Tuesday 11/23/10 Final Cable Ratings

Billy the Exterminator (9:30pm)
- 1.474 million viewers
- 0.8/1 HH
- 0.6/2 A18-49

Parking Wars (10pm)
- 1.234 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.5/2 A18-49

Millionaire Matchmaker (9pm)
- 1.187 million viewers
- 0.8/1 HH
- 0.6/2 A18-49

The Fashion Show
- 0.689 million viewers
- 0.5/1 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49

Nick Swardson's Pretend Time
- 1.037 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Dirty Jobs (9pm)
- 1.474 million viewers
- 0.9/1 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

Auction Kings (10pm)
- 1.306 million viewers
- 0.8/1 HH
- 0.6/2 A18-49

Sons of Anarchy (65 minutes)
- 3.272 million viewers
- 2.1/3 HH
- 1.7/5 A18-49

In Treatment (9:01pm, 20 minutes)
- 0.147 million viewers
- 0.1/0 HH
- 0.0/0 A18-49

In Treatment (9:31pm, 24 minutes)
- 0.169 million viewers
- 0.1/0 HH
- 0.0/0 A18-49

16 and Pregnant (10pm)
- 1.670 million viewers
- 1.2/2 HH
- 0.9/3 A18-49
- 2.2/6 W18-34

Bad Girls Club (9pm, 62 minutes)
- 1.901 million viewers
- 1.1/2 HH
- 0.9/2 A18-49

Auction hunters (10pm, 31 minutes)
- 1.270 million viewers
- 0.8/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Auction Hunters (10:31pm, 31 minutes)
- 1.122 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Stargate Universe
- 1.169 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Glory Daze
- 1.312 million viewers
- 0.9/1 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

19 Kids and Counting (9pm)
- 0.902 million viewers
- 0.6/1 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49

Little Couple (10pm)
- 1.144 million viewers
- 0.8/1 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49

Tower Prep
- 1.018 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.2/1 A18-49
- 0.8/3 K2-11

Tuesday 11/23/10 Final Broadcast Ratings

No Ordinary Family
- 7.004 million viewers
- 4.3/7 HH
- 1.8/5 A18-49

Dancing with the Stars (120 minutes)
- 24.197 million viewers
- 14.7/24 HH
- 5.3/13 A18-49

NCIS
- 18.775 million viewers
- 11.1/18 HH
- 3.9/11 A18-49

NCIS: Los Angeles
- 14.959 million viewers
- 9.0/14 HH
- 3.2/9 A18-49

The Good Wife
- 10.030 million viewers
- 6.5/11 HH
- 2.1/6 A18-49

The Biggest Loser (120 minutes)
- 6.769 million viewers
- 4.1/6 HH
- 2.3/7 A18-49

Parenthood
- 4.469 million viewers
- 2.8/5 HH
- 1.9/5 A18-49

Glee
- 10.407 million viewers
- 5.9/10 HH
- 4.0/12 A18-49
- 4.1/13 A18-34
- 5.2/16 W18-34

Raising Hope (9pm)
- 5.699 million viewers
- 3.2/5 HH
- 2.5/7 A18-49
- 2.3/7 A18-34
- 2.9/8 W18-34

Raising Hope (R, 9:30pm)
- 4.339 million viewers
- 2.4/4 HH
- 1.9/5 A18-49

One Tree Hill (R)
- 0.891 million viewers
- 0.5/1 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49
- 0.3/1 A18-34
- 0.4/1 W18-34

Life Unexpected (R)
- 0.799 million viewers
- 0.5/1 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49
- 0.4/1 A18-34
- 0.6/2 W18-34

Monday 11/22/10 Final Cable Ratings

Monday Night Football (8:30pm, 190 minutes)
- 11.664 million viewers
- 7.2/12 HH
- 4.6/13 A18-49

World of Jenks (60 minutes)
- 0.734 million viewers
- 0.5/1 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49
- 0.7/2 W18-34

Little People Big World (8pm)
- 1.355 million viewers
- 0.9/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Little People Big World (8:30pm)
- 1.374 million viewers
- 0.9/2 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Cake Boss (9pm)
- 1.485 million viewers
- 0.9/1 HH
- 0.6/2 A18-49

Adventure Time (15 minutes)
- 2.228 million viewers
- 1.3/2 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49
- 3.3/11 K2-11

Regular Show (15 minutes)
- 2.028 million viewers
- 1.3/2 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49
- 2.9/10 K2-11

Mad (15 minutes)
- 1.843 million viewers
- 1.2/2 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49
- 2.5/9 K2-11

Robotomy (15 minutes)
- 1.283 million viewers
- 0.9/1 HH
- 0.2/0 A18-49
- 1.9/7 K2-11

WWE Raw (9pm)
- 4.730 million viewers
- 2.8/4 HH
- 1.7/4 A18-49

WWE Raw (10pm, 65 minutes)
- 4.981 million viewers
- 2.9/5 HH
- 1.9/6 A18-49

My Big Friggin Wedding (9pm)
- 0.419 million viewers
- 0.3/0 HH
- 0.2/1 A18-49

Mario Lopez: Saved By the Baby
- 0.495 million viewers
- 0.4/1 HH
- 0.2/1 A18-49

Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It
- 0.479 million viewers
- 0.3/1 HH
- 0.2/1 A18-49

Monday 11/22/10 Final Broadcast Ratings

Dancing with the Stars (73 minutes)
- 23.702 million viewers
- 14.6/22 HH
- 4.9/13 A18-49

Skating with the Stars (107 minutes)
- 9.355 million viewers
- 6.1/10 HH
- 2.4/6 A18-49

How I Met Your Mother
- 8.728 million viewers
- 5.2/8 HH
- 3.5/10 A18-49

Rules of Engagement
- 7.964 million viewers
- 4.7/7 HH
- 2.9/8 A18-49

Two and a Half Men (31 minutes)
- 14.391 million viewers
- 8.6/13 HH
- 4.5/12 A18-49

Mike & Molly
- 12.931 million viewers
- 7.9/12 HH
- 4.0/10 A18-49

Hawaii Five-0 (59 minutes)
- 12.342 million viewers
- 7.8/13 HH
- 3.3/9 A18-49

Chuck
- 4.800 million viewers
- 2.9/4 HH
- 1.7/5 A18-49

The Event
- 5.192 million viewers
- 3.3/5 HH
- 1.7/4 A18-49

Chase
- 5.343 million viewers
- 3.5/6 HH
- 1.4/4 A18-49

House (61 minutes)
- 9.239 million viewers
- 5.5/8 HH
- 3.4/9 A18-49

Lie to Me (59 minutes)
- 5.630 million viewers
- 3.4/5 HH
- 1.7/5 A18-49

90210 (R)
- 0.873 million viewers
- 0.6/1 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49
- 0.4/1 A18-34
- 0.6/2 W18-34

Gossip Girl
- 0.817 million viewers
- 0.5/1 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49
- 0.4/1 A18-34
- 0.6/2 W18-34

Sunday 11/21/10 Final Cable Ratings

Sunday cable finals

Paranormal State (9pm)
- 0.994 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49

Paranormal State (9:30pm)
- 0.937 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49

Walking Dead (10pm)
- 4.754 million viewers
- 2.7/4 HH
- 2.4/6 A18-49

Real Housewives of Atlanta (10pm)
- 2.999 million viewers
- 2.0/3 HH
- 1.6/4 A18-49

Futurama (10pm, 31 minutes)
- 1.302 million viewers
- 0.9/1 HH
- 0.6/2 A18-49

Dirty Jobs (9pm)
- 1.336 million viewers
- 0.8/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Good Luck Charlie
- 4.113 million viewers
- 2.3/4 HH
- 0.6/1 A18-49
- 4.3/13 T12-17
- 5.0/15 K2-11

Shake It Up
- 4.277 million viewers
- 2.4/4 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49
- 4.0/11 T12-17
- 5.4/17 K2-11

Sonny with a Chance (9pm)
- 3.646 million viewers
- 2.1/3 HH
- 0.6/1 A18-49
- 3.6/10 T12-17
- 4.4/15 K2-11

Kendra
- 1.320 million viewers
- 1.0/2 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

Married to Rock
- 0.785 million viewers
- 0.6/1 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49

The Next Iron Chef (9pm)
- 2.961 million viewers
- 1.8/3 HH
- 1.1/3 A18-49

Iron Chef America
- 1.488 million viewers
- 1.0/2 HH
- 0.6/1 A18-49

Boardwalk Empire (9:01pm, 58 minutes)
- 3.049 million viewers
- 1.9/3 HH
- 1.3/3 A18-49

Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads
- 2.531 million viewers
- 1.5/2 HH
- 0.9/2 A18-49

Top Gear
- 1.933 million viewers
- 1.2/2 HH
- 0.9/2 A18-49

Snapped (10pm)
- 0.401 million viewers
- 0.3/0 HH
- 0.2/0 A18-49

Dexter (9pm, 55 minutes)
- 2.110 million viewers
- 1.1/2 HH
- 1.0/2 A18-49

Sarah Palin's Alaska
- 3.039 million viewers
- 1.8/3 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

Sister Wives Honeymoon Special
- 1.827 million viewers
- 1.3/2 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

Fantasia For Real (9pm)
- 0.549 million viewers
- 0.4/1 HH
- 0.2/1 A18-49

Football Wives (9:30pm)
- 0.474 million viewers
- 0.3/1 HH
- 0.2/1 A18-49

Sunday 11/21/10 Final Broadcast Ratings

America's Funniest Home Videos
- 7.853 million viewers
- 4.4/7 HH
- 1.8/5 A18-49

American Music Awards (180 minutes)
- 11.717 million viewers
- 6.7/11 HH
- 4.3/10 A18-49

CBS NFL Sunday (4:22pm, 172 minutes, 99% coverage CBS normally 98%)
- 23.596 million viewers
- 14.2/26 HH
- 8.2/27 A18-49

60 Minutes (7:12pm)
- 17.734 million viewers
- 11.1/18 HH
- 3.7/10 A18-49

The Amazing Race (8:12pm)
- 10.589 million viewers
- 6.2/9 HH
- 3.0/7 A18-49

Undercover Boss (9:12pm)
- 12.735 million viewers
- 7.6/12 HH
- 3.4/8 A18-49

CSI: Miami (10:12pm)
- 10.566 million viewers
- 6.9/12 HH
- 2.3/6 A18-49

Football Night in America Part 2 (7:30pm, 26 minutes)
- 8.706 million viewers
- 5.2/9 HH
- 3.2/9 A18-49

Football Night in America Part 3 (7:56pm, 26 minutes)
- 12.144 million viewers
- 7.3/12 HH
- 4.4/12 A18-49

Pre-Kick (8:22pm, 9 minutes)
- 17.222 million viewers
- 10.4/16 HH
- 6.1/16 A18-49

Sunday Night Football (8:31pm, 194 minutes)
- 23.204 million viewers
- 13.9/22 HH
- 8.8/22 A18-49

The Cleveland Show (R, 7pm, 29 minutes, 85% coverage FOX - now, seemingly - normally 97%)
- 2.552 million viewers
- 1.6/3 HH
- 1.1/3 A18-49

The Simpsons (R, 7:29pm)
- 4.500 million viewers
- 2.6/4 HH
- 1.9/5 A18-49

The Simpsons (7:59pm, 31 minutes)
- 6.587 million viewers
- 3.6/6 HH
- 2.9/8 A18-49

The Cleveland Show (8:30pm)
- 5.072 million viewers
- 2.9/4 HH
- 2.4/6 A18-49

Family Guy (31 minutes)
- 6.585 million viewers
- 3.9/6 HH
- 3.3/8 A18-49

American Dad (29 minutes)
- 4.858 million viewers
- 2.9/5 HH
- 2.3/5 A18-49

Friday 11/19/10 Final Cable Ratings

Swamp Loggers (9pm)
- 1.499 million viewers
- 0.9/2 HH
- 0.6/2 A18-49

The Soup
- 0.984 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.5/2 A18-49

ESPN NBA Game (7pm, 170 minutes)
- 2.121 million viewers
- 1.3/3 HH
- 0.9/3 A18-49

ESPN NBA Game (9:50pm, 157 minutes)
- 1.771 million viewers
- 1.2/2 HH
- 0.8/3 A18-49

ESPN2 College Football (9:46pm, 187 minutes)
- 2.505 million viewers
- 1.6/3 HH
- 0.8/3 A18-49

iCarly Movie: Startfanwar (8pm, 60 minutes)
- 5.024 million viewers
- 2.8/5 HH
- 0.9/3 A18-49
- 4.1/18 T12-17
- 6.2/22 K2-11

Big Time Rush
- 3.782 million viewers
- 2.3/4 HH
- 0.6/2 A18-49
- 3.3/13 T12-17
- 4.8/17 K2-11

WWE Smackdown (120 minutes)
- 2.523 million viewers
- 1.5/3 HH
- 0.8/3 A18-49

Sanctuary
- 1.259 million viewers
- 0.8/2 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49

Conspiracy Theory (10pm)
- 1.345 million viewers
- 0.8/2 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49

Sym-bionic Titan (8pm)
- 1.671 million viewers
- 1.0/2 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49
- 2.0/7 K2-11

Generator Rex
- 1.666 million viewers
- 1.0/2 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49
- 1.9/6 K2-11

Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- 1.754 million viewers
- 1.0/2 HH
- 0.5/2 A18-49
- 1.9/7 K2-11

Friday 11/19/10 Final Broadcast Ratings

Supernanny
- 4.138 million viewers
- 2.8/5 HH
- 1.1/4 A18-49

Primetime: What Would You Do
- 4.970 million viewers
- 3.2/6 HH
- 1.6/5 A18-49

20/20
- 6.937 million viewers
- 4.7/9 HH
- 2.0/7 A18-49

Medium
- 7.312 million viewers
- 4.6/8 HH
- 1.4/5 A18-49

CSI: NY
- 10.178 million viewers
- 6.5/11 HH
- 1.5/5 A18-49

Blue Bloods
- 11.363 million viewers
- 7.0/13 HH
- 1.6/5 A18-49

School Pride
- 2.524 million viewers
- 1.8/3 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

Dateline
- 5.763 million viewers
- 3.9/7 HH
- 1.2/4 A18-49

Harmony: A Film Inspired By the Prince of Wales
- 3.632 million viewers
- 2.5/4 HH
- 0.8/3 A18-49

House (R, 61 minutes, 97% coverage)
- 3.352 million viewers
- 2.1/4 HH
- 1.1/4 A18-49

The Good Guys (59 minutes, 97% coverage)
- 2.662 million viewers
- 1.6/3 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

Smallville
- 2.601 million viewers
- 1.5/3 HH
- 1.1/4 A18-49
- 1.1/5 A18-34
- 1.0/4 W18-34

Supernatural (92% coverage CW normally 95%)
- 1.935 million viewers
- 1.2/2 HH
- 0.9/3 A18-49
- 1.0/4 A18-34
- 1.1/4 W18-34

Preston Beckman Knows What He's Doing aka Obligatory FOX Midseason Schedule Analysis Post

C'mon guys, seriously. Is there really *that* much to discuss here and/or gape about?

I love Fringe. Especially this season. But I watch it on Fridays now, anyway. So I'm totally cool with the move to Fridays at 9pm. Taking the Fan Hat off, what does this practically mean? First of all, of course, expect some ratings slippage. But honestly at this point, I don't think there will be a ton (certainly not the ~50% drop that some of my Twitter followers have predicted). The competition isn't there for that. Fringe isn't a casual viewer show. It's viewers seek it out and will continue to do so. Putting it on a night with significantly less competition should help with the Same Day ratings because there will be far less waiting for tomorrow for DVR playback. Fringe does fantastically in Plus Seven DVR increase percentages.

Regardless of how little that figure means to advertisers, here's an instance I think it will actually work to the show's advantage. A portion of those +7 DVR viewers could become Same Day DVR viewers (again, I am one of those, not that I have a Nielsen box for anyone to notice). Even if it's just a couple tenths, that will be enough to counteract any loss the show experiences moving away from the Bones lead-in (the two shows really don't have a lot of crossover audience... Bones is a much older skewing show). Not that I expect Kitchen Nightmares to be a huge lead-in, the Gordon Ramsey shows attract, like Fringe, relatively small viewer numbers when compared to the demo. This could all work to Fringe's advantage. Plus, expectations on Friday are different. The biggest show last week attracted a 1.9 in the demo. Compare that to Fringe's current competition: Grey's around a 4.0, CSI in the low-to-mid 3s, and The Office/Outsourced also in the low-to-mid 3s. Yes, there's less HUTs on Friday nights... but I think it all counterbalances itself nicely to a place where Fringe can be both stable and successful (and depending on budget talks, survive for more seasons).

And between Fringe and Supernatural (sadly, competing against each other), SciFridays are, this Winter/Spring, truly alive and well. Even if SyFy has abandoned the night to the WWE.

As I've stated on Twitter, I find two primary motives for the Idol move to Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The first: protect Glee by letting it remain in a timeslot. Stability is huge in this business, and viewers have clearly found Glee on Tuesdays at 8pm. While I continue to believe that Glee needs fixing, there's no denying the empirical data: it kicks its competition's butt in major sales demographics. Glee and Tuesdays are perfect for each other (as it's music release day).

The second: establish a year-round reality competition wheel. Winter/Spring has Idol. Summer has So You Think You Can Dance (which has traditionally aired Wednesdays and Thursdays, anyway). Fall will have X-Factor. Guess what else this means? More stability. No longer will Fox have to rejigger its schedule every 4 months (i.e. Glee Wednesdays at 9... now Tuesdays at 9... now Tuesdays at 8! Or like House used to be on Tuesdays at 8pm in the Fall then Mondays in the Winter/Spring). Reality competition shows will just give way to each other. Stability.

Okay, three reasons: Thursday ad dollars command a premium. As Idol's ratings slip (and they will continue to do so), FOX can keep charging advertisers exorbitant sums because, hey, it's a major, broad audience pre-weekend platform for advertisements.

A nice side benefit: Bones gets the Idol lead-in it has long deserved but not had since its first season. I'm loving the show, and with Idol leading into it (plus the 9pm hour having higher HUTs, and the show's gore factor lending itself to the 9pm hour more than 8pm anyway), I'm thinking Bones will get a nice boost.

I don't think there's much else to say, as these two are the major moves. We already knew about Lie to Me and Human Target's truncated seasons (and neither has performed at a level that demands renewal... with more stability, Fox will feel free to let both these shows go away, or perhaps ship one to Fridays with Friday in Fall 2011). We already knew about The Chicago Code. House is of course staying put. Raising Hope is doing decent business out of Glee (it's always hard to attract the passionate fanbase of a pop cultural phenomenon to a lead-out... cough, Lost for 6 years, cough) and, like my assertion with Cougar Town benefiting from Off the Map, I think having a lead-out will help... so Raising Hope may improve if Mixed Signals is simply not as big a turnoff as Running Wilde was.

I have no opinion about the Sunday changes except my personal sadness that American Dad, easily the best of Seth MacFarlane's shows, is being relegated to 7:30pm. It is the worst rated, and it's already in syndication, so I get it. And if Bob's Burgers fails, it'll slide nicely in between The Simpsons and Family Guy.

Thursday 11/18/10 Final Cable Ratings

The First 48 (9pm)
- 1.843 million viewers
- 1.2/2 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

After the First 48
- 1.494 million viewers
- 1.0/2 HH
- 0.6/2 A18-49

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (10pm)
- 1.815 million viewers
- 1.3/2 HH
- 1.0/3 A18-49

ESPN College Football (8pm, 191 minutes)
- 2.053 million viewers
- 1.4/2 HH
- 0.5/2 A18-49

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (31 minutes)
- 1.698 million viewers
- 1.1/2 HH
- 1.0/3 A18-49

The League (31 minutes)
- 1.043 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.6/2 A18-49

Ancient Aliens (10pm)
- 1.535 million viewers
- 1.1/2 HH
- 0.6/2 A18-49

Pranked (10pm)
- 0.832 million viewers
- 0.5/1 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49
- 0.6/2 W18-34

Bully Beatdown
- 0.920 million viewers
- 0.6/1 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49
- 0.6/2 W18-34

NFL Network Football Game (8:30pm, 168 minutes)
- 5.418 million viewers
- 3.3/6 HH
- 2.1/6 A18-49

TNA: Impact (9pm, 123 minutes)
- 1.377 million viewers
- 0.9/2 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Fact or Faked
- 0.993 million viewers
- 0.6/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Police Women of Dallas (9pm)
- 1.414 million viewers
- 0.9/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Pawn Queens (10pm)
- 1.197 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Pawn Queens (10:30pm)
- 1.264 million viewers
- 0.8/1 HH
- 0.5/2 A18-49

TNT NBA Game (8:16pm, 149 minutes)
- 1.212 million viewers
- 0.8/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

TNT NBA Game (10:45pm, 154 minutes)
- 1.052 million viewers
- 0.7/2 HH
- 0.5/2 A18-49

Total Drama World Tour
- 1.459 million viewers
- 0.9/2 HH
- 0.2/1 A18-49
- 2.3/8 K2-11

Burn Notice
- 3.500 million viewers
- 2.3/4 HH
- 1.3/4 A18-49

Thursday 11/18/10 Final Broadcast Ratings

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
- 7.457 million viewers
- 4.1/7 HH
- 2.2/6 A18-49

Grey's Anatomy (61 minutes)
- 11.461 million viewers
- 7.4/12 HH
- 4.3/11 A18-49

Private Practice (59 minutes)
- 8.012 million viewers
- 5.5/10 HH
- 2.9/9 A18-49

The Big Bang Theory
- 13.022 million viewers
- 7.7/13 HH
- 4.3/13 A18-49

$#*! My Dad Says
- 10.130 million viewers
- 6.2/10 HH
- 3.0/9

CSI
- 14.154 million viewers
- 8.5/14 HH
- 3.1/8 A18-49A18-49

The Mentalist
- 14.737 million viewers
- 9.0/16 HH
- 3.0/9 A18-49

Community
- 4.408 million viewers
- 2.7/5 HH
- 1.9/6 A18-49

30 Rock
- 5.112 million viewers
- 3.1/5 HH
- 2.2/6 A18-49

The Office (31 minutes)
- 7.277 million viewers
- 4.2/7 HH
- 3.8/10 A18-49

Outsourced (29 minutes)
- 5.431 million viewers
- 3.2/5 HH
- 2.6/7 A18-49

The Apprentice
- 3.563 million viewers
- 2.5/4 HH
- 1.2/3 A18-49

Bones (61 minutes, 97% coverage, FOX normally 98%)
- 9.403 million viewers
- 5.7/9 HH
- 2.7/8 A18-49

Fringe (59 minutes, 97% coverage)
- 4.846 million viewers
- 3.0/5 HH
- 1.9/5 A18-49

The Vampire Diaries (R, 91% coverage CW normally 95%)
- 1.724 million viewers
- 1.1/2 HH
- 0.6/2 A18-49
- 0.6/2 A18-34
- 0.9/3 W18-34

Nikita (R, 91% coverage)
- 1.463 million viewers
- 1.0/2 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49
- 0.3/1 A18-34
- 0.4/1 W18-34

Wednesday 11/17/10 Final Cable Ratings

Dog the Bounty Hunter (9pm)
- 1.404 million viewers
- 0.8/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Dog the Bounty Hunter (9:30pm)
- 1.322 million viewers
- 0.8/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Top Chef Just Desserts (10pm)
- 1.509 million viewers
- 1.1/2 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

South Park
- 2.487 million viewers
- 1.6/3 HH
- 1.4/4 A18-49
- 2.7/9 M18-34

Ugly Americans
- 1.425 million viewers
- 1.0/2 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49
- 1.4/5 M18-34

Mythbusters (9pm)
- 1.605 million viewers
- 1.0/2 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

Storm Chasers
- 1.485 million viewers
- 0.9/2 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

ESPN NBA Game (7pm, 164 minutes)
- 2.098 million viewers
- 1.4/3 HH
- 1.0/3 A18-49

ESPN NBA Game (9:44pm, 151 minutes)
- 1.914 million viewers
- 1.4/3 HH
- 0.8/3 A18-49

Terriers (61 minutes)
- 0.725 million viewers
- 0.5/1 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49

Real World Road Rules Challenge
- 1.407 million viewers
- 0.9/2 HH
- 0.8/2 A18-49
- 1.5/5 W18-34

The Ultimate Fighter
- 1.821 million viewers
- 1.1/2 HH
- 1.0/3 A18-49

Ghost Hunters (9pm)
- 1.755 million viewers
- 1.1/2 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

Meet the Browns (10pm)
- 2.322 million viewers
- 1.5/3 HH
- 0.9/3 A18-49

Meet the Browns (10:30pm)
- 2.379 million viewers
- 1.5/3 HH
- 1.0/3 A18-49

Full Throttle Saloon
- 1.415 million viewers
- 0.9/2 HH
- 0.6/2 A18-49

Dude What Would Happen
- 1.549 million viewers
- 1.0/2 HH
- 0.2/1 A18-49
- 2.6/10 K2-11

Destroy Build Destroy
- 1.494 million viewers
- 0.9/2 HH
- 0.2/1 A18-49
- 2.5/9 K2-11

Psych
- 2.989 million viewers
- 1.8/3 HH
- 1.0/3 A18-49

Dance Cam Slam
- 0.191 million viewers
- 0.1/0 HH
- 0.1/0 A18-49

I Love Money
- 0.529 million viewers
- 0.4/1 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49

Wednesday 11/17/10 Final Broadcast Ratings

The Middle
- 9.290 million viewers
- 5.4/9 HH
- 2.8/9 A18-49

Better With You
- 7.111 million viewers
- 4.3/7 HH
- 2.3/7 A18-49

Modern Family (31 minutes)
- 12.092 million viewers
- 7.1/11 HH
- 4.8/13 A18-49

Cougar Town
- 7.053 million viewers
- 4.3/7 HH
- 3.0/8 A18-49

25 Years of Sexy (59 minutes)
- 4.082 million viewers
- 2.8/5 HH
- 1.5/4 A18-49

Survivor
- 11.980 million viewers
- 6.9/11 HH
- 3.5/10 A18-49

Criminal Minds
- 14.391 million viewers
- 8.6/14 HH
- 3.8/10 A18-49

The Defenders
- 9.433 million viewers
- 5.9/11 HH
- 1.9/6 A18-49

Dateline
- 6.721 million viewers
- 4.6/8 HH
- 1.6/5 A18-49

Law & Order: SVU
- 7.648 million viewers
- 5.1/8 HH
- 2.1/6 A18-49

Law & Order: Los Angeles
- 7.841 million viewers
- 5.2/9 HH
- 1.9/6 A18-49

Human Target (97% coverage FOX normally 98%)
- 6.590 million viewers
- 4.0/7 HH
- 1.8/5 A18-49

Hell's Kitchen (97% coverage)
- 5.920 million viewers
- 3.5/6 HH
- 2.6/7 A18-49

America's Next Top Model
- 2.485 million viewers
- 1.7/3 HH
- 1.1/3 A18-49
- 1.1/4 A18-34
- 1.8/6 W18-34

Hellcats
- 2.045 million viewers
- 1.3/2 HH
- 0.9/2 A18-49
- 1.1/3 A18-34
- 1.7/5 W18-34

Tuesday 11/16/10 Final Cable Ratings

Billy the Exterminator (9:30pm)
- 1.106 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Millionaire Matchmaker (9pm)
- 1.261 million viewers
- 0.9/1 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

The Fashion Show
- 0.754 million viewers
- 0.5/1 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49

Nick Swardson's Pretend Time
- 1.049 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.5/2 A18-49

Dirty Jobs (9pm)
- 1.660 million viewers
- 1.0/2 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

Sons of Anarchy (65 minutes)
- 3.403 million viewers
- 2.1/4 HH
- 1.7/5 A18-49

In Treatment (9:02pm, 21 minutes)
- 0.232 million viewers
- 0.2/0 HH
- 0.1/0 A18-49

In Treatment (9:31pm, 27 minutes)
- 0.200 million viewers
- 0.1/0 HH
- 0.1/0 A18-49

Bad Girls Club (9pm, 61 minutes)
- 2.075 million viewers
- 1.4/2 HH
- 1.0/3 A18-49

Running Russell Simmons (10:01pm, 60 minutes)
- 1.083 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.6/2 A18-49

Auction Hunters (10pm, 31 minutes)
- 1.042 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49

Stargate Universe
- 1.025 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49

19 Kids and Counting (9pm)
- 1.558 million viewers
- 1.0/2 HH
- 0.6/1 A18-49

Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel (10pm)
- 1.096 million viewers
- 0.8/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Tower Prep (9pm)
- 1.065 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49
- 1.1/4 K2-11

Tuesday 11/16/10 Final Broadcast Ratings

No Ordinary Family
- 6.688 million viewers
- 4.3/7 HH
- 1.7/5 A18-49

Dancing with the Stars (61 minutes)
- 17.434 million viewers
- 11.1/17 HH
- 3.4/9 A18-49

Detroit 187 (59 minutes)
- 8.030 million viewers
- 5.2/9 HH
- 1.7/5 A18-49

NCIS
- 19.427 million viewers
- 11.7/18 HH
- 3.9/11 A18-49

NCIS: Los Angeles
- 15.812 million viewers
- 9.5/15 HH
- 3.3/9 A18-49

The Good Wife
- 11.735 million viewers
- 7.6/14 HH
- 2.2/6 A18-49

The Biggest Loser (120 minutes)
- 6.905 million viewers
- 4.2/7 HH
- 2.5/7 A18-49

Parenthood
- 4.805 million viewers
- 3.1/5 HH
- 1.8/5 A18-49

Glee (61 minutes, 97% coverage FOX normally 98% - if this 97% coverage pattern continues to next week, I will revise my "normal" FOX coverage figure)
- 11.700 million viewers
- 6.7/11 HH
- 5.0/14 A18-49
- 5.5/17 A18-34
- 7.2/21 W18-34

Raising Hope (9:01pm, 97% coverage)
- 5.912 million viewers
- 3.4/5 HH
- 2.7/7 A18-49
- 2.5/7 A18-34
- 3.1/9 W18-34

Raising Hope (R, 9:31pm, 29 minutes, 97% coverage)
- 3.958 million viewers
- 2.4/4 HH
- 1.7/5 A18-49
- 1.5/5 A18-34
- 1.9/5 W18-34

One Tree Hill
- 1.901 million viewers
- 1.2/2 HH
- 0.9/3 A18-49
- 1.2/4 A18-34
- 1.9/5 W18-34

Life Unexpected
- 1.328 million viewers
- 0.9/1 HH
- 0.6/2 A18-49
- 0.7/2 A18-34
- 1.1/3 W18-34

Monday 11/15/10 Final Cable Ratings

Hoarders (10pm)
- 1.686 million viewers
- 1.1/2 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

Monday Night Football
- 15.032 million viewers
- 9.3/15 HH
- 6.3/17 A18-49

In Treatment (9:02pm, 27 minutes)
- 0.220 million viewers
- 0.2/0 HH
- 0.0/0 A18-49

In Treatment (9:33pm, 22 minutes)
- 0.253 million viewers
- 0.2/0 HH
- 0.0/0 A18-49

Weeds (10pm, 29 minutes)
- 0.990 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

The Big C (10:30pm, 28 minutes)
- 0.957 million viewers
- 0.6/1 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49

Scare Tactics (9pm)
- 0.816 million viewers
- 0.5/1 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49

Scare Tactics (9:30pm)
- 0.818 million viewers
- 0.5/1 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49

Little People Big World (8pm)
- 1.383 million viewers
- 0.9/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Little People Big World (8:30pm)
- 1.377 million viewers
- 0.9/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Cake Boss (9pm)
- 1.331 million viewers
- 0.8/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Southern Fried Stings (10pm)
- 1.253 million viewers
- 0.9/1 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49

Southern Fried Stings (10:30pm)
- 1.291 million viewers
- 0.8/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Adventure Time (15 minutes)
- 2.090 million viewers
- 1.3/2 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49
- 3.2/11 K2-11

Regular Show (15 minutes)
- 1.933 million viewers
- 1.2/2 HH
- 0.2/1 A18-49
- 3.1/10 K2-11

Mad (15 minutes)
- 1.949 million viewers
- 1.2/2 HH
- 0.2/1 A18-49
- 3.0/10 K2-11

Robotomy (15 minutes)
- 1.574 million viewers
- 1.0/1 HH
- 0.2/1 A18-49
- 2.3/8 K2-11

Total Drama World Tour
- 1.821 million viewers
- 1.1/2 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49
- 2.4/9 K2-11

WWE Raw (8pm)
- 4.066 million viewers
- 2.4/4 HH
- 1.4/4 A18-49

WWE Raw (9pm)
- 4.860 million viewers
- 2.8/4 HH
- 1.8/4 A18-49

WWE Raw (10pm, 75 minutes)
- 4.655 million viewers
- 2.8/5 HH
- 1.8/5 A18-49

My Big Friggin Wedding
- 0.401 million viewers
- 0.3/0 HH
- 0.2/0 A18-49

Mario Lopez: Saved By the Baby
- 0.488 million viewers
- 0.4/1 HH
- 0.2/1 A18-49

Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It
- 0.593 million viewers
- 0.4/1 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49

Obligatory NBC Midseason Schedule Analysis Post

It's like playing musical chairs on the siesta deck of the Titanic.

NBC's problems are not going to be fixed wholesale by yesterday's midseason schedule announcement. Not when the highest rated drama on the network (which, to be clear, is the highest rated out of 7) is pulling mid-to-low 2s (which, yes, CW would still be popping champagne over). That drama, Law & Order: SVU, will likely see some real gains when it - once again - moves back to a 10pm timeslot. I understood the decision to have it at 9pm as a lead-in to LOLA, at least in theory. But to put the show back in the timeslot it was getting slaughtered in last year during the Jay Leno fiasco was foolish, don't you think? Not to hit the same nail on the head over and over again, but "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results." I have no idea if NBC expected different results in moving SVU to Wednesdays at 9pm once again. But it didn't get them (what it got was a weakened lead-in into a spin-off that is still unproven and will need to stand on its own stocky legs now). Time to get out of dodge.

Chuck remains at 8pm. I watch Chuck. There are times that I love Chuck. I don't think the show has been fantastic this season (though it has gotten much better the last couple weeks), but then again I also didn't think last season was as good as the second. The second season was awesome. From a ratings standpoint, Chuck gets the crap beaten out of it by the punditry. Because a 1.9 (±0.2) for every episode in Live plus Same Day ratings? Not great. But a consistent show that isn't bleeding viewers or demo... it's gonna stick around. So, sorry haters. It's low rated, but because of NBC's state of affairs... it's not the biggest fish to fry.

The Cape... I haven't seen it. I loved the script. It reminded me of a Saturday morning cartoon in wonderful ways. But I've heard that the final product came out, um, taking itself very seriously. This could be the campiest camp that ever camped, in that case. Not expecting huge things from it, but it gives The Event a break... and when the Event comes back, it'll be to finish out its run and not return for a second season (last night it was below Chuck's A18-49 rating... NBC ought to be able to do better).

Parenthood at 10pm on Mondays is a headscratcher. It's been doing solid if unspectacular business on Tuesdays at 10pm. And there isn't going to be enough of a break between Tuesday episodes in January and Monday episodes in March to really consider it a big relaunch. I don't see The Event as having the same audience profile as Parenthood (while I did see PH having a similar audience as The Biggest Loser). Parenthood, though, has a solid audience at this point and will certainly build on Chase's spectacularly awful ratings... but will still place third to Castle and Hawaii Five-0 (whereas in the coming weeks, it may edge out The Good Wife for 2nd on Tuesdays at 10pm... it's been within a tenth).

I've nothing to say about Harry's Law because it's been so heavily rewritten from the pilot I read, which I had no intention of ever laying eyes on. I can't even lay a guess as how spectacularly this ought to flop.

The Biggest Loser stays, and stays at a plumped up 2 hours. I haven't watched this season, and apparently a big chunk of America's who used to watch the show opted out this year. Perhaps it was casting? Format changes? Will the audience return or have people given up on the show (America's Next Top Model suffered a similar bleed out beginning around Cycle 9 or 10).

Regardless, L&O: SVU used to do decently (more viewers but less demo) on Tuesdays at 10pm out of (a much stronger) BL. We'll see about LOLA. If it continues to pull its current Wednesday numbers that'd be about what Parenthood was doing.

Wednesday night is a night of big changes, isn't it? Minute To Win It returns to Wednesdays at 8pm, where it was pulling mid-to-high 1s last season. Better than Undercovers is doing. But it's a bandage.

Chase at 9pm on Wednesdays... it's there for no reason other than NBC picked up a full season for some reason. I don't get it. It won't be doing better at 9pm because of higher HUTs. It won't have a bigger lead-in (though perhaps a more casual TV viewer lead-in that watches live instead of on DVR). And it'll face a strong Criminal Minds, which is wiping the floor with signature drama L&O: SVU. And Modern Family (I say CM first because I see more audience similarities between Chase and SM). And Idol (weakened as it may be). Chase is being thrown to the wolves here.

And that's okay. Because SVU at 10pm can stand on its own. Unless Off the Map does extremely well (I expect it to perform admirably, certainly better than The Whole Truth, but not spectacularly... leveling off in the high 2s) and CBS keeps The Defenders at 10pm (I'm seeing a Friday 8pm timeslot for Jim and Jerry and the CM spin-off here, though, when CBS announces its changes), SVU should win the timeslot. And the affiliates breathed a sigh of relief.

Thursdays. Oy. What have we here. NBC has a problem, at least from my DVR's POV, on Thursdays. Love Community. No intention of watching Perfect Couples (the pilot I saw was awful). Have stopped watching The Office, but can't wait for more Parks & Recreation (though I must say, from a scheduler standpoint, WHAT TOOK NBC SO LONG to put P&R after The Office? Expect series high numbers and better retention from The Office than Outsourced has). Back in love with 30 Rock this season (after a subpar season 4), but couldn't be bothered with Outsourced. What does all of this mean, at least for my habits? Hulu! Sorry, I'd rather record a full hour of TV that I'm gonna watch than a half-hour and try to watch an hour-long show online the next day. 30 Rock will get recorded, though, since I don't have 10pm conflicts.

What do I think of a six-comedy block on Thursday? I like the idea. And, really, 30 Rock/Outsourced has to do better than The Apprentice... right? Against stiffer competition, 30 Rock is doing mid-2s at 8:30pm. It could actually improve on that at 10pm, with a stronger lead-in (again, I expect an Office-fueled Parks & Recreation to pull better numbers than Community is right now). If it gets to be "edgier" now that it's at 10pm... I'm game. I don't think audiences care about comedy being at 10pm (South Park, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia). It's a remnant of a pre-DVR age that the networks don't program comedy at 10pm. The thing NBC has to be careful with, though, is the 10:30pm show. It has to lead into local affiliates' 11pm news. It's a risk that people will just... leave at 10:30pm. But, again, compared to the current The Apprentice numbers, Outsourced will be an improvement and, for the short-term, that's all that matters. The six-comedy is an experiment and we'll see how it goes. NBC will be able to make an informed decision for next fall on whether to keep it or not. This is also why Community is staying at 8pm against The Big Bang Theory. Sure, it's getting beaten. But NBC could do a lot worse (and Community has critical if not awards press... something NBC does care about with its comedies).

I have absolutely nothing to say about NBC Fridays or Sundays. Nothing.

So, overall? A stop-gap (NBC hopes). Nothing more. Nothing less.

Monday 11/15/10 Final Broadcast Ratings

Dancing with the Stars (91 minutes)
- 20.679 million viewers
- 13.1/20 HH
- 4.0/10 A18-49

The Middle (R, 9:31pm, 30 minutes)
- 9.608 million viewers
- 6.2/10 HH
- 2.2/6 A18-49

Castle (59 minutes)
- 9.976 million viewers
- 6.4/11 HH
- 2.5/7 A18-49

How I Met Your Mother
- 8.868 million viewers
- 5.4/8 HH
- 3.6/10 A18-49

Rules of Engagement
- 7.918 million viewers
- 4.9/7 HH
- 2.9/7 A18-49

Two and a Half Men (31 minutes)
- 14.253 million viewers
- 8.6/13 HH
- 4.5/11 A18-49

Mike & Molly
- 12.148 million viewers
- 7.5/12 HH
- 3.7/9 A18-49

Hawaii Five-0 (59 minutes)
- 10.342 million viewers
- 6.5/11 HH
- 2.8/8 A18-49

Chuck
- 5.427 million viewers
- 3.3/5 HH
- 1.8/5 A18-49

The Event
- 5.637 million viewers
- 3.5/5 HH
- 1.7/4 A18-49

Chase
- 4.565 million viewers
- 3.0/5 HH
- 1.2/3 A18-49

House (61 minutes, 97% coverage FOX normally 98%... though lately... anyone have info?)
- 10.765 million viewers
- 6.2/9 HH
- 4.0/11 A18-49

Lie to Me (59 minutes, 97% coverage)
- 5.943 million viewers
- 3.5/5 HH
- 1.9/5 A18-49

90210
- 1.758 million viewers
- 1.2/2 HH
- 0.9/2 A18-49
- 1.1/3 A18-34
- 1.6/5 W18-34

Gossip Girl
- 1.694 million viewers
- 1.2/2 HH
- 0.9/2 A18-49
- 1.3/4 A18-34
- 2.2/6 W18-34

Sunday 11/14/10 Final Cable Ratings

Paranormal State (9pm)
- 1.026 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Paranormal State (9:30pm)
- 1.088 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

The Walking Dead (10pm)
- 5.074 million viewers
- 2.9/5 HH
- 2.5/7 A18-49

Real Housewives of Atlanta (10pm)
- 2.776 million viewers
- 1.8/3 HH
- 1.5/4 A18-49

Good Luck Charlie (8pm)
- 3.869 million viewers
- 2.4/4 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49
- 3.8/12 T12-17
- 5.0/16 K2-11

Shake It Up
- 4.092 million viewers
- 2.5/4 HH
- 0.6/1 A18-49
- 4.0/12 T12-17
- 5.3/17 K2-11

Sonny With a Chance
- 3.717 million viewers
- 2.3/4 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49
- 3.5/10 T12-17
- 4.9/18 K2-11

Kendra (10pm)
- 1.924 million viewers
- 1.3/2 HH
- 1.0/3 A18-49

Married to Rock
- 1.026 million viewers
- 0.7/1 HH
- 0.6/1 A18-49

The Next Iron Chef (9pm)
- 2.094 million viewers
- 1.3/2 HH
- 0.8/2 A18-49

Boardwalk Empire (9:02pm, 51 minutes)
- 2.984 million viewers
- 1.7/3 HH
- 1.2/3 A18-49

Bored to Death (10:02pm, 24 minutes)
- 0.818 million viewers
- 0.5/1 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49

Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads (9pm)
- 1.917 million viewers
- 1.2/2 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

Dexter (9:01pm, 53 minutes)
- 1.939 million viewers
- 1.1/2 HH
- 0.9/2 A18-49

19 Kids and Counting
- 2.142 million viewers
- 1.3/2 HH
- 0.7/2 A18-49

Sarah Palin's Alaska
- 4.957 million viewers
- 3.0/4 HH
- 1.2/3 A18-49

What the Sell (10pm)
- 2.142 million viewers
- 1.4/2 HH
- 0.5/1 A18-49

What the Sell (10:30pm)
- 1.722 million viewers
- 1.1/2 HH
- 0.4/1 A18-49

Fantasia For Real (9pm)
- 0.606 million viewers
- 0.4/1 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49

Football Wives (9:30pm)
- 0.554 million viewers
- 0.4/1 HH
- 0.3/1 A18-49

Trimming The Fat (CW Edition)

I am and have in the past been a fan (at times vocal) of shows with mild-to-disastrous ratings.

See, for instance, Veronica Mars (still miss you, Ronnie!)

Of course, when we have personal attachment to shows, we make excuses for why a network should renew / order additional episodes. Upscale incomes. Highly concentrated demographics. Change the timeslot and give this great show a chance to find an audience... it's too damn good to cancel, dammit!

But take your Fan Hat off for a moment. I know, it's hard. But your hair looks fine. Trust me. Let's talk brass tacks.

I was going to extend this post to all networks, but decided that, hey, maybe I'll get to blogging more often if I separate things out a bit. So, for now, we're just talking CW.

This development year was the first in two that failed to produce a "hit" premiere - let alone a "hit" series. For a limited shelf space, limited budget, niche-appeal network like CW with rapidly aging shows and a finicky audience... this is disastrous.

In 2008, CW gave us 90210 2.0 which may have rapidly sunk post-premiere, but for a CW show that premiere attracted eyeballs. Almost 5 million of the (same day). In 2009, The Vampire Diaries' premiere also almost attracted 5 million viewers. Unlike 90210, Vampire Diaries has actually held onto a sizable-enough portion of that audience to be considered CW's lone viable television program (though, unlike True Blood, it failed to see big season-to-season gains... too bad, though).

In a "perfect" world with an infinite budget both for production and marketing and without any personal attachments coming into the mix... The Vampire Diaries is the only show that would survive a real "trimming the fat."

Of course, we, and the CW, don't live in that supposedly "perfect" world.

You can make W18-34 arguments for Gossip Girl (GG, despite having about half the overall audience as TVD, does have basically the same W18-34 audience as TVD... and, according to an article I recently read, GG is tied with The Office for the highest concentration of "upscale" A18-34 viewers). That's two hours of programming.

Supernatural has done respectable business on Fridays and I suspect it will remain there next year. The question is: how does it do without the Smallville lead-in next year? There is also a back-end argument to be made for Supernatural as it's syndicated on TNT (I don't have per episode figures) and the show does well on DVD (genre shows tend to overperform at DVD compared to their audience size). That's three hours.

America's Next Top Model? It's long in the tooth. It's been showing its age since Cycle 10 and this is, what, Cycle 15? The ratings weren't reinvigorated by the "actually a high fashion prize with better designers and photographers" change this cycle. Which I have to imagine added to the cost of the show. Still, this show isn't going anywhere for a while. And ANTM has syndication value. That's four hours.

That's still six hours to program. There are (flimsy) arguments to be made for more seasons of both 90210 and One Tree Hill. But CW isn't a network that can afford to reprogram 6 hours. Reprogramming 4 is still quite a stretch.

Do Hellcats or Nikita fit in?

Probably not. And here's why: Life Unexpected was canceled.

I feel like the experiment of a second season of LUX should tell CW what to do about its two freshmen, Hellcats and Nikita. Neither of them had huge series premieres even by "CW standards" (ah, love that phrase). Hellcats with 3 million, Nikita with 3.6 million. And now they're both lucky to hit 2/3 of those numbers. Nikita's W18-34, behind CW's number one show, are actually the worst on the network (some times, even LUX has higher W18-34). Now, I'm not putting the possibility of either show suddenly catching fire totally out of question. I mean, it's always possible. But is it probable? No. CW hoped LUX would catch fire in its extended break, and it didn't.

Gossip Girl "blew up" thanks to anticipation built during the Writers Strike hiatus, a bold new marketing campaign, a timeslot change, limited competition thanks to the strike, and (JMHO) stellar content in the initial 13 episode order. Then it grew more after the summer... and it was never as popular again as it was at the top of its second season.

Don't expect miracles for either Hellcats or Nikita. Especially because none of those things that helped Gossip Girl "explode" seem to be in the cards (he said without haven't watched any of Hellcats beyond the pilot presentation, and having watched two episodes of Nikita... but I haven't gotten any indication that either are the Best TV Show I'm Not Watching, so...)

The lesson from LUX, then, seems to be that when you don't have enough of an audience to slowly trickle off through several seasons... cut your losses and don't go beyond one season.

Even Hellcats. It rebounded in W18-34 last week... but only to a 1.7 (which is under 90210's season three levels). LUX was pulling 1.7s out of One Tree Hill last season. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results (not that anyone has accused Dawn Ostroff of being sane...)

But CW doesn't even live in a world perfect enough that it can program 4 new hours of TV next fall (yet another reason why this fall was disastrous: a complete lack of midseason replacement backup... we've yet to hear how CW is planning to fill Tuesdays at 9pm after LUX runs out of episodes).

So there may be a season two of Hellcats (and, hell, there may even be a season two of Nikita... which will not be indicative of Nikita itself, it will be indicative of the sorry state CW finds itself in). Don't expect much more.

In short... it seems that the CW is in such terrible shape that there is literally too much fat to trim at this point.

Here's an idea for CW, though. Take a page from the first season of Gossip Girl and from the first season of Glee: run a show's initial order out over the course of the fall (and, if you must, January). Take it off the air. Let anticipation build. Have the studio release a Season One, Part One DVD. Bring the show back in late March / early April and run the back order continuously through sweeps. Alternatively, program like the first season of Heroes (a marketing success story), in 3 chunks, and make damn sure the story has the requisite cliffhangers.

There are risks, of course. Does absence make the heart grow fonder? Or do viewers forget? CW isn't programming broad-appeal shows; it's clearly programming niche shows that tend to have a higher concentration of hardcore, passionate fans, if you give those viewers material that makes them care, their hearts grow fonder, though there's plenty of evidence that it's not always the case (just from last year on ABC: Flashforward and V... of course, the ratings for both were on downward spirals before their hiatus). When you program to a niche hoping for passion, sometimes (rarely / not often) you get a show like Glee where there is a large enough core of passionate fans that the show actually is considered a big hit (remember, the first season's fall airings were not anywhere near the current ratings levels... though between you and me, Dear Reader, I think Glee hit its ratings peak in the first two episodes of this season).

I'm not suggesting CW will find something that hits like Glee. But if you can craft a show that people will anticipate and miss and want to watch... what's another little marketing push?

Think of it, if you will, as more like a cable network than a broadcast network. You can be sure that ABC Family is going to be pushing the return of Pretty Little Liars for its midseason return. And I know there's a difference between airing over the summer and airing in the winter against broadcast competition. But I expect PLL will have no trouble viewership (and I actually expect an uptick).

Of course, the material has to be there (with the casting, and the production, and the direction), and even after all of that, the network still has to pick up the damn show (there's no guarantee that happens as almost every season has a couple of "I can't believe they didn't pick this up!!!" pilots). This year, it wasn't.

An optimist or CW apologist might say "But Travis! You just pointed out a reason to give Hellcats and Nikita a season season order so that anticipation can build! They have to try!" Well... unlike LUX, both of these shows will run full seasons before a pickup has to be made, while LUX "only" had the initial order of 13. There was no opportunity for a schedule break for LUX. There is still plenty of opportunity, in the next 6 months, to see what happens with Hellcats and Nikita. As above, I just don't see it in the cards because the pieces that would need to be in place for a surge just aren't.

Take the Fan Hat off. Run your fingers through your hair and feel the cold breeze.

PS - It was interesting to look at the first seasons of Heroes/Gossip Girl/Glee, each with extended breaks and new marketing pushes for the relaunch... their second seasons premiered to the biggest numbers the show would ever get and then quickly suffered (from a combination of overhype and sophomore slump). Yet another reason why I think that "Audition" and "Britney/Brittany" will be Glee's highest-ever rated episodes.

Will Schuester Needs To Get His $#*! Together

Brief followup on Glee, which I stopped blogging about episode-to-episode, um, around the same time I stopped blogging nightly TV reactions. Sorry!

Glee has a problem this season and seems to be continuing all the bad habits it picked up in the second half of season one. PROBLEM. But, y'know, it was still a crowd pleaser.

The problem Glee is having this season it, once the Rocky Horror episode has aired, 2 of 5 episodes built around / spurring from Will's insecurities and the Will/Emma relationship.

Remember "Sectionals" and how AWESOME the ending with the Will/Emma kiss was as the kids built from the bridge to the final chorus of "My Life Would Suck Without You"? Then in April when the back nine began... boom! Reset button! They were so cute together, they just got together, how could you break them up!?

Whatever. Yes. They are cute together. But that's not interesting. I don't mind relationship drama. In fact, it's the bread and butter of many TV writers.

I will repeat something I noted early in the first season and utterly stand by. This show is about the kids and when the focus shifts to the adults for anything more than a runner that provides some Sue Sylvester one-liners, it fails. They are my least favorite episodes.
- Acafellas
- Mash-Up
- Home (great music, though!)
- Britney/Brittany (4 of the 5 Britney performances were anesthesia-addled dream sequences and the 1 "real" performance was marred by Will's awkward presence on stage)
- The Rocky Horror Glee Show

The one exception to this was "Dream On" which was just awesome. So, y'know, it CAN be done! But the exception proves the rule.

Maybe it's just me. I don't know. But the show is so much better when the plot is spurred by something stupid / selfish / diva-ish Rachel has done, when the kids are issued a competition assignment to the kids, or, well, the finales.

Anyway, you'll see on Tuesday. I'm a huge RHPS fan. There are plenty of winks and shoutouts and it's faithful in parts, but... the story is complete weaksauce. And, from a gay male POV, I appreciate the scene where Matthew Morrison gets shirtless in a private rehearsal with Emma because he's taking over the role of Rocky. BUT IT MAKES NO SENSE. Why would he need to rehearse a scene where HE DOES NOTHING AND SHE SINGS AND SEDUCES HIM? And, if you know the show and extrapolate it out in the plot (not that they go there) would mean, at that point, Rachel/Will happening ON STAGE IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE. And it's all about Will/Emma/Carl (Karl?) The kids are pawns.

There's a kernel of a great "message" episode in there if the Finn/Sam plotline about body image were expanded on. But instead we get a ridiculously big production mess, which is sadly more typical than not of the Ryan Murphy written/directed episodes.

And, yes, as above, I know couples need drama. And I have no doubt that the show is driving towards Will/Emma getting back together with Stamos being nothing but the catalyst for both working their issues out and finally being ready for each other. But at this point... I don't want Will with Emma. Because he SUCKS. Grow up. Let the kids have their time to shine and stop letting your issues, which you need to work through, affect them.

Anyway. I hope you find a way to enjoy The Rocky Horror Glee Show. I did not.

The DVR vs Ratings

I started writing this blog post about the 10pm hour, and our barometer for success at 10pm needed an adjustment.

The reason? It was the DVR, of course. With DVRs in about 40% of American households (and always growing), the way viewers are watching television is increasingly time delayed. Yes, you've been reading sentences like that since 2002, but now we're really noticing it. And it's why there's so much rumbling on ratings boards and forums about the 10pm problem. You can really forget Live+7 data (which, as our friends at TVbytheNumbers.com have tried to hammer home... really doesn't mean much of anything when Live data is the closest approximation we have to C3 ratings).

The problem shows up in comparing Live ratings with Live plus Same Day.

The problem at 10pm stems from the fact that humans need sleep. If only there were a cure!

No. But if something airs later and gets recorded, there is less time to watch it before the "Same Day" cutoff that allows the viewing to be counted on Live+SD ratings. I've even seen it in critics' writeups of the day's programming... apologies, I couldn't get to the 10pm show, I was still catching up on 8pm and 9pm shows. In addition, the time you spend watching your recordings of earlier shows - or the day before's shows, or shows from over the weekend you've saved up, or whatever - you aren't watching the 10pm shows live.

So we're seeing ABC, CBS, and NBC struggle to even crack a 3.0 at 10pm (okay, really, that's just CBS... ABC and NBC are often struggling to crack 2.0) in Live+SD ratings.

You don't have to just take me at my word. There's empirical evidence (I'm just looking at overall rating points, not percentages).

During premiere week, Glee added the most A18-49 from Same Day DVR: 1.6 points! It went from a 4.0 Live to a 5.6 Live+SD. Modern Family added 1.5, going from 3.6 to 5.1. There were several other big gainers (Big Bang Theory: 1.5; House: 1.3; The Office: 1.3; Grey's Anatomy: 1.3; How I Met Your Mother: 1.1; Survivor: 1.1)

The biggest Live to Live+SD bump at 10pm?

Private Practice. It added 0.5, going from 2.7 to 3.2. There were a couple 0.4 adders, like Hawaii Five-0 going from 3.5 to 3.9.

And, through three weeks, Private Practice's weekly 0.5 gain (it has repeated that figure each week) is still the biggest of any 10pm show.

This is not to say that EVERY 8pm or 9pm show gains more than 0.5 from Same Day DVR viewing. Far from it. But the line between shows that scrape by and real "hits" (by current ratings standards, not those of yesteryear), to me, seems like it's less about Live viewing than it is about Same Day DVR viewing. People seek those shows out, whether the networks are being compensated for that or not (and I suspect that those shows with the biggest overall DVR numbers will also prove to be the same shows that top viewing in other platforms).

If people aren't DVRing 10pm shows... well, that's why the ratings rarely top a 3.0. Maybe it's the shows themselves. 10pm has seen many huge TV hits... before the DVR came along. But the truth of today, for scripted shows (live sporting events escape this rule, as do certain reality shows like DWTS), is that you cannot be a big hit without a sizable DVR component. Though there definitely is a different between a show like Private Practice with a 2.7 Live and 0.5 DVR and Chuck with a 1.5 Live and 0.5 DVR (both during premiere week).

Let's move out of 10pm. Because, in really looking at the data... it's not really limited to 10pm, even if my initial hypothesis was only looking there.

Take NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles. Both hits, both will be around for a while. NCIS clearly the bigger hit, right? Want to know the difference between the two? Hint: it's not Live ratings. NCIS just has about 0.5 more Same Day DVR rating points every week than NCIS:LA.

How I Met Your Mother vs Rules of Engagement tells the same story. RoE actually beat HIMYM in premiere week in Live ratings. But HIMYM, as above, added 1.1 in DVR playback. RoE only added 0.5 points.

Let's not even look at shows leading into each other.

Take Chuck and Undercovers. Week one, Chuck did 1.5 Live and added 0.5 in playback. Undercovers did 1.8 and added 0.3. Guess where they were in week 3? Chuck was 1.4 Live, and added that same 0.5. Undercovers had sunk to a 1.4... and added a mere 0.1 in playback. We all know the writing is on the wall for Undercovers, but the DVR rejection is the real issue. People who, thanks to marketing, programmed their DVRs to record it... decided to cancel that recording option or opted to not set a season pass.

It's why, I believe, it's harder and harder for new shows to hit it out of the park. People have their habits, the shows they record, and it takes a LOT to get them to add something.

The three shows canceled so far this season (Lone Star, My Generation, Outlaw)? Their premieres only got a 0.1 boost from Same Day playback.

So, no. We don't just need a new barometer of success at 10pm as I initially thought. We need a new barometer of success overall (and, really, a new standard or measurement). Because Live viewing is only going to sink lower and lower as DVR's penetration steadily increases and the difference between shows that stick around and those that leave becomes DVR playback.

Quick Emmy reaction

Well, let's see what I can remember from this post I was going to make of quick Emmy reactions. Thanks, Firefox, for eating my homework as it were.

I didn't watch the telecast, so these are just reactions to the winners. And, first, a note about the nominees. I think I said it before, but this was a really good year for Emmy nominees. Plenty of new blood and getting rid of the old guard. Now, it'll never be "perfect," and everyone's definitely of "perfect" is different so, y'know, there'll always be snubs. But by and large, and with the glaring exception of Community ("Modern Warfare," I contend, is truly the funniest episode of television that aired last season), I felt this was a standout year for Emmy nominations.

Highlights:
- Jane Lynch's win for Supporting Actress in a Comedy... do I even need to quality this?
- Eric Stonestreet's win for Supporting Actor in a Comedy... a surprise when the expectation was that three nominees from the same show meant they'd split the vote and all lose. Eric's affable Cameron is a delight. Fizbo rules!
- Jim Parsons's overdue win for Lead Actor in a Comedy... he so should've won last year
- Archie Panjabi's win for Supporting Actress in a Drama... she's really the reason I tune into the show, which too often veers toward dull as dishwater (Baranski can be a hoot and a half, but Panjabi is the true scene stealer). Truth be told, I'd have been happy with any of this season's nominees winning, but I like it when a fresh face gets recognized so quickly
- Aaron Paul's win for Supporting Actor in a Drama... the show is more than Bryan Cranston's Walter White and hopefully in two years - Breaking Bad won't be eligible for next year's Emmys - Anna Gunn will at least receive a nomination after this year's snub for her excellent and challenging work. But Aaron Paul is truly fantastic, the heart of the show
- Kyra Sedgwick's win for Lead Actress in a Drama... overdue, perhaps, but she submitted a great episode, and even though she's been nominated every year (Hugh Laurie, perhaps next year will be your year with Bryan Cranston out of contention) and it's nice to get a new winner after back-to-back Glenn Close wins, not to mention a welcome surprise when everyone expected one-note, wooden Julianna Margulies to win
- Modern Family's win for Best Comedy Series... indisputably the funniest and most consistent of the nominees

Lowlights:
- Mad Men's threepeat win for Best Drama Series. Season three was by far the most uneven and, yeah, I'll say it, worst season of the show. For it to win when shows like Dexter and Breaking Bad put forth their best seasons yet (IMHO) is just wrong.
- Edie Falco's win for Lead Actress in a Comedy. I just don't "get" Nurse Jackie, I suppose. Of course, she's a really good actress (the category, after all, isn't "Funniest Lead Actress," it's "Best Lead Actress") and two seasons of the show were eligible so I understand the win, but it's a shrug for me. An expected shrug.

Fall TV Viewing Schedule

All that said... here is my personal network TV fall viewing schedule, in case you are curious.

* denotes shows that I need a week or two to satisfy my curiosity / figure out if I'm going to put in the investment... including some returning shows that might get the boot
# denotes my "must watch night of airing" shows

MONDAY

8pm:
- How I Met Your Mother
- Chuck#

9pm:
- Lone Star#
- Gossip Girl
- The Event*#

10pm:
- Hawaii Five-0*

TUESDAY

8pm:
- Glee#
- No Ordinary Family

9pm:
- Life Unexpected
- Raising Hope*

9:30pm:
- Running Wilde*

10pm:
- The Good Wife

WEDNESDAY

8pm:
- America's Next Top Model* (necessary explanation: I haven't watched in several cycles, but the prospect of the winner being on the cover Italian Vogue should, hopefully mean the model contestants — and the competition — will all be of a higher quality... so, yeah, I'm curious)

9pm:
- Modern Family#

9:30pm:
- Cougar Town

THURSDAY

8pm:
- The Vampire Diaries#
- The Big Bang Theory
- Community (hulu)
- Bones (hulu)
- My Generation* (hulu)

8:30pm:
- 30 Rock#

9pm:
- Fringe#
- Nikita
- The Office (hulu)
- Grey's Anatomy* (we'll see if the show can recover from a bad season in the wake of its electrifying finale)

FRIDAY

9pm:
- Supernatural (would've been a # but Friday, so I've got the whole weekend)

SUNDAY

8pm:
- The Amazing Race#
- The Simpsons

9pm:
- Family Guy
- Desperate Housewives*

9:30pm:
- American Dad

10pm:
- Brothers & Sisters*

There are surely a number of cable conflicts (damn you, Project Runway, for having an entertaining season and potentially screwing up Thursdays at 9pm for me) and I'm sure that I'll have to chop off several shows as the season continues because, even now, I'm holding onto a few shows that I'm not really die-hard about any longer (cough, well-past-their-prime ABC soaps, cough).

Other News Shows I Will Be Watching

I think part of the reason I haven't been blogging much or posting reviews about upcoming shows — besides needing to put a lot more time into my writing and professional life — is because I just wasn't that impressed by what's out there. I'd rather have 100 new shows like The Event that at least get a rise out of me — even if it's an infuriated "I want to love you, why aren't you better!?" reaction — than the myriad of mediocrity the networks are putting forward this fall season.

Time is an incredibly limited resource, I'm starting to realize. Which means that I can't any longer justify forcing my DVR to record shows that are TV to fold laundry by. Which means I'm cutting down on the TV shows I'm already moderately invested in and new shows really have to give me a reason to tune in on a weekly basis. I realize that my TV viewing patterns are not like that of most of America. I either commit to a show fully and make it an appointment or I don't bother at all.

For instance, while I think Dana Delany nails the lead character in Body of Proof... the show is just another character-led procedural. And one with only one character who, in the pilot, rises about stock. I can't be bothered. Sorry!

Also, I've discovered that I hate writing middling reviews. It's just unpleasant. Again, I'd rather feel passionately disappointed enough in something to write a scathing review than to be able to sum my feelings up as "shrug!" Believe it or not, I'm rooting for every single thing I watch (or read) to be executed well. Even flawed premises can be made into interesting or at least palatable shows with the right approach, the right casting, etc.

So, here are the other new shows I'll be sampling this fall season, beyond Lone Star and The Event (which, per my previous post, has exactly one episode to tell me WTF the show actually is because the pilot didn't tell me what I'd be watching).

NO ORDINARY FAMILY

I'm a geek. I love superheroes. Are the powers the most original things this show has going for it? Certainly not. I wish the powers were more creative and fantastic and less on the nose in certain metaphors. But I like the blue sky feeling to it, a welcome change versus the incredibly dark Heroes. Some scenes play so light it borders on sitcom... but that's okay when I'm smiling along. Also? The casting. The casting is just awesome. I'm not sure how Michael Chiklis — doing a complete 180 from The Shield's Vic Mackey and relishing it — is still pulling off being married to a 30-something and having teenage kids, but he's doing it. Plus Julie Benz, Autumn Reeser, AND Romany Malco? Good stuff. There are, um, two kids that I don't really give a crap about yet. Maybe that'll change.

NIKITA

The pilot adds in a necessary opening shot and voiceover monologue from the titular Nikita, which was utterly necessary because otherwise we wouldn't have seen her until a few minutes in. And she carries the show that, though uneven, has its moments. There are moments of ridiculousness (if I'm remembering the hotel sequence correctly, there are several moments where I was like... um... what? Worst spies ever). It's definitely not a revolutionary spy show (and I still can't believe no one during the process didn't fix Nikita's boyfriend's name, Danny... who gets killed and that's why she wants to take SD-6 down... oh, wait, that was a different show...) but, in a sense, it is. Because all the spy shows on TV right now are light and fluffy (Chuck and Burn Notice certainly have dark moments, but they are both comedic... and Covert Affairs and Undercovers are decidedly lighter in tone). Nikita is dark and dangerous and no one really questions the morality of killing someone dead BECAUSE THEY ARE TRAINED SPIES AND ASSASSINS. Anyway. It feels different, which is odd, but that's just the state of TV right now. I still think Division's assassin school feels too frat/sorority house (OMG bitchy mean girl showing her claws in an attempt to keep the new girl off her man) and think it lives and breathes in a different show than Nikita herself does, regardless of the final twist at the end of the pilot that tries to bridge the gap... but the fact remains that during the pilot the two plot threads feel, at best, loosely connected. If they manage to blend in tone... okay, fine. If not, the disjointed feeling will continue and that will make me sad.

HAWAII FIVE-O

Okay, this is less because of what the show is (just another procedural, believe me, once they got to series there was no way to continue the level of action the pilot had) and more of how the show looks. I'm going to record week two, anyway. Because I'm insanely curious. In the pilot, every frame looks like a freaking postcard and I'm hoping it stays as... pretty. I have complaints about O'Laughlin's woodenness, but as a lot of the emotional / character stuff I liked in the script was excised in favor EXPLOSIONS WOOOO!!! he is basically playing Captain Cardboard and that's all the role demands. Scott Caan chews the scenery at times, but in a very welcome way at times. I didn't get a ton off of either Jin or Boomer (two more reasons to tune in, certainly), but they're swept up in the "putting the team together" plot and aren't featured as heavily as they're sure to be in future episodes. So, while I don't think this is appointment viewing for me, it will be the exception to prove my new rule about what I deign to watch. Because... shiny.

Mondays at 9pm, Lone Star vs The Event

Was happy to be reminded last Tuesday at the Paley Center how much I enjoyed FOX's Lone Star pilot going into Saturday's Comic-Con premiere of NBC's The Event pilot, two new dramas that are undoubtedly going to be hyped to high heaven by their respective networks and two dramas that, on concept alone, really pull at my internal TV viewer's dichotomy. One the one hand... a challenging character soap. On the other hand, a twisty, plot-driven conspiracy drama with genre underpinings.

WHY OH WHY WERE THESE SHOWS BEING SCHEDULED AGAINST ONE ANOTHER!?

That is what I screamed initially.

And then I saw both pilots. Okay, I read both pilots, too, so I knew what each was about beyond its logline, but it really is the viewing experience that solidified things in my mind.

Lone Star has me as a captive viewer. The Event still has to tell me what the hell it is (and I've seen the entire pilot!) before I make any decisions, but my gut reactions is "I do not trust this show."

Maybe I'm feeling burned from the Lost finale (not that The Event was ever anywhere close to Lost) that, despite what I've blogged here, has not improved with age. I stand by my opinion that the issues with the finale are due to problems in the entire final season and not the finale itself, but... it's all mixed together and fermented at bit.

Maybe I'm feeling burned by Heroes, which was also a far better pilot than The Event, and after burning out its plot through the first season and then refusing to introduce new interesting characters or make the old characters more interesting suffered abysmally.

The thing is... The Event does not have any interesting characters. None. I'm not saying that every character must break from archetypes or bend the rules in some special, unexpected way. I'm saying that The Event is populated by stock characters who we do not really get to know beyond their occupation or their love lives.

Someone will argue against me here and say "What about Laura Innes' character?" To which I will say "What do you really know about her?" That she was a captive at the secret Alaskan prison facility? Fine. That's what she is. WHO IS SHE? If anyone has seen the first section of the intoxicatingly fun 70-minute Phantom Menace review, you know what I'm saying.

Lost started off with pretty generic archetypes, didn't it? A heroic doctor, a drug addict musician, redneck ruffian, the non-English speaking Koreans, a father and son and their dog, an Iraqi war veteran, a pampered princess, etc. But guess what? At the end of that pilot, even in those incredibly odd circumstances, you knew how those characters reacted to things. How they might act in any given circumstance. Who they were... even if you didn't really know everything about them. Jack was always going to put the burden of leadership and saving others on himself. Kate was always going to be coy and adventure-prone, Charlie was always going to be scrappy, underestimated, and charming. And y'know the lesson from Lost? The show lost itself when it stopped being predominantly about character and started being predominantly about mythology. Everyone will pinpoint a different moment in time when that happened, but it did.

You don't know crap about anyone in The Event. And I find that to be a real issue considering that even at the end of the pilot, you still have no idea what "the event" is. Yeah, some weird shit happens. There's bound to curiosity about it. And I have little doubt that, despite the piddling lead-in that Chuck will be, The Event will premiere to very good ratings. And that'll probably continue for a few weeks. But it's unsustainable without character.

That's not the only problem I have with the series, but it's the major one. Beyond that, just looking at the pilot, we're given 4 point of view characters... all of whom are male. That's a problem. There's an overused flashback device that, one hopes, is in the pilot only and not in the rest of the series because, with 80% of the pilot a flashback to one time or another, the tension of the present is constantly cut when it needs to be sustained. Speaking of those flashbacks... they aren't cohesive enough. We get "11 days ago," "8 days ago," "7 days ago," "13 months ago." Sometimes not even bothering to check back in with the present as we slide to different points in time with nothing by a chyron to tell us when or where we are. It's disorienting and it's flawed because it means there isn't enough in the present to keep us interested.

Which is shocking because, on a pure plot level, the "present" is about a guy trying to hijack an airplane in Miami... because his soon-to-be-father-in-law is the pilot and is being coerced into crashing the plane into the President of the United States' Miami retreat, presumably to kill the President. And it all goes back to character. It may be cool in the moment, and it's certainly filmed and edited and scored well enough to put you on the edge of your seat (despite mostly the flacid flashbacks)... but it's flat. It's meaningless. It's manipulative in the worst sort of way because it doesn't give you anything but twists and turns that lead nowhere (at least in the pilot). I saw it described on Twitter as "all sizzle and no steak" and I think that's a completely apt analogy. But I suspect a lot of people, for a while, will be perfectly fine with sizzle. It should get a male-skewing audience, as these things are wont to do. I, myself, am committed to watch episode two to see if the show will be so bold as to, y'know, tell me what the hell the series is.

Lone Star is the complete opposite of The Event. In almost every conceivable way. First of all, it has a far bigger lead-in than The Event in House (though I suspect for the first week or two, the more superficially exciting and flashy show, The Event, will out-rate Lone Star). Lone Star's audience will likely be female-skewing. It's a soap opera, make no mistake. It's also rather slowly paced, though it certainly builds as the pilot goes on, trying to hook you far more on its emotion and its character than on its plotting.

And, on a character front, where The Event is all sizzle... Lone Star is steak. It is all about character or, more accurately, one character: Robert/Bob Allen, played by James Wolk.

Bob is an intriguing character, existing as the network version of someone who is not quite Don Draper (Mad Men), Walter White (Breaking Bad), or Bill Henrickson (Big Love) but has elements of all. He's a con man. He's married. And he has another life elsewhere in Texas where he has a girlfriend. And he claims to love both women and wants to go straight and have a real life (or, as it were, lives).

That's all you really need to know about him, isn't it? Knowing that he wants to go straight tells you what his actions will be, even if they are within the context of a con artist who is cheating on his wife (who started as one of his marks).

And the real kicker is that, by the end of the pilot, somehow, you fall in love with Bob as a viewer. It's very hard not to and the pilot is designed, music and all, to make sure that you so. You may think "there's no way I would!" I challenge you to watch the pilot. If, halfway through, at the end an interestingly edited hotel sequence where Bob is propositioned by a woman he met on a flight from one life to another, you aren't puddy in James Wolk's hands... well, by all means, this show is not for you. And I don't mean that in a bad way. This show is not for everyone. Again. Soap opera. Con artist. Extramarital affairs. I'm not going to berate you into loving the show or tell you that you're stupid if you don't (cough, Mad Men fanatics, cough). But it's definitely not like anything we've had the pleasure of seeing on network TV in some time.

Truly, that hotel sequence made my hair stand on end... both times I watched the pilot, even though at the Paley Center screening I knew it was coming and what was happening. That's that good writing, directing, acting, and editing. It's all you can ask for. Until you get to series and wonder if that kind of powerfully moving thing can be replicated on a weekly basis.

The truth is, there are flaws in Lone Star that, I hope, will be rectified in future episodes. As compelling a character as I found Bob, I need to know more about the women in his life, about Cat Thatcher (Adrienne Palicki) and Lindsay (Eloise Mumford). We don't spend a lot of time with them and I want to know what makes them tick beyond "Cat is the daughter of a wealthy oil magnate" and "Lindsay is a small town girl."

We get a bit more about the other characters surrounding Bob, mostly the characters in his life with Houston. Cat's father, Clint (Jon Voight), is a self-made man who puts family above all doesn't tolerate betrayal. It's implied he has his own brother (or perhaps brother-in-law?), "Uncle Roy," murdered. Cat's older brother, Tram (Mark Deklin), is an MBA, a consummate businessman, and sees Bob as a threat. Drew, Cat's younger brother, has a bit of a Don Quixote complex (at least that's how I read him) and is a ladies' man. I'd actually forgotten just how charming Bryce Johnson was in the role, and the Paley screening reminded me. In a show with a very serious, dramatic tone, Drew is a breath of fresh, comedic, enthusiastic air (his "Windfarm. Sweet." towards the end of the pilot is unfairly charming given that it's all of two words).

And then there's Bob's father, John, played by David Keith. A life-long con artist who brought his son along for the ride (and the getaway) all his life. It's the only life he knows, the only life he wants... and he wants his son with him. So when his son starts wavering and talking about "having something real," there are problems. Though I admit that I am a little sick of hearing the "It's a house of cards, son, you don't get to live in it" line in promos for the show that've aired during So You Think You Can Dance.

While, on a surface level, Lone Star is about a con man trying to go straight (even while cheating on his wife with another girl... so, yeah, there are still flaws and shades of gray in Bob), so it plays with redemption and aspirational themes... it's about family. Bob and his father, on the grift and on the run for 20+ years. Bob and the Thatchers. Bob and Lindsay and others in the town of Midland. Despite all the other trappings and their complexities, that's something easy to understand and easy to get into. And you know that everything that happens in the show is going to be generated by the characters. By what these people want, what their goals are. That's what we mean by "character-driven." There are those who have seen the pilot and been intrigued, then asked "okay, I like it, but how long can they keep it up?" Wouldn't it be fun to find out? Isn't that half the fun of watching shows like Breaking Bad, where we ask just how long the dance can keep going? Besides, even if Bob were to succeed in going straight and the "con artist" plot that runs through the pilot played out, he'd still have two love lives to balance. Anyway, I think it's a valid, but easily brushed aside, concern.

Is The Event about family, too? Yes. A lot of TV shows are about the odd families we make with those around us, be they Scooby gangs or CSI teams. But everything in The Event is driven by, well, "the event" that is mysterious and eludes us even in the pilot. It's all external. It's "plot-driven." Which isn't a bad thing, necessarily.

But it has an expiration date on being intriguing without character. Remember Flashforward. Big premiere. Quick decline.

My fingers are crossed for Lone Star's success, if for no other reason than it will encourage development of more daring (for broadcast networks) character pieces to go along with the eternal glut of crime procedurals.

TV Thoughts Omnibus Post

Attempting to grab this afternoon to update here on the ol' blog with some scattered TV thoughts. So many things to talk about, so little time (apparently / lately).

I've wanted to comment on Breaking Bad for a while. I caught up on the third season just before the finale and was able to watch the finale along with the rest of America (or, at least, the small subsection that watches this show). What an outstanding show this series has become. Initially, for me it was a dark, disturbing hour of TV that primarily showcased Bryan Cranston and Vince Gilligan. Last season, Aaron Paul really came into his own as Jesse, and this season it was Anna Gunn (annoyingly overlooked by the Emmys in a year where, shockingly, the usually same old same old awards show did a ton of thing "right"). There really aren't enough words to describe how subversive Breaking Bad has become. I don't know how many seasons it has left in its run, but the progression of the first three has catapulted it to the upper echelon of TV dramas. Ever. It plays so expertly on audience expectations and on TV conventions. I suppose if I were to try and get a simple handle on why I love it so, it would be this: the hero wears a black hat. It's a wonderfully modern show with a slew of visual references to classic Westerns. And Walter White, our (extremely anti-)hero, wears a black hat. I just think it's sort of genius. Now if they could only figure out what to do with Walter Jr...

Speaking of the Emmys... it's hard to truly be mad about the exclusion of Community when so much of the old guard, especially in the comedy categories, departed and made way for the buzzier shiny new toys that are Glee and Modern Family. Still, a nomination for the "Modern Warfare" paintball episode was deserved. Community is the lesser watched show of the three new comedies. It took longer to find its groove than Modern Family did (which seemed to have its groove from the start), and was never the pop culture sensation that Glee is (my opinion on Glee, of course, is that it never found its groove in the back 9 episodes... solid music numbers and performances, but incredibly uneven storytelling that I really hope can get smoothed out next season). There will always be Emmy snubs (um... no Michelle Forbes for True Blood?!) but, hey, Kyle and Connie got their nominations, Entourage washed out, and there was plenty of new blood in the various major categories so tons to be happy about. Now we can only pray that when the awards come around, 30 Rock's streak comes to an end thanks to the deserving freshmen and Mad Men does not win for its subpar (by its own high standards) third season. Per the above Breaking Bad comments... just comparing those third seasons, it's quite clear which is the better show.

Summer TV abounds this year. I find myself watching an uncomfortable amount of reality television, while the scripted TV I'm watching is essentially a game of "what's on USA or HBO tonight?" Also Futurama (the two-episode premiere felt off to me, but the iPhone/Twitter parody with Mom was a return to form... I still feel like the sex joke quotient has been needlessly raised for cable TV while the pacing isn't what it was... waiting for an episode where the gang goes on a delivery and shenanigans ensue).

After slumbering its way through the first few episodes, the Real Housewives of New Jersey finally kicked things up this week with, perhaps, the most ridiculously entertaining hour of stupidity ever televised. The sequence with Jacqueline in her car playing games on her iPhone while Danielle's energist (this is a job?) tries to work with J? Awesome. So self-aware.

I enjoyed Tuesday night's premiere of Covert Affairs, though I have to say the sister felt entirely superfluous. Much as I loved Anne Dudek as Cutthroat Bitch on House... the role could've been excised. I found Christopher Gorham's blind CIA analyst (who manages to be something of a womanizer and an excellent asset) an interesting twist on a role that could've played as "typical spy fare" as some of the other roles. For instance, Piper Perabo's Annie Walker (am I the only one who sees a lot of Jennifer Garner in Piper?) I'm just not sure what makes the character special. Yet. But it was a breezy enough hour(-plus) to sit through that I'll keep recording it.

Top Chef is slowly improving after a truly lackluster first couple episodes. I've been over Kenny from the start, though. Anyone who talks about being the "Alpha male" presence just needs to be ignored. Waiting for anyone besides Kenny and Angelo to really make an impact, consistently, in the kitchen. We were spoiled last season with the Voltagglio Bros, Jen, and Kevin!

I am on the fence about the new So You Think You Can Dance format this season. I was initially on board with the idea of the All Stars, but the first week of performances (also the show's first week airing live performance shows rather than pre-taped and edited) was wonky. Glad the All Stars now stand by their partners during critiques, and very pleased that the show decided midway through to start pairing the contestants with each other again. Some of the judges' choices on who to drop baffled me (particularly losing Cristina - not the best ballroom specialist the show has ever had, but one of the better ballroom dancers when in other genres of dance - in lieu of Melinda) and the season because very gender unbalanced, resulting in the "landmark" male partnering that is now both necessary and commonplace on the show. I'm still scratching my head over why the show chose to fix something that wasn't really broken (the sixth season suffered for being too close on the heels of the fifth... not because of the format), but, hey, the judges are self-aggrandizing enough about it for everyone. As it did everyone who follows SYTYCD, the Alex Wong injury hit hard. Both for him as a dancer - we here at TY pray he recovers speedily and fully, it's a horrid injury - and for the show. As Nigel implied last night when predicting Kent as the season's victor... "now that Alex is gone" will forever be an asterisk on this season. And what can be said about Kent Boyd? Quite a casting find.

I've tweeted thoughts on many of this season's pilots. I intend to eventually post reviews. Eventually. And maybe just of shows I feel strongly about one way or the other (initially just the positives I think). A few intriguing new series, but overall an underwhelming crop for the fall, I'm afraid. I will definitely be adding Lone Star, No Ordinary Family, My Generation, and Nikita to my viewing schedule. I've yet to see The Event, and I didn't love the script but it made me want to know what happens next (possibly because I have no idea what actually happened in the pilot, as there are mysteries presented but no indication of explanations...) but I can see adding that. Not a strong season for comedy, though the further I get away from my screening of Running Wilde, the fonder I am of it. I don't think it was particularly gut-busting, but there's just something about Will Arnett and Keri Russell... I was also planning on watching Love Bites, but it's no longer on the fall schedule. We'll see what happens with it, but my fingers are crossed!

More to come, I'm sure, as True Blood ramps up, Comic Con happens next weekend (per my tweets, not really feeling con this year), and more...

Pilot Script Review - FOX Pilots

You know the drill. Reviews in brief, and though I've seen screeners on two of them (Lonestar, Ride Along) thoughts on those will (hopefully) not bleed into these reviewlets.

FOX.

Unseen, Fox picked up the right shows. That's pretty much all there is to say. With the possible exception of Pleading Guilty (a script that really didn't seem to know what it was within the complex relationship-y, crime procedural, lawyer/cop/PI amalgam it had going on) not getting a pickup. But, hey, FOX has the good fortune of having success on its side and not having as many holes to fill this fall as it usually does (though, let's all be thankful there's no second go at a Fall season of SYTYCD... not that I dislike the show, but it was too much, it's a summer show, leave it for the summer).

POSITIVE

Lonestar - Though I still think it needs a new title as neither Lonestar nor Midland (its prior title) are as engaging and unique as the script itself. I actually read two versions of this script, a longer, earlier version, and a pre-production draft that had been culled down. Some wise cuts were made, some good additions made. Lonestar is about a man named Bob Allen. A charming man. A fast talker. Successful. A con artist. Son of a con artist. A con artist who married one of the marks in a long con to get access to a Texas oil company and wipe them out. A con artist who fell in love with that woman... and also fell in love with a mark in a small suburban section of Texas. The two women provide him with different things... and both of them are real. And real is something this son of a con artist has never known, and something he desperately wants. Goddammit this story is so engaging and, at times, challenging, that it's hard to believe it's on network TV. It reads more like an AMC show and I hope that continues into the series. But, hey, Fox said to the world last season with Glee "dare to be different" and Lonestar is definitely that. There are little moments in this script that say everything with a simple visual and it's just... it's nice to read in a network script because I don't feel like I'm being hit over the head with it. The key moment I'm thinking about comes late in the script when Bob, having been handed the keys to the oil kingdom, confronts his father and says that he wants out. He'll give his father (have I mentioned the father is a con artist yet?) money, lots of money, to let him just have this one real thing. Bob leaves after an argument and John reaches across the table at the diner and stabs into Bob's stack of pancakes. It says everything about what John plans to do (and without the anvil-y dialogue of an earlier draft where John tells his son that "when they offer you money, that's when you have them" and so, with Bob offering John money... well, we'll see how it all develops).

RIDE ALONG - Shawn Ryan doing what Shawn Ryan does: crafting an intense, complex police show. Ride Along, like Lonestar, really uses its setting as a character. In Ride Along, that setting is Chicago. The reason it's called "Ride Along?" Not because there's a reporter in the car. We're in the car. We're never in the precinct. Not your usual cop show. The case of the week in the pilot is pretty complex, to the point of perhaps being too complicated because with the amount going on in addition to the primary case... it's a lot to keep your mind on. But it all works (for me). The only thing that doesn't work for me are the damn voiceovers the begin each act (and conclude some of them) from various characters. Yes, it's used to dramatic effect when one is cut off (due to circumstances I won't spoil), but... well, if you've been following me on Twitter, you know that I've had more than my fill with voiceover (with some exceptions, yes). The only other drawback to Shawn Ryan doing what Shawn Ryan does is that you're so laser focused on the intensity of the plots and characters... there's not much time for other emotions.

NEUTRAL

Terra Nova - Read a draft from last summer. 100+ years in the future, we've frakked the planet up something fierce, overpopulated, overpopulated, overdeveloped, and we've apparently been able to invent time travel, but not interstellar travel, so the solution posed is to go back in time 154 million years and... well, I'm not entirely sure. Maybe that was the only distance they could go back? It's something that's going to need to be seen. As is, the human villain is way too mustache-twirling for me, but there's a lot that works. I like the main family (who are part of the 10th trip to the past, so it's not like they're the first people to cross over/back and having to figure everything out, build shelters, etc). There's a big world being set up... here's hoping for payoff.

Pleading Guilty - Again, this script was kind of an amalgam. Too many things at once. I read the Hart Hanson draft and it was too quirky by half. Felt more like a USA show with a bigger cast than USA shows usually have. It wasn't offensively bad, it just made me feel like Kara Dioguardi, constantly trying to figure out what box Siobhan was supposed to be in and failing. But it also wasn't so far removed from things I've seen/read before so it didn't have that new car smell.

NEGATIVE

Breakout Kings - Not my cup of tea. I don't need my characters to all be likable. But I have to give a shit about them and enjoy their company enough to invite them into my home each week. And, really, the USMS can't find any profilers who aren't racist, lecherous, thieving convicts (and offering to lower the number of years they have left in prison for every mark they bring in)? I know for a fact that they can. And even if they couldn't... the special skills of the people brought together amounted to little more than making my stomach turn. The plot itself played out twistingly enough... but at the same time felt, well, played out by pilot's end. No need for a return visit.

Worthy - Oh, boy. Bad time to be writing about Arizona politics. Even if there weren't the big illegal immigration fracas going on... this was just a shitty, shitty read. Like, start to finish. Thankfully, with it not getting picked up, we've all been spared innumerable puns on the title. Worthy, BTW, was the surname of the lead character, a Representative running for governor against the incumbent after the incumbent was caught in a Larry Craig airport restroom sting. Also, there's a Mexican mob boss who I kept picturing as Paula Deen with an axe to grind for some reason (hey, *I* didn't write the description or the dialogue). I just take issue with scripts that attempt politics and then fail to really do anything with it other than have caricatures parade around limousines and press conferences and back room deals while being bafflingly terrible at their jobs.

Summertime

... and the livin' is easy...

With last night's Idol finale (and whatever other programming was on), the regular 2009-'10 season is a thing of the past.

I have little to no interest in the ratings of summer repeats and the schedule is full of them. I will continue to post final ratings for broadcast series in originals (i.e. So You Think You Can Dance), and for cable, but will not be posting final ratings for reruns.

In the meantime, continue to check here for pilot script reviewlets (I only have CBS's busted pilots to get through), for full pilot screener reviews throughout the summer, and for other TV thoughts (planning a little season in review post, mostly focused on the new series and the canceled/ended series). I also have some thoughts on Idol (I truly believe the reports of its demise to be unfounded, but I'm open to being proved wrong) to get to.