CliqueClack TV » NCIS

NCIS – What was life like before computers?

Aryeh S. — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:07:44 +0000

It’s an interesting question, and certainly one we’ve come face-to-face with in the recent past. Those of us up and down the East Coast got hit with the big one back in 2003 … I walked 140 blocks back from work to my wife — then my fiance — getting in just before nightfall, which would have left her stuck in my apartment in the pitch black.

But it didn’t matter so much that the electricity grid was down. Everything was closed, so worst case scenario we couldn’t send personal e-mails (although it did require me to be in the office the following Sunday).

But life at NCIS does not stop for the lights. And boy did that lead to a lot of amusing situations.

Tonight’s case itself was only okay for me, nothing to rivet me to the screen. But McGee and Ziva stuck in the elevator together overnight? And I loved Gibbs telling them that they were late as soon as they stepped out, tossing them their gear so they could all head out on a case. What about a bathroom break?

What followed was a mess of paper cuts, Tony not being able to shower and so smothering himself in (even more) cologne, Ducky letting people use one of the morgue freezers for their lunches, and Gibbs handing out film cameras to the team at the crime scene. Every circumstance made me laugh.

And it all just made me realize that there are so many things that we rely on electricity for, things that would be impossible to accomplish today without it. But what’d they do back in the day? I think some of our team here at CliqueClack goes back to pre-Edison days, right (not naming any names)? How’d you all manage without digital friends?

There were, as always, a lot of classic movie and television references, many of them old, and in keeping with the idea of non-digital investigations. Even McGee got in a reference of his own, talking about something having to do with Dr. Who when they stepped into that storage locker that the dead lady kept.

Hell, even GIBBS got in on the fun, quoting a little Hawaii Five-O at McGee and Tony — I’m shocked he ever owned a television set. Anyone know where I have “Hawaii bing-bong” in my head from? Friends?

All in all, I’d call this a strong outing by the writers, continuing their tradition of creating interesting, unusual, and fresh television on a show that could easily fall under the stodgy, procedural label. At the same time, I’m not sure if the creativity behind the cases is weak, or too much of a stretch for my enjoyment, but what’s important is that the structure of NCIS continues to be a winner.

And how about Gibbs at the end of the episode, turning off his errant monitor while everyone else clickity-clacked away when the electricity came back on?… Priceless.

Photo Credit: CBS

Is sitcom quality limited by a finite amount of available humor?

Aryeh S. — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:30:59 +0000

Or, put another way, is there only so much funny out there in TV land that if another success story shows up, or something already on the air gets better, everything else is destined to get worse?

Maybe it’s that as individual viewers we’re only allotted so much laughing in a week. I don’t know which is the case … all I know is that, week in and week out, some of my favorite sitcoms are consistently falling flat.

Let’s look at my network comedy viewings for the week. On Sundays, I tee things off with The Simpsons and Family Guy, but they’re both more shows to watch while doing something else. I’ve been catching The Simpsons for years now, but I think it’s loyalty more than enjoyment that keeps me coming back. Plus it’s not offensive, so nothing’s really pushing me to cancel that season pass (although it was borderline distasteful how bad the movie was). And Family Guy? I like Stewie and the evil monkey.

Mondays we move on to How I Met Your Mother. Now, I’m a believer in Barney and Robin as a couple, but, eerily coincidentally, ever since they got together at the beginning of this season, I’ve barely found anything to laugh at on what was once one of my favorite shows. Maybe it’s the new jiggering of things that was required to have them dating, but episode after episode has just gotten worse for me, culminating in an abomination last week with Barney in a fat suit. Debbie and I are definitely watching different shows.

But jump ahead to Wednesday night. Where did The Middle come from? And Modern Family’s not too bad itself. Strong concepts, talented casts, and writers who know how to craft a joke, or a funny situation. I know that others have found the same to applaud on Cougar Town, but I think I actually liked Hank better (and I definitely preferred Joey), so that should give you a pretty good picture of where that one resides for me.

And then on Thursday, while The Office is struggling for me, 30 Rock is showing some strength, with the right mix of characters balancing out the weaker, now less prevalent ones. Which, to me, is like Thursday went and sat itself down on its head. What planet am I on?

(Oh, and nothing to do with nothing, but I’ve caught a few of this season’s episodes of Parks and Recreation and Community on Hulu, and I’m still waiting for something to make me crack a smile.)

But back to my point — it could also be that the balance isn’t being helped any by the fact that shows like Castle and NCIS, to name but two, are funny as well, thus further diluting the week’s quota of ha ha. Or maybe it’s just some unseen-by-us-viewers seesaw that’s being ridden by the stars of two shows, like Patricia Heaton on one end and Neil Patrick Harris on the other; we don’t know about it, but when Heaton’s the heavy, Harris is flailing in the air (come to think of it, he was mostly MIA during the Everybody Loves Raymond years … something to that theory, maybe?).

Or this could all be due to any number of other factors or theories. The moral of the story, however, is that they all lead back to the same conclusion: I’m just not laughing with my television like I once did. Anybody else out there feeling the same?

Photo Credit: CBS

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

NCIS – North Korean assassins and self-help tapes

Aryeh S. — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:47:34 +0000

How exciting, right? A lady friend for McGee, and one who has no problem with the hours he needs to work — she’s available for a night of passion whenever he has the time. Definitely an exciting development, and one that was a long time coming.

Not only that, but the old sparks of jealousy from Abby were visible when she learned of Amanda (Lindy Booth, AJ from The Philanthropist). I’ve never really understood that relationship. Yes, I believe Abby and McGee slept together once upon a time, and they’re definitely close friends, but there was never anything romantic between them, then or now. Funny how she asked McGee about Eric (Barrett Foa) from the LA office — correct me if I’m wrong though, NCIS: LA watchers … didn’t Abby already go out west?

But then Amanda started smelling a little hinky. I hadn’t realized the whole “I never said where I worked” thing, but she definitely didn’t feel right. Sure enough, she turned out to be some South African assassin hired by the North Koreans to take out Kai ((Kelly Hu) … yeah, sure. That wasn’t a weird twist, and it didn’t leave me scratching my head a bit. Although it was a slightly bigger stretch that NCIS was handling this case in the first place, as far as jurisdiction goes.

I was excited when I caught preview pictures from the episode, and saw that Vance (Rocky Carroll) would be involved in the case. I enjoy peeling back the many layers of Director Vance, and I’m impatiently awaiting Gibbs’ investigating his past. But the problem with some of his mysteries are that, while they have the potential for intrigue, they never get quite enough clarity to make any sense.

His partner got killed by Kai, and then something happened in California, and ever since he got back to Washington he’s been experiencing something a bunch of times.… It would even be one thing if the holes were part of an ongoing case. But with Kai dead at the hands of Vance’s wife Jackie (Paula Newsome), that whole tale has come to a close. So what’s Vance been suffering from? And why didn’t Kai kill him way back when? Because she was already reforming, some 18 years ago? Come on — where’s the close of that loop?

It’s easy enough to say that none of this really matters, that we’re supposed to see Vance as an enigma. But I think he’s meant to be one that we’re due to have unraveled for us. And yet I continue to feel as if we’re moving further and further away from any real progress on where Vance has come from. How could the Kai incident tie into the broader question of what skeletons are hanging in his closet? And if it doesn’t, why would it be introduced as a one-off story in the midst of all of this continuing mystery? Mystery that continues to go unaddressed!

I know none off this is so significant, certainly not as much as McGee’s love life. But I care because I’m actually interested in this. As opposed to Jenny and La Grenouille, Vance has caught my fancy, even though I sincerely disliked him at first. So what say we get moving in a forward motion, huh?

Photo Credit: CBS

NCIS – Season 6 DVD review

Ivey West — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:00:20 +0000

The sixth season of NCIS brought a lot of changes to the squad room. The death of Jenny Sheppard brought forth a new director, who didn’t start out on a popular foot by breaking the team up in the last seconds of season five. It didn’t take long for everyone to find their way home though, and we spent quite a bit of time exploring some of the character’s back-stories that we hadn’t necessarily been privy to. I’ve had the DVD set sitting on my shelf to review for quite some time now, and being the Special Feature nut that I am, these are the things that I learned.

“Bodies at Work” – Brian Dietzen hosts a behind-the-scenes look at the creation and use of the corpses and such that are used on the show. The team at WM Creations has been involved with the show since the pilot. This is obviously not a featurette that you want to watch over a TV dinner, if you catch my drift. They talk about the change in how they handle the corpses’ … privacy in recent seasons, but not the reasons why. It was funny to see the Walmart-style storage containers with labels like “Brains,” “Hearts,” and “Organs.”

“Fear” – I’ve known Pauley Perrette has been a singer for quite some time, but have never heard her work. This is an acoustic version of a song of hers, “Fear.” Perrette has an interesting voice, but the song really wasn’t for me.

“Starting with a Bang” – “Bang” is a nice featurette on the main story arc of the sixth season. A couple of interesting tidbits, including that Agent Lee’s death — how it played out — was originally intended for Jenny Sheppard’s character. Producer Shane Brennan envisioned Lee as some kind of traitor as far back as season four.

Commentaries – Two in the set: Michael Weatherly on “Bounce,” and Sean Murray & Pauley Perrette on “Toxic.” I listened to Weatherly’s, who does a pretty good job of having a little fun while providing a little behind-the-scenes info. Anyone that can work in a Joseph Campbell reference is OK in my book. An open request, however, to DVD set producers: I like being able to have a little closed caption action while I listen to a commentary, as it helps one follow the episode, too. Just sayin’.

“Horsin’ Around” – “South by Southwest” was, in my eyes, just an OK episode, but it looks like the location shoot itself, and the whole western theme, was fun for the cast and crew. Unfortunately the special feature fell as flat as the episode itself. Not saying it was “skip worthy,” but it wasn’t for me.

“Season Six: Cruising Along” – Whereas “Bang” covered the introductory arc, “Cruising” touches on the whole season. De Pablo and Weatherly both dance around the “Tiva” ’shippers on the internets. I’d completely missed that Harmon’s son played the younger version of Gibbs in “Heartland.” A lot of concentration was paid to characters and back-stories in episodes like “Bounce” for Tony, “Heartland” for Gibbs, “Caged” for McGee, “Broken Bird” for Ducky, and pretty much the last several episodes for Ziva. You can really tell, through the interviews, that the cast and crew really like each other and enjoy working together.

“Six Degrees of Conversation” – The cast was brought together for a round-table discussion of the season with Kevin Frasier from Entertainment Tonight. Weatherly is obviously the class clown/center of attention. Rocky Carroll enjoyed the summer getting blasted on the Internet for breaking up the team (posts all written, if you believe him, by Sean Murray). Weatherly doesn’t want Ziva and Tony to get together, because all of Ziva’s boyfriends die. The cast also really enjoyed watching the international versions, and hearing themselves dubbed. It was very nice to see how much these guys truly care about each other, especially watching Harmon getting broken up about how great the team is together.

Disclosure: This review is based on a commercially available copy, provided complimentary to CliqueClack TV by CBS for the purpose of review.

Photo Credit: CBS

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

So how did Gibbs get the boat out of his basement on NCIS?

Aryeh S. — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:00:08 +0000

A full episode’s worth of an investigation, and still no solution as to how Gibbs managed to get his boat, The Kelly, out of his basement and down to Mexico. But how funny was it that Abby continued to gather clues about that, as everyone else on the team investigated the double homicide that brought Gibbs’ boat back to the US?

For one reason or another, I’ve never quite enjoyed any story that involves Mike Franks (Muse Watson). I’m sure at first that was because he was introduced during Gibb’s retirement, then later because of his association with Jenny’s death. Either way, I’ve never really been able to get on board with his plots. I mean, I enjoy seeing Gibbs as a Probie once again, but that could be successfully achieved with a better senior agent to Gibbs.

It was funny seeing Robert Patrick playing the head of a defense contractor. I know he’s played many things, including something regular on The Unit, but my memories of the actor stem back to The Sopranos, when he had an arc as Tony’s old friend Davie, the degenerate gambler with the sporting-goods store. I liked him better then.

I would imagine it might happen more often, but in the NCIS world it’s an unusual thing to have an old character come back the way Damon (Paul Telfer) did last night. He’s from the 2007 episode “Corporal Punishment,” the story of a marine escaped from a Naval hospital, who’s later discovered to be part of a plot to create “super soldiers.” I don’t remember if Damon was the main character, but Tony’s not recognizing him would suggest otherwise. Either way, clearly he was left with a good feel for our team. Lucky them.

With the settling of the team’s structure at this point in the season, McGee is now back to his traditional pairing with Abby, as opposed to being out in the field with Tony. It’s too bad that that’s now the case … McGee’s more fun in the field than at the office, he and Tony are a stronger duo, and with McGee in Abby’s lab, giving him more screen time means giving her more as well. Abby’s okay, but for me she’s better served in small helpings only.

Anyway, rounding out the specifics of last night, Leyla (Tehmina Sunny) is actually an interesting character, who likely has a very interesting back-story with a lot more things that could leap out at her from her past than we could ever imagine. But she’s so far removed from the core of the show, that I wonder why she was introduced in the first place. Did the writers feel so strongly about Franks that they wanted to craft original stories for him, too?

Like I said above, I like his relationship to Gibbs, and things like his being able to shoot through gunshot wounds to destroy evidence are cool, but are things so dull at the Navy Yard that there’s the need to stir things up south of the border and from fifteen years ago?

There’s a lot going on right now back in DC. Where’s Gibbs on investigating Vance? McGee on another book? Tony on some interesting drama? Gibbs on a new boat? Lots to do people — there’s little time for strolling down memory lane.

Photo Credit: CBS

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

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

NCIS – DiNozzo can’t handle the truth!

Aryeh S. — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:12:54 +0000

Ah, Code Reds. Did anyone else wonder if Jack Nicholson was going to appear at Gibbs’ desk?

I’ve never heard of Mischief Night, but it would stand to reason that Tony would be an enthusiast. But would we have (or am I forgetting something) gone six seasons without Halloween at NCIS coming into play? I’m just always thrown for a loop when big things appear for the first time 150 episodes in.

Another first, at least as far as I can recall … have we ever heard that McGee grew up on a military base? Could be that I’m just forgetting, but the wife and I both felt as if we’d never heard that before. Wouldn’t it have been significant to his back story? I imagine it would play a large role in making him who he is.

NCIS excels at creating well developed one-time characters, and I’m sure if I took the time to think about it, I could come up with an extremely long list of them. Tonight it was Mr. Rodgers (Perry Anzilotti), who got hit both by the to-be-expected jokes, as well as being categorized as a nerdy little man who dresses in sweater vests to report to his home office. We get just a taste, and rarely are these people integral to the plot, but I certainly remember them going forward.

But even better than those one-time-use characters? Gibbs out-of-character moments. A little apple cider Halloween break from the boss for his team? And they got all of five seconds to enjoy it? Such a generous man!

Tonight’s episode was lighter on character than we’ve seen of late. What it did leave me thinking about was Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen). Palmer joined the cast at the end of season one, as a replacement for the injured Gerald Jackson (Pancho Demmings). And at first, all he had were some laughs with Ducky week after week as he learned the ropes, as well as a smattering of pretty amusing light banter with Gibbs.

Eventually, Palmer built up a rapport with Tony and McGee, and he could always be counted on for a good laugh. And then came his romance with Agent Lee (Liza Lapira), and Mr. Palmer was finally an active supporting character.

But tonight I was reminded just how little he once again does. A line here, a joke there, but nothing much that I can claim to remember even ten minutes later. It’s too bad, because Jimmy was a great fit with this ensemble. I hope he gets another chance to try and claim a permanent identity.

I’m glad things were back to normal tonight. Case, characters, laughs, and fun. Ironically, I was a little sad about the rebalancing between case and characters, now heavier on the former and lighter on the latter — I know, I know, I can’t have it both ways. But what can I say … I’m particular.

Even so, I say welcome back team.

Photo Credit: CBS

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

Quotation Marks – Dockers, Tab-booty calls, and the letter R

Ivey West — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:03:16 +0000

Glee

[while hugging]
“I will destroy you.” – Will
“I’m about to vomit down your back.” – Coach Sylvestser
“It’s on.” – Will

“The independent polling company in my Dockers has confirmed that you’re the hottest girl in this school.” – Jacob

Community

“The only difference between Senor Chang and Stalin is that I know who Senor Chang is.” – Troy

Parks and Recreation

“That’s why people respect Hillary Clinton so much, because no one takes a punch like her. She’s the strongest, smartest punching bag around.” – Leslie

The Office

“Jim’s on his honeymoon, so I started using his office to fart in.” – Kevin

“R is among the most menacing of sounds. That’s why they call it murder and not mukduk.” – Dwight

30 Rock

“To TGS! We’ll trick those race-car-loving wide loads into watching your lefty, homoerotic propaganda hour yet!” – Jack

“I blame you and Dot Com; you two have built a protective shell around me like a hermit crab or mermaid booby, and now I’ve lost touch with the common man!” – Tracy to Grizz

“Has anybody seen my wallet? It’s an L.L. Bean child’s wallet from the 1970s. There was no money in it, but I was one hole-punch away from a free tasty delight…. Damn it to hell, I hate my life!” – Liz

“Hey dudes, I’m organizing a viral protest on Tweeter and Youtubes.” – Lenny Wozniak, undercover at the Page strike.

Greek

“Comic Conventions are crawling with hotties, everybody knows that.” – Dale

“Dale Kettlewell is in a relationship with God.” – Dale’s new profile relationship status

NCIS

“What is blue, black, and red?” – Ziva
“Zebra in a blender.” – Tony
“That’s black, white, and red all over.” – McGee
“Newspaper.” – Tony
“Penguin with a sunburn.” – McGee
“Nun falling down stairs.” – Tony

The Middle

“That’s why we taught you to walk.” – Mike’s response to Axl on what he’s to do if he doesn’t get his license for lack of practice

“Don’t do anything sexual; boys hate that.” – Mike to Sue, on attracting boys

Modern Family

“During my vows to my first husband, drug dealers burst in and assassinated the judge. This was way worse.” – Gloria, on “The Incident”

“I’m about to embark on a new journey.” – Dede
“Really?” – Mitchell
“His name is Chaz, and he’s asked me to come live with him in his foreign land.” – Dede
“Wow, where?” – Mitchell
“Canada. French Canada.” – Dede

“There’s a fish that swims around with babies in its mouth. That fish would look at Mitchell’s relationship with his mother and say, ‘that’s messed up.’” – Cameron

“The first time I saw Hailey, I knew I liked her. I mean, she’s beautiful and everything, but it’s not just that. She’s got this killer confidence, you know, the kind of confidence you get from having a family like this that’s passionate and accepting of hot foreigners, and gay dudes, and nutty people. You know, a family that actually loves each other.” – Dylan

How I Met Your Mother

“One thing. Really? You gave me one thing? Wow, so I guess that Gouda just walked itself right through that door, sliced itself up, and arranged itself in the perfect semi-circle around not three, not four, but five different kinds of sturdy, cheese-bearing crackers?” – Marshall
“You’re a sturdy, cheese-bearing cracker” – Lily

“Hey, remember that weird couple down the hall? With the ferrets? Maybe we can give them a call and see if they want to come over and play Taboo.” – Barney
“After midnight? No way, we can’t Tab-booty call them. That’s pathetic.” – Robin

Dancing With The Stars

“Your dancing is like the economy. Every week you are supposed to be getting better, but nothing happens.” – Bruno Tonioli, on Michael Irvin’s performance

Photo Credit: FOX

NCIS – These three Mossad agents walk onto a boat in Jordan

Aryeh S. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:59:37 +0000

If you’ll indulge me for a moment….

At best, tonight’s entire episode was laughable. At worst, it negatively colors things going forward.

And in reality, after more than ninety episodes, the writers recreated the character of Ziva David in the blink of an eye. Anything to box their way out of their current corner.

She’s a liaison; she’s a member of the team; she’s Mossad through and through; she’s haunted by a single life taken; her father’s evil incarnate … and on and on.

Since the beginning, resolving this situation in any way that left Ziva as a member of the team would have stretched my sense of plausibility, but I would have accepted a reasonable explanation, partly because I’ve always enjoyed her. But to handle it in one of the few ways that leaves no loophole for believability? Get ready for a lot more on this story in the weeks and months to come, because the writers unknowingly just led themselves into another tight spot that will come back to haunt them soon.

Enough!

Well, there really isn’t much more to say. The remains of a marine discovered by a fishing boat in Tanzania leads NCIS to find the Damocles, the ship Ziva was on that went down off the coast of Africa, and that’s how the above kicked off. It was cool to see Erik Palladino as the dead former marine; he doesn’t get enough time to shine.

I was surprised that Gibbs and Vance waited as long as they did to grill Ziva, and that the Mossad waited so long to come and get her, the events coinciding either coincidentally or as a result of her interrogation. I don’t buy into the myth that the show, and fans, are floating about Ziva’s father (it’s Eh-lee, emphasis on the soft first “E,” as opposed to how they mangle it on the show, by the way); forget about family (which would matter) — he wouldn’t see his agents as being so expendable.

Be realistic for a moment here: Israel’s invested a lot in these people, from their three years in the army starting at the age of 18, to continuous stops and training, until they finally made it into the field with the Mossad — potentially 10-15 years. Senator McCarthy treated blacklisted Hollywood writers better than the wild accusations being hurled at Director David.

But it is curious that Mossad team leader Officer Ben-Gidon (T.J. Ramini) only showed up now. Nevertheless, his presence should have cut short any interrogation of Ziva; she is Israel’s before she is America’s, and in fact she is not even a citizen of this country…. I’m sorry, it’s simply ridiculous of the writers to just decide that Gibbs’ say-so determines this thing. I’m a big fan of his, but Gibbs vs. the US Government, in the case of National Security, isn’t going to go his way.

Please, writers: some effort at something I can accept regarding Ziva. Just give it a shot, okay?

Anyway, with Ziva detained and Gibbs busy with her, we did get some more straight McGee and Tony time … too bad most of the episode was short the two of them. Their best exchange came at the beginning, and involved Ziva as well (she was NOT starting a joke):

I wouldn’t mind more of that.

Photo Credit: CBS

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

NCIS – McGee and Agent Polygraph make a love connection

Aryeh S. — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:39:37 +0000

So, is Ziva back on the team? Did NCIS deal with the glaring hole in the story, that Ziva has yet to deal with the Mossad and her father? Are Ziva and Tony an item? Is McGee ever going to pen another novel, and will it appear in stores ala Hank Moody (Californication) and Richard Castle (Castle)? Has Gibbs started his new boat? (Speaking of, I read that his old one will make a reappearance yet this season….)

Okay, so those are also some of my more general questions, applicable at any time throughout this season. As to episode specific? As expected, Ziva’s situation was addressed, if not clarified. But I strongly disagree with how nonchalant the writers appear to be about the whole thing — I still don’t see how she even has the clearance to enter the Navy Yard.

This week our agents were on the hot seat, with the death of a blogger — who was recently criticizing their handling of a case — pointing suspicion in their direction. The most notable thing about the case (not that it was bad, just secondary) was that no Ziva meant all McGee and Tony all the time, which is some extremely funny TV. Ziva, meanwhile, was desk-bound, as she awaited her “status clarification.” Huh?

It was also funny that, since NCIS was a prime suspect, Gibbs and company were playing keep-away with the Metro cops, instead of fighting over turf. By the way, has Gibbs ever visited “the Net?” Tony fleeing before the detectives showed up to question the former judge was cute, too.

A fleeting classic moment: Abby in the horrid red NCIS overalls, down in the garage. I find it interesting that she does forensics on computers and in the motor garage. Weird combo, although it’s also always strange to see McGee take the lead on computer work in Abby’s lab. I guess everyone has their strengths.

Amidst all of these good NCIS moments Ziva remained in the background. It wasn’t until the very end of the episode, as she sat down to write a “Dear Father” e-mail, that the writers finally came around to addressing her big question marks … by having her “decide” to be an NCIS agent. She resigned from the Mossad (okay, although via e-mail?) and is filling out the paperwork (Really? That’s all a former foreign spy needs to do?) to be an agent. Will Gibbs or won’t Gibbs (sign) is actually not such a big cliffhanger….

The cliffhanger is, will the writers take this issue seriously, or won’t they. I hate to say it (again), but this entire thing makes me so wish she would just up and disappear — or that she’d have died over the hiatus at the hand of terrorists. And that from someone who loved how perfectly she fit in with the rest of the team. She probably still does, but even ignoring what “liaison” did or didn’t mean before, she can’t possibly be there now, within any stretch of the imagination, or even suspension of reality. The writers pushed the drama too far, and actually pushed Ziva off a cliff. Now they’re just pretending that she can keep walking along, suspended in mid-air.

Other than that — which does NOT cloud the rest of the show for me — NCIS is picking up right where it left off in season six, and it’s feeling fine. Now to the boat and the book … maybe even McGee reading his new book to his new lady friend on the boat. Any way they do it, there’s plenty of business to get to this season!

Photo Credit: CBS

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

Wait a second … a Criminal Minds spinoff?

Brett Love — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:00:31 +0000

It would appear that the executives down at CBS HQ are all still drunk on the celebratory champagne that arrived with the NCIS/NCIS:LA premiere numbers. How else do you explain the recent news that they are now all hot and bothered to try out a Criminal Minds spinoff? That’s not to say I don’t like the show. It’s a solid part of the crime-time family. And given the premiere ratings (15.8m/4.4), it’s a legitimate hit. But a spinoff? Doesn’t that feel like going to the well one too many times?

At present, the plan is to do the pilot as an episode of Criminal Minds in the spring, with the hope of bringing the new show to viewers next fall. You can certainly see where the idea comes from. The network does have a history of making this move successfully. That’s how we got from CSI to CSI: Miami and CSI: NY. And from JAG to NCIS and NCIS:LA. With Criminal Minds though, I’m just not seeing it.

To start, while successful, when compared to the successes of CSI and NCIS, the show is a distant third. CSI has spent years as the #1 show on the network, and the #1 or #2 scripted show on TV. NCIS hasn’t been quite as successful as CSI in originals, but you also can’t discount its syndication success. It’s not unusual at all to see repeats of NCIS on USA in the top 20 of all cable broadcasts for a week.

In addition, Criminal Minds long ago lost its best asset. You can place a lot of the credit for the continued success of CSI and NCIS at the feet of the G-men, Grissom and Gibbs. Neither of them have much at all to do with the various spinoffs, but they drew viewers in and helped to foster something of a brand loyalty. Criminal Minds had their own G-man, Gideon (Mandy Patinkin), but he’s long gone. And as good as Joe Mantegna is, Rossi is no Gideon. It’s just another thing that makes this a harder sell.

Add it all up, and it just doesn’t seem like the best idea. There is an entirely different feeling that comes from hearing Criminal Minds spinoff, as opposed to NCIS spinoff. My best guess is that the end result will be another solid episode for the show next spring, that probably never makes the jump to series. And if it does, it will be just successful enough to ride the will-they / won’t-they cancellation bubble that we saw The Unit struggle with recently.

What do you think? Is there any real viewer interest in a Criminal Minds spinoff? Have I missed the crazed internet following that is clamoring for this show to be made? Or is this a case of the network trying to force the successful model of one show onto one where it really doesn’t fit?

Photo Credit: CBS

NCIS – That should teach you not to bully your classmates

Aryeh S. — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:36:03 +0000

Back when I was a freshman, the captain of my high school’s hockey team was a guy who held the position as both a junior and a senior — he was that good. Back when he was a sophomore rookie on the team, he was initiated into the brotherhood by being pinned to the ground, and having his body-hair shaved — each and every follicle of it. Yeah. So if I hear that that senior class is brutally murdered….

A bit of a head-scratcher for a case-of-the-week. I think the increased dose of character and team that NCIS now exhibits — all good in my book — forces a lot of spots to be skipped in the connect-the-dots of the investigation. Okay … it’s not really about that anyway, right?

Tonight’s episode, “Reunion,” was meant to be just that. Ziva, after being saved by Tony and the boys last week, returns to NCIS to get her old job back. Excuse me, what? You mean, the Mossad liaison officer, who was posted to the American Naval intelligence organization as a bridge between the two countries, found it appropriate, and the correct approach, to request a reinstatement from the organization she was never officially a part of?

If that was confusing, you’ll understand were I am right now. No way in the world could/should ANYONE from NCIS have had a discussion with Ziva about her future before she went back to Israel, and met with her commanding officer/father. There are no two sides to this one, no argument to be made against. She absolutely has no ground to stand on here. Gibbs can’t request that she be reinstated, and Vance can’t approve her reinstatement. At least not until after the Mossad has decided on her fate, AND has re-applied for her assignment as a liaison to NCIS. Did the writers decide to only go halfway on the research for this story?

It’s a shame, too, because now that this can of worms has been opened, I find myself disliking Ziva — something I definitely did not begin to feel until at earliest last season’s penultimate episode. Now? I just prefer she not be around. I don’t like feeling that way, but I do.

And, hello Ari! He had to come back up again, didn’t he? But if Gibbs questioned his faith in Ziva once, how will she ever get that back? Gibbs doesn’t seem like the wishy-washy type. As in, he’s more Robert De Niro in Meet the Parents than in Meet the Fockers … does that make any sense?

Some additional stuff worth noting from tonight:

Kate’s replacement quit after complaining about Tony and McGee’s behavior … because she’d spent how much time working with them?
Gibbs is measuring his basement for his next boat!
First Ducky/Mr. Palmer moment of the season!
McGee was practicing his touch-screen deftness … I still maintain that he has a ways to go to match the prowess of the NCIS: LA agents
Tony singing chad gadya (one little goat), of last week fame, while peeing

It’s great to have NCIS back, don’t get me wrong. And I know I’m being hard on Ziva, and on this entire situation; I just think they’re ignoring a reality that’s screaming in their faces. And yes, Vance mentions needing to clear things with the Mossad, but it’s not something that’s small enough to have happened without our being witness to it. I just hope that they clarify Ziva stuff the right way … no way should she have the credentials to even be back in the Navy Yard right now.

Photo Credit: CBS

Ratings Clack – Greg, Anthony, and Meredith rule

Brett Love — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:00:44 +0000

Holy smokes. After a summer without a lot of numbers to really be excited about, last week was just stuffed to the gills. There were season and series premieres everywhere, bringing in ratings that ran the gamut from outstanding to horrible. The big winners were House, NCIS, and Grey’s Anatomy. On the other end of the scale? The Beautiful Life, Brothers, Dollhouse, and just about all of NBC.

FOX - We’ll start here, as they had the best — and worst — ratings story of the week. Things got off to a great start with the two hour return of House (17.13m/6.7). It was just edged out in viewers by Dancing With The Stars, but tied with Grey’s Anatomy for the best demo of the week.

The middle of the week was what I would call successful. No records set, but no real damage done. Hell’s Kitchen (6.78m/3.2 – 6.98m/3.5) held strong, despite facing DWTS and the NCIS tandem. So You Think You Can Dance (5.5m/2.5) and Glee (6.64m/3.1) were close to last week, even with one time appearance of DWTS. And Bones (9.11m/2.8) remained solid against the premiere of FlashForward. Fringe (5.73m/2.3) did fall to a series low, but it remains to be seen how much of that had to do with the dueling premieres from CSI and Grey’s. This week should be much more telling.

And then, there’s Friday. Brothers (2.82m/1) got off to a horrible start, placing a distant fourth in viewers and tied for fourth in the demo. However, it did do better than Dollhouse (2.56m/1). Seriously, that’s horrible. Some people were quick to go to the excuses on that one, noting that DVRs will be a big deal, and there is revenue from streaming and iTunes to think of, etc. I’m quick to say: fuck that. The premiere was down over 30% in viewers and demo from the season one averages. And the season two premiere is down 50% in the demo and 44% in viewers from the season one premiere. There aren’t enough DVRs in the world to not make those numbers horrible.

CBS - While House and Grey’s tied for the week’s demo crown, the most watched show was NCIS (20.6m/4.8). That kicked off what was a great Tuesday night, also featuring the premieres of NCIS: LA (18.73m/4.4) and The Good Wife (13.71m/3.1). Earlier in the week, Monday was also successful. How I Met Your Mother (9.09m/3.6), Accidentally On Purpose (8.91m/3.3), 2 ½ Men (13.63m/4.5), Big Bang Theory (12.96m/4.7), and CSI: Miami (14.2m/4.3) all performed well. Two things to note: I’m not convinced AOP is going to maintain those numbers, and things are looking very good for Big Bang Theory becoming the #1 comedy on TV this season.

The only real stumble of the week came Wednesday, with Old Christine (7.17m/2.2) and Gary Unmarried (6.86m/2.3). Both were on pace with last season, but it does remain the weakest hour on the CBS schedule, and you have to wonder how much longer the experiment is going to last. Things picked up again at 9, with Criminal Minds (15.84m/4.4) and CSI: NY (15.06m/4).

Thursday brought Survivor (11.66m/3.7), CSI (16.01m/4.1), and The Mentalist (15.07m/3.6). Surprisingly, Survivor was actually up for the week, even while finishing second to the FlashForward premiere. I would expect it to be back to number one in the hour before too long. It will be interesting to see what The Mentalist does facing Private Practice instead of the extended Grey’s. Finally, as has become the norm, CBS easily won Friday night with Ghost Whisperer (8.58m/2.2), Medium (8.78m/2), and Numb3rs (7.92m/1.8). For the record, that Medium viewer number is higher than every non-football hour on NBC for the week.

ABC - Dancing With The Stars led off the first three nights, and proved that, while down year to year, it’s still a huge draw on Monday (17.79m/4.1), Tuesday (15.37m/3.5), and Wednesday (15.36m/3.3). Castle (9.27m/2.3) and The Forgotten (9.54m/2.6) both took advantage of the boost, and landed in second place. The real winners in the DWTS sweepstakes though, were Modern Family (12.61m/4.2) and Cougar Town (11.28m/4.4). We’ll have to see what happens when Hank and The Middle enter the picture, but it could be then end of the ABC comedy black hole. Eastwick (8.5m/3) followed, also putting up decent premiere numbers.

It wasn’t the highest rated show of the week, or the night, but the most impressive premiere might have been FlashForward (12.47m/4). It won the hour against Bones and Survivor, which is no small feat. That led to the huge return of Grey’s Anatomy (17.03m/6.7), which totally dominated the night.

NBC - The good news is that Sunday Night Football (24.82m/9.8) is still huge. The bad news, is pretty much everything else. To give an idea, not only did Medium have more viewers than everything but football … the most viewed series of the week (Mercy (8.38m/2.3) was below every new episode on ABC. Yikes. Heroes (6.11m/2.8) didn’t do very well kicking things off. The Biggest Loser (7.56m/3.1) was better on Tuesday, but is down a fair bit from where it finished in the spring.

Mercy (8.38m/2.3), surprisingly enough, was the most watched show on the network, and that was with the one-time appearance of DWTS. Law & Order (8.36m/2.5) followed, and did increase the demo, but the premiere was off a good two million viewers and a full demo point from what it was regularly doing last season.

There was one more bright spot on Thursday, with The Office (7.46m/3.9). Holding at nearly a 4 in the demo against the CSI and Grey’s premieres is great. Unfortunately, the rest of the Thursday comedy block is imploding. SNL (4.54m/1.7), Parks & Recreation (4.09m/1.8), and Community (5.39m/2.7) were all off. Did the Grey’s and CSI premieres sink Community? Or did people get a look last week and not come back?

Friday, Law & Order (6.29m/1.3) got off to what was a slow start, placing third in the demo behind Ghost Whisperer and a repeat of FlashForward. And Leno? The week averaged 5.98 million viewers and 1.9 in the demo. That’s not great, but good enough for the network, given the costs. The real story will be told when the show goes up against repeats.

CW - It was a bit of a mixed bag this week. One Tree Hill (2.29m/1.1) actually stood up well to the premiere of House. Gossip Girl (1.97m/1) didn’t. The good news is, of course, that Gossip Girl won’t be facing House after this. So it looks like that schedule change is already working out.

Tuesday remains an issue as the weakening 90210 (2m/1) leads in to the sinking Melrose Place (1.44m/.8). Heather Locklear can’t show up soon enough. The news was slightly better Wednesday, with Top Model (2.82m/1.3). That made for the second best hour of the week for the network, but Top Model does remain curiously down year to year. Still, that was worlds better than The Beautiful Life (1.05m/.5). That’s so bad that the show has been canceled.

The night of the week was again Thursday, as Vampire Diaries (3.79m/1.7) and Supernatural (2.66m/1.2) remained relatively steady despite the premieres from FlashForward, CSI, and Grey’s. The news was also good for Smallville (2.5m/1) on Friday. Those numbers are well below what the show was doing on Thursday, but also an improvement over last season’s Friday lineup. And really, the show should be knocking Fox into last place sooner, rather than later.

Finally, a few cable numbers from the week.

Mad Men (1.57m/.6)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (1.12m/.5)
Bored To Death (1.03m/.5)
Entourage (1.83m/1.1)
Drop Dead Diva (3.06m/.9)
Army Wives (3.28m/1)
Warehouse 13 (2.23m/.7)

Photo Credit: FOX; CBS; ABC

Quotation Marks – Singles, Snipers, and Zimas

Ivey West — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:31:59 +0000

We’re in the midst of it all now. This week the Emmy’s (un)officially kicked off the new fall season with an outstanding performance by host Neil Patrick Harris, Glee turned in a killer episode, and we saw the first cancellation of the season. One more week and most of the new fall shows will have premiered, and this post will be exploding with quotey-goodness.

Quotes from the Ether

“If you’re having trouble with somebody on the set, learn how to tell them to go to hell in such a way they’ll want to go.” – Emmy nominated director Rod Holcomb (ER), on how to handle troubles on the set

“After Miss Guided, Opportunity Knocks, Gameshow In My Head, and True Beauty, I thought someone taking another shot on one of his shows was him getting a break. Apparently, when Ashton grows up he wants to be Tim Minear.” – Clacker Brett Love, on the cancellation of The Beautiful Life

“That’s right, sofa-monkeys, no more corporate entertainment. No more self-congratulatory awards shows with athletic, yet luminous, hosts….” – Dr. Horrible at the Emmys, on amazingly similarly looking host Neil Patrick Harris

Castle

“Beckett, how come you don’t wear a uniform like that?” – Esposito
“Because I don’t want to get paid in singles.” – Beckett

“I don’t think she’s gonna make it. She’s got that “Scanners” look, you know, right before her head’s about to explode.” – Compton about Beckett, as she’s being interviewed about Castle

“Somebody hated his guts.” – Castle, on the victim who was de-organed

“Is it just my imagination, or did you change?” – Castle to Beckett, when she got a little sleezy for the Russian club

NCIS

“You remember when I said my boss was a sniper?” – Tony, reminding us that the whole NCIS team wasn’t in the room

Cougar Town

“Hey, you want to stay in, hang out on the couch, maybe watch a movie?” – Jules
“Are you hitting on me?” – Travis

“This wine’s for Ellie. She’s been looking so hot lately, I thought I’d get her drunk and try to hit that.” – Jules
“Lesbian mom jokes … awesome.” – Travis

“Home by midnight, and if I ever catch you two drinking and driving, I’m going to show everyone that baby picture of you two holding each others’ penises … so small.” – Jules
“You know, Ryan’s mom just says goodbye.” – Travis

Modern Family

“If Haley never wakes up on a beach in Florida half naked, I’ve done my job.” – Claire
“Our job.” – Phil
“Right. I’ve done our job.” – Claire

“May I take your multi-colored coat and bejeweled cap?” – Mitchell to Jay

“Lily? Isn’t that going to be hard for her to say?” – Phil

“Let me see the little potsticker.” – Jay, about meeting his adopted Vietnamese granddaughter

Psych

“[Computers] are just another passing fad, like rap music, Madonna, and LA Law.” – Henry

“What grown man doesn’t own a black suit?” – Gus
“Besides me? The Joker, Colonel Sanders, Matthew McConaughey.…” – Shawn
“McConaughey doesn’t count; he doesn’t own a shirt.” – Gus

“Man, I wish I could have known you when you were black….” – Shawn to Gus

“So they can, or cannot, lift the parental lock off my laptop?” – Shawn
“That was me Shawn; trust me, it was for your own good.” – Gus

Bones

“Shouldn’t we be honest with each other?” – Brennan
“We’re honest! I mean, aren’t you? I mean, I am.” – Booth
“So you have no problem with me making so much more money than you.” – Brennan
“No. [Brennan makes a face] Well, yeah, but it’s — it’s a little weird. I mean, you’re loaded. You’re really loaded, and you still don’t even have a flat screen. That’s just kind of weird, to be honest. It’s a little French, if you ask me.” – Booth

“We weren’t supposed to date! I guess it’s not like the FBI. We’re not allowed to sleep with someone we’re working with.” – Mandy
“Is she talking about us?” – Brennan
“We’re not.” – Booth
“No!” – Brennan
“Oh, it’s okay. I’m CIA. My lips are sealed.” – Mandy

Community

“We could have a candlelight vigil like lesbians have on the news!” – Annie

“My knowledge will bite your face off!” – Senor Chang

“The woman I kind of like is out there in the moonlight caring about something stupid. And this is my chance to show her that I care enough about her to act like I care about it, too.” – Jeff

“Did you guys know there’s an ethnic cleansing in Burma?” – Annie
“We’d better bust out that brownie mix.” – Shirley

Glee

“No … No … No. Giving birth is not like how it is in the movies. It is bloody, and bestial, and you get poop all over your cowboy boots.” – Kendra

“You know, caning has fallen out of favor in the United States. But ask anyone that’s safely walked the immaculate sidewalks of Singapore, after winning an international cheerleading competition, and they’ll tell you one thing: Caning works!” – Coach Sylvester

“The more times she [Rachel] storms out of rehearsal, the less impact it has.” – Artie

“Hey, ankle grabber! I had sex with your mother. No, seriously … I cleaned your pool, and then I had sex with her in your bed. Nice Star Wars sheets.” – Puck

Parks and Recreation

“You know my code. Hos before bros. Uteruses before duderuses. Ovaries before brovaries.” – Leslie

Photo Credit: ABC

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