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FX’s latest series Lights Out premiered to mostly disappointing ratings last night. The boxing drama starring Holt McCallany, which had gotten strong reviews, averaged 1.5 million viewers at 10 PM, 793,000 of them in the adults 18-49 demographic. The audience was a bit below the September premiere of the now-defunct FX dramedy Terriers (1.6 million, 659,000 in 18-49), which at the time marked the lowest-rated drama series debut for FX, though Lights Out did better in the demo. Marketing can’t be blamed for misleading viewers this time – there were no dogs, and the posters made it clear this is a boxing series.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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Man, I really enjoyed the quality of this show. What I didn’t like was just that — FIGHTER fatigue aside — I’m looking for a show that’s new, original, different. Not so original, because I don’t like quirk for quirk’s sake, which is just aping highbrow culture or writing, and I don’t like weird. But I want a show that’s young and hip and dark and just…..NEW. Something that makes a new generation of stars. They don’t have to be young people, they can all be 50. But just something new and fresh and hip.
I want to like this show. I really do. The lead actor Holt McCallany was incredible and I liked the script. I just wish they would re-cast his wife. Catherine McCormack’s fake American accent was so awful it was distracting. How did NO ONE hear this while they were filming? Get her a dialect coach or I am turning the channel!
I watched it and thought well done. It came on after Iron Man (a tough flick to change the channel on even though I’ve seen before- it rocks). Got caught up prepping for storm so didn’t see all but liked what I saw. However, I think an MD student married to a boxer is a stretch, but McCallany was solid. Nice to see a Law & Order vet get his own gig.
Mike Tyson is married to a doctor.
this show didn’t wow me at first glance. Am certainly disappointed though. Would have liked to have seen better ratings. I’m a boxing fan, and what to see a ressurrection of the sport.
Actually the ratings of the critics are great for this show. I think the foundation has been put down for an excellent show with the first episode. Can’t wait to continue watching!!!
Ouch! Considering the better marketing, you’d think this show would’ve gotten at least a good start in terms of people watching.
I’m a big fan of the lead actor’s, always felt he elevated anything he was in when he made guest shots or had recurring roles on series, or his occasional roles in features like Three Kings. So I thought he was long overdue for his own series, and was very happy when he got this and was thus looking forward to it. I mean, hey, if Anson Mount can keep landing series leads, why not Holt?
Unfortunately, I found the pilot rather dull, the storylines very on the nose. Very well done, just overly familiar and not very compelling. And frankly, although I found no fault with the performance by Pablo Schreiber as his brother, I never believed for one second that Lights would have let this moron run his business all this time; that Lights was dumb enough to be oblivious to the fact that this guy was an idiot, brother or not. Especially when a key selling point to this series is that Lights isn’t Rocky, isn’t just another punch-drunk boxer; that he’s smart.
Compared to the same exact storyline in The Fighter, I completely bought into the bond between Walhberg’s Mickey and Bale’s Dickie because they showed you that despite all his faults, Dickie still had enough left in the tank to know what was best for his brother. You never saw that between Lights and Johnny, who was a nimrod from his first scene.
I’ll probably watch again because I like Holt and I think Warren Leight is very talented, but I hope it gets better – although that would surprise me based on the previews last night.
The Fighter and Lights Out are two very different animals and only share an Irish Boxer character. This show will take time to grow. The Fighter did it’s job with better talent in two hours, Lights Out will need and entire season to hook us in.
Saying “marketing can’t be blamed” is completely silly, Nellie. The marketing is better than it was for Terriers, certainly, but beyond “It’s a boxing show,” I couldn’t tell you the first thing about Lights Out from the promos and billboards. “It’s a boxing show” might hook some people, but the fact that the ads can’t be bothered to make some mention of the premise of the show is a real problem.
Agreed. I’ve yet to see the show but the ads made it seems absolutely generic. That being said, I think the boxing angle probably limited the audience to a certain extent and I’m not sure how this show was going to bring in a big audience. I am kind of surprised that FX didn’t wait until one of their more established shows came back; I could see this show benefitting from following Justified.
Why do people in film and tv always blame marketing?
This show ain’t Beverly Hills 90210, a show that young teens today still like watching re-runs of, even though they laugh at how campy and kind of bad the writing is. But The O.C. had bad writing, too, but it’s a broad network show.
This is a show about boxing. How many women are going to watch this? Not many. Not many at all. And you know what? A lot of men aren’t either. Look at the sports crazy world — Boxing and MMA have a much more limited audience than people think. Yes, there is inherent drama in boxing stories, which is why a movie about it is made on the studio or independent level every year. See Bill Simmons’ recent column on ESPN.com. I had no idea how many boxing movies were made, but there are a lot. It doesn’t mean that people want to watch this stuff.
I’ve never seen The Big Bang Theory or Scrubs or whatever else, but the fact that they’re comedies aside, people want to see reflections of themselves on screen. Just better versions — prettier, smarter, with cooler lives.
There is a reason Entourage does well, or 90210.
We want to believe that we, too, can move to BH and get taken in by rich, cool kids. We want to believe that we can live the life of a celebrity, even if we’re not Vinnie Chase himself.
Give me a world where my son or daughter can imagine themselves in. It doesn’t need to be all bright and shiny like The Princess Diaries, but even Californication or Weeds, I can relate to it on a certain level. Men want to think they’re cool like Duch’s character, women want to think they could have their same, boring, suburban life, except, you know, turn that weed habit into a more exciting life.
Also, more eye candy. Gossip Girl does well because it created stars.
Blake Lively is all over the tabloids.
Leighton Meester could be, if she wanted to go out every night. She’s on plenty of major magazine covers.
Ed Westwick just got a role in a big movie.
Jessica S. is dating an NFL star.
Chace Crawford has had opportunities; don’t know if he can act, though.
Taylor Momsen is in the tabloids. Etc.
At least FX will give it time to grow…
It’s one of the major pluses of selling to a cable network.
Wow…I loved the show. Really hoping more people tune in in the coming weeks. I want this one to stay on the air.
Boxing? What year is this?! This thing should have been a UFC/MMA project from the start.
My hero…Ha!
I just finished reading a pilot called “Pride” which is about UFC fighter, it was incredibly written but prob wont see the light of day.
Just read a pilot script “Pride” about UFC fighter, it was a great read but will prob never see the light of day.. It’s a shame, boxing is over and done with and if this show gets canceled then that will prob scare networks from doing an MMA type show.
Go away.
P.S.: Totally agree on the marketing: just like the campaign for Terriers, I had no idea from the campaign for Lights Out what the show was going to be about. I found that very frustrating, and then was somewhat disappointed when it turned out to be just a family drama.
And while we’re on the subject: has anyone noticed that all of Fox is in some kind of weird bad-marketing rut? From Terriers and Lights Out on FX, to Lone Star on Fox, to the Cruise/Diaz feature Knight and Day from 20th? What’s going on over there?
Not a boxing fan…but this was a pretty incredible show.
I dvr’d it so does that make it 1,500,001 viewers?
Good start establishing characters and baseline…looking forward to more chapters…good material to work with for very good writers and actors
FX for me just has such a strong brand name, I saw boxing drama and said “well, it’s FX.” I think for them, the marketing shouldn’t have to sell it so much as not turn people away. “Terriers” made me go, “Huh? on FX? Looks awful.” With “Sons of Anarchy” (motorcycle gang) “Justified” (modern cowboy) and now “Lights Out” (generic boxing) I typically just give FX the benefit of the doubt. Not “Terriers” though.
Sorry you didn’t like Terriers. It was the show for people like to read books. Specifically novels by elmore leonard, Jim thompson, and Raymond Chandler.
I thought the marketing for this show was out of control. Every where i looked there were ads. On busses.. On TV…
I was SUPER excited for this show, and also tuned into The Cape…
Was very disapointed in BOTH..
Lights Out was sloooooooooooooooooooooow. What I thought would be a thrilling bit about a boxing turned out to be a middle aged mans quest to pay off his mortgage… BOOOORING… I hope it picks up… I want to see violence, sports, etc… Not a guy sulking about his debt problem.
More like 1.5 million viewers and 1 hack comedy writer!
Loved the show and hope to see this series continue!
It was a little slow but it’s only the first episode. I liked the lead actor’s performance, and I hope the fact he is not a household name will not work against the show’s ratings. It debuted lower than Terriers which was pulled, but Lights OUt had a much better campaign. I hope it gets its legs.
I liked the premiere. I have to admit that the TV ads had me thinking there would be more action from the jump, but it’s a series and I understand the need for character development. I think this episode set in motion events that will seriously pick up over the next few. I’ll be tuning in next week, hope more will as well. As a side note, it was great to see Stacey Keach playing a major part in this.
If you don’ t get it you should unless you’re dense. It ain’t about BOXING!! And so what if it was! It is the ultimate individual gentleman’s and much harder than MMA. Any animal can can let it all out and choke and hate… Boxing is a discipline and the loneliest and most difficult sort there is. Try going three minutes in an amateur ring let alone walking in a boxer’s shoes. You haven’t got a clue what thats like. It seems this is what this series is going to be about. Don’t know about you all but I can relate to that story more than a bunch of cowboy bikers or fake Texas marshals fighting crime or whatever. They should let the thing roll!
And Terriers? What the hell was that, a Michael Vick bio?
Everybody loves a comeback, so let’s see it!
But what do I know. You tv people watch fools named Snooky or spoiled no class housewives so who knows.
I can tell you why this show fared poorly despite decent quality – the lead is too old to be credible. I’m a former huge boxing fan (the sport has been nearly unwatchable for me going on five years now… bad match-ups, too many uncompetitive fights, flat personalities…) and a big fan of fX dramas. And even though this show should have appealed directly to me, every add I saw all I could think is “why would I want to watch an old man box?” Boxers make their comebacks when they’re 36, not 46. And because of that I just can’t see making the effort to work my way past that flaw to enjoy the show, no matter how good it might be.
They laid down a nice foundation and did a good job of establishing the characters. A little too Rocky 5 ish but effective. There are a lot of directions the story can go. I set my DVR, I’m giving this show a chance. I’ve worked with Pablo Schreiber on Law & Order, he’s a good guy so I’m rooting for him & this show to succeed. I want a shot at Patrick ‘Lights’ Leary in a future episode! Prediction: George Pogatsia by TKO in the late rounds.
Like many, I’m a huge fan of FX and I place the bar very high. Lights Out presents an interesting conundrum and says everything about how the peeps at FX have gone off the rails. The original group of shows were all about larger themes and the narrative informed and enlightened those themes. The Shield was always about justice and Nip/Tuck was always about beauty and Rescue Me was always about Heroes. Even Thief had an interesting theme about criminals underlying the narrative. I liked Lights Out because Holt M has a certain simplicity as a man. However the show is not about anything other than what a man will do to pay his mortgage. There is no underlying theme that reflects a sociological aspect of our times. That’s why Vic Mackey, McNamara and Troy and Tommy Gavin were so memorable and defining. The underlying motivation of their actions and behavior were tied to a universal need that was rattling around peoples heads. Once you see his mansion and his insulting daughter you expect to get an understanding of the symbolism both engender. Instead, it’s hollow. And lastly… it was very disheartening to see that no one at that Network saw that the second ice cream scene was not only an extension of the first one, but gave us information that we had already gotten. Come on men… gotta pay much closer attention than that to do defining television!
This show is about so much more than boxing. Boxing is just the vehicle to tell the stories about love, family, loyalty, self-realization, responsibility, etc. Give it a chance! This is just the first episode; it has to build. Remember, All in the Family, Mash, Cheers, were not hits at first. Networks are too hasty to pull shows these days. I guess it’s our instant gratification culture. Some pleasures take time to grow. Be patient!