bang went down after it’s last week high of 10 million!
With the current downward spiral of Heroes and Chuck stabilizing around 6-7 million viewers, it’s pretty safe to say that NBC will cancel Heroes before they consider touching Chuck.
If I’m anything like the typical Heroes defector (defected early during season 2 after being very disillusioned with the second half of season 1), then the show has no shot at all at really stabilizing, let alone gaining viewership (which rarely ever happens to any show after a big decline).
I usually have nothing to watch at 9 pm on Mondays, so I always tune into Heroes for a few minutes at some point. Only for a few minutes, however, because that is always how long it takes me to start rolling my eyes (last night it was when Robert Forster’s eyes rolled up into his head and his hands started jerking around on his lap—it was creepy, but not in a good way, more in a Pee Wee Herman at the movies kind of way). Then I either flip to MNF, start looking through my DVDs, go online, or read a book (remember them?).
Heroes will be a case study in how to screw up a television show for decades to come, much in the same way that Sarah Palin will be a case study in how to screw up a campaign. Both things come down to intelligence. A severe lack of it is not a good thing in either a writing staff or a national political candidate.
I never seen anything burn so bright so fast only to flame out so quickly as those two did. And to push this bogus analogy just a tad further, it was once we got to peak behind the curtain of each that we all realized there was no there there and started defecting en masse.
Honestly, there have been shows that have been one hit wonders (Twin Peaks rings a big bell), but I’ve never seen anything like the way Heroes has laid waste the advantage it had created for itself with its first half season. And the funny thing is, people keep trying to figure out how to fix it. They want to cut characters, or reboot this or that, or bring back Fuller, or axe Kring.
Honestly, just putting on a good show would be an excellent start.
Personally, I think serial dramas cut their own throat for the most part. It’s not that people can’t follow serials. It’s that most serial dramas start drinking their own kool aid and believing the show will die if they ever resolve anything at all. It seems as if their now two types of shows. There are those that resolve everything easy as pie every 42 minutes, and those that never resolve anything until they realize they only have four episodes left thanks to impending cancelation.
Somewhere there is a middle ground that will make for a gigantic hit. 24, while a weird show of wildly uneven quality, is an interesting model. It’s serialized, but you never have to have seen a previous season to jump into the new one. And you barely have to have watched any of a current season to be able to jump in right in the middle.
It’s just not that difficult. A (good show) + B (good promotion/slotting) = C (good ratings). But if A or B is the inverse, you get D (lousy numbers). Occasionally good shows tank thanks to something other than network mismanagement, but I’d be hard pressed to remember one. Every great show I’ve ever seen tank has always had a network idiot to which you could point a finger. And I’ve never seen network promos save a piece of shit.
I guess this post isn’t what TVbytheNumbers is really all about, but to get this back on topic, numbers are always about A + B, and you have to have both variables 99% of the time in order to get to C.
Heroes has neither, hence the historic crash and burn in the ratings.
Schmokey, ok I was buying in until your “A+B, and you have to have both variables 99% of the time in order to get to C” When in math does A+B not equal C if C is defined as A+B? What 1%? Or are you just saying in the not so magical world of TV, C only rarely isn’t A+B?
I personally have never bought the “time slot of death,” analogy. If a show is good, and is well promoted then it will get viewers. Some time this may take a little time, but it will happen.
Like the cry baby “They moved my show to Friday!” really irks me. I remember when Friday Night TV was the biggest night of the year. In fact I can remember two different times in my life when this happened. First with CBS, then with ABC.
HEROES sucks because of bad writing. KR sucks because of bad writing. PD sucks because of bad writing. DSM sucks because of bad writing. CHUCK is average because of poor promotion. I think that show will get better over time as long as the quality remains high.
HEROES the solution was to replace KRING. Problem is that solution would have worked best during Season 1 before the show lost 20% of the audience for the last 5 or 6 episodes.
Also the reason to get rid of KRING is because he is the show runner. The bad writing all goes back to him. Replace him and as long as he was replaced with someone good and you have a better chance.
Still the show has lost what 50% of its viewers in less than a seasons worth of episodes? That is a ship that is sinking fast.
Hmmm – I just found out FOX HAS NEW EPISODES OF SARAH the next 2 weeks…that will take them to episodes 10 & 11…when do they stop runninig new ones to have enough for FEB-MAY on Fridays?…??
If they only have 22 – that brings it half way…I don’t think they’ll have 24 like Sutherlands tv show – although i also found out FOX wants 2 additional episodes of PRISON BREAK made for this TV season on top of what they wanted already…
Is FOX going 24 episodes on anything else?
T:SCC is the best action/drama on TV. It’s a shame so many people just don’t get it. The plot advances at a breakneck pace, the acting is top notch, and the FX are fantastic. But like Dark Angel and every other prime time network tv Sci-Fi attempt in the past, it’s above most of its target audience. Pity.
T:SCC is better than Lost, 24, Mad Men, Damages? wow!
“T:SCC is better than Lost, 24, Mad Men, Damages?”
Yes!
Mike, really every other prime time network tv sci fi attempt has failed to get viewers? Wow. I learn more BS every day. Wasn’t HEROES just recently like a top 10 show with 15M viewers? What about that show… X-FILES? I think it ran for like 9 seasons or something and has had 2 movies made about it. Isn’t there a show called FRINGE this season that is doing ok? What about that show LOST?
TERMINATOR just isn’t doing well on TV. I think the reason is that awful TERMINATOR 3 movie. I think that hurt the franchise.
Plus 18 million people watched the pilot for TERMINATOR. So they gave it a shot. They just didn’t like it.
Nothing is an absolute, Nick. Even 1% is being too stingy on my part. Because every once in a while a completely awful show does become a hit. It does happen. And every once in a while a good show with good network support does fail. It does happen. It’s probably more like 90/10.
My point was just that it rarely happens. Normally failure can be traced back to missing one of the two important ingredients, and no amount of whining, network promos, save our show campaigns, or prayer will ever change that.
T:SCC is really the best. The plot is growing better and better every week and we get to see cool sides of the characters. Very good actors, it’s needles to say that Summer really is the best, I miss Firefly. She isn’t the show though, I think other actors are doing just great also. Hope people will notice it finally when the sci-fi fridays start.
Anyone else remember how NBC had planned spinoffs of HEROES? They hired and paid people like KEVIN SMITH to write episodes. I forget what it was going to be called.
When you think of that and look at the numbers from last night. Then realize that viewership has gone from 14 million to 7.6 million in only 22 episodes (a full season) it really makes it clear just how devastated NBC must be about it all.
Chuck has a secret 3D weapon to unleash after the Super Bowl:
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/chuck/nbc-hopes-postsuper-bowl-slot-24443.aspx
Hopefully, this boost Chuck’s ratings. GO CHUCK!!!
Heroes is definitely going down the drain and wouldn’t be surprise if this season is its last. ‘The Biggest Loser’ is getting similar numbers and is much more cost-productive. Good bye Heroes and good riddance.
Wow, you should watch some TV then..
If NBC really wanted to boost CHUCK they would air the episode IMMEDIATELY AFTER the Super Bowl. Isn’t that the big promo slot for a network with the Super Bowl?
Yes, but what show will draw more viewers: The Office or Chuck? The Office will because of Steve Carrell’s star power and it has a bigger fan base.
Either way it will likely be the lowest rated post Super Bowl show in recent years.
Nick, Kevin Smith? Really?! I can see it on Reaper, but a Heroes spinoff? Masi Oka and Ando getting high and teleporting to hang out with Ben Affleck? On second thought, that’s not a far cry from a 10 year old Hiro in a 28 year old Hiro’s body.
There are simply way, way too many character arcs on Heroes and so the talents of Masi and Greg Grunberg sadly wind up sometimes being showcased better on NBC “chime in” promos, than they do on the show.
Chucky, the Office already does well for NBC. It’s a waste of a promotional tool. I remember when ABC used the SUPER BOWL to promote ALIAS and that worked for them. FOX has used it in the past to premiere brand new shows.
If NBC was smart (which we all know they are not) they would pick CHUCK or another one of their shows they believe in for the promotional spot. I’m telling you the 3D glasses, etc. and marketing for a “CHUCK in 3D following the Super Bowl!” would work. If the show was as good as say last weeks they’d have a chance at making CHUCK a hit.
Airing the OFFICE after the SUPER BOWL is imho a lame move by an extremely lame network.
Also, CHUCK fits the demo of the SUPER BOWL while THE OFFICE doesn’t. It’s just bad business. I think Julia is right and it will be the least watched post-super bowl show in years.
I don’t know what the “bang for the buck” move is. Fox aired House after the Super Bowl and while it didn’t need any promotion, I don’t think it was a bad move on Fox’s part. But Fox didn’t have so many struggling shows as NBC at the time and it had already given TSCC the spot following the NFC championship game and NBC will not have a conference championship game.
It could be just because I’m old (though I LOVE ‘Chuck’), but the whole 3D/3D glasses thing just rubs me wrong…
The SCC moving to Friday as a lead-in for Dollhouse…
If I were a potential Dollhouse fan, I would be upset to have a low numbers show preceding a new series.
Does less action last night on SCC mean more walk-n-talk episodes…
A walking talking terminator is not exactly a way to increase audinece share.
Arnold, “I’ll be Back” did’t need much dialogue to start the franchise.
Nick, I think Merlin or The Philanthropist would probably be NBC’s smartest choice.
Nick C, the airing of Alias after the Super Bowl was the lowest viewed post-Super Bowl program in over ten years at that time. Granted, ABC aired it after 11pm in the east coast but Alias really didn’t get much of rating boost for the rest of season 2.
I think Steve Carrell has enough star power to draw in a hefty amount of casual viewers.
Robert, I found it. HEROES: ORIGINS. A 6 episode series to be written/directed by people including KEVIN SMITH and ELI ROTH. Remember Smith writes comics occasionally like GREEN ARROW. The gimmick was that each episode would be about a new hero and that viewers would get to vote for who would be a regular on the third season. Kind of like American Idol but for potential Heroes.
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-nbcupfronts-heroesorigins,0,5536579.story
Sadly, that series actually had some extremely talented writers attached. I remember they trotted Kevin Smith out at Comic Con for it. He cracked a joke about how his episode would deal with the 2 gay heroes. Then said “The Japanese guys are gay right?”
Yeah sad it had to go: it would have been cool
Only Fox and NBC have dissapointing ratings. ABC, CW and specially CBS are very well this week.
Wasn’t Origins supposed to just be a web thing? And wasn’t it supposed to be post season 2, not 3? Or was that just when they started talking about it?
Paul, CW is down this week. As a previous comment said, first time this season OTH or Gossip Girl are under 3 million.
Personally i think Heroes should have kept with the episodes 12-13 because they were good (if anyones seen the ideas for them in the DVD’s) plus it would have kept people watching during the spring instead of annoying people with ad campaignes.
episodes 12-13 for season two i mean
Chucky, the post game of that show went on an for an extra long time and then the nation was forced to watch that new Bon Jovi video. That was when I believe the nation tuned out
The ALIAS episode was still the most watched episode ever for ALIAS. Which was the point. It WORKED for Alias.
CHUCK imho is a much better show than ALIAS. As long as NBC didn’t get screwed with another extra long post game then they’d be ok. Still 17M viewers of CHUCK would be a massive promotional edge.
Would it work? I think it would work better for CHUCK than ALIAS.
Julia, you’re possibly right on MERLIN and THE PHILANTHROPIST. Of the current lineup that is on the air I think CHUCK would receive the biggest advantage from airing after the SUPER BOWL.
With the way things are going do you think it’s possible that Chuck and Heroes might end up with similar numbers by the end of the season? I think they’re only gonna get closer.
DWTS. I can’t wait for it to be over. Why do 20 million tune in for it? Why?
And the CBS comedies are undeserving. Why do people like those shows?
Johnthemon… DWTS is fun. That’s why. Why do you care that other people enjoy it or the CBS shows? Why? Maybe you should think about why you are bothered by other people enjoying themselves. What is it about YOU that is wrong or disjointed. Look deep into yourself because if if you were talking about anything else besides tv on a message board they would lock you up. Johnthemon “Why do people like pizza? I don’t understand… it bothers me. Why?” “Why do people go to the beach? The beach is undeserving… why?” “Why do people have sex… I’ve never had it myself but it looks very messy and complicated… why?”
I think they were going to air Origins instead of reruns during the spring hiatus
the spot after The Superbowl is overrated, look at Criminal Minds.
Nick C, I gotta disagree with you on several points.
1. Chuck is not a better show than Alias…well if you discount the last three seasons of Alias. I love both shows but season 1 & 2 of Alias was the ultimate thrill-ride.
2. The Super Bowl time-slot did not work for Alias because the following week the ratings drop back down to its norm….so they really didn’t gain any new viewers.
I do agree that Chuck would perform better than Alias did because it’s more accessible. But I still think The Office would draw in more viewers. It already has a huge fanbase and Steve Carrell would draw in the casual viewers (the ones who don’t really watch football).
Holly, I believe you’re right. The idea was 6 fresh episodes that didn’t deal with the season’s course but would allow viewers to pick a new regular. The talent they had on board that show is to me surprising. It was a victim of the WGA strike.
Wonder whether the next episode of Heroes will have more veiwers seeing as its a big one (or at least ment to be): like excite more veiwers or just those who want to see what its like.
Johnthemon, it’s because casual viewing people don’t like to think much at all. It’s easier to watch fit “stars” in colorful outfits and not to think about the fact that many of them were actually practically unknown prior to the show. It’s easier to watch a comedy when laugh track tells you exactly when to laugh. You can turn your brain off completely.
Chucky, I have to disagree with your disagreements.
1. CHUCK IS a better show than ALIAS. There are multiple reasons why, but the main ones are it is better written. It does everything right in the writing category. The seasons were planned in advance and Schwartz knew what he wanted from the show. He knows what the last episode is. ALIAS on the other hand is a product of one of the worst and best writers in the business. A man who comes up with great ideas, and has no idea how to work them. People can argue with me about JJ but he doesn’t ever imagine a complete picture. He had no idea how LOST would end. He had no idea where ALIAS is going. He has no idea where FRINGE is going.
LOST finally turned back around after they figured out how it was going to end and how they would get there. ALIAS never had such a plan. FRINGE doesn’t have such a plan. Since they don’t and CHUCK does, I have to say it’s a better show just from that stand point.
You asking me to forget more than half of a show’s run is amusing. This season CHUCK has been pretty strong. Even the bad episodes are as good as most TV.
2. The SUPER BOWL spot DID work for ALIAS. More viewers than ever before tuned in. They watched. ALIAS didn’t work for them. That is a huge difference.
CHUCK on the other hand fits the demo of who watches a SUPER BOWL better than either ALIAS or THE OFFICE. Also where is this HUGE fan base of the OFFICE? Last week 8.1 million people watched THE OFFICE. Compare that to the 6.8 million who watched CHUCK.
Then compare THE OFFICE to CHUCK for the SUPER BOWL audience. Which one makes more sense? CHUCK. Throw in the 3D gimmick. 17 million CHUCK viewers would be a blessing for NBC.
CHUCK has more of a chance to retain viewers gained from a SUPER BOWL episode than does THE OFFICE. THE OFFICE has been around for awhile, and it really won’t benefit from the promotional spot that was originally intended for the spin off. It made sense for the spin off. Now that NBC has numbers for the season, the show that makes sense right now is CHUCK.
Alde, can you please stop attacking viewers of other shows? All it really proves to the rest of us is they are smarter than you (because they aren’t on here calling you dumb for not watching their program).
Nick, now you are getting into arguing things that are subjective, which is impossible to prove.
I was 100% sure my post will tick Nick off. Nothing new in the world. However, I wasn’t calling anyone dumb. Unless you can bring a solid and valid point why someone chooses to watch those over others, a mere suggestion that such shows are easier to digest because they don’t involve thinking is just as good as any other relational perspective.
Nick C,
The only reason I said discount the last three season of Alias was because J.J. left to work on Lost & MI:III, ABC dumbed down the show, and Garner got pregnant (which destroyed season 5).
J.J. had a plan for Alias from the very beginning but he had to drastically change it around because the ratings were suffering. He had to destroy SD-6 early because it was too confusing for viewers. He had change the whole storyline after season 3 so they could reset the show for its season 4 premiere to bank on its Lost’s lead-in.
The first two seasons of Alias were perfect. Steven Spielberg loved the show so much that he asked Garner to do a cameo for his current movie at the time. He also did did commentary for the DVDs. Quentin Tarantino also loved the show and guest-starred in several episodes.
Alias and Chuck are my two favorite shows but I Alias is a tad bit better even with its sub-par latter seasons.
Lastly, The Office has a much bigger fanbase than Chuck. The 8.31 million viewers does not include dvr viewers who account for nearly half of The Office’s viewership. Also, their fanbase a much more rabid based on their DVD sales–the current DVDs are outselling Heroes’.
I would have loved to see Chuck in the post-Super Bowl slot but I still think Steve Carrell’s mass appeal is the reason why The Office has the slot.
Well actually it generally more beleiveable (Nicks theory) and would explain the 21st Century boom of reality tv shows: people don’t want complication when they’ve been rattling their brain all day. Certain shows i.e the Wire was very hard to digest so it was a failure in ratings for HBO. I would say Alde it would be quite easy to find pyshcological proof for nicks theory (as the brain can only fully be at concentration for 25 minutes: that of a young person anyway) which would explain why some shows may be better suited for 30min slots. Hey!! maybe Heroes should be 30mins long?? But it is a perspective.
The Office should be behind the super-bowl its their like 4th-3rd top performing scripted show (and highest in the demos) while Chuck just drags itself along with only 6+ million veiwers: one of 9-11th shows. Like Chucky said Steve Carrell appeals to mass of people
And the soap opera continues.
In other news, glad to see TSCC isn’t hanging in the 5.1 region anymore. Yeah, 5.3 isn’t something to be proud of, but at least it’s something. After DWTS finished next week, hopefully it’ll go up. And hopefully it will get new viewers who will want to follow the show to Fridays come Feb.
Uh, what’s exactly is Nick’s theory except the obvious “Alde is a jerk” one?
Nevermind: but it sounds like you have the Nick is a jerk theory?? Anyway i guess its impossible to decide what shows are better based on quality: which is something i know i plain obvious but between the Office and Chuck i don’t see much difference. Have any of you watched the original Office (UK) with the hilarious Ricky Gervais???
FYI, the creators of Chuck stated that they got the inspiration for show off of Alias. They even told Yvonne Strahovski to watched the entire series of Alias in preparation for Chuck.
Lastly, the creators of Lost had a plan and its ending for Lost from the very beginning. They just didn’t know how many seasons Lost would last for.
terminator is the best show ever check it out. last nights was very cool .the show makes you think and it kicks ass it has hot girls and good acting and leaves you wanting more. i cant wait till next monday
Julia, sure quality can be argued. However having a plan is better than not having a plan. To me that is basic writing. JJ comes up with great ideas but rarely works it all out before starting a TV series. I stated my reason for why I think CHUCK is better. It has a plan. No one can say my opinion is wrong based on my idea. My main point was ALIAS got the viewers that ABC wanted for it with the SUPER BOWL slot, it’s unfortunate that ALIAS didn’t catch on with any of those viewers. Other peoples opinion may vary on the quality.
Chucky, are you sure you’re not Ben Silverman? THE OFFICE is profitable but it’s not a huge fan base or anything. THE OFFICE averages about 11 million viewers with DVR and CHUCK averages around 7.5 million. 3.5 million more people. Comparing DVD sales of one show to a show that is flopping for a season that fans “hated,” isn’t a very good gauge.
CHUCK btw did well last week with its release of the first season on Blu Ray.
The SUPER BOWL slot should be used as a promotional tool to help a product. I don’t see THE OFFICE gaining anything. It is already profitable. If I was NBC I’d be looking at CHUCK, MERLIN, or THE PHILANTHROPIST.
The way NBC is treating the spot right now they’re just looking for immediate profit (from the advertising).
The only reason I compared DVD Sales of The Office to Heroes is because Heroes was one the best selling TV show on DVDs last years: making nearly $70 million. Yes, they’re sales are down but are still good: $25 million for season 2. The Office is reaching $30 million in sales for their season 4 DVDs. In comparison, Chuck is somewhere between $1-1.5 million.
Alde, you’re being a bit of a troll. You want to say:
it’s because casual viewing people don’t like to think much at all. It’s easier to watch fit “stars” in colorful outfits and not to think about the fact that many of them were actually practically unknown prior to the show. It’s easier to watch a comedy when laugh track tells you exactly when to laugh. You can turn your brain off completely.
…and at the same time say you weren’t just offensive and condescending to a wide ranging group of people by saying that.
You’re pretty much full of shit AND unreasonable about it. You can’t draw any conclusions from people who watch Dancing With the Stars other than that they LIKE the show. That’s it.
Baseball doesn’t require much thought, but I still love watching it and going to the ballpark. You couldn’t reasonably conclude based on that bit of data “that I didn’t like to think”, but you jump to the same sort of conclusions in the example above despite the fact it isn’t reasonable to do so.
Nick might have a bit of jerk in him, and it may annoy you as much as whatever your deal is with the masses of TV viewers — but he’s not unreasonable in his thinking processes. You are at times, unreasonable in yours. Since you’re a person who likes to think, I hope you’ll think on it.
Thanks.
Fin, The Office is the top rated scripted show for NBC in viewers as well as the demo.
Fin, I loved the original OFFICE. I however don’t buy the “people are too dumb,” theory for any TV show unless that show was about quantum physics or something. I believe a show is either good or it isn’t. Sure there are cases of good shows not making it because of some weird reason or another, but the general argument from posters on sites like these is “my show isn’t making it because people are too dumb to realize how great it is!” That just isn’t a theory I buy. People just like different things. If we went by what the panels end up saying, I’d say there appear to be reasons that have nothing to do with the perceived intelligence of viewers.
Chucky, you’re acting like I said ALIAS was horrible. I just stated that I believe CHUCK is better (so far as a complete whole). As for LOST always having an ending planned, that is in fact inaccurate. I can state inside knowledge on this. There was always a vague ending, but nothing concrete. Figuring out and setting an end was the reason the quality improved.
Robert, a bit of a jerk in me? Unfortunately I can say without hesitation that, that statement is entirely false. I’m more of a complete jerk but not in the Steve Martin way.
I have to toss in some T:SCC love too. Well-acted, well-written with the perfect amount of thought-provoking and fun: definitely my type of show.
Re: Heroes, I’ve always hated that show and never watched it consistently. They constantly rip off the 4400 (among others)and even then do a poor job. If there truly is a plot-line involving someone wanting to make everyone/lots of people have powers: this is a direct rip-off of the 4400 for sure.
It’s always bothered me because I could never understand why NBC cut the legs out from underneath the 4400– a show that was on one of THEIR OWN NETWORKS. After Heroes came out, the ratings for the 4400 took a nosedive and never stopped. Even though the acting and character development were much much better on the 4400. I still miss the show (hopefully I’m not alone!).
The acting on Heroes has always been OTT and histrionic and the writing is flat- out laughable. I ask all of my friends who are loyal Heroes watchers if they’ve ever seen the 4400 and the answer is always no. IMHO if they had there’s no way they could put up with Heroes.
4400 dug its own grave in season three. Before Heroes.
Networks who air the Super Bowl tend to go with their most popular or already established veteran shows. Last year, it was FOX’s House. Year before, CBS’s Criminal Minds. Before that, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. And before that, FOX’s The Simpsons (plus the series premiere of American Dad), CBS’s Survivor…..there’s a really obvious trend. So I think I understand why NBC would decide to air The Office after the big game, which would still draw at least 70 million viewers even if it will become the least watched SB in years. It’s still the Super Bowl.
I love both CHUCK and THE OFFICE, the only two shows I refuse to miss under any circumstances. Quality-wise, THE OFFICE, is one of the best on TV. But CHUCK is the most entertaining, fun show out there. I think NBC is probably going the safe route.
Anyone know a site that tracks the DVD sales of TV shows?
fin,
Based on quality, I’d say OFFICE is better than CHUCK. And I LOVE CHUCK too. And yes, I’ve seen the British Office. It’s one of my favorites. British comedy is the funniest thing out there. But there’s just something special about NBC’s OFFICE….
That’s what good shows do, pull you in and never let go.
Rachel, http://the-numbers.com/ (no relation) maintains weekly charts. You can’t really glean total sales for items that fall off the top 30, but it still gives you an idea of relative performance the weeks that they were on the charts. it requires a bit of scrolling back through past weeks…
Chucky, THE OFFICE DVD sales are really strong. The show does better on DVD than it does on the air. Your numbers for CHUCK on DVD are off. According to NASH it has done over $3M in DVD and $.5M in BD. It did $1M in DVD in its first week (when it debuted at number 22 on the DVD sales chart).
I think the CHUCK BD numbers are strong considering its brand image.
Again I think NBC is going for the quick buck vs trying to promote a product that could use the push. Their idea to promote CHUCK through out the Super Bowl is alright, but may not be enough.
Look at it from a business stand point: Make money that night, or possibly add an average of 2M viewers to a show that is only pulling 6.5M for the season? THE OFFICE likely won’t see a jump in viewers. It is quite obvious the OFFICE fans watch their show on DVD.
BD=BluRay?
Kevin, I generally agree. Go with your biggest show and pull down huge advertising dollars. Except NBC is a train wreck right now. HEROES is bleeding out. MOWE was a disaster (with CW having programs doing better in the 18-49). LAW & ORDER: SVU has become your 2nd best show in the demo! Wednesday nights are beyond disaster. KNIGHT RIDER has demo numbers that SMALLVILLE is known to pull. LIFE is barely better than KNIGHT RIDER. LAW & ORDER is better than the other two but nothing to be proud of. Thursday night you have THE OFFICE and ER (which is ending this season). The Friday Night shows are all pulling numbers that CW shows can beat.
It’s beyond a disaster. The numbers are so pathetic all around for NBC that it makes no sense to cash out on the evening. It is in NBC’s best interest to use the spot to promote a show that could get better ratings if given a chance. This is that chance. I don’t see anything in the lineup on NBC that is worth the slot but CHUCK or one of the midseason shows.
When FOX was still a struggling network they’d use the SUPER BOWL to promote shows. Sometimes it is what you have to do.
Julia, yeah, BD is short for Blu-ray Disc.
About the post-Super Bowl time slot, I wish they would put CHUCK after it. Why? Because it needs help. THE OFFICE is already popular, already makes money for NBC, and doesn’t need help. That show is gonna be on for as long as the cast/producers want to keep doing it. CHUCK is a different story. It’s only in it’s second season and viewership is down. It needs a boost. It doesn’t deserve to wonder whether they’re going to get cancelled or not.
Ah, thanks for the link Robert. Sucks how you can’t track a show once they fall off the top 30 :/
Perhaps NBC doesn’t want to spend all that money promoting CHUCK. Whereas with THE OFFICE, they don’t need to spend as much because people already know about it. But then that wouldn’t make sense, because NBC is going to pull in a lot of revenue for airing The Super Bowl. Who knows what the NBC suits are thinking.
Kevin, NBC already is planning on spending a lot to promote Chuck heavily during the Super Bowl.
Nick C,
I agree with you that airing Chuck after the Super Bowl is a better long-term investment than The Office. But NBC is in a fragile state and The Office is just a safer route.
To end the discussion of Alias vs Chuck, both shows are great. I just like Alias more (well just the 1st 2 seasons) than Chuck while you like Chuck more. In my opinion, if Chuck can last a few more seasons—then in the end Chuck will be a better series as a whole.
Kevin, that would make sense but as Julia has stated NBC is already planning “heavy promotion,” for the 3D episode. I’m a numbers guy. I’m also a guy who understands things like BRAND IMAGE. Right now NBC has a bad BRAND IMAGE. The only show they definitely have returning for next season with a good BRAND IMAGE is THE OFFICE.
Because NBC is in such dire straits they need to be doing something. They’ve decided to promote CHUCK during the Super Bowl and use that 3D gimmick. I say why not go all out on CHUCK? Move it to after the game and see if the ratings go up the next night when CHUCK airs at its normal time. THE OFFICE isn’t going anywhere.
Outside of the numbers, “better” is purely in the eye of the viewer. That said, I can see there being some legitimate reasons that Chuck might theoretically have more mass appeal. It’s sad for me that it’s on NBC. If CBS were airing Chuck on Mondays at 8pm, it might (purely speculative, there’s no way to know style fantasizing) do as well as TBBT and HIMYM.
Chucky, the money that THE OFFICE would make over CHUCK is not that much. Any show after the SUPER BOWL is a safe route. The 40% more that THE OFFICE might bring to me isn’t worth it when you look at the BIG PICTURE.
I’d want to do what is best for the Network. Remember that when NBC made this decision it was back in August. They had no idea their schedule would be doing so poorly. They had to cancel the plans to air the OFFICE SPIN OFF, because it was turning into an Amy Poehler vehicle that wouldn’t be ready in time because she was putting them off to have a baby (how self centered can you be?)
In August it made sense. I’m sure they thought HEROES would do about 11 million to 12 million worst case scenario and CHUCK would be doing around 8.5 million. Plus I’m sure they thought as a network to be averaging about 3 million more viewers than they are. Right now it doesn’t make sense.
…. sure would be nice to get a break from all this desperate “Chukk” chatter and “TSCC” tired rooting. Face it people – these shows are dead and stinking up the joint. They only remain on the air because the network doesn’t have any immediate programming to replace these fermenting turds with. It would sure be nice to hear just one person mention the best comedy and quite possibly the best show on television for 6 years running. A quiet little gem that defies the odds at every turn and truly puts the “Com” back in “Sit-Com”. The show i’m referring to, of course, is “Two and a Half Men”!!! No press, no awards, no blogs, chat room activity or “cool” factor to hype it, this masterpiece delivers the goods week in and week out! It has no interest in apologizing, explaining or defending itself, for pushing the envelope and raising the bar to heights only dreamt of by the “single camera cess pool” that leaks weekly and woefully from the NBC toxic land fill. Tune in folks; they show the rest of the gang just how it should be done.
Stan Down, that is cute.
I think the reason NBC isn’t canceling either is that they still do well compared to the rest of the crap they air. Plus DWTS won’t be around forever. In fact it ends next week right?
Nick, looks like you’ve been drinking the Kool Aid of many other JJ haters on the web. JJ left Alias for LOST, as in he had no say in how it ended because he wasn’t there. Also, JJ told Damon Lindelof he had no interest at all in running LOST and really had to be dragged into doing it in the first place. Interviews with Kurtzman and Orci show that they know exactly how Fringe will end, and until you can show me otherwise, despite your opinion of the show, you will be spouting just because you don’t like shows JJ Abrams works on. Besides, I fail to see why it’s important to know where the show will end while sitting down to write down a pilot. It is conceivable to produce quality episodes before knowing what the end of the show will be…
Yeah, it’s not like OFFICE is going anywhere for NBC anytime soon. I mean, I think I read somewhere that Steve Carell just signed a three year extension so it’ll be on for at least that long.
CHUCK and A LOT of other NBC shows, on the other hand…well…
Sorry Stan.
Two and a Half Men is funny, but TSCC is the best show on TV (regardless of the ratings). Also the reason you hear about TSCC so much, is because the fans come here to see if it is going to get canceled. Two and a Half Men isn’t in any danger, so why would people be coming here to check it that often? If TSCC had Two and a Half Men numbers, I wouldn’t be here every week. I would just enjoy my show.
Stan Down,
You’re kidding right? I watch Two and a Half Men and find it really funny, but let’s be serious here. There’s a reason why it gets no press or awards. It is far from a masterpiece. Now imagine what a non-fan would say about that show.
Two and a Half Men, despite the ratings, isn’t even the best sitcom on its own network. That would be How I Met Your Mother. No one does a better job of comedic storytelling. But I guess if you like sex jokes, MEN is the appropriate show.
Stan Down,
Are you kidding me?!? No press, no awards, no hype. Wasn’t it nominated for best comedy? Wasn’t Charlie Sheen nominated for best actor? Wasn’t Jon Cryer nominated for best supporting actor? Granted, they didn’t win…rightfully so…but still got its recognition.
Two and a Half Men was funny its first four seasons but since season 5, IMO it has been sub-par. Jake has transform from a lovable fowl-mouthed rascal into a obese, awkward teenager who all of a sudden can’t act. The show uses the same dirty jokes over and over….oral sex jokes here…masturbating jokes there…..after 4 seasons, it is getting very OLD & tiresome.
Yet, America still loves this show. How I Met Your Mother, The Office, 30 Rock, Big Bang Theory is so funnier.
One last thing, ‘CHUCK’ ROCKS!!!
Vader, who do I trust you on the internet claiming they know what the pattern is or Jeff Pinkner who claims they “have an idea,” of what it is? I’ll trust Jeff. Also where have I stated hate for JJ? I haven’t. In fact I call some of them friends. I think the only thing they were sure of on the story was the prequel they had Zack write.
This is Chuck’s most watched episode correct? I’m hoping that the upward trend keeps going. With Dancing with the Stars ending next week, the show has a possibility of getting some viewers. I’m also happy with HIMYIM’s numbers, funny episode last night.
OK, when did this site turn into a place where people insulted each other for liking or disliking stupid TV shows. The reason I really enjoy this site is because it’s just about the numbers, and as a numbers girl I can enjoy that.
There are millions of other websites where you can go yell at each other. Can you PLEASE just leave this one alone. PLEASE!!!
I totally agree with MILF Island, Two and a Half Men is mediocre now. They use the same sex jokes over and over. Plus the kid can’t act. Stan Down, you need to ‘Stan Up’ and stop sipping on that sub-par comedy kool-aid.
The only two shows I watch on Mondays are Gossip Girl and Heroes, and both weren’t very enticing!
I think Heroes, NBC, and its writers need to understand this story line is practically impossible to follow. It took me rewinds and rewinds to understand if a certain line was symbolic for something or just a line. They need to keep it suspenseful but easy to follow. And definetely more interesting… I still will watch it live to try to help it as much as I can.
Gossip Girl last night offered absolutely nothing. It was the second worst episode of the year. The Jenny leaving story line was boring, and is finally over. Thank Gosh. But I would love to see the Blair- Chuck story line get steamier. I hope it can get at last 3.4 mil next week! (It ain’t impossible)
I think Heroes, NBC, and its writers need to understand this story line is practically impossible to follow. It took me rewinds and rewinds to understand if a certain line was symbolic for something or just a line. They need to keep it suspenseful but easy to follow. And definetely more interesting… I still will watch it live to try to help it as much as I can.
Gossip Girl last night offered absolutely nothing. It was the second worst episode of the year. The Jenny leaving story line was boring, and is finally over. Thank Gosh. But I would love to see the Blair- Chuck story line get steamier. I hope it can get at last 3.4 mil next week! (It ain’t impossible)
That’s the beauty of where we live. Freedom of speech and freedom of expression!! Two and a half has matured radically and continues to tackle the tough issues other shows won’t go near. My 89 year old Grandma SWEARS it’s the reason her brain cancer went into remission. The constant laughter for 2 years from Two and a half during her treatments seems to have done the trick!! For that, I am forever grateful and supportive of this wonderful show!!!
Um, Stan, how much are they paying you to shill for this show? You just crossed the line into total unbelievability.
Thanks Tom for your wonderful commentary. I will add I bet there are alot of families that watch DWTS together. It’s the only show on tv that my entire family watches. It is fun. It is also an inspiring and uplifting program and it seems to end it’s season so quickly that we never get tired of it, unlike alot of the reality shows that go on to the point that you get bored with them. We also like 2 1/2 Men on occasion but sometimes they go overboard with the sex jokes and I even like the CSI and Criminal Minds shows but watching people being murdered and disected everynight of the week is overkill and I don’t see how anyone can do it without eventually becoming paranoid and depressed. To each his own. Apparently, millions of people love to watch murder shows seven nights a week. I just don’t think it lends itself to a healthy mindset.
Stan, have you even seen Terminator and Chuck? What would make you call them turds?
Stan Down
What tough issue is Two and a Half Men tackling that no other show go near? What is a better tool for masturbating: banana peel or a tube sock? What to do when you have an erection lasting more than 4 hours: go see a doctor or find a girl to bang? Two and a Half Men may have witty dialogue but it isn’t as sophisticated or smart as 30 Rock. Clearly, you are blinded by how the show has helped your grandma.
R.G., I got this from the T:SCC writers blog. Episodes 14-22 start in Feburary. Standard back 9 deal.
“New episodes continue next Monday with Complications at 8PM/7PMc (only on FOX!) and air every Monday through the shocking end of our first thirteen episodes on December 15th! You’ll have to see it with your own eyes to believe it…
Then, get ready for the greatest night of sci-fi awesomeness that ever happened as we return with our fourteenth episode beginning on Friday, February 13, 2009.”
http://www.fox.com/blogs/terminator/
Suh-WEET!
Can’t wait!
THis makes me so mad that heroes keeps getting low ratings.
They need to move it to another night. It’s up againts too many good shows
and football. I think this will solve it.
As much as I hate to say this once DWTS is over for this cycle, Heroes should see a rebound. If the numbers stay low during The Bacholer I think Kring and crew should seriously cut their losses-like they did with Crossing Jordan- bail out and hand Heroes over to a triage team and start a new development phase.
The best show on the air is MANSWERS !!! Why is it on only at 11pm on SPIKE? Sure they get into adult stuff but its no worse than TWO MEN and an OBESE TEENAGER.
What’s Manswers? I’ve never heard of it.
Since people LOVEDDDD to compare HEROES and LOST back in the day, I’d just like to mention that HEROES is definitely behind…by a lot. Season 3 of LOST was still getting over 11m viewers… and actually stayed that way in Season 4.
So, numbers wise.. LOST wins…. yes, already. As far as quality, that’s up for you to decide, but LOST has definitely stabilized itself with the ending of S3 and the entire 4th season.
I hope these numbers aren’t an indication of what will happen to LOST this season though. There’s a difference though, LOST actually has good writers etc…
How can these ratings PRETEND to be accurate? I don’t have a nielsen system. If I watch or don’t watch it doesn’t matter. Nobody I know has one, I have never even heard of anybody who has. I don’t think that they actually have the boxes in any type of a representative fashion. The fact that it is so heavily skewed towards dancing with the stars and sitcoms shows how skewed it is.
While I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the Nielsen data, I can definitely vouch for the accuracy of statistical sampling in general. I’m sure you’re not pretending to be ignorant about it, but really are — so read and learn.
i Do wonder. The G4 network is probably not available too that many households but it does aim at the 18-34 audience specifically tech geek crowd. Does the fact that G4 does air Heroes the next night impact the NBC monday night rating and dvr recordings at all. You have to think that there are some amount of viewers lost but is it in the thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands?
Rob, Wonder NO more. G4 viewing is insignificant, for Heroes and in general. It’s more than iTunes downloads, but Heroes last Tuesday at 10pm (not last night, but 11/11) on G4 drew 131,000 viewers. It was outranked by multiple episodes of Higglytown Heroes and reruns of Hogans Heroes.
Thanks Robert. I actually thought the number might be close to maybe half a million but at 131,000; that isn’t a number big enough for any real difference in the NBC rating.
Robert, I know of one study that basically compared the viewing statistics of cable boxes in NYC to Nielsen data in NYC. There was a large enough difference to question Nielsen’s sampling process.
Of course those boxes don’t tell you who is watching, what sex, how old, etc. All it could go against was overall viewing.
I’ve always questioned how Nielsen goes about their sampling. Questions certainly get raised when DVD box sets sell better than Nielsen data would leave you to believe (specifically FAMILY GUY, SMALLVILLE & FIREFLY, and FAMILY GUY before the reruns on Adult Swim). Those shows passed both the normal and high percentages of season sales.
Of course now FAMILY GUY does well with the ratings. Now it’s a bigger hit than it was before with the sales I mentioned.
I think there is statistical data available that shows that NIELSEN is weak in sampling certain buyer profiles.
Then again gauging TV “buying,” habits is much more difficult than say polling voters.
Yeah, screw the Nielsen Numbers!
I have a question though… since cable is all digital now (or at least will be next Feb) wouldn’t they somehow be able to use that to track what every TV is watching? Or maybe I’m totally missing something here…
Rachel, the problem with that is it can’t tell if it’s you or your dad watching. There’s a big difference to the advertisers.
The market that matters (advertising)has spoken. it doesn’t say that Nielsen is perfect, but it does say it’s preferential to everything else. All other discussions are fairly moot until the market moves in a different direction.
Oh, right. Well, that makes sense then… I do wish they’d track it my way as well, because I’d still like to know how many total viewers these shows are really getting.
Rachel, the good news is that Nielsen fully understands the situation and realizes they are weak in sampling certain “buying audiences,” and does everything they can to improve their sampling. At least they aren’t an old dinosaur refusing to adjust their habits.
I have to wonder, now that Kring has decided to open his mouth about the show’s fans, if Heroes won’t drop below Chuck’s ratings before long. It’ll be sad to see if it does, I hate it when any sci-fi themed show goes down, but with all of that promotion for Heroes last week and next to none for Chuck, both of them are separated by 800,000 viewers now. And Chuck is probably going to gain next week considering how the last episode ended (I still think it would have been even wilder if they had just shown Sarah holding the watch at the end, and not cut to Jill and Chuck in the car).
FrankJ, Heroes may continue to fall because of the reasons that started the fall (including some of the hubris evidenced by those comments), but I doubt that reading Kring’s idiot comments themselves will do much. Very few Heroes watchers on a relative basis will actually learn of them. Sure, we do, and so does everyone else who goes to fan sites, but that’s still a small % of the overall viewers.
HEROES has pretty much screwed the pooch after Krings comments. With a show like HEROES, once the magics gone, its gone. Alot of people will just tune in for the series finale to find out how it all ends. I did that with JERICHO after Season 2 became a joke when it seems like they hired Michael Moore and Olly Stone to ghost write it. HEROES aint that bad – yet.
I don’t understand why The CW keeps worshipping dramas such as Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill when they have terrible ratings. They are being beat out by the spanish channel! If that’s the case, they should have given Veronica Mars the same treatment. At least that show had a plot and people who could act.