RATINGS RAT RACE: NBC & CBS Gain While ABC and Fox Lose Ground In Premiere Week

COMMENTS (7)

• The overall broadcast network numebrsd are still going down.

  In total viewers, the combined networks averaged 39.3 million last week (September 20th-26th), as opposed to 40.1 million last year.

  In adults between 18 and 49 years of age, the combined networks averaged 12.6 million viewers last week, as compared to 13.3 million viewers last year.

  How did Univision do? A few times last season, they led the 18-49′s (or sometimes even overall viewrehsip) between 8 and 10 ET/PT on Friday evenings.

  Comment by Joseph — Tuesday September 28, 2010 @ 2:21pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Gee, NBC is in the shitter so they get bold, put diversity in their shows and drop the fear-driven development and post a gain.

  Wake up, people.

  Stop supporting racism, sexiam and nepotism.

  Stop the “mediocracy”

  Return to a “meritocracy.”

  Grow the f— up!

  Comment by NCFBM — Tuesday September 28, 2010 @ 3:11pm PDT  Reply to this post

  • Isn’t it sexism to have shows that almost exclusively, appeal to women? Isn’t it racism to have shows that under-represent the White majority, and over-represent Blacks? Isn’t it nepotism to have “Hollywood royalty” take over at NBC?

    Read the post. What was driving the uptick was Univision, appealing to a separate cultural universe (in Spanish).

    Outsourced lost about 1 million viewers from the Office, though it did well among 18-49. Its still a fraction of the Mentalist’s 15 million viewers or Big Bang’s nearly 14 million. The Event has done OK, but nothing special. Undercovers is dying. So “Diversity” = appealing to non-Whites, still a minority (and a small one) of English Language TV. CBS did far better with old-school, mainstream programming (that didn’t cost a bundle to promote either).

    NBC and CW had such rotten years last year, anything looks up. Its a lot harder to get 5% improvement from 15 million viewers than 20% from 2 million viewers. I don’t see any evidence that “diversity” puts higher ratings on the table.

    Comment by whiskey — Tuesday September 28, 2010 @ 4:00pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Congrats to CBS on their ratings.

  I know it’s not Deadlline’splace to give free advice on pitches, I was wondering if you could just give me a yeah or nay on something, in view of the success of Bluebloods.

  My idea is to have a show about not just a family of cops, but a nursing home full of cops. Kind of like the Motion Picture Country Home but with bullet proof emphasyma tanks, wheelchairs with sirens and lights, and officers with Alzehimers asking the same question of every witness. (Less writing and even less story plotting than Bluebloods — hence savings in costs.)

  Not only could the retired police officers and “brass” at the home swap war stories of cases in their careers (thereby recycling every exhausted cliche TV police procedural trope, 1970-1995) their kids could also be cops as on Bluebloods and they could bring their cases to the home to kick around with the retired cops ( those who have not lost legs to diabetes).

  It’s really not that far from Bluebloods and could even be a spinoff. I would even take in those involved in that show as partners if a suitable back-end sharing arrangement could be worked out.

  When I say back end I’m not referring to anal fistulas or anything like that, though such plot developments at the home would certainly add to the drama and poignancy or the series.

  Comment by ruth — Tuesday September 28, 2010 @ 3:21pm PDT  Reply to this post

• I agree with NCFBM… I’m more curious about NBC’s new shows because of the diversity and subject matter (its 50-50).

  Comment by BDCNY — Tuesday September 28, 2010 @ 4:09pm PDT  Reply to this post

• But then you put on something as original and well written as Lonestar and that doesn’t survive. There is no formula, people!

  Comment by Watcher — Tuesday September 28, 2010 @ 6:29pm PDT  Reply to this post

• I agree with Watcher. When a well writtenprogram comes on and it doesn’t have time, according to the powers that be, in 3 episodes to “tickle” the fancy of the viewers with 250 channels at their disposal it is “yanked” off the air. We need to yank the clowns in power ie: Attorney’s, agents, who have never spent a day in the trenches. This isn’t sour grapes but a realistic over view.

  How’s that for “reality” t.v. folks???????

  Comment by stazi — Wednesday September 29, 2010 @ 9:08am PDT  Reply to this post