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Nielsen, we have a problem. Broadcast executives are scratching their heads this morning over inexplicable across-the-board ratings declines last night on a night in the middle of February with no major sports or cable events (news networks’ coverage of Whitney Houston’s death was winding down in Day 3) and with HUT levels on par with last week. The latter is key for all the conspiracy theorists who blame last minute Valentine’s Day gift buying or other out-of-home activities, including dining or going to the movies, for the decline — there was roughly the same number of people watching TV last night as there were last Monday. Nowhere was the mystery more confounding than on CBS, which saw all of its series hit season lows — How I Met Your Mother (3.4/10 in 18-49, down 15% from last week), 2 Broke Girls (3.7/10, down 14%), Two And A Half Men (3.8/9, down 12%), Mike & Molly (3.3/8, down 3%) and Hawaii Five-0 (2.6/7, down 4%). It seems hard to believe that the CBS comedy lineup, which is the epitome of unflappability, would be down so much against weaker competition. (It faced Super Bowl-inflated The Voice last week). And it seems impossible for that to happen after CBS series got plenty of promotion the night before during the second most watched Grammy Awards ever, which were sampled by some 74 million viewers throughout the telecast.
ABC held up the best, with The Bachelor (2.5/6) down 4% and Castle (2.0/5) flat. NBC’s The Voice (5.9/15) dropped 12% from last week’s episode, which was running high following the post-Super Bowl special, for a decline within the expected margin. But Smash (2.8/7) was down a big 26% from its premiere last week, a warning sign for the new Broadway-themed dramedy. NBC (4.9/12, 13.4 million) still won the night in 18-49 and total viewers. In its first airing since last week’s announcement that Fox’s House is ending its run this season, the veteran medical drama (2.4/6) was down a tenth for a season low. Alcatraz (1.9/4) is yet to bottom out, down another 17% from last week for a new series low. The CW’s Gossip Girl (0.5/1) was down a tenth to a season low, while Hart Of Dixie (0.6/1) held steady.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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Quality does not always equal ratings. Smash was pretty good last night. sort of reminiscent of the Brandon Tartikoff era before Cosby when NBC had great shows with low ratings. Smash is this generations Fame.
This may be cynical as all hell, but it was the day before V-Day. Most men were probably out buying that last minute gift they forgot about because really, who cares about Valentine’s Day?
The stores are open today. As a result, the men would be able to get up and hear what day it is today. Then they will go Oh Crap! After that they will spend lunch break buying their wives or significant other a gift. Even if 5 million men remembered about today, they wouldn’t go out to get a gift from 8 to 11 PM and sneak it into the house without the wife knowing.
yup. Im pretty sure shopping for chocolate solves the mystery of why men missed smash, 2 broke girls, two and a half men and mike n molly.
I’d like to believe this is the week viewers realized these are all terrible shows, but it’s probably just a blip. Some days there is more traffic than others. Who knows why? It just happens.
maybe because enough people have caught on to the fact that the new two and half men while harmless is sadly unfunny and it is no longer acting like a magnet for the entire cbs lineup?
Yes, every show on every network is down because people suddenly realized Two and a Half Men sucks. Makes perfect sense.
Will CBS now stop calling 2.5 Men TV’s #1 comedy??? Both The Big Bang Theroy & Modern Family are higher in viewers & demo’s than 2.5 Men. With NBC, Smash is starting it’s fall into cancelation. At this point, Harry’s Law had higher viewers than Smash in the same time slot, and NBC did not sepnd MILLIONS & MILLIONS of dollars promoting it.
In my humble opinion, I think people were scrambling around looking for Valentine’s day gifts. Seriously. Traffic and random stores were packed last night.
As well, people probably did V-Day dinner Monday night to avoid crowds.
And a fair amount of folks probably made going to the movies part of their V-Day gifts or whatever.
Were the guys at the malls getting Valentine’s Day gifts…?
How were OWNs ratings?
I just don’t get Two Broke Girls. The writing is just nothing but one sexual innuendo after another. There is nothing witty about the writing at all. And notto be sexist but Kat Dennings body is distracting and not in a good way. I am fixated by her chest, they sem to be trying to hide her hooters. Her chest looks so odd it is distracting which is a shame because she is pretty but in the show her character is so unlikable!
This thing is so over the top it is like falling off Mt. Everest.
As cute and talented as the American Idol star by way of Sherman Oaks is she carries baggage she doesnt even know she has. She is trying to hard to be a STAR and not an actress. And with the surrounding players over amped and affected acting, it further adds to the make up of the show like fingers down a blackboard. A total unknown and a few more sedated actors the formula would be working.You want to route for someone. And in this case we have and she came in second already. BETTHEDUCK
What the hell are you talking about? BETTHEDUCKSOUNDSSTUPID
How exactly is this a head scratcher? Whitney Houston died on Saturday afternoon and the country is a reeling from the shocking news. Sleep patterns and viewing patterns have been disrupted. People stayed home on Sunday to watch the Grammys and the tribute to her buried within the 3 1/2 hour show. Also, many schools had Monday off, so it was a quiet end to a three-day weekend. For the first time two movies opened above $40 million in a February. THAT’S where the TV viewers were … at the movies. And Monday night they went to bed early. You don’t need Sherlock Holmes to figure this one out.
Sleep patterns were dirupted due to Whitney’s death? Maybe for her family and friends. I’m sad for the news, but it has not changed my viewing or sleeping patterns! lol
Agreed! So you went to bed at 11:30 or midnight. Big freaking deal.
Why was there a three-day weekend? President’s day is next Monday.
I need Sherlock Holmes to figure out your post.
Why was there a three-day weekend this past weekend? Why did people go to bed early on Monday night? What does this past weekend’s movie numbers have to do with Monday’s viewing habits? Why were many schools closed? How exactly does Whitney Houston’s death contribute to sleep loss? Why haven’t I had any sleep loss?
made me laugh out loud
If broadcast executives really are “scratching their heads” about this week’s rating’s decline, they’re more out-of-touch than I suspected.
The elephant on the table: “Smash.”
In general: The world of Broadway is even more insular than that of Hollywood’s big studios (just watch the Tony award show to see what I mean). It’s a subject area that appeals to a very narrow slice of the entertainment market. Hence a TV show about the making of a musical that’s about a long-dead icon is not going to resonate with most 18 girls (let alone 18 year old boys).
In particular, the show is full of cliches (both lines and plot) and cultural references only a Broadway gypsy or NYU theater student could understand.
If nothing else, the (eventual) failure of “Smash” points out the central problem with networks creating and owning the shows they produce. Before the end of the fyn-syn rules (when networks couldn’t own the shows on their own network) there was a true competition of ideas where producers (such as Steve Bochco) had the creative freedom to write what they thought would sell without the interference of a committee of network MBAs. If “NYPD Blue” was made today Denis Franz would never be cast (“Too old.” “Not hot.” “I wouldn’t fuck him!”). But the balding, angry Sipowicz became a sex symbol. And the lead actor of a hit show that appealed to demographics across the board.
“Smash” presents a world that almost no one can relate to. Hence it’s declining ratings. When it’s all over only the title of the show will seem ironic.
Correction: I meant “…with most 18-year old girls…” not “…with most 18 girls…”
Very dumb analysis. It is irrelevant how much Smash declined from last week when it started out so high AND it still beat Castle and Hawaii Five-0 in the 18-49 demo this week. Pre-Smash, NBC might as well have been running a test pattern in the Monday 10pm slot. Smash is going to be an easy renewal for a second season by NBC. Bank on it.
Great rebuttal “more tears”…
To add to that, NYPD blue was on at a much different time in the industry where networks still were the only game in town for good drama and dvr’s hadn’t time shifted viewing yet. It’s still to be seen but I’ll bet the +7 from dvr viewings will be big. Making it, as you said, an easy second season renewal choice.
Smash is bleeding at the half hour and hasn’t even come close to hitting bottom. Smash started out at a 3.1 and dropped to a 2.5 at the half hour. In its second half hour, it tied with Hawaii Five-0 for first place in the demo. And that’s with a 6.5 lead-in. Viewer erosion will continue over the next several weeks and it won’t be long before both Castle and Hawaii Five-0 are beating it in the demo as well as overall viewers (which they are both already doing).
Actually, I find it sad that network television, especially NBC, can’t support this kind of drama.
Smash could finish the season coming in third in the 18-49 demo and it will STILL be an easy renewal for NBC, as long as the demo is within respectable parameters, and Smash is NOT going to lose literally half the audience it had last night. That is a reflection of just how ridiculously non-competitive NBC was against Castle and Hawaii Five-0 before Smash came along. NBC is not going to go into next fall risking another Playboy Club debacle against Castle and Hawaii Five-0.
At $3 million-plus per episode it will have to do way better than come third in the 18-49 demo to be renewed.
This week’s 2.8 ain’t gonna cut it. The fate of “Smash” and Bob Greenblatt’s career at NBC are inextricably intertwined. That’s why they’re blowing so much money on it.
But you can’t buy a hit. It has to resonate. Then it might hit it big. “Fame” redux isn’t resonating.
At a cost of $4 million/episode, Smash would only be an “easy renewal” decision if it were a break-out hit (which it is not).
Correction, Smash will most likely be a reference in a future episode of 30 Rock where most of the characters sport bandaged hands after smashing their fists through glass. As for Smash itself, the show will be cancelled. It is a hit with the 40-49 year old mindset who thought that Debbie Allen was a massive star and that was at a time when it was glamorous to be a star in hollywood. This time around, being famous is being a fashion model.
People decided to go out last night to restaurants in order to avoid Valentines Day rip off meals.
it’s no surprise Alcatraz is failing. People are tired of the same JJ Abrams nonsense every week and aren’t willing to stick it out to find out the big reveal. These shows just don’t cut it.
You are so right! Felicity, Alias, Lost, Fringe,…so many bad shows compared to the other top quality programms on network television (The Bachelor, CSI:Miami, Celebrity Apprentice, NCIS…)
You are so right! Felicity, Alias, Lost, Fringe,…so many bad shows compared to the other top quality programms on network television (The Bachelor, CSI:Miami, Celebrity Apprentice, NCIS…),
lol
And here I am thinking I’m one of the few not watching Alcatraz,but,based on the continuation of its’ ratings decline:apparently not too many other people are watching it either. If the ratings for Alcatraz don’t start going back up soon-would it be on lockdown… Thank you.
Alcatraz has an appealing cast but the convict of the week stories have gotten old in a hurry. How many times is she going to surrender her weapon in those extrememly repetitive final scenes?
Oy, yeah–ALCATRAZ’s herione has to be one of the worst cops ever. How on earth did she make detective in the first place?
And Alcatraz and Terra Nova being cancelled will save House. My advice to David Chase, get an alternative script ready to be filmed because you are going to need it.
In 2 episodes Smash has become a joke. It’s boring. Girl sleeps with director, gets part. Girl from Iowa waiting tables is heartbroken. Baby boomers try to adopt Chinese baby. Gays work on Broadway. This is as good as it gets? My remaining daytime soaps are more interesting.
I am so glad that someone else thinks the show is boring. I watched the first episode and didn’t see any original character in the bunch.
Word. It’s just too cliche and/or unrealistic. (The show hasn’t really justified why anyone would want to make a Marilyn musical–and its incessant Marilyn worship is particularly groan-worthy.) And given that the show has two good Marilyns on hand, why not go for the leading ladies alternating nights? That is the kind of stunt Broadway in real life _would_ pull. And SMASH really feels false and second-hand when it comes to depicting Broadway–it’s like it was written by TCM fans and occasional theater-blog readers, not people who’ve actually worked in theatre. Not to be snarky, but the LAW AND ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT “Icarus” episode nailed this world much better.
Tv watcher, I agree with you 100%!!!
SMASH isn’t boring or cliche–it’s superior in every way–writing, acting, music, design; and given that Broadway now belongs to mainstream America, it appeals to a broad demographic. These blogs seem filled with jealous writers who need to pile on successful projects in order to attempt a derail–given that upstairs reads them. Watched this happen with Maria Bello’s Prime Suspect–death by hat. Rather death by hat commentary. I say KUDDOS to Teresa Rebeck and the team of SMASH. It will prevail.
Umm no it won’t. I tried to like but it’s not original.
You spell as well as Smash writers write
Part of the problem is there are weeks of reruns. Well how are you supposed to know if theres anything new on ? Sy-Fi keeps lying saying there are new Merlin’s on and they are still all reruns.Stop the damn reruns till the end of the season – you are losing the audience and your too stupid to grasp this fact. I stopped watching Alcatraz after the first show- Abrams needs to write a new story
The episodes of Merlin that are currently airing on Syfy are new to American audiences. DVRs list them as repeats because they already aired last fall in the U.K.
Not sure why CBS dropped so much last night. I watch everything on Monday night except for the awful Hawaii 5-0. But then…I don’t know anyone who watches that.
Maybe the decline is due to people watching other networks besides the traditional commerical netwroks. Last night I watched Being Human, Pretty Little Liars and Lost Girl. Monday night has become a night where I don’t watch the big networks -it’s pretty much the same old same old. And I am not interested in Smash one little bit. They need to rework the concept to encompass a larger canvass of Broadway life. I would prefer “A Chorus Line” style instead of following just two ladies. But then again I don’t watch the show due to the fact I find the overall concept very limiting.
At least give Smash credit for trying something original and trying harder than GLEE does.
Also, to all the “I bet guys were blah blah blah” – did you READ where Nellie says the HUT metric (which compares overall viewing week-to-week) was even? C’mon…
Westminster Dog Show was on from 8-11. Not many people talk about watching it, but a lot do! If ratings are down tonight too (when it will also be on from 8-11–and the big dog is announced), you’ll know for sure.
So true. The dog show gets big numbers but nobody wants to talk about it. I guess because, well it’s a dog show.
Who is paying Neilsen for the numbers?
Will this year finally be the year that someone actually questions the almighty Neilsen?
When will a NEW numbers system be put in place to stand up to today’s technology?
Just asking…
This is why it makes zero sense to put the voice on mondays instead of Tuesday’s or Sunday’s– it just lowers the viewers for all shows because those watching the voice are not watching the other networks. Btw castle’s two parter was superb
The basic premise of SMASH is an enormous problem and I’m not surprised that people sampled it once then tuned out when they found nothing new. A musical about Marilyn Monroe? I’d rather watch SOME LIKE IT HOT or GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES than watch two marginally talented singers have a cat fight over who should play Marilyn. Hint: neither of them; just cast Michelle Williams.
The world of the theatre can be intricate and fascinating and Theresa Rebeck nailed it in her play SEMINAR. But SMASH dredges up every lame cliche in the book. All that’s left to hold the viewers’ attention are the musical numbers. Too bad the songs aren’t memorable and GLEE has already done it with more verve, catchier songs and better choreography.
If that was in the Smash concept from the start, it deserves to be rejected.
I just canceled my cable and cut the cord. It’s too much of a pain in the ass to figure out if there’s a new episode of anything I watch on any given week, it’s not worth it. I’d rather just buy a season pass on iTunes and give up on being emotionally attached to when I watch a show.
Totally agree, SusieQ. I too just buy season passes on iTunes and watch Netflix streaming.
ATT U-Verse (or the like). 18 MegaBits/sec. No need for cable. Or crappy satellite. Just pick and choose what you want. Cable companies dictated terms to consumers for years. Now technology (and karma) has caught up with them. Yay!