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The two big Thursday rivals this season, Fox’s American Idol and CBS’ The Big Bang Theory (5.5/16), both inched up last night. But Idol (5.7/6) went up more to break the shows’ tie over the past two weeks and claim the top spot for the night in 18-49 outright. Big Bang still won the head-to-head contest from 8-8:30 PM (5.5 vs. 5.2). With the resolution of the Wednesday night cliffhanger (the girl that fell of the stage was OK, got a “yes” too), Idol was up 6% from last Thursday’s fast national, and Big Bang was up a tenth. Fox’s The Finder (2.3/6) slipped a tenth from last week. Fox (4.0/11, 12.2 million) won the night in 18-49, CBS (3.6/10, 14.3 million) in total viewers. CBS’ Rob (3.4/9) was up a tenth from last week, Person Of Interest (3.3/8, 15.1 million) matched its series high from last Thursday, and The Mentalist (2.9/8, 14.4 million) was flat in 18-49 and posted a season high in total viewers.
I’m not sure NBC should’ve used “Voice encore hits a nine-week high for NBC in Thursday 10 PM hour” as a headline of its ratings alert this morning. It speaks more to the lousy ratings the network’s regular fare has delivered in the time slot this season, especially when you factor in that the rerun of the post-Super Bowl Voice fetched a modest 1.5/4 in the demo. Earlier in the night, 30 Rock continued its wild week-to-week ratings swings — down double-digits one week than up by that much the next. After a 19% drop last Thursday, an hourlong episode of the TV industry comedy (1.6/4) was up 23%. The Office (2.5/6) was down 11% to a season low and the lowest demo rating since its low-rated freshman midseason run in 2005. Up All Night (1.8/4) was flat.
ABC’s Wipeout (1.5/4) was down 17% from last week for a season low. Grey’s Anatomy (3.9/10) was up 11% from its fast national last Thursday (like Idol and Big Bang, the medical drama is almost always adjusted up a tenth in the finals.) Private Practice (2.3/6) was flat. The CW’s The Vampire Diaries (1.2/3 in 18-49, 1.2/4 in 18-34, 3 million) was even in 18-49, up 20% in 18-34 and up 11% in total viewers. The Secret Circle (0.8/2 in 18-49, 0.7/2 in 18-34, 1.8 million) was up 14% in 18-49, 17% in 18-34 and 6% in viewers.
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The Office blows. I’m a longtime fan, but it’s sad to see the slide in this once-great show. It’s not just the loss of Carell; Spader is a more than worthy replacement, but they use him only sparingly and sometimes not at all (he wasn’t on last night’s episode). Biggest problem is the writing, which has become boderline moronic….cartoonish now where once it was darkly funny. They haven’t jumped the shark, they’ve pole-vauled the fucker.
Sorry….meant to type: POLE-VAULTED
I agree. I still watch, and there are a few laughs, but I also watch the older seasons in syndication and the quality isn’t even close. Nearly every episode of seasons 1-5 were terrific, but the last couple seasons (including most of the ones with Carrell) have been terrible. Hopefully they shut this down soon … sad to see it go out this way.
I agree completely! I thought James Spader would play an oddball enough character to replace Steve Carrell but they have not given his character much to do. They just ran this show into the ground instead of ending it with dignity.
The Office sucks now. The audience is clearly done with the show. Now NBC needs to be too.
AGREE 100%! The writing is horrendous and not even funny anymore. Whoever is running this show (Kaling?) is doing a lousy job! Sad…
The Vampire Diaries was incredible last night. It just gets better and better.
completely agree. at first i wasn’t a huge fan of keeping the originals storylines, but I am LOVING the addition of every one of them! I hope they keep them all.
The Office is cratering and the rest of NBC’s comedy line-up isn’t doing much better.
It’s a shame that they don’t have a cult comedy starring up-and-comers like Joel McHale, Donald Glover, and Alison Brie waiting in the wings, ready to get a ratings bump from not having to compete in the same time slot as TBBT and American Idol…
They need to move Office to 8pm, using its (dwindling) fanbase as a leadin for their other comedies that still have some life left in them. It can’t possibly run past the 2012-2013 season anyway, might as well position it in a way that helps its successors (30 Rock, Parks, hopefully Community when it returns).
So falling off stages = ratings. Hmmm. Should be an interesting season on AI.
NBC needs to start from scratch on Thursday night so that “Awake” can have some decent ratings once it starts. Keep “Parks & Rec” and get rid of the other Thursday shows.
Thursday is the biggest night of the prime-time TV week because of demand for spots from advertisers (mainly movie studios buying spots to promote movies starting the next day), so it’s important for the networks to have their strongest programming on that night.
That’s why “American Idol” was moved to Thursdays a couple of years back.
For NBC, it may be a case of moving some of their stronger series to Thursday next season (i.e. “Biggest Loser”, and if they continue to do well, “The Voice” and “Smash”).
where was GRIMM last night???? WTF
What happened to THE OFFICE is that the showrunner reins were handed to Mindy Kaling, who chose to spend all her time promoting her book and excreting twitter tweets.
(BTW, stay tuned for Kaling, or one of her reps, to post on here something along the lines of “Mindy is the Best Writer EVAH… she wrote THE DUNDIES and you’re just a JEALOUS HATER!!!!!)
And what’s with the drama over her new pilot? NBC passes, so she gets a commitment from Fox then threatens to quit THE OFFICE if her pilot gets picked up? And she puts that in the trades?
Mindy Kaling: Neither funny nor professional.
Mindy Kaling is not the showrunner for The Office. Paul Lieberstien holds that position. It’s been on his watch that the show, in my opinion, has slipped horribly both in quality writing and interesting story arcs.
Darjee, spend a little timing researching before you mouth off and sound like a moron. Kaling isn’t the showrunner. It’s Lieberstein. And she is a great writer. Look at the list of episodes she’s written. Included in that list are some of the best ones – which date back to the much-venerated early seasons.
And there’s no drama over her pilot and NBC/Fox. She isn’t “threatening to quit.” If her pilot gets picked up she’ll go write it – like any normal person would. She’s not holding NBC over a barrel. Plus, the show is clearly in it’s last season now – or 2nd to last. And yet you’re still going to piss on her for trying to line up her next gig? Yep, you said it yourself: you do sound like a jealous hater.
And by the way, I write all this agreeing with everyone that the show quality has deteriorated dramatically.
“Mark” and “Rebuttal”:
Actually, Lieberstein has not been running the show for some time. He’s still billed as EP, but has been out for reasons I’m not getting into on a message board. (Nothing scandalous, though.)
Showrunning has been split between Novak and Kaling and (occasionally) another writer at EP level. And Kaling has been extremely lackluster and script production. Yes, Kaling was credited with some good episodes in past seasons, but those were ROOM WRITTEN.
Also, “rebuttal”: you seem to have absolutely no idea how business is conducted in network TV. Simply put, is tremendously bad form to announce you’re “lining up your next gig” when your employer has given NO indication they’re ending your current one.
Kaling is furious about having two pilots shot down by NBC (one by the Bromstad regime, one by the new one) and her petulance is getting the better of her. What’s going down isn’t pretty.
It would be so nice if, just once, a commenter knew what he/she was talking about.
“Knows”
Thank you for the info concerning Paul. I thought he was still TO’s showrunner. I stand corrected.
Paul Lieberstein is the show runner for The Office. Mindy Kaling has never been. I repeat, Paul Lieberstein its he show runner for The Office, not Mindy Kaling.
Darjee, your insidiousness is astounding – writing so knowingly about a show so that people will believe what you’re saying because of the boldness with which you’re telling the lies.
Mindy Kaling’s episodes are the best of the series. In any interview with other writers on the show with her, that is what they say about her. No one would keep getting assigned as many episodes as she did not have the goods. It makes no sense. Anyone who has ever been on a staff of any show knows that is how it works.
“Knows” – Novak is also not the show runner. It is Paul Lieberstein. That Knows writes that he “but has been out for reasons I’m not getting into on a message board. (Nothing scandalous, though.)” is a hilarious, manipulative way to show he has inside knowledge, but he does not. Paul Lieberstein is shows runner for the Office.
Novak and Kaling are writers and high level writers, but so are many others.
NBC passed on Kaling’s pilot so she went to Fox. This is how business is done. It is not “bad form”. I’m curious why “Knows” is so angry and fixed on taking Mindy Kaling down, or pinning the shows demise on her. Get it straight: Is she so talented and her leaving the show is unprofessionally letting the show and network down? Or is she so untalented and her episodes are all group written?
It’s good she’s getting out. Can’t wait to see what she does on Fox.
Can we focus on whats’ really important? WIPEOUT IS NOT DOING WELL??
Re: “Interesting” aka The Kaling Flack
It’s hysterical to see Kaling and/or her reps spin desperately on message boards in a failed attempt to do damage control. Is Fox passing on her pilot already?
Favorite quote: “Mindy Kaling’s episodes are the best of the series.”
Yes, you certainly seem to be a neutral observer. Hysterical.
If only Kaling’s writing were as hysterical.
P.S. “Knows” knows whereof he/she speaks.
Good god, what swamp of ignorance did “Interesting” crawl out of.
Paul Lieberstein is on a break from showrunning The Office. Some minor googling of his name should make the reason apparent. My guess is that “Knows” didn’t post it for a good reason, which should be clear to anyone with half a brain.
Hey, “Interesting”: Kaling and Novak are the de facto showrunners. Got it? The truth has a tricky way of eluding you, so here it is again: KALING AND NOVAK ARE THE DE FACTO SHOWRUNNERS.
And what the original poster was saying is that Kaling is not only mediocre, but unprofessional. There’s a lot of consensus on that.
The OFFICE hasn’t been funny in years. The characters got too important and it got away from a “Mocku-mentary” to a silly show with dumb plots and too many attempts to be funny.
The first few years? Genius. Dwight was a “man child” and his romance with Angela was hilarious. Jim and Pam and the friction between them. Ryan and his desire not to work there but never leaving. Creed? Just being weird. Kevin? Oscar? Great bit parts, but then the show got silly and dumb and when it became “Sabre” it lost all credibility with Darrell in an office job.
Shut down the TV series. Just watch the first five years and enjoy some great laughs. Forget it went past season 5.