CliqueClack TV » Mad Men

Ratings Clack – Should FOX switch Fringe and Lie To Me?

Brett Love — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:23 +0000

After the dramatic entrance of V last week, there were no similar big splash stories to lead things off this week. Then, as I was perusing the year-ago numbers, something occurred to me. It’s quite possible that FOX could improve both Monday and Thursday at 9:00 if they swapped Fringe and Lie To Me. If you look back to the initial Fringe run, it had a lot of success following House. In fact, while the House numbers are virtually unchanged from Tuesday to Monday, Fringe was holding much more of the House audience on Tuesday than Lie To Me currently is on Monday.

Example:
11/18/08: House (13.03m/5.5), Fringe (9.36m/4.2)
11/09/09: House (13.31m/5.3), Lie To Me (7.41m/3)

And that was against very similar competition. Both faced DWTS on ABC, which was pretty much a wash. NBC was greatly improved against Fringe with Biggest Loser (7.84m/3.3), as opposed to Trauma (5.35m/1.8). And CBS was mixed, with The Mentalist (15.83m/3.5) trailing the Men/Big Bang hour (13.62m/4.6) in the demo.

Now we look at where we are this season. Fringe did manage something of a rebound this week, finishing with (5.91m/2.2) on Thursday. That’s still a distant fourth place, and should find the show on the hot seat at the end of the season. It would, obviously, do better on Monday following House. The question is, would it do better than the (7.41m/3) that Lie To Me is currently offering? I think it would.

On the other side of that coin, while I’m not quite as confident about the move of Lie To Me to Thursday, I do still see the potential for it to outperform the current Fringe numbers. That bar has been set, after all, rather low. It would likely take a hit in the move, but the end result would be that Thursday at 9:00 is stronger as well. Just something to think about. The usual numbers junk is after the jump.

ABC - The bubble burst on V (10.7m/3.8) rather quickly. Sure, that’s still a very nice number, but it’s also a heck of a one week drop. Consider the jury still out on this one until we see what episodes three and four bring to the table. Earlier in the week, the return of football on NBC brought Sunday’s Extreme Makeover (10.38m/3), Desperate Housewives (13.79m/4.4), and Brothers & Sisters (9.08m/2.9) down a tad. It was still a successful start to the week.

The good news continued as Dancing With The Stars (17.62m/3.4) and Castle (9.82m/2.4) both gained viewers. The DWTS Results (16.23m/3.5) were up as well, despite the V drop. The news wasn’t so good for The Forgotten, as In The Spotlight with Robin Roberts (9.34m/2.3) finished well above what the show has been doing. Wednesday, the CMA Awards (17.18m/5.3) were a huge improvement over the usual comedies and Eastwick. FlashForward (8.28m/2.6) sunk to third in both measures to kick off Thursday, while Grey’s Anatomy (14.87m/5.6) and Private Practice (10.25m/3.9) were both up. Ugly Betty (4.45m/1.3) finished things off on Friday.

FOX - The network didn’t really gain anything with the all-Seth night, featuring Family Guy (7.26m/3.7), Seth & Alex (6.73m/3.4), Family Guy (7.99m/4.1), and Cleveland (6.44m/3.2). The news was better on Monday as House (13.31m/5.3) remained the clear demo leader on the night. So You Think You Can Dance remained steady, if not impressive, on Tuesday (5.76m/2.3) and Wednesday (5.72m/2.2), while Glee (7.53m/3.4) was tied for #1 in the demo with Criminal Minds. Thursday, Bones (10.22m/2.9) took over the #2 spot from FlashForward. And Friday, repeats again topped the recent comedy/Dollhouse combo.

CBS - The good news is that Sunday was up across the board with Amazing Race (11.62m/3.5), Three Rivers (7.99m/1.8), and Cold Case (8.16m/1.7). The bad news is that those numbers from 9:00 to 11:00 are too low. Things were better on Monday. The network was down slightly from 8:00 to 9:00 with How I Met Your Mother (8.67m/3.5) and Accidentally On Purpose (7.89m/2.9). Then, up with 2 ½ Men (14.44m/4.6) and Big Bang Theory (12.8m/4.7). At 10:00 is where the real magic started.

The big crossover CSI event led to gains for Miami (14.38m/4), NY (14.51m/3.8), and the OG CSI (17.38m/4.1). He didn’t get to be part of the big event, but Gibbs and the crew at NCIS (20.96m/4.4) easily returned to the top of the Tuesday pyramid. That was good news for NCIS: LA (16.23m/3.7) and The Good Wife (13.35m/2.8) as well. Old Christine (7.19m/2.1) and Gary Unmarried (7.3m/2.4) were both up on Wednesday, despite that CMA increase at ABC. Criminal Minds (12.77m/3.4) was solid. Although, that demo battle with Glee could prove very interesting.

Thursday, as with CSI, Survivor (12.94m/4) was up too. The Mentalist (16.17m/3.6) was off a bit in viewers, but is still having a very good second season. And Friday was another easy win for the night by Ghost Whisperer (8.01m/2), Medium (8.16m/1.9), and Numb3rs (8.16m/1.8).

NBC – The return of Sunday Night Football (21.88m/8.5) was certainly welcome. Hopefully, it softened the blow of another series low for Heroes (5.26m/2.3), and the further struggles of Trauma (5.35m/1.8). The Biggest Loser (9.65m/3.8) remains a success on Tuesday. Mercy (6.68m/1.7), on the other hand, can only claim that it is an improvement over the Knight Rider numbers. L&O: SVU (8.77m/2.8) remains a mystery. That was good for fourth place, again, but it is headed in the right direction. And that 2.8 demo is starting to look really good given the rest of the NBC schedule.

Thursday was more of the same as Community (5.09m/2.1) and Parks & Recreation (4.58m/2.1) again fell short of the Kath & Kim bar (11/06: 5.57m/2.4). By comparison, things look pretty good for The Office (8.05m/4.2) and 30 Rock (6m/3). Law & Order (7.5m/1.7) finished things up on Friday.

CW - The week got off to a very good start as One Tree Hill (2.67m/1.3), Gossip Girl (2.37m/1.3), and 90210 (2.06m/1.2) all saw gains. That was the highest rated Gossip Girl since the season premiere. Things didn’t go so well for Melrose Place (1.28m/.7). It would seem that the network is just waiting to see what difference Heather Locklear makes before pulling the plug.

Next Top Model (3.2m/1.5) was again nipping at NBC’s heels in the demo on Wednesday. As was Vampire Diaries (4.1m/1.9) on Thursday. Supernatural (2.69m/1.3) was on par as well. Finally, Smallville (2.7m/1.2) continued to defy the odds on Friday, drawing more viewers than OTH, GG, 90210, Melrose, and Supernatural.

Cable - It’s probably way too early for the folks down at Stargate HQ to be getting nervous, but concern might be in order. Friday 11/06 found the Universe dropping again, to (1.63m/.7). That didn’t do any favors for Sanctuary (1.42m/.5). It will be very interesting to see where the show levels out. Over at USA, White Collar (3.85m/.9) continues to search for a level as well. Other cable numbers to consider:

Mad Men (2.32m/.8)
Dexter (1.76m/.9)
Lincoln Heights (1.03m/.4)
Sons Of Anarchy (3.83m/1.9)
Nip/Tuck (1.75m/.9)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (.98m/.3)
Bored To Death (.63m/.3)
Californication (.76m/.4)
Rita Rocks (.48m/.2)
South Park (2.78m/1.5)
Secret Girlfriend (1.19m/.6)
It’s Always Sunny (1.87m/1.2)
The League (1.03m/.6)
Monday Night Football (16m/6.5)
The Hills (2.1m/1.3)
Top Chef (3.02m/1.7)
Mythbusters (2.13m/.9)
Ghost Hunters (2.91m/1.4)
Ghost Hunters Academy (2.07m/.9)
Project Runway (3.13m/1.4)
Keeping Up With The Kardashians (3.17m/1.7)

Photo Credit: FOX

Mad Men – Don Draper eats an entire murder of crows

Bob Degon — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:00:19 +0000

My schadenfreude was absolutely tingling during the season finale of Mad Men. There was some serious comeuppance for Don Draper to end this season, and I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy it. In fact, after an entire season (perhaps more?) of serious douche-baggery, I think Don Draper deserved every mouthful of crow that he was forced to eat in this episode. Yes, he sat down and ate his crow for Roger, Pete, Peggy, and even Betty, and I loved every second of it.

After this episode one thing is for certain: change is in the air, and I freaking love it!

Truly, I don’t think I can say enough good things about this episode. I think it was hands down the best episode of this show to date. There was not a sentence that wasn’t perfect. The acting was spot on. The story was great. Most importantly, this episode did the one thing that every season finale should do, and so few accomplish: I can not wait for season four to start.

I loved the juxtaposition of birth and death in this episode; the death of the Drapers’ relationship, and the birth of a new advertising agency. Both situations caused Don to eat some crow. In his home life, all his years of neglecting Betty and cheating on her finally caught up with him. For a while I thought that there was still hope for them, but when Don found out about Henry Francis (and subsequently nearly assaulted Betty and called her a whore, among other things), it was pretty clear that the relationship was completely and utterly over. It was interesting to see just how different divorce was in the 1960s, and a little heartbreaking watching the two parents explaining things to their young children. Kiernan Shipka has really impressed me this season as Sally.

The other huge development of the episode, the formation of the new advertising agency, had me nearly giddy with excitement. I love how everything fell into place. I love how it almost felt like a heist film. I love how season four was so perfectly set up. There was so much to love! I love that Don had to genuflect in front of Pete and Peggy, stepping off his high horse to convince them both to join the new firm. I love that Peggy stood up for herself, though I wonder where this new situation will leave Duck and his firm. It turned out that he was essentially a red herring this season, but I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of him. And of course, I love that Joan slipped effortlessly back into the role of mother hen, rightfully ruling the roost instead of selling dresses at the department store.

This season may have been a little slower than the previous ones, but it was always worth watching. I felt like a lot of the Don/Betty stuff felt a little stale, as we had seen it all before, but this episode was worth every second of it. With Don and Betty completely done and Sterling Cooper dissolved, season four promises to be a whole new ball game. I just wish the off-season weren’t so long.

Other tids and bits:

I loved the moment from Paul Kinsey when he realized that Peggy had been brought to the new firm and he had been left behind. Classic.
I love how easily manipulated Harry still is. Prompted with the huge decision of whether or not to jump ship, all he wanted to do was call his wife.
Pete and Trudy have become such a cute couple, despite all their problems. I hope Pete stops acting like such a philandering jerk and realizes how great she is.
I was a little surprised to find Sal completely absent from the finale. Is he destined to join the new firm as well? With Don’s dismissal of him, and the fact that they brought Lucky Strike along to the new firm, I’m thinking the answer is “no.”
It will be very interesting to see how Don and Betty behave as a divorced couple. Very interesting indeed.

What did you think of the finale? Do you agree that it was the best episode of the show?

Photo Credit: AMC

Ratings Clack – V gets off to a great start

Brett Love — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:30:08 +0000

The World Series was the big ratings winner last week, but with New York involved, everyone kind of expected that, right? What nobody expected — most notably ABC — was the success of the V premiere. The numbers weren’t just good. It was the highest rated scripted program on the network, topping the Housewives and Grey’s. Even better, the V demo rating was the highest for a scripted show on any of the networks. Someone at ABC has to be kicking themselves for only ordering four episodes of V, while they continue to crank out more Hanks than they know what to do with.

ABC – It was the big show for the week, so we’ll start with the V (14.3m/5.2) premiere on Tuesday. Even more impressive, it did that against Biggest Loser and NCIS. Not an easy timeslot. That was obviously unexpected, or production wouldn’t have been cut to 4, for now. It makes the results of episode two very interesting. How much of that audience will be back for more? That huge leap in the 8 o’clock hour didn’t do anything for the rest of the night. The Dancing With The Stars results show (15.05m/3.1) was up just a tenth in the demo, and The Forgotten (7.27m/1.9) actually managed to lose a million viewers week-to-week.

Earlier in the week, things were pretty standard on Sunday with Extreme Makeover (10.75m/3.3), Desperate Housewives (14.08m/5), and Brothers & Sisters (9.02m/3.3). Monday, Dancing With The Stars (16.69m/3.4) and Castle (9.43m/2.4) were both off just a bit, but we’ll chalk that up to baseball. Wednesday remains a mixed bag as Hank (5.09m/1.3), The Middle (6.04m/1.8), and Eastwick (4.44m/1.5) all continue to struggle. Modern Family (8.77m/3.5) and Cougar Town (6.87m/2.8) do like solid performers, however.

FlashForward (8.57m/2.6) makes Thursday interesting. It continues to drop, and you have to wonder if the audience is just giving up on it already. It long ago lost track of Survivor, and this week was also topped by Bones. Grey’s Anatomy (13.95m/5.1) and Private Practice (9.11m/3.4) remain a successful pairing. Friday, Ugly Betty (4.76m/1.3) remained steady, but the big surprise was from the Rihana episode of 20/20 (8.18m/2.7).

CBS - It was, for the most part, another very solid week. Sunday was steady, with Amazing Race (11.22m/3.3), Three Rivers (7.7m/1.6), and Cold Case (9.02m/1.7). Of course, that steady means that Three Rivers remains a disappointment and its future prospects are not good. Monday was also solid with How I Met Your Mother (8.82m/3.5), Accidentally On Purpose (8.09m/3.1), 2 ½ Men (13.51m/4.4), Big Bang Theory (12.73m/4.7), and CSI: Miami (12.52m/3.6). Those numbers are off a bit, but we’ll give them a World Series pass as well.

Tuesday, that giant V premiere didn’t do much to slow down the NCIS (20.18m/4.3) juggernaut. NCIS:LA (15.29m/3.6) and The Good Wife (12.74m/2.7) were also on par. Wednesday brought a slightly baseball-weakened combination of Old Christine (6.68m/2), Gary Unmarried (6.29m/2), Criminal Minds (12.55m/3.4), and CSI:NY (12m/2.8).

Thursday, Survivor (12.44m/3.7) is again firmly in control of the hour. More interesting, The Mentalist (16.21m/3.6) topped CSI (15.6m/3.5) in both measures again. The troubling bit came on Friday, as Ghost Whisperer (7.93m/1.8) and Medium (7.58m/1.8) both lost to Law & Order, while Numb3rs (8.09m/1.8) was beaten by 20/20. I can’t remember the last time CBS was beaten in all three Friday hours while running all new episodes.

FOX - The World Series was the story last week. Games on Sunday (22.76m/7.8), Monday (17.09m/5.3), and Wednesday (22.34m/7.4) all did extremely well. So You Think You Can Dance (6.12m/2.4) held down the fort on Tuesday, and Bones (8.66m/2.6) and Fringe (4.86m/1.7) were back on Thursday. Bones moved to #2 in the hour, while Fringe remains a distant fourth.

The quick reaction is to blame the time slot, but compare it to what So You Think You Can Dance is up against on Tuesday at 8. ABC gains 5.73m/2.6. NBC gains 3.93m/2. CBS gains 7.74m/.6. That’s 17.3 million more viewers, and 5.2 more demo points facing SYTYCD, and it still outperformed Fringe. There is also the argument that because World Series Game 7 was scheduled Thursday, people didn’t know it was on. Unfortunately, that doesn’t explain the fact that Bones still managed 8.6 million viewers, or all those other weeks of subpar Fringe numbers. And in case you were wondering, House and Bones repeats on Friday again topped the Brothers, Til Death, and Dollhouse numbers.

NBC - With no football in prime time this week, the big success actually came on Friday. Law & Order is finally showing a little life, with episodes at 8 (7.99m/1.8) and 9 (8.41m/1.9) both winning their hours. Earlier in the week, it was more of the same on Monday from Heroes (5.86m/2.5) and Trauma (5.82m/1.9). The Biggest Loser (9.11m/3.5) remains a solid hit on Tuesday. Wednesday, Mercy (6.63m/1.7) and SVU (7.95m/2.4) were off, but it was the final game of the World Series, so let’s wait and see.

Thursday, Community (5.45m/2.3) and Parks & Recreation (4.91m/2.2) were both up. However, they do both remain below what Kath & Kim (5.57m/2.4) were doing at this time last year. The Office (8.09m/4.1) and 30 Rock (6.15m/3) continue along the same path. Leno had another rough week, falling below 4 million viewers once, and below 1.5 in the demo three times. I’m starting to think that Leno one night a week might not be a bad idea. Give him the post Biggest Loser slot, and return scripted to the other four hours. The numbers:

Monday: 3.92m/1.2
Tuesday: 5.96m/2
Wednesday: 4.81m/1.4
Thursday: 4.83m/1.6
Friday: 4.6m/1.2

CW - Nothing too exciting to report this week. One Tree Hill (2.32m/1.1) and Gossip Girl (1.98m/1) look to have taken a small hit from baseball. 90210 (1.92m/1) and Melrose Place (1.48m/.8) continue to struggle as we all wait to see what Heather Locklear will do to the Melrose numbers. Next Top Model (3.87m/1.7) was up, despite baseball. Thursday remains the strongest night of the week with Vampire Diaries (4.09m/1.9) and Supernatural (2.65m/1.2). And Smallville (2.76m/1.2) continues to grow.

CABLE - Not a lot to yell about on cable this week either. It is worth noting that the second episode of White Collar (5.075m/1.2), from 10/30, held up very well. It looks like USA has found a few more characters. Stargate Universe (1.97m/.8), from the same night, found itself falling below the 2 million viewer mark. Sanctuary (1.6m/.5) and Monk (4.69m/1) were fairly steady. Some other numbers:

Mad Men (1.78m/.7)
Dexter (1.88m/.9)
Lincoln Heights (1.11m/.3)
Greek (.66m/.3)
Sons Of Anarchy (3.52m/1.8)
Nip/Tuck (2.17m/1.1)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (.98m/.4)
Bored To Death (.72m/.4)
Californication (.82m/.4)
South Park (2.82m/1.5)
It’s Always Sunny (1.99m/1.3)
The League (1.41m/.9)
Monday Night Football (12.37m/5.1)
Kate: Her Story (3.79m/1.7)
The Hills (1.99m/1.2)
Mythbusters (1.82m/.8)
Ghost Hunters (2.73m/1.3)

Photo Credit: ABC

Mad Men – How is this season going to end?

Bob Degon — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:01:11 +0000

Well, I was wrong.

For a while now, I’ve been figuring that the assassination of President Kennedy was going to be saved for the season finale, but it took front stage on the penultimate episode this week. The historical event did, however, appear to put a bunch of things in motion for the end of the season. It all has me wondering how this season of Mad Men is going to end, and I have a few theories on what we are going to see next week.

First of all, I think that the writers have slowly been building up to a few things for next season. With so many characters from Sterling Cooper in flux, I think that Duck’s firm is going to become a real player in the ensuing fourth season. Peggy, Pete, and most likely Sal will all end up working for Duck, or at least I think so. Who knows, maybe even Joan will find her way to Duck’s firm as well, back to her rightful place as Queen of the office. It’s all theory at this point, I don’t have any kind of inside information, but that seems like a plausible scenario.

Of course, with Sterling Cooper actively being shopped by the British owners, it might be a fun turn if Duck’s firm purchased it. Duck and Don had great chemistry last season, and Mark Moses does a really nice job with the role, so I would love to see more of him in season four. I would love to see Don squirm having to answer to Duck.

Things also seem to be coming to a head with Don and Betty. I’m curious to see if she will finally leave Don. She certainly seemed like she was sure that she no longer loved him. I know Don was hoping that it was just an emotional response, but I don’t think it was. Seriously, how much can he expect her to take? At the same time, for her to abandon her family to run away with Henry seems a little implausible. I do think, however, that next week will see Betty packing up and leaving Don. Whether or not she drags the kids with her is another question altogether.

What do you think is going to happen in the season finale of Mad Men?

Photo Credit: AMC

Ratings Clack – The Mentalist knocks off CSI

Brett Love — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:00:29 +0000

A combination of baseball and pre-sweeps repeats made for a bit of an odd week. Repeats don’t mean there aren’t numbers of note however. We had Jay Leno’s first shot against CSI: Miami and NY repeats, and a look at what running repeats on Friday does for FOX. That is, nothing good for Dollhouse season 3. Also interesting this week — The Mentalist finally topped CSI in viewers and the demo, and even a repeat Gibbs appearance is worth 16 million viewers.

FOX - Having the baseball playoffs paid off big for the network when NY joined the party. The three contests last week included ALCS Game 6 (15.48m/5.2) on Sunday, and World Series Game 1 (19.51m/6.3) and Game 2 (18.9m/5.8) on Wednesday and Thursday. Needless to say, those were some serious gains over the usual occupants.

Elsewhere, So You Think You Can Dance (5.85m/2.6) was well off the usual House number in it’s one-time stop on Monday. On a brighter note, with CBS in repeats, it still finished #2 in the hour. Lie To Me (6.33m/2.4) struggled without the House lead in. There were similar numbers for the first SYTYCD competition episode (6.47m/2.5) on Tuesday. The only other number of note came from the House (3.4m/1.1) repeat on Friday, which topped the usual Brothers, Til Death, and Dollhouse combination.

ABC - The week got off to a steady start with Sunday’s Extreme Makeover (10.59m/3), Desperate Housewives (14.18m/4.7), and Brothers & Sisters (9.97m/3.3). On Monday, Dancing With The Stars (17.38m/3.6) was steady in the demo. That’s positive news for Castle (9.99m/2.5), which was up a tenth. There were more gains on Tuesday, as Charlie Brown (8.8m/2.8) easily bested the usual performance of Shark Tank. DWTS (15.2m/3) was down in the demo over the previous week, but The Forgotten (8.26m/2) still managed to grow.

Charlie Brown (6m/2) also proved to be an improvement over Hank on Wednesday. The rest of the night, including The Middle (6.49m/2.2), Modern Family (9.33m/3.7), Cougar Town (7.54m/3.2), and Eastwick (5.02m/1.8), was up as well. Less exciting, FlashForward (8.92m/2.7) managed to find series lows on Thursday. Grey’s Anatomy (13.74m/5.2) was down week-to-week, but still the highest rated scripted program for the night. Private Practice (9.16m/3.6) continues to hold up well. Friday, Ugly Betty (4.5m/1.2) was steady, if not impressive.

CBS - The week started with a reasonably steady full slate on Sunday, featuring Amazing Race (11.22m/3.4), Three Rivers (7.78m/1.7), and Cold Case (9.3m/1.8). Then, there were a whole lot of repeats as the network took Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off. Of note among those was the Monday 9-10 comedy block winning the hour in the demo. Tuesday, NCIS (16.7m/3.3) was the most watched show of the night. And CSI: Miami and NY both won their hours outright.

New programming picked back up Thursday with Survivor (12.19m/3.7), CSI (15.24m/3.4), and The Mentalist (15.53m/3.6). That is of particular note, given that it’s the first time The Mentalist has beaten CSI in viewers and demo this season. Friday was down week-to-week, but the network still won all three hours with Ghost Whisperer (8.28m/2), Medium (7.69m/1.8), and Numb3rs (7.74m/1.8).

NBC – It was, for the most part, a fairly steady week. Sunday Night Football (14.98m/5.9) was off a bit facing baseball, but still a huge winner for the network. Heroes (5.72m/2.5) was right on pace with last week. Oddly enough, Trauma (5.78m/1.9) was actually up for the week in which it was canceled. The Biggest Loser (9.67m/3.7) continued to cruise on Tuesday. And NBC got an animation boost of their own as Monsters vs Aliens (6.24m/2.2) improved on the Mercy demo on Wednesday.

Law & Order SVU (8.24m/2.8) was down in viewers, despite the Criminal Minds repeat. I suppose we can chalk that up to baseball. Thursday, Community (5.32m/2.1) was the only show that was actually up week-to-week. Parks & Recreation (4.8m/2), The Office (8.21m/4.2), and 30 Rock (6.1m/3.1) were all down, but close enough to expected averages. Friday, Law & Order (7m/1.4) continued to struggle.

Leno didn’t have a good week. Before the premiere, one of the network’s talking points was that while the show will get beat by originals, wait until it airs against repeats. We’ve seen what that looks like, and it’s not good news for Jay. Not only is Leno still being beaten by repeats, the numbers are still dropping. This week, Leno against a repeat CSI:Miami finished below Leno against a new CSI:Miami last week. Friday also brought the lowest demo in the series.

Mon – 4.74m/1.3
Tue – 6.06m/1.8
Wed – 5.03m/1.5
Thu – 4.41m/1.5
Fri – 5.14m/1.2

CW - The little network had a very good week. They took Tuesday off, but the other four nights were all up over the previous week. One Tree Hill (2.67m/1.3) and Gossip Girl (2.31m/1.2) took advantage of the missing House and repeat comedies. Next Top Model (3.51m/1.6) actually faced much stiffer competition with World Series Game 1, but looks to have gained some of those displaced SYTYCD viewers. Vampire Diaries (4.18m/2) and Supernatural (2.92m/1.4) were at the highest levels we’ve seen since the premiere. Smallville (2.6m/1.2) wrapped the winning week on Friday.

CABLE – The shine has worn off The Jeff Dunham Show (2.33m/1) rather quickly, as week two had less than half the viewers of week one. The other notable bit from the cable world was the premiere of FX’s new comedy, The League (.99m/.6), which is much better than its ratings might lead you to believe.

From the previous Friday, 10/23, here are a few of the cable numbers:

Stargate: Universe (2.02m/.8)
Sanctuary (1.69m/.5)
Monk (5.42m/1.5)
White Collar (5.4m/1.4)
Wizards of Waverly Place (4.39m/.8)

And from the week just completed:

Mad Men (1.72m/.6)
Dexter (1.68m/.8)
Greek (.77m/.4)
Sons Of Anarchy (3.39m/1.8)
Nip/Tuck (2.2m/1.1)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (1.05m/.4)
Californication (.77m/.4)
Bored To Death (.65m/.3)
South Park (2.57m/1.3)
Secret Girlfriend (1.38m/.7)
It’s Always Sunny (1.35m/.8)
Top Chef (3.04m/1.7)
Project Runway (3.24m/1.4)
The Hills (2.05m/1.2)
Dirty Jobs (2.31m/.9)
Mythbusters (2.56m/1)
Ghost Hunters (3.06m/1.4)

Photo Credit: CBS

Mad Men – The truth comes out

Bob Degon — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:05:25 +0000

Well, I think it’s safe to say that this week’s Mad Men was the episode of the season … so far, at least. After last week’s episode I was sure that things were going to be dragged out over a couple episodes, but I was happily wrong. Just about everything between Don and Betty came to a head in this installment, and with fantastic results.

It’s episodes like this that keep netting Mad Men award after award. The interplay between Don and Betty was stupendous, both spoken and silent. The last half of the episode, particularly Betty’s confrontation was brilliantly written and acted. Jon Hamm impressed, showing a vulnerability that we haven’t really seen from Don Draper before, at least not to that extent. I think January Jones is underrated as Betty. She had a great performance in this episode, doing more with her steely glares than her words in my opinion. Enough fawning over the production, though, let’s talk about what happened.

Don did the only thing that he could when confronted with the facts: he told the truth to Betty about his past. The whole truth. I was surprised that he was as honest as he was and there was more than one point that I thought for sure he was going to bolt out the door (he did stare longingly at it a couple times). I think it’s a testament to how much he loves his family (and children in particular) that he didn’t. I mean, heck, he even had a young woman waiting for him in the car if he did decide to run away and start his life over again.

I’m curious to see where the events of this is episode are going to leave Don and Betty. At first glance it would appear that their relationship is stronger because of the revelations. Betty knows everything about Don now, and even though she has lost a lot of trust in him (if there was any to lose in the first place after the events of last season), I think that some of the nagging questions in her mind have been answered. For so long she has just wanted to feel close to her husband, and I think that for the first time in their relationship, she probably does. Don also seems to be done with his extramarital affairs for the time being, although he left the door open for a reunion with Suzanne. It seems odd that Don would be willing to risk his relationship by sleeping around, but he was afraid of jeopardizing his marriage by telling Betty about his past. I would think she’d be a whole lot more pissed about the infidelity.

In any case, there are only two episodes of Mad Men left this season, and I’m still banking on one of the most important events in American history (JFK’s assassination) to play a big part in the finale.

Photo Credit: AMC

Ratings Clack – Smallville continues to defy the odds

Brett Love — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:00:19 +0000

We do often get caught up in the big numbers from the big networks. It is, after all, hard to overlook the fact that NCIS is still growing its audience in the 7th season. There are still some very interesting stories happening on the little network, CW. When it was announced that Vampire Diaries would be paired with Supernatural, while Smallville was shuffled off to Friday, many people expected that was the end.

The show wouldn’t be able to come back from a year grinding away on Friday nights. After a few weeks looking at the numbers though, that’s not the case at all. Clark and the gang can celebrate good times, despite taking a hit from the move. In fact, this week Smallville topped new episodes of One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, 90210, and Melrose Place. It’s far from done. Elsewhere, we had our first sizable crop of repeats this week, which brought some interesting results.

CW – With Smallville getting the lead, we’ll start with CW this week. The week got off to a slow start with One Tree Hill (2.21m/1) and Gossip Girl (1.98m/1.1) both down. Things picked up, if you can call it that, on Tuesday with 90210 (2.25m/1.1) remaining steady and Melrose Place (1.5m/.7) gaining in viewers. Next Top Model (2.99m/1.4) was steady as well. Vampire Diaries (2.27m/.9) and Supernatural (1.83m/.8) were repeats, but it is worth noting given that the Vampire Diaries repeat had more viewers than all of the Monday and Tuesday originals. Smallville (2.52m/1.1) closed out the week with the best performance for a scripted show on the network, and also managed to finish tied for third in the demo on the night.

ABC – It was something of an uneventful week for the network. Sunday’s performance was steady with Extreme Makeover (10.33m/3), Desperate Housewives (13.68m/4.6), and Brothers & Sisters (9.72m/3.2). Likewise, Monday finished very much like the previous week with Dancing With The Stars (16.82m/3.6) and Castle (9.69m/2.4). It is worth noting that the Castle numbers have been good enough that the network has picked up the back 9.

Things started to change on Tuesday, as Shark Tank (5.92m/1.8) and DWTS Results (14.92m/3.4) both saw gains. Unfortunately, that didn’t do anything for The Forgotten (7.3m/1.9), which slipped to the lowest numbers of the season. Those 10PM struggles were repeated on Wednesday, with Eastwick (4.78m/1.6) also finding new lows. That came on the heels of a night of comedy that was down across the board with Hank (5.78m/1.5), The Middle (6.53m/2), Modern Family (8.66m/3.4), and Cougar Town (7.31m/3.1). Things really don’t look good for Hank.

There were more changes on Thursday, although they really weren’t that surprising. FlashForward (9.87m/3.1) gained in viewers while holding steady in the demo. Grey’s Anatomy (15.06m/5.3), on the other hand, posted big week-to-week gains. Of course, that was against a repeat CSI. Surprisingly though, it didn’t translate into gains for Private Practice (9.93m/3.7). The show was down without the crossover element, despite facing a repeat Mentalist. Friday, Supernanny (4.7m/1.1) returned above the year ago premiere, and Ugly Betty (4.55m/1.2) limped to a third place finish in the hour.

CBS - The week started off with shenanigans as the football overrun bumped Cold Case for the night. Amazing Race (10.92m/3.3) and Three Rivers (7.38m/1.9) didn’t see any benefit from that. Monday was mostly par for the course, with one notable exception. Accidentally On Purpose (8.25m/3.3) actually beat How I Met Your Mother (8.07m/3.4) in viewers. Did anyone see that coming? Later, the duo of 2 ½ Men (14.07m/4.8) and Big Bang Theory (13.47m/5.3) continued to dominate the 9PM hour. CSI: Miami (13.16m/3.9) finished the night on a winning note.

Tuesday was up across the board, on the back of NCIS (21.25m/4.7) continuing to impress. That led to good things for NCIS:LA (16.48m/3.9) and The Good Wife (13.26m/2.8). Wednesday remained steady. Old Christine (6.58m/2) and Gary Unmarried (6.76m/2.2) seem to have fought off the ABC comedies, while Criminal Minds (14.27m/3.8) and CSI:NY (13m/3) easily win their hours. Survivor (12.9m/4) was the lone new entry on Thursday, but it is worth noting that The Mentalist (11.79m/2.8) beat CSI (10.14m/2.2) in repeats. Friday was again an easy victory for Ghost Whisperer (8.46m/2.1), Medium (8.43m/2.2), and Numb3rs (8.05m/1.8).

NBC - Overall, it was actually a good week for NBC, relatively speaking. Sunday Night Football (18.17m/7.2) continues to be huge. And Heroes (5.72m/2.5) was actually up. With Mercy (7.18m/1.9) getting a full season, things don’t look good for Trauma (5.46m/1.8). Tuesday, The Biggest Loser (9.82m/3.9) was also up. There were more gains to be had on Wednesday, as L&O: SVU (9.15m/2.8) continued to grow. There is still the very real possibility that it could compete with Criminal Minds in the demo by the end of the season.

Thursday continues to be a mixed bag. Technically, Community (5.04m/1.9) and Parks & Recreation (4.93m/2.1) had the 8PM hour up over last week. But really, if Kath & Kim are looking down at your numbers, that’s really bad. The Office (8.73m/4.4) and 30 Rock (6.84m/3.3) took advantage of the CSI vacation. Friday, Law & Order (7.17m/1.5) continued to struggle, while Dateline (7.91m/1.8) continued to make the case for canceling Southland.

Leno… didn’t have a good week.The numbers continue to shrink, slowly. Two nights below five million, and two below 1.5 in the demo. Most troubling might be the fact that despite nice gains from The Office and 30 Rock on Thursday, and facing a repeat Mentalist, Leno was actually down.

Mon – 4.74m/1.4
Tue – 5.46m/1.8
Wed – 5.14m/1.5
Thu – 4.97m/1.6
Fri – 6.15m/1.4

FOX - The week started off with one of the most interesting repeats of the week. An old Family Guy (8.13m/4.2) was stuffed in with new episodes from The Simpsons (8.69m/4.1), Cleveland (7.62m/3.8), American Dad (6.25m/3.1) but still managed to be the highest rated. Monday, being pushed back by baseball didn’t do any favors for House (11.65m/4.4) and Lie To Me (7.79m/2.9). The news was better from baseball (10.3m/3.4) on Tuesday. Wednesday, So You Think You Can Dance (6.91m/2.6) and Glee (7.15m/3.3) were steady. I’m curious to see what happens as SYTYCD gets into the competition.

Baseball (11.85m/3.7) returned Thursday, offering a boost to the usual numbers. Friday was more of the same. The only semi-surprise was that Til Death (1.97m/.7) managed to fall below 2 million viewers. Yikes. It’s pretty bad when you lose viewers from Brothers (2.35m/.8). Dollhouse (2.15m/.8) slipped again, marking its second worse performance ever.

Cable – Ryan asked for numbers from Stargate: Universe and Sanctuary last week. I don’t usually include them because unless Syfy sees fit to issue a press release over the weekend, the post is up before they come out. So, the next best thing is week old numbers. For the 10/16 broadcasts the numbers were Stargate: Universe (2.1m/.9) and Sanctuary (1.77m/.6). That same night, USA had Monk (3.98m/1) and Psych (3.68m/1.2). The interesting premiere this week was The Jeff Dunham Show (5.34m/2.2). That’s impressive, given the overwhelming hatred of the show from critics. It’s also worth noting that Sons Of Anarchy (3.7m/2) beat both Leno and The Forgotten in the demo. Other interesting cable numbers for the past week:

Monday Night Football (13.47m/5.5)
Hannah Montana (5.72m/1)
Mad Men (1.61m/.5)
Dexter (1.51m/.7)
Californication (.77m/.3)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (1.08m/.5)
Bored To Death (.66m/.3)
Project Runway (3.02m/1.3)
Real Housewives Of Atlanta (2.97m/1.6)
It’s Always Sunny (1.52m/.9)
Lincoln Heights (.92m/.2)
Greek (.68m/.3)
The Hills (1.83m/1.1)
Dirty Jobs (1.86m/.9)
Mythbusters (2.28m/1)
Top Chef (2.86m/1.5)
South Park (2.58m/1.4)
Secret Girlfriend (1.29m/.6)
Nip/Tuck (2.23m/1.2)
Ghost Hunters (3.07m/1.4)

Photo Credit: The CW

Mad Men – Betty. Is. Pissed.

Bob Degon — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:44:46 +0000

The end of cable seasons always sneak up on me. Only three episodes of Mad Men left this season?!? Really? I’ve been waiting for a few weeks now for the show to tackle the assassination of JFK, and as we creep closer and closer in time to November 1963, I can’t help but think that the writers are saving it for the season finale.

In the meantime, however, there is no shortage of things happening in the lives of our characters. I thought this episode, with its plot twists, brought one fact to the forefront: Betty Draper is pissed off.

Can you really blame her? I have never quite understood why Betty is so loyal to Don. Personally, I think that she forgives him of all his wrongdoings because she genuinely wants to be with him. She wants to love him and have the prefect family, but it just is not to be. I have to believe that she doesn’t want to let herself stoop to Don’s level. Why else would she pass up relationships with men that she so clearly desires? Yes, she has better morals than Don, but the relationship is killing her. She can’t be an adequate mother to her children, and she spends most of her time being miserable. That’s no way to live.

I think that things are about to change, however. In this week’s episode she discovered Don’s box of memorabilia from his past, including a certificate of divorce from the first “Mrs. Draper.” I’m sure that Betty has it all wrong in her head, but how the heck is Don supposed to explain it? “Don’t worry, honey, I wasn’t actually married, that was the guy whose identity I stole!” I have a feeling that the truth would only complicate things here.

In any case, Betty is seriously miffed right now, and I don’t think she’s going to take any more of Don’s bullshit. I’m just wondering how long before she explodes at him. Clearly she wanted to in this episode, several times. I loved watching her shoot daggers at Don. He must have been able to feel the ice in the room.

With the way that this show moves, I’m sure that Betty will quietly seethe for at least an episode before anything happens. I, for one, can’t wait to see it.

Photo Credit: AMC

Ratings Clack – Where is FlashForward headed?

Brett Love — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:00:41 +0000

FlashForward is one of the more interesting shows of the new season where ratings are concerned. On the one hand, so far it has been a huge upgrade for the 8-9 spot on ABC. And while it has been surpassed by Survivor, it does continue to hold off Bones in the demo. On the other hand, the ratings don’t seem to be settled yet, which makes each week a new adventure. This week, the yo-yo headed back up. What will next week bring? One can only guess. I continue to think that it will eventually be passed up by the fiercely loyal Bones audience at some point, finding its place as the number 3 show in the hour. Elsewhere this week, there was good news for Dancing With The Stars, NCIS, Law & Order, So You Think You Can Dance, and Smallville. The news wasn’t so good for Hank, Parks & Recreation, Three Rivers, or Melrose Place.

ABC - Overall, it was a very good week for the network. Sunday was off a bit week-to-week with Extreme Makeover (9.81m/3), Desperate Housewives (13.42m/3.6), and Brothers & Sisters (8.97m/3), but those are still solid numbers. And there were plenty of gains through the rest of the week. Monday, Dancing With The Stars (16.79m/3.6) and Castle (9.77m/2.3) were both up. Tuesday was also up for the night with Shark Tank (5.24m/1.6), DWTS (13.96m/2.9) and The Forgotten (7.43m/2.1). The Forgotten was down in viewers, but up in demo. Wednesday was a bit of a mixed bag with Modern Family (9.35m/3.6) and Cougar Town (7.99m/3.3) both up, while Hank (6.15m/1.6), The Middle (6.77m/2.1), and Eastwick (5.08m/1.7) were all down.

In a bit of oddness, Thursday found FlashForward (9.07m/3.1) and Private Practice (10.36m/3.8) both posting gains while Grey’s Anatomy (13.79m/5) took a bit of a dip. Still, that’s a dip that still left it #1 in the demo for the night. Friday was also up with the premiere of Ugly Betty (5.01m/1.3 – 5.18m/1.3). Of course, that’s well off last season’s Ugly Betty numbers, and up over repeats. I’ve no idea what ABC is expecting from Ugly Betty on the night, but the increased competition should be worrisome for FOX.

CBS - The Tiffany network also had a good week, starting with The Amazing Race (10.52m/3.2). Unfortunately, Phil’s gains didn’t do much for Three Rivers (7.33m/1.7) and Cold Case (7.87m/1.9). Both of those should be considered on the bubble at this point. That was just a temporary setback though, as business picked back up Monday. How I Met Your Mother (8.56m/3.6), Accidentally On Purpose (7.73m/3), 2 ½ Men (14.17m/4.8), and Big Bang Theory (13.07m/5) all bounced back from an off week, gaining in viewers and demo. CSI: Miami (13.27m/4) was off just a bit in viewers, but also up in viewers. That 8-9 hour of comedy continues to be interesting. In moving Big Bang to 9:30, the 8-9 hour is down 1.1 million viewers and 4 tenths in the demo versus last year (Big Bang 9.36m/3.6, HIMYM 9.14m/3.8). Although, to be fair, the 9-10 hour is up 1.4 million viewers and .6 in the demo (2 ½ Men 14.57m/5.3, Worst Week 9.78m/3.3).

Moving on, NCIS (21.04m/4.5) continues to roll. Despite that being up, NCIS:LA (15.38m/3.5) and The Good Wife (12.98m/2.8) were both off week-to-week. The good news though is that they both remain up over last year (Mentalist 14.86m/3.4, Without A Trace 10.99m/2.6). Wednesday also saw gains with Old Christine (6.99m/2.1), Gary Unmarried (6.91m/2.3), and CSI: NY (13.4m/3.2) up in both measurements. Criminal Minds (13.92m/3.8) was off slightly in viewers, but also gained demo.

Thursday saw week-to-week gains across the board with Survivor (11.78m/3.5), CSI (15.38m/3.6), and The Mentalist (15.08m/3.5). It’s interesting to note that The Mentalist is so close to becoming the #1 show for the network on the night. Friday, as usual, was an easy win with Ghost Whisperer (8.21m/2), Medium (8.04m/1.9), and Numb3rs (7.77m/1.8) all holding up well against baseball.

FOX - A bit of a mixed bag of results in a week that was still very good. The Sunday toons, The Simpsons (7.6m/3.7), Cleveland Show (7.87m/3.9), Family Guy (8.97m/4.6), and American Dad (6.75m/3.5) were all down, but still very strong. It’s worth noting that Cleveland is building on the Simpsons audience. Monday was also down, with House (13.49m/5.2) and Lie To Me (7.87m/2.8). Not a worry for House, the #1 demo of the night, but Lie To Me should be better. Tuesday was a great result as Hell’s Kitchen (8.04m/3.8) continues to hold up amazingly well.

The really interesting bit of the week came on Wednesday. So You Think You Can Dance (7.21m/2.8) continues to grow now that the weeks (and weeks) of auditions are over. It’s now #1 in the demo for the hour. That led to a slight boost for Glee (7.65m/3.4) as well. Thursday was more of the same, with Bones (9.59m/2.8) on par, and Fringe (5.78m/2.2) continuing to struggle in the 9PM meat grinder. Friday was way up over the usual schedule with baseball. Sports are iffy for numbers, but the early results say something in the neighborhood of 7.54 million viewers and a 2.4 for the night.

NBC - How NBC did this week really depends on your glass. Is it half full, or half empty? For example, the entire Monday lineup was up in viewers and demo. But then, when you come up to numbers like Heroes (5.55m/2.4), Trauma (5.49m/1.8), and Leno (5.09m/1.6), it’s hard to really celebrate. There were similar results for Mercy (7.37m/1.9), which was up in the demo. As well as Community (5.01m/2) which gained in both over last week. The only really bad news probably comes from Parks & Recreation (4.53m/2). To give an idea of how bad that is, last year at this time Kath & Kim knocked down 6.01 million viewers and a 2.5.

There was good news to be had. As usual, Sunday Night Football (16.02m/6.2) remains a power. The Biggest Loser (9.14m/3.5) was also rather steady. The Office (8.03m/4.1) was down from the big wedding episode, but remains the best rated scripted program on the network. 30 Rock (6.39m/3), given the demo, also had a successful debut. There was also some good news on the Law & Order front. Both SVU (8.77m/2.6) and L&O (7.6m/1.6) remain down year-to-year, but they are also both gaining. That’s a trend worth watching. It could be that as people tire of the new programming, they’ll return to the old standbys.

Leno, overall, had a rough week that ended with his worst showing yet on Friday. The only victory for Leno came on Wednesday, as the show was #2, edging out Eastwick. The numbers:

Monday (5.09m/1.6)
Tuesday (5.77m/1.8)
Wednesday (6.15m/1.8)
Thursday (5.37m/1.8)
Friday (4.97m/1.2)

CW - Count the littlest network as also having a good week. One Tree Hill (2.55m/1.2), Gossip Girl (2.36m/1.2), Vampire Diaries (3.88m/1.8), Supernatural (2.58m/1.2), and Smallville (2.62m/1.1) were all up over last week. 90210 (2.25m/1.1) was off a tenth in demo, but gained viewers. Next Top Model (3m/1.4) was off over the previous week, but remains the #2 show on the network. The only really bad news continues to be Melrose Place (1.38m/.7) which has now fallen well off the pace of Privileged last season.

CABLE - The most intriguing number for me on cable this week was Nip/Tuck (2.92m/1.4). That’s not a bad number, but it’s more interesting in showing just how successful FX is with Sons Of Anarchy (3.31m/1.8). It looks like SAMCRO will be around for awhile. Let’s just hope the writer’s get this whole Oz fascination out of their system sooner, rather than later. Some other cable numbers of note:

Mad Men (1.53m/.6)
Army Wives (3.93m/1.3)
Monday Night Football (13.14m/5.4)
Top Chef (2.67m/1.4)
South Park (2.56m/1.3)
Secret Girlfriend (1.25m/.6)
It’s Always Sunny (1.61m/1)
Project Runway (2.97m/1.3)
Mythbusters (2.69m/1.2)
The Hills (1.72m/1)
Ghost Hunters (2.91m/1.3)
Real Housewives of Atlanta (2.64m/1.4)
Greek (.66m/.3)

Photo Credit: ABC

Ratings Clack – Favre and Baseball create havoc

Brett Love — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:00:43 +0000

It was a strange week for ratings. Brett Favre playing against Green Bay made for a huge Monday Night Football (21.84m/9) audience on ESPN. And then the baseball playoffs ran through the rest of the week, calling a lot of the seemingly odd drops in viewers into question. Despite that increased competition, there was some good news to be had. The Biggest Loser, Bones, The Office, Lie To Me, Castle, and The Simpsons all managed to make gains week-to-week. Dollhouse also got in the game, stopping a four episode streak of series lows. On the other side, it’s starting to look like ER took all of it’s viewers with it when it left. The premiere numbers for Three Rivers were not good, and NBC’s dueling medical dramas continue to struggle.

FOX - Animation Domination got the week off to a great start, with The Simpsons (9.38m/4.4), Cleveland (8.86m/4.4), Family Guy (9.86m/5.1), and American Dad (7.14m/3.6). Food for thought: In the demo, that makes Family Guy the #1 comedy of the week. On Monday, House (13.74m/5.4) looks to have taken a hit from football. The good news though, is that Lie To Me (8.06m/3.1) was up, despite the drop from House.

Tuesday and Wednesday were fairly steady with Hell’s Kitchen (7.43m/3.3), So You Think You Can Dance Tuesday (5.47m/2.5), SYTYCD Wednesday (6.22m/2.5), and Glee (7.28m/3.3). Thursday was another example of just how solid the Bones (10.29m/2.9) audience is. No matter the night, or the competition, it gets its numbers. And it is getting very close to passing up FlashForward in the demo as well. Unfortunately, Bones being up, and the appearance of Nimoy, didn’t help Fringe (5.83m/2.1). For now, let’s blame a special episode of The Office and see what happens next week.

Friday brought very similar results, with Brothers (2.35m/.8), Til Death (2.36m/.8), and Dollhouse (2.25m/1). If your glass is half full, those Dollhouse numbers are a win, because the streak of series lows that stretches back four episodes to last season was ended. If your glass is half empty … it was still the second lowest rated episode the series has had.

CBS - The Amazing Race (9.8m/2.8) was down to start the week, which didn’t offer much help to Three Rivers (8.97m/1.9). That’s really not good for the premiere. Cold Case (10.05m/2.2) was steady, if not impressive. Monday was down across the board with How I Met Your Mother (8.08m/3.4), Accidentally On Purpose (7.16m/2.8), 2 ½ Men (13.3m/4.4), Big Bang Theory (12.52m/4.7), and CSI: Miami (13.43m/3.9). I’m willing to chalk that up to football, but the AOP demo is something to keep an eye on.

Tuesday’s lineup, NCIS (20.7m/4.3), NCIS:LA (16.31m/3.6), and The Good Wife (13.69m/2.9) was also down every hour, but still far and away #1 for the night. There were gains on Wednesday as Old Christine (6.86m/1.9) and Gary Unmarried (6.84m/2.2) were both up. Criminal Minds (14.05m/3.6) and CSI:NY (12.43m/2.9) were both down slightly, but Criminal Minds did take back the number one spot in the demo from ABC.

Thursday was another night of decreases, with Survivor (11.69m/3.4), CSI (14.89m/3.5), and The Mentalist (14.7m/3.3) all down. On the plus side, all were the most watched programs in their slots. Friday was again a cake walk, with Ghost Whisperer (8.6m/2.1) and Medium 8.3m/1.9) up week-to-week. Numb3rs (7.13m/1.6) was slightly down in viewers, but did win the hour.

NBC – As always, Sunday Night Football (18.42m/7.4) is solid. The Biggest Loser (9.25m/3.7) also did well, gaining week-to-week and winning the 9PM hour in the demo. More good news came from the big wedding episode of The Office (9.42m/4.8). That is higher in viewers and demo than every episode from last season. Elsewhere, it was a very NBC week.

Heroes (5.46m/2.4) continues to explore new lows. And that isn’t helping Trauma (5.37m/2.7). Mercy (7.43m/1.8) is doing slightly better, but that’s still not what you would call a real success, given the weak Wednesday competition. Community (4.87m/1.9) made the big move to 8, and managed less viewers than SNL Thursday. It did, at least, provide a boost for Parks & Recreation (4.75m/2.1). Things were slightly brighter for L&O SVU (8.29m/2.6) and Law & Order (7.23m/1.5), but both are not even close to doing what they once did.

Leno? He had a tough week. The numbers continue to slowly grind down to a level, with this week finding two nights dropping below 5 million viewers. Tuesday remains his most successful night. The only nights where he isn’t last in both measures are Tuesday (2nd in demo) and Wednesday (2nd in viewers).

Monday (4.45m/1.5)
Tuesday (6.22m/2.1)
Wednesday (5.72m/1.7)
Thursday (4.84m/1.7)
Friday (5.33m/1.4)

ABC – Things got off to a nice start Sunday as Extreme Makeover (11.63m/3.4), Desperate Housewives (14.64m/5), and Brothers & Sisters (9.46m/3.2) were all up. A return to the 5s in the demo is very encouraging for Desperate Housewives. With Monday, the network started suffering many of the same drops the other networks saw. Dancing With The Stars (16.35m/3.5) was down, but still strong. On the plus side, despite that drop, Castle (9.23m/2.2) was up just a bit.

DWTS (12.42m/2.6) was down on Tuesday as well, while Shark Tank (5.15m/1.5) and The Forgotten (7.55m/1.9) both saw small viewer gains. Wednesday was one of those very curious nights, with Hank (6.45m/1.6), The Middle (6.79m/2.1), Modern Family (8.82m/3.4), Cougar Town (7.84m/3.2), and Eastwick (5.14m/1.8) all suffering large losses. We’ll have to wait for next week to see how much of that sticks. The best news there is probably for Castle, which is now well above The Forgotten and Eastwick.

Thursday remains a strong night for the network with FlashForward (9m/3), Grey’s Anatomy (14.13m/5.4), and Private Practice (9.5m/3.6). Those numbers still have FlashForward ahead of where Ugly Betty was last season, but it has now fallen to third in viewers and second in the demo. It will be interesting to see where it plateaus. Private Practice is notable because it remains ahead of The Mentalist in the demo, which is an unexpected win.

CW - One Tree Hill (2.13m/1.1), Gossip Girl (2.08m/1.1), and 90210 (2.09m/1.2) were all down in viewers this week, with 90210 gaining a tenth in demo. Melrose Place (1.6m/.9), on the other hand, was up in both measures. I believe the gains come from starting the episode with Katie Cassidy in her underthings, and look forward to the network taking that into account as they film new episodes.

With Next Top Model (3.15m/1.5), Wednesday was down just a touch in viewers, and up a whole bunch in WTF? Seriously, why is there a repeat of Melrose following the number two show on the network? The spot is open, and Smallville would obviously do better Wednesday at 9. Thursday, Vampire Diaries (3.52m/1.7) continues to lead the network, and Supernatural (2.47m/1.2) had a small drop in viewers. Friday, Smallville (2.3m/1) was down year to year, but still managed more viewers than OTH, GG, 90210, and MP.

Cable - Monday Night Football (21.84m/9) took full advantage of all of the Favre craziness, topping everything on the broadcast networks for the week in viewers and demo. Other highlights this week included the Entourage finale (2.49m/1.5), Sons Of Anarchy (3.67m/2), and Project Runway (3.22m/1.5). Also of note, the Seinfeld reunion was able to add an extra half million viewers to Curb Your Enthusiasm (1.56m/.7). In really crazy drop numbers, remember that Jon & Kate premiere with 10 million viewers? All of their shenanigans have resulted in the latest episode managing just 1.71 million. Some other cable numbers to peruse:

Army Wives (3.33m/1.1)
Drop Dead Diva (2.79m/.9)
Dexter (1.37m/.6)
Californication (.77m/.4)
South Park (2.67m/1.3)
Secret Girlfriend (1.55m/.8)
WWE RAW (4.71m/1.6)
The Ultimate Fighter (2.76m/1.6)
It’s Always Sunny (1.51m/.9)
Mad Men (1.91m/.7)
Bored To Death (1.08m/.5)
The Hills (2.3m/1.4)
The City (1.61m/.9)
Lincoln Heights (.75m/.2)
Greek (.72m/.3)
Top Chef (2.76m/1.5)
Mythbusters (1.89m/.9)
Ghost Hunters (2.74m/1.3)
Destination Truth (2.04m/1)
Sherri (.44m/.1)
Rita Rocks (.28m/.1)

Photo Credit: FOX

Mad Men – Just as I suspected, Don isn’t a member of PFLAG

Kona Gallagher — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:00:44 +0000

While Don will surely keep Sal’s secret, his help certainly ends at the point where Sal’s homosexuality starts affecting the work.

That’s what I wrote about the season premiere, in which Don and Sal had their awkward adventure in Baltimore. Don knows all about wanting to keep certain aspects of your life private from those you work with, so he certainly wasn’t going to run around outing Sal to the rest of their Sterling Cooper colleagues. However, his willingness to keep Sal’s secret does in no way indicate that he’s down with the gays, as we saw last night.

As a viewer, I have a love/hate relationship with Don Draper. Sure, he’s smooth, charming, enigmatic, wounded, and obviously ridiculously good-looking. But this week’s episode makes it really difficult to overlook his more negative qualities. As I watched him in bed with that floozy teacher, all I could think of was the million different ways I would murder him if I were Betty and I found out my husband was cheating on me again, while I have an infant at home. Plus, when he was talking to Sal, and hit him with the disgusted, “You people,” it was a jarring reminder that Don Draper isn’t the hero we sometimes make him out to be.

So yes, Don Draper is a homophobe, but that’s not why Sal was fired. Roger and Don both fire Sal, and Roger has no inkling of Sal’s homosexuality. In a business like Sterling Cooper, the client is king. Lucky Strike is their biggest client, and as Don explains to Sal, “They can turn off our lights.” Losing this client could literally mean losing the company. So if their biggest client wants Sal gone, then he’s gone.

In this particular instance, the client wanted Sal gone because he rebuffed his advances, but if the client comes to Roger or whomever and says, “Get rid of the Italian,” he would have been fired. If the client would have said, “Get rid of the guy in the tan sportcoat; I hate tan sportcoats,” Sal would have been fired. In fact, for all Roger knows that could have been why he was firing Sal.

Unfortunately for Sal, he’s in an untenable position, which Don reminds him of. What is he going to do, complain? Air out his secret in front of the entire company? This was 1963. He certainly couldn’t sue for sexual harassment or wrongful termination. Roger doesn’t know his secret and he wants him gone. Don does know his secret and he still wants him gone.

So what is Sal going to do? I doubt this will be the last we see of him; right now he’s cruising in the park, but hopefully he’ll come up with a plan soon. He has nothing to lose, so I kind of suspect that he’ll do what Don seems to have been suggesting in his office: give the client what he wants. After all, the client is king.

Photo Credit: Carin Baer/AMC

Mad Men – When the cat’s away

Bob Degon — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:30:47 +0000

Beware of those dog days of August if you’re married and it’s 1963. I never thought that I would be comparing Pete and Betty while watching Mad Men, but, by golly, they were certainly going through parallel plots in this episode, weren’t they? I didn’t think this episode carried quite the same gravity as the previous two, but watching Betty strut around Rome like she owned the place was worth the price of admission.

Betty’s relationship with Henry took a step forward at the beginning of this week’s installment, with Betty letting the older man kiss her in her car after a town meeting. I thought it was put into an interesting context later in the episode, when she was chiding Sally for kissing a boy. “You don’t kiss boys. Boys kiss you,” she told the younger Draper. She then added that the first kiss is when “you go from being a stranger to knowing someone.” I suppose she’s no longer a stranger to Henry, then, but I have to wonder if she will allow herself any further dalliances with the man. At the end of the episode she certainly seemed to indicate that she was done with him.

It seemed that Betty was smart enough to take herself out of a dangerous situation. I think she knew that she was going to get into trouble with Henry if she were left alone without Don while he was in Rome. She joined Don on his trip to Europe, and it seemed to reinvigorate their relationship a bit. I thought it was very interesting watching the two pretend to be strangers in the cafe, flirting with each other. Maybe a little fantasy is all Betty needs.

Pete, on the other hand was not as smart as Betty. Unlike Betty, he didn’t go away with his wife, instead letting Trudy vacation without him. This led to trouble as Pete seduced the nanny from down the hall. It’s unclear whether he slept with her or they just fooled around, but it is clear that he felt tremendously guilty about it. Poor Trudy deserves better than Pete. Sure, there is a double standard here; it seems that Don gets a free pass for his bad behavior. I can’t really explain why it’s so much more unsavory when Pete cheats on Trudy, but it is.

In any case, I’m interested to see how these relationships will be evolving over the remainder of the season. Is Betty really done with Henry? Will Trudy stay with Pete? And how long before Don sexes up Sally’s teacher?

Photo Credit: AMC

Ratings Clack – Is Dollhouse about to get pulled?

Brett Love — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:00:39 +0000

Week two of the full-tilt-boogie season brought with it some interesting things, including premieres for Animation Domination, The Amazing Race, Trauma, Hank, and The Middle. We also saw more huge numbers from House, NCIS, and Grey’s. But after all of that, the most interesting story again comes from the show with the worst ratings on all of the big four networks, Dollhouse. After season two premiered to a series low last week, things got even worse. Episode two just barely cleared the 2 million viewer bar, while falling below a 1 in the demo. Reached for comment, my BFF Jill said, “OMG! RLY!?”

Yes, really. The situation is dire. Even the hardcore Whedonites are now at DEFCON 1. Someone has got word that the show could be in danger of being pulled from the air. I don’t know anything more than they do about that, but I would expect it to get one more shot this Friday, before baseball takes over. If episode three doesn’t show some sort of improvement though, I wouldn’t be surprised if baseball makes way for a series of House and Bones repeats on Fridays at 9.

FOX - Since Dollhouse (2.09m/.8) led things off, let’s start there. That is absolutely terrible. To put it in perspective, 6 of the 7 new hours on the CW last week beat it in viewers and the demo. And the 7th, Melrose Place, still managed to tie it in the demo. It also again fell short of its Friday partners, Brothers (2.42m/.8) and ‘Til Death (2.29m/.8). Fortunately for FOX, while the end of the week was a disaster, the beginning was the complete opposite.

Things got off to a great start with the premiere of Animation Domination. The Simpsons (8.31m/4.3) was off just a touch from last season’s premiere, but The Cleveland Show (9.51m/4.9), Family Guy (10.11m/5.2), and American Dad (7.14m/3.6) all brought year-to-year increases to their spots. The good news continued Monday, with House (14.71m/5.8). That is more than 2 demo points above second place Dancing With The Stars. From there, things were more mixed.

Lie To Me (7.73m/2.9) was a solid third in viewers and demo, but those numbers are all too close to where it was while airing at 8 last season. I expected more of a boost, given the post-House slot. Wednesday and Thursday were a mixed bag, with Hell’s Kitchen (6.64m/3.1), So You Think You Can Dance (5.18m/2.4 – 6.81m/2.7), and Glee (7.4m/3.3). Hell’s Kitchen and Glee are solid, but SYTYCD could be doing better. I’m curious to see what happens when the all too-long audition episodes end. Finally, Thursday was a repeat of last week with Bones (9.43m/2.7) holding strong, and Fringe (6.03m/2.3) getting crushed by the heavyweight Thursday competition.

CBS - The Dollhouse kerfuffle trumped NCIS (21.37m/4.8) for my before-the-jump spot, but just barely. Surprising just about everyone, NCIS not only held on to all of the demo from the premiere, but also increased in viewers. That led to a great Tuesday. Combined with NCIS: LA (17.39m/4.1) and The Good Wife (13.69m/3.2), the network was up in viewers and demo in every hour year-to-year. Earlier in the week, The Amazing Race (10.4m/3.4) returned to solid numbers on Sunday, followed by Cold Case (9.19m/2.1).

Monday was also a big success, overall. How I Met Your Mother (8.71m/3.6), 2 ½ Men (13.86m/4.8), Big Bang Theory (13.27m/5.3), and CSI: Miami (13.96m/4.1) all did great. We’re getting very close to Big Bang taking over as the outright #1 comedy on television. The only real misstep was Accidentally On Purpose (8.03m/3.1). That’s not bad, but it does stand out compared to the rest of the night.

The rest of the week proceeded as expected. Old Christine (6.65m/1.9) and Gary Unmarried (6.65m/2.2) remain the weak spot in the lineup, while Criminal Minds (14.24m/3.8) and CSI: NY (13.16m/3.3) own the rest of Wednesday. CSI (15.94m/4.1) narrowly edged Grey’s in viewers, but is now getting hammered in the demo. The other two hours on Thursday have much more intriguing battles shaping up. Survivor (11.54m/3.7) and FlashForward are very close, and that one could go either way each week. And at 10, The Mentalist (15.75m/3.8) couldn’t match the Private Practice premiere demo, but the two should be very interesting to watch going forward. Finally, it was another easy win on Friday; despite everything being down, the perfect combination of Ghost Whisperer (7.63m/1.7), Medium (7.72m/1.8), and Numb3rs (7.73m/1.6) won every hour.

ABC - Things were a little less exciting on ABC. There was some good news. Grey’s Anatomy (15.69m/6.1) remains huge, and led to a great premiere for Private Practice (11.58m/4.6). Desperate Housewives (13.64m/4.7), while down, is still a legitimate hit. And Brothers & Sisters (9.38m/3) is solid following it. The network also has to be excited about the week two performances of Modern Family (9.99m/3.8), Cougar Town (9.25m/3.8), and FlashForward (10.73m/3.7). All three held up very well and look to have greatly improved their places on the schedule.

Things weren’t quite as good elsewhere. Dancing With The Stars (17.03m/3.7 – 13.02m/2.7) is still a viewer machine on performance night, but it was more than two full demo points behind House. The results show has now fallen to second in viewers and third in the demo. The show is still strong, but not nearly what it once was. Elsewhere, Castle (9.15m/2.2) remains rather soft, although comparisons with The Forgotten (7.45m/2), and Eastwick (6.57m/2.3) may help it. Finishing the week, Hank (8.33m/2.1) and The Middle (8.71m/2.6) had disappointing numbers, considering they were premieres in a fairly weak hour. They’ll have their hands full with Gary and Christine in coming weeks. And finally, Shark Tank (4.75m/1.5) has now fallen below Opportunity Knocks from this time last year. And we all know how that ended.

NBC – The good news, as usual, comes from Sunday Night Football (17.47m/6.8), The Biggest Loser (9.18m/3.7), and The Office (7.41m/3.9). The bad news starts with Heroes (5.72m/2.5), and continues to SNL Thursday (5.02m/1.8), Parks & Recreation (4.67m/2), and Law & Order (6.68m/1.2). Somewhere in the middle, we find the dueling medical dramas, Trauma (6.68m/2.2), and Mercy (7.39m/2.1). Those are iffy demos, especially considering Mercy’s competition, but the fact that they are both getting more viewers than Heroes, and three of the four Thursday comedies, is at least a small positive.

Community (5.86m/2.9) rebounded slightly after the Grey’s and CSI premieres last week, but those numbers don’t bode well for its debut at 8 next week. I’d be shocked to see it match Earl from this time last season (7.09m/2.7). Finally, the most curious result of all has to be Law & Order SVU (8.09m/2.5). The show has been a huge winner for the network for years, and I really expected a battle with Criminal Minds. Getting beaten by 6 million viewers and 1.3 demo points has to come as a surprise.

CW - Overall, you’d have to call it a positive week. One Tree Hill (2.51m/1.1) and Gossip Girl (2.36m/1.2) were both up after last week’s big House special delivered quite a blow. Likewise, 90210 (2.21m/1.1) and Next Top Model (3.28m/1.5) were both up as well. Vampire Diaries (3.53m/1.6) and Supernatural (2.6m/1.2) were both down slightly, but continue to be the strongest night in viewers and the adult demo for the network. Monday remains strongest among younger viewers. Smallville (2.39m/.9) even got in on the game; despite being obviously down from last season, it did manage to beat both hours on FOX on Friday. The real problem on the schedule is now Melrose Place (1.42m/.8), which has fallen behind where Privileged was at this time last season.

Cable – The shocking stat from the cable list this week is that I managed to turn up at least 13 shows with more viewers than Dollhouse. Really, those numbers are that bad. The real standout on cable though, was The Ultimate Fighter (5.31m/3.1) on Spike. Sons Of Anarchy (3.76m/1.9) also remains very strong for FX, especially considering it is airing during the regular network season. Some other cable numbers to ponder:

Stargate: Universe (2.35m)
Mad Men (1.73m/.6)
Entourage (1.87m/1.1)
It’s Always Sunny (2.02m/1.2)
Drop Dead Diva (2.52m/.8)
Project Runway (2.8m/1.3)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (1.05m/.6)
Bored To Death (.71m/.4)
Army Wives (3.38m/1.1)
WWE RAW (4.5m/1.6)
Monday Night Football (15.7m/6.6)
The Hills (2.36m/1.5)
The City (2.03m/1.3)
Ghost Hunters (2.89m/1.2)
America’s Best Dance Crew (2.25m/1.2)
Lincoln Heights (.86m/.3)
Greek (.74m/.4)
Kourtney & Khloe (2.23m/1.3)
Real Housewives of Atlanta (2.72m/1.5)
Destination Truth (2.33m/1)

Photo Credit: FOX

Sex and the women of Mad Men

Bob Degon — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:03:41 +0000

Sex.

It was everywhere in this week’s stand out installment of Mad Men. For once, however, it seemed to not be focusing on Don (save for the awkward conversation with Sally’s teacher). Instead, it was the women of Mad Men, particularly Peggy and Betty, who were doing the deed, or at least thinking about it, in this episode.

Betty has always been a strange woman, in my opinion. She knows about Don’s “wandering eye” and in the past has seemed to want to indulge in some extramarital activities herself. She even went so far as to partially confront Don about his past again in this episode, demanding to know why he wouldn’t sign the three year contract with Sterling Cooper. As Don explained, it’s about power, about having people want you, but never being able to have you. Poor Betty took this as a slight against her, knowing that Don always keeps her at an arm’s length.

Like last season, with Arthur from her stable, Betty seems to be having a flirtation with another man. This time around it is Henry Francis, who blatantly hit on her a few episodes back at Roger’s party. It seems that Betty finds him charming. She nearly swooned when Henry blocked her eyes from the eclipse. I’m curious to see if she will indulge herself with him or if she will just lay on her fainting couch and think of him.

Peggy on the other hand, was a little more aggressive than Betty in this episode. I feel bad for Peggy. It seems to me like she just wants to be wanted. I believe that the situation with Pete made her feel rejected, along with her recent, less-than-positive run-ins with Don. As soon as Duck showed a bit of interest, she fell right into his arms. The mere fact that she wasn’t jumping at Duck’s clearly superior job offer showed that she was still young and naive, but jumping into bed with him was a whole other step backward for Peggy.

Of course, I could be wrong. Peggy, like Don, seems to be struggling for power in her life. Perhaps she will use her new affair with Duck to empower herself, or perhaps it’s even the beginnings of a new relationship. Heck, maybe it’s just the type of ego boost she needs to get a little more confidence at work. I’m very curious to see what the future holds for Peggy. Is she going to end up leaving Sterling Cooper?

Photo Credit: AMC

Mad Men – It’s all fun and games until someone loses a…

Bob Degon — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:00:35 +0000

Does anyone else find it curious that while Mad Men was busy winning Emmy after Emmy last night, there was also a new episode on over at AMC? I think it looks kinda bad, but I’m not going to argue in favor of a repeat when I can be getting a fresh episode of Mad Men. And what an episode it was.

This episode hit all the right notes, with a great blend of pitch-black humor and drama.

The British invasion of Sterling Cooper ratcheted up a notch in this episode, with interesting results. Poor Don walked around the whole episode with a look of complete and utter confusion on his face. I suppose the blame lies with Bert Cooper, who got Don’s hopes up that the new owners of the company would be asking him to head up the American and British branches of the company. How far from the truth that turned out to be. Instead, a new boss waltzed in and took over the place.

Well, it certainly looked that way for a while, until Lois jumped on the John Deere tractor and took his foot off. Man, how funny was it to watch the office turn into a bloodbath? Between half the staff being showered in the blood of the new boss, and watching the office windows being squeegeed free of blood, my morbid sense of humor was really enjoying itself.

I’m glad that Lane is going to end up sticking around. I think that he’s an interesting character, and has a great, antagonistic relationship with Don that makes for good TV. I wonder if he will be taking a more active role in running the company, just as Guy was going to. In any case, it’s clear that the Brits are going to continue to shake things up around the office, which is great.

It looks like Lane isn’t the only one who will be sticking around. I didn’t imagine that they were going to write Joan out of the office; I’m just curious how she’s going to keep the position. It’s a little hard to retract your notice after a huge going away party. Time will tell.

Photo Credit: AMC

Ratings Clack – Heeere’s Jay Leno

Brett Love — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

After a summer of wondering what the result of NBC just giving up on the 10 PM hour would be, we now have our first look at the numbers. Jay Leno started with a bang (over 18 million viewers), and then quickly started the slow grind to reality. The week also saw the premieres of One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, Biggest Loser, The Beautiful Life, SNL: News, Parks & Rec, The Office, Community, Bones, and Fringe. Some of those were more successful than others.

NBC - Jay Leno really was the big story of the week. Something that won’t happen again until NBC pulls the plug on the show. It is too early to call just when that might be though. The premiere certainly got some attention. Here are all the numbers for the week:

Monday (18.42m/5.3)
Tuesday (11.09m/3.4)
Wednesday (13.36m/3.5)
Thursday (8.82m/2.7)
Friday (7.69m/2.1)

That’s a huge drop, but not one that was unexpected. It’s hard to say where bottom is at this point, but we should know more this week. Monday will have Jay facing off with CSI: Miami and Castle. Elsewhere for NBC, there was more good news. Sunday Night Football (21.1m/8.6) is still a winner, as is America’s Got Talent (13.9m/3.3 – 15.79m/3.5). The Biggest Loser (9.9m/3.8) also returned with strong numbers.

Things were a bit more mixed on Thursday. The combination of the SNL: News special (5.47m/2) and Parks & Recreation (4.89m/2.1) left much to be desired. To put that in perspective, last season Earl (7.01m/2.8), and even Kath & Kim (7.46m/2.3), premiered better. Unfortunately for SNL, there’s no election this year. And unfortunately for Parks & Rec, it’s just not very good.

Things did pick up at 9. The Office (8.21m/4.1) was off from last season’s premiere, but those are still great numbers. Community (7.88m/3.8) was also down over the spot last year (SNL election news), but was above where 30 Rock finished the season. It will be curious to see what happens when the show moves to 8.

FOX - Things weren’t quite as exciting for FOX, but they do still have some heavy hitters yet to debut. Unfortunately, what was thought to possibly be one of the heavy hitters kind of fouled one off. Fringe (7.81m/3) came out from behind Paula’s skirt, and House’s lab coat, to stand naked under the guise of the squints. That’s not a great result. It dropped 2.5 million viewers from the Bones (10.36m/3.1) audience. Worse, at the end of last season, Hell’s Kitchen was beating that demo number while facing off with new episodes from Grey’s and CSI. That’s something the Fringe folks will try their hand at this week.

In other FOX news, So You Think You Can Dance (5.67m/2.4) and Glee (6.69m/3.2) were down week to week, but I don’t think it’s time for real concern. They were against the AGT finale, and I still expect the SYTYCD audience to grow once it gets into the competition. For Glee, the demo is solid, but it remains to be seen how loyal the Gleeks are. If they stick around, the show will be just fine. Three finales wrap up the FOX week, as we say goodbye to King Of The Hill (6.26m/3 – 6.04m/2.9), More To Love (4.2m/1.7), and Fifth Grader (5.02m/1). Great numbers for KOTH, and I’m now setting the over/under for Dollhouse at the Fifth Grader numbers. Take the under in viewers, and the over in the demo.

CW - Well, we’ve now seen 80% of the new CW schedule, and it’s really not looking like a good year. One Tree Hill (2.31m/1.2) and Gossip Girl (2.55m/1.4) premiered. The network was quick to point out how these are the best numbers since December. Hopping in the wayback machine, that was with no DWTS on ABC, and the Terminator/Prison Break trainwreck on FOX. This week, DWTS, House, and Lie To Me come online. Good luck!

Things actually got worse after that. 90210 (2.31m/1.2) is also off from last year, but did remain close to the week ago numbers. Melrose Place (1.81m/1), on the other hand took a sharp dip. That’s approaching the kind of numbers that got Privileged canceled. And, it gets worse. Next Top Model (2.79m/1.4) was above all of those shows, but that’s as low as a new Next Top Model has ever been. That didn’t offer any help to the premiere of The Beautiful Life (1.38m/.6). Yikes.

The good news, came on Thursday. It would appear that this will once again be the strongest night of the week for the network. Vampire Diaries (3.77m/1.6) and Supernatural (2.78m/1.2) took the expected drop from premiere week, but have the best average night for the network.

CBS - With the whole thing set to get rolling this week, the week belonged to the finish of Big Brother (6.59m/2.1 – 7.78m/2.8). The only premiere the network rolled out early was Survivor (11.66m/3.6). That’s down year to year, but the show still looks to be the #1 show in the 8 o’clock hour.

ABC - Nothing exciting to report this week. No premieres, just the end of the summer programming slate, including Shaq Vs (4.43m/1.7), Wipeout (6m/2.1), Crash Course (3.51m/1.4), and Primetime: Family (4.11m/1.4). Shark Tank (4.2m/1.4) had another iffy outing that makes it’s fall prospects look all the more shaky. And Defying Gravity managed to go up in the ratings (2.45m/.8 – really, it went up to get to that), but still disappeared from the schedule.

Finally, here are a few of the big numbers from cable for the week:

Mad Men (1.8m/.6) – It’s the 30 Rock of cable. Lots of awards, but nobody watches.
True Blood (5.11m/2.9) – Solidified as HBO’s new crown jewel.
Hung (2.9m/1.5) – Season 2???
Drop Dead Diva (3m/.9) – Cute, and a surprising success.
Army Wives (3.91m/1.3) – ??? I’ve never watched, but good viewer numbers.
VMAs (8.97m/4.6) – I hope they sent Kanye a thank you card.
Scooby Doo: The Mystery Begins (6.11m/1.3) – Live action works on the cartoon network.
Monday Night Football (11.95m/5.7) – Great for ESPN, not in the ballpark of the OG MNF.
Sons Of Anarchy (3.71m/1.9) – Big drop, but still solid.
Warehouse 13 (2.93m/1) – Winding down a great first season.
Top Chef (2.67m/1.4) – Still the king of cooking shows.
The Ultimate Fighter (4.11m/2.5) – Featuring the bloodiest fight ever on the show. Just grisly.
Ghost Hunters (2.45m/1.1) – Uh… boo?
Dark Blue (1.61m/.6) – Without Leverage, this one sinks.
It’s Always Sunny (2.25m/1.4) – How does this show not get crazy Emmy consideration? It’s funny, and has low viewer numbers….
Project Runway (3.62m/1.6) – Different network, still a cable hit.

Photo Credit: NBC

Quotations Marks – Bones, Devito, and Dick Cheney

Ivey West — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:00:40 +0000

The fall season is not yet in full effect, but I could barely tell that from the way my mailbox blew up this week with tons of quotes. With so much fresh content, and so many great quotes, we’re back to limiting the amount of quotes per show … but that means we’d like to hear more from you about which quotes you liked this week.

Bones

“Well, they gave me medication. So, I imagine I feel how people of average intelligence feel all the time.” — Bones, asked how she’s feeling while on pain medication

“And that ladies… that is why they call me king of the lab.” — Hodgins
“Nobody does that but you.” — Angela

Quotes from the Ether

“Not at the show? Watch it tonight on FX. At 10:00! Balls heating up big time!!!” @Danny_Devito being … uh … Danny Devito

“The singalong audience is families and gay guys dressed up as nuns. My idea of heaven. Christian right’s idea of Sodom and Gomorrah.” — @TheAmyBrenneman talking about going to a Sound of Music singalong showing

“good morn…I’M SORRY BUT BEYONCE HAD THE BEST VIDEO OF ALL TIME. THE BEST VIDEO OF ALL TIME.” — @psychwrites (the Psych writer’s feed) … I guess they were interrupted trying to say Good Morning :)

“Web-surfing on my iphone [sic] and just noticed the talented (and extremely handsome) Nathan Fillion won an Emmy. Congrats!” — @WriteRCastle … The twitter feed of Richard Castle from Castle (and not the least bit humble)

Glee

“I’m going to ask you to smell your armpits. That’s the smell of failure, and it’s stinking up my office. I’m revoking your tanning privileges for the entire semester.” — Coach Sylvester

“If I don’t get some sleep, I could miscarry.” — Terri

“My life is a disaster with no creative outlet, other than writing my Desperate Housewives fanfiction.” — Sandy

Greek

“You’re like Dick Cheney, and she’s a quail.” — Rebecca to Rusty, about his chances of killing Jordan

“We haven’t had a debate this lively since, ‘What’s the difference between a chipmunk and a squirrel?’.” — Cappie to Heath, on whether Rusty should have chosen to kill, or have sex with, Jordan

Mad Men

“It’s better to have a bit of Don Draper than no Don Draper at all.” — Lane, on Don being late to a meeting
“I’d like that in writing.” — Don

“Let me put it in account terms. Are you aware of how many hand jobs I’m going to have to give?” — Roger, to Pete on his screwing up an account

Top Chef

“It’s terrible. It tastes like I just sucked on a piece of chlorine.” — Chef Tim Love, who was not a fan of Robin’s offering

Parks and Recreation

“Derek is gay, but he’s straight for me, but he’s gay for Ben, and Ben’s really gay for Derek … and I hate Ben.” — April, describing her relationship with her boyfriend Derek and Derek’s boyfriend Ben.

The Office

“People tell me things. I guess I have a face you can trust. Must be my low cheekbones.” — Dwight

“The point is to get from point A to point B as creatively as possible. So technically, they are doing parkours, as long as point A is delusion and point B is the hospital.” — Jim

“I hate, hate, hate being left out. Whether it’s not being picked for a team, or being picked for a team and showing up and the team doesn’t exist… or the sport doesn’t exist.” — Michael

“Did you pee on a stick?” — Micheal
“I did, but it was inconclusive.” — Jim

Psych

“Besides, it’s not that impressive. I solve a case every week … and usually one right around Christmas.” — Shawn

“Indian giver!” — Shawn
[Music stops. Everyone stares]
“Oh! Nononono … I meant to insult an entirely different group of Indians.” — Shawn

Shawn: “I’m sorry, was the chicken seasoned with molten lava?”
…
Shawn: “Dude, I can’t see out of my left eye!”
Gus: “I see dead people!”
Shawn: “Oh God, the water’s spicy!”
Gus: “Who does that?”

Monk

“I think we’re supposed to share the armrests.” — Natalie
“What are we, in Russia?” — Monk

Photo Credit: FOX

Mad Men – Having a baby in the sixties was terrifying

Kona Gallagher — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:00:11 +0000

This isn’t a parenting site, so I’ll spare you my birth story. The point is, it did not involve me a) screaming for my husband, b) being forcibly restrained, or c) waking up with a baby in my arms to whom I have no recollection of actually giving birth. WTF.

How terrifying was that scene? I mean, Betty obviously knew that she was going to the hospital to have a baby, so it’s not as if she’s one of those people who thinks she has indigestion and ends up with a kid. Regardless, “in my arms after waking up from a drug-induced haze” isn’t on my list of top ways I want to meet my child.

Betty isn’t thrilled with this child, and her grief over her father’s death is only exacerbating the issue. Add that to the fact that Carla isn’t going to be around at night, and Don doesn’t exactly seem eager to share in diaper duty, and Betty has a long, difficult road ahead of her, with very little support. As badly as I feel for the character, this can only mean good things for the show going forward.

I also love how Mad Men manages to thematically link the different storylines, like they did in the all-singing, all-dancing episode. Betty and Don weren’t the only ones with babies on the brain this week. We haven’t really seen Pete and Peggy interact this season, and now we find out there’s a good reason for it: they are hardcore avoiding each other; at least, Pete is avoiding Peggy ever since her revelation at the end of last season.

That’s why Duck’s reemergence into the world of Sterling Cooper is so interesting: he’s putting these characters in a position in which their futures affect each other. As Pete says to her, “your decision affects me too.” Talk about double meanings. I really hope we see more of Pete’s reaction to the fact that he has a child out in the world somewhere, especially how it relates to his wife’s desire to have one of their own. Of course, knowing Pete, he’s probably just happy that it’s not his fault they can’t get pregnant, and his manhood is still intact.

Photo Credit: AMC

Quotation Marks – Devito’s got quirk, Glee’s got luftballons, and Psych’s Shawn’s got bananas

Ivey West — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:00:49 +0000

Pulling quotes from our favorite TV shows is one of my favorite things to do (true story), but why limit our quotes to just the shows, when celebrities — and some of CliqueClack’s greatest — say some of the darnedest things? So, from time to time, we figured we’d share some of those funny lines.

Quotes from the Ether

“A chil[sic] day. Reflection.Shower No shave. Sneak in an episode of “Deadwood!” Ian McShane … What the F! Holy shitballs the M F C S is great!” – @Danny_Devito — who shared with us the above … er … picture. (via Twitter)

“Now I’m not just a good pooper, but an optimum one.” — David Duchovny, in his new Pedigree commercial

“sorority row opens today! bring on the blood the boobs and the comedy!!!” – @IMKristenBell — speaking directly to Brett’s heart. (via Twitter)

Glee

“Iron tablet? It keeps your strength up while you’re menstruating.” — Coach Sylvester
“…I don’t menstruate” — Mr. Schuester
“Yeah? Neither do I.” — Coach Sylvester

“Ok, let’s compromise. If you quit the club, I’ll let you touch my breasts” – Quinn
“Under the shirt?” — Finn
“Over the bra.” — Quinn

“Did you just throw up?” — Miss Pillsbury
“No…. ” — Rachel
“You missed the toilet.” — Miss Pillsbury

“…Now remember, if the balloon pops, the noise makes the angels cry.” — Quinn

“What’s a luftballon?” – Rachel

“That was the most offensive thing I’ve seen in twenty years of teaching. And that includes an elementary school production of Hair.” — Coach Sylvester

Leverage

“You do not let Vicki Vale into the Batcave; ever.” — Hardison, on attorney Tara Carlisle tagging along with the team

Psych

“The most important thing about playing second base is the foot work. Ready?” — Henry
“I was born ready, dad!” — Shawn
“Actually you were born breach, son; it took hours to get you out. But I appreciate the enthusiasm.” — Henry

“Gus, may I ask you something? What was the very first thing you did after the shooting?” — Henry
“I called my folks to tell them I was okay.” — Gus
“And what was the first thing he [Shawn] did?” — Henry
“He ate a banana.” — Gus

“Jules, it’s not important that it was me that saved Lassie’s life, or that I was right, or that he should have listened to me from the start because I was right. The important thing is that [Lassie is] unharmed, and it was because of me because I was right.” — Shawn

“No, I don’t lose it, I place it somewhere that later eludes me.” — Shawn
“That’s the same thing as losing it, Shawn.”‘ — Gus
“Maybe to those of us without the nuance chromosome.” — Shawn

So You Think You Can Dance

“It felt a little off-off-Broadway.” — Nigel, critiquing one of the less successful auditions
“Like, in Cleveland off-Broadway.” — Adam

Project Runway

“I’m just obsessed about boobs. That’s my thing.” — Heidi Klum (or Brett … who knows?)

Supernatural

“I need you to get a message to Sam and Dean. OK?” — Carver
“Look Mr. Edlund, yes I’m a fan, but I don’t appreciate being mocked. I know that ‘Supernatural’ is just a book, OK? I know the difference between fantasy and reality.” — Becky
“Becky, it’s all real.” — Carver
“I KNEW IT!” — Becky

Greek

“It was magical … ly disgusting. She made noises like a banshee; it was like a farm animal in late-stage labor. Leaving me feeling as soiled as a veterinarian’s glove.” — Dale, telling Cappie about his night of passion with Sheila
“Are you sure that you did it right?” — Cappie

“Anyone else turned on right now? What? … Those aren’t my daughters.” — One of the random ZBZ dads to a tableful of them, as the singing ladies of ZBZ fought onstage

“Are you saying that Jack is just as scared of me as I am of him?” — Rusty to his dad, after injuring Jordan’s father in the football game
“Well, you did almost paralyze him, son.” — Russell Cartwright

Mad Men

“During the depression I saw somebody throw a loaf of bread off a truck. It was more dignified.” — Don, on the firm signing up a crazy client

“Don, look at this. Victory medal, France. I should have another for beating the clap.” — Gene, showing off his medal

“Well, I’m fun, and I like to have … fun,” — Peggy, talking to a new potential roommate

Selections from the Virgin Diaries

House, M.D.

“I have a question, and I need to go to the bathroom.” – Ian
“Which would you like to do first?” — Mrs. Walsh
“The question.” — Ian
“Okay.” — Mrs. Walsh
“Where’s the bathroom?” — Ian

“I have The Plague?” — Patient
“Don’t worry, its treatable. Being a bitch, though … nothing we can do about that.” — Dr. House

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

“It’s just that in high school, knowledge was pretty much frowned upon; you really had to work to learn anything. But here … the energy, the collective intelligence, it’s like this force. This penetrating force … and I can just feel my mind opening up, you know, and letting this place just thrust into and spurt knowledge into…. [pauses] That sentence ended up in a different place than it started out in.” — Willow

Angel

“So, um, are you still … ‘Grrr’?” — Cordelia
“Yeah. There’s not actually a cure for that.” — Angel

“Oh, God, I’m sorry! I’m getting all weepy in front of you. I probably look really scary. I finally get invited to a nice place … with no mirrors, and … lots of curtains…. Hey! You’re a vampire!” — Cordelia
“What? No, I’m not.” — Russell Winters
“Are too!” — Cordelia

“So what are you looking for?” — Angel
“Me? I guess it depends on how many daiquiris I’ve had. Wow, way to come off as a drunken slut.” — Kate

Photo Credit: http://twitter.com/danny_devito

Ratings Clack – The last summer ratings post

Brett Love — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:00:28 +0000

Finally. The weather turned to complete crap in my little burg this weekend, which can only mean one thing: Fall TV premieres are on the horizon! Next week we’ll have numbers for the new seasons of 90210, Melrose Place, Next Top Model, So You Think You Can Dance, Glee, Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural(!). Until then, we have one last reality-heavy week to look at. There is a small bonus though … we did get our first look at Glee, Fringe, and Medium in their new time slots. They were repeat airings, but interesting just the same. Over on cable, more records as Bravo and Food had great months, and the NFL scored for ESPN.

FOX - It was another typical week where original programming was concerned. Hell’s Kitchen (7.2m/3.2) remains strong, and More To Love (4.13m/1.8) is hanging in there. 5th Grader (4.6m/1) also checked in on Friday, with a decent number for itself. The more interesting bit was a look at the new Wednesday and Thursday lineups. So You Think You Can Dance led off Wednesday with a special, “The 15 Best” (4.64m/1.9), and was followed by the director’s cut of the Glee pilot (4.2m/1.8). Thursday found Bones (5.83m/1.8) and Fringe (4.84m/1.6) paired for the first time. Those are all repeat numbers, so nothing to get too excited about on their own. It is encouraging though, looking at how close the numbers are between the shows. Both pairs look to work together rather well.

CBS - Big Brother again carried most of the load this week, doing well on Sunday (7.41m/2.5), Tuesday (8.06m/2.6), and Thursday (8.61m/2.7). There Goes The Neighborhood (3.91m/1.2) is likely finishing out its first, and only, season. The only other new programming was the CBS Fall Preview (3.84m/.9), which nobody bothered to watch. The good news for CBS, much as with FOX, was how the numbers looked for the initial run of Ghost Whisperer (5.05m/1.3), and Medium (5.11m/1.3). Almost identical. And if Medium can hold onto Ghost Whisperer viewers like that, Fridays will be a happy night for CBS.

ABC - The CMA Music Festival (7.84m/2.1) was the best news for ABC this week, allowing them to finally knock off the CBS repeat Monday and win the night outright. Elsewhere, Wipeout (7.62m/2.6) remains a success, and Shark Tank (4.79m/1.7) is steady. I’m curious to see what its numbers will do when the full fall schedule is up and running. Other originals included Crash Course (4.53m/1.7), Shaq Vs. (3.26m/1.3), and Defying Gravity (2.53m/.9).

NBC - I guess you can think of this as the calm before the storm. The only notable entries for NBC this week came from America’s Got Talent on Tuesday (12.45m/3.2), and Wednesday (12.1m/2.6). If you are only going to run one program for the week, that’s not a bad choice.

CABLE - After weeks of setting records, the new True Blood (5.19m) didn’t set a series high, but that’s still an impressive number. That doesn’t mean there weren’t records to be had this week though. Bravo announced that they had the best August ever in viewers, and the A18-49 demo. August was also the most watched, highest rated month ever for The Food Network. Getting to shows, Biography set their record for most watched premiere telecast in network history with the season three finale of I Survived… (.593m). And ESPN had their most viewed pre-season game ever with last week’s Monday Night Football (7.92m). Elsewhere, Lifetime continues to have great success with Drop Dead Diva (3.4m) and Army Wives (4.1m). Both of them were above their season averages. And finally, Mad Men (1.61m) continues to slow for AMC, but remains ahead of last season.

Photo Credit: FOX

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