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EXCLUSIVE: NBC has expanded the current 14th season of Law & Order: SVU to 24 episodes with the pickup of two extra hours. While the crime drama is showing its age, averaging a 1.7 18-49 rating in Live+same day this fall, SVU remains NBC’s best drama bet as a launching pad for new drama series and this fall helped launch Chicago Fire, which has received a full-season order. Airing with virtually no lead-in (NBC’s struggling Wednesday comedy block), SVU has improved its challenging Wednesday 9 PM slot by 55% in adults 18-49 year-to-year but the network aired the now-defunct Harry’s Law in the hour last fall. In Live+7, SVU, from Wolf Films and Universal TV, averages a 2.6/7 in 18-49 and 8.6 million viewers this season.
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Two extra episodes to wrap up lose ends before it is canceled
Excellent news. I love this show. Interesting how strong the ratings are when you include DVR viewing.
But what is this story is NOT telling you? Yes, L&O SVU is up in the Demo’s to 1.7 from Harry’s 1.1. However, L&O is down 35% in total viewers from Harry’s Law. Don’t you just love living in a country where it does not matter how many people watch your show, only the “right” kind of people?
True enough. Harry’s was a great show the hubris of the NBC braintrust killed.
CBS should have picked up “Harry’s Law” and put it on Friday nights. I bet it would have done better than CSI:NY is doing.
Tell that to the advertisers.
18-49 have more value because they’re harder to get.
This is business. The right kind of people (18-49) are the ones that react to the ads and more likely to buy the products. Older people don’t.
Two extra episodes? That means the writers won’t have to wait until next season to do a ripped-from-the-headlines episode about a famous puppeteer that preys on underage boys. You just know its going to happen eventually.
The 18-49 age demo is an important part of the television industry – advertisements.
Law & Order: SVU is one of the few NBC series that proves it can hold in this demo, despite how old SVU is now, it’s still got it’s audience. Medium’s Patricia Arqutte was heartbreaking in the last SVU episode, so it’s proof SVU isn’t dead creatively. I feel if NBC would move the series back to Tuesdays at 10PM or Fridays at 10PM (after Grimm), the series would boost ‘slightly’ in the demo, at least a 1.9-2.1 average.
SVU isn’t holding on to the 18-49 demo. They started with a 2.1 rating for the 2 hour season 14 premiere but dropped to a 1.6 for the 12/5 episode. The average Live+Same Day rating is only 1.71/4.6 with an average viewership of 6.29 million. Those Live+7 are basically useless for looking at how well a show is doing.
This show has changed so much for the better since Warren came on board. I’ve been a fan for a really long time and everything Warren has done to the show has been wonderful. Now if only NBC could put SVU back at a 10pm time slot everything would be wonderful. I don’t understand why SVU is at 9 anyways…especially after seeing the graphic images on last night’s episode, NBC should move SVU back to 10.
WTF show have you been watching? WL has done nothing but destroy the characters we grew to love and trust over the last 14 years. And God forbid any fan of the show speak the “name that shall not be mentioned”!! This unprofessional twit wants ALL the credit, CM never existed! Only his characters and guest stars get praised while he ruins the heroes who made the show successful. The storylines have become twisted and over the top, they don’t even focus on the victims any more. It has become Criminal Intent 2.0, not SVU, and we all know what happened to that show! No matter how you misinterpret the numbers, the ratings still suck compared to all 12 years of pre-Leight SVU. He needs to go.
I have to disagree. Everything Warren has done has gutted the show. He doesn’t understand that this is SVU, not CI. The writing is sloppy and unresearched. And he has done nothing to get rid of the “happy ending in the five minutes”syndrome that has plagued SVU for the last several years.
I knew this would happen. The show is stylistically dead because Warren Leight picks a different show to emulate every week. I’m not saying that to be mean, it’s just probability. If somebody who is in the top 1% of all screenwriters leaves the show, there’s a 99% chance that the guy who replaces him will be worse.
…Hmm… Maybe an Elliot Stabler appearance is in the works? That’s the only plotline I can think of that’s big enough for another two episodes.
Thanks for the information sharing with us.
What the article doesn’t say is that L&O: SVU is down from last season and if “SVU remains NBC’s best drama bet as a launching pad for new drama series” is because NBC doesn’t have any dramas to use as launching pads.
I don’t understand why NBC does this. SVU is clearly a 10PM show. Every time NBC moved the show to 9PM it’s ratings went down. And why does NBC need it as a lead-in anyway? Is 1.7 a good rating to aspire to? Do they really want a new show that does less that that number?
If they don’t have lead-ins, try to launch a show the other way: an interesting premise, a good execution and A LOT of advertisement.
I think Warren Leight has done a wonderful job. I could not stand the Benson character before. They made her into a beauty pagent /model wannabe. What detective wears all that makeup and has her hair all in place. She was so unreal. Her character is more believable now. It used to be the same old “I’m a product of rape” crap.
I totally agree with you. Benson is more believable now. I miss the Stabler’s too.
I’m in the 18-49 demo and I’m definitely enjoying SVU this year, after several years of, well, not enjoying it. I want to watch it at 10pm, so I do just that, online.
I have loved SVU since the first episode I ever watched which just happens to be one of the ones from season one even though it wasn’t in 1999 and more like a reply in around 2007! However since that first watch I have watched every single episode repeatedly and have to say I miss season 6/7/8 they were by far my favorite seasons. Though I miss CM I don’t miss Elliot Stabler so much, not because he wasn’t a good character it’s just I’ve fallen head over heels for Nick Amaro even though a lot of his character is very similar to ES he also has some good points about him individually. I am not enjoying this season quite as much as season 13 though, I found in season 13 Mariska was very much more of the focus and I feel this season she isn’t and I’m afraid if that continues she will slowly become more and more of a backseat player and eventually they’ll move on without her and I don’t want to see that happening at all as I think the show would suck without her. I have loved seeing some more of the private lives of the detectives and I think somebody is also giving fan fiction writers more to play with such as the season 14 opener, Benson in bed shower on two glasses of wine on the bedside table … no explanation. Anyhow I don’t want to see SVU end and am already looking forward to the extra two hours I just hope at the end of it I won’t be thinking “two hours of my life that I’ll never get back.” because if that happens I doubt I’ll be back for season 15 if there is one.
Svu is the shit. Stabler was the man that made the show so gd
law & order svu,god i loved that show,don’t have cable anymore so can’t watch it. l&o svu without a doubt has been the best drama ”ever” on tv,i love all the characters,i loved all & every episode, that show was dead ass serious,i mean many,many episodes leave you with so many deep emotions you did not know you had,& it couldnt have been more real. hats off to dick wolf,& the cast especially mariska,ice-t,dan florek,& the rest of you that i can’t remember names,i am sorry but you are all loved,always will be.
I hated Cassidy in season 1 and hate him now. why can’t benson have a decent love life, not a slut life???
I do not know what Mr Leight think he is doing when it comes to Benson’s so call love interest!Benson and Cassidy have ABSOLUTELY NO CHEMISTRY between them!I hope he knows,that thousands of viewers are sickened to there stomachs after witnessing the Benson/Cassidy so call relationship!Cassidy was very immature in season one,after the one night stand with Olivia!I remember she didn’t even want to have anything to do with him after,he got pissed and loud!started to cause a scene at work acting like an immature juvenile!He was a dick then,and is still one now!viewers only tolerated him at the time because he was cute!Since then,he was deep undercover,and now is back in season 14 being the man in Benson’s life!WTF!The writers expect the viewers to look at Cassidy as a model citizen after making his character even worse than thirteen years ago?Nothing can make Brian look good at this stage!He has no morals,sleeps with a bunch of prostitutes!His integrity is shot!He did not age well either!On top of that,many viewers cannot take his character seriously because of the insurance ad of him playing an “INSURANCE CRASH DUMMY”!And the list can go on!They need to stop hooking Benson up with these wash up guys,who will only end up as a warm body.She deserve better,her character has morals,she is independent,not really needing some man to make her look good!She does not trust easily,and you can definitely see that it is already a problem between her and Cassidy. Cassidy even said as much to her on the court steps on the episode Under Cover Blue!A Mountain of “TRUST ISSUES”,between them already.Stabler was the ONLY man she truly trusted and love,the chemistry between them was amazing!They walk into a room,the attraction was explosive!If this scenario was real,and something like this had happen,it is no way Benson would get over Stabler or vice versa!It did not help either,that she knew Elliot Stabler love her too.So in the majority of viewers minds,they will never accept her with anyone else,except for Stabler.In the minds of the viewer Olivia Benson will always DOUBT,her conscience will ALWAYS HOPE that someday Elliot would return to her,and they will ALWAYS be the “WHAT IF”in the back of her mind!Stabler was the “ONE” end of story!Benson/Stabler was a package deal,from the time Stabler left,we all can honestly admit that the show was NEVER the same again,it was like removing an arm.The true essence was taken from the show.Yes the dynamics of the show has change;the ratings because of this has plummeted tremendously!And some how,I get the feeling,that the ratings did not fall because of the new cast,because I think they are doing a pretty good job,still have some very good case files,it is all about Benson without Stabler,and the fact that the writers are further hammering the last nail in the casket,by having Benson date all of these dead beat guys,and believe me Cassidy was the last straw!It ain’t helping!That made matters worse,this is what is killing the show. They have plenty of sites indicating how piss viewers are about this.If Mariska saw this I am sure she would be shocked and floored to see how much people actually respect and love her character,look up to her as a roll model,and realizing that all the writers of SVU are doing,is making her look like a desperate floozie!I am sorry to say this,but it is true.Benson is a classy top notch detective,she deserve to be treated with a more respect and dignity.The only thing the writers got right on that episode was not to allow anymore kissing,or God forbid,any bedroom scenes,or any other intimacies between Brian and Olivia!Thank God for small favors!Lets face it,we all know that the possibility of Stabler’s return is about zero,okay then,if that is the case,I am sure the writers can come up with a more logical scenario.I am so displease with where this show is heading,I watched it faithfully from the conception.I personally felt that it should have ended at season 12,especially after Stabler’s exit.I don’t know if the writers are doing this to keep viewers wondering what will happen in Benson’s love life next!All I can say is that so far whatever they think they are doing,it is seriously backfiring and affecting the whole show!A number of people told me,if they put detective Benson out of her misery by killing her off,that would be better than seeing her in a relationship with Cassidy,or some other guy who will only end up as a bed warmer and second best to Stabler anyway!Now that is serious right there!So there you have it folks!I guess we can all agree,that BENSON/Stabler will ALWAYS BE FOREVERRRRRRRRR!