(1/12 – 1/18)

No. Not really. In fact, it was the lowest rated premiere the show has ever had. Somehow though, ABC managed to massage those numbers so much that they felt ok producing a promo that called it bigger than ever. It’s lipstick on a pig. DVR, streaming, illicit downloads, no matter what spin you want to put on it, Lost is way down from its once lofty numbers, and it has virtually no chance of ever regaining those lost viewers. It’s not all bad though, because what is left of the audience is still pretty substantial. We’ll get to those numbers, find out what happened in the latest round of the Grey’s / CSI battle, and see if those 30 Rock numbers managed to drop again, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, it’s another (fairly) new reality show. No fear for the anti-reality folks, though. With the premise of True Beauty, such as it is, chances are it’s only good for a season. You see, the contestants have only been told that they’re basically entering a beauty contest with challenges which eliminate a contestant each week. The winner wins a quarter-million dollars and will be included in People Magazine in a special issue featuring all those oh-so-beautiful folks. But in reality, they’re not judged just on the cover. Now, I’m not seeing much “cover” beauty for these two guys, but maybe it’s just me.

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(1/05 – 1/11)

TV for 2009 started spinning up the turbos last week, and will be at full boost when Idol comes online this week. That will, of course, send numbers in all kinds of crazy directions. It should anyway, unless I got the animal sacrifices and the Gregorian chanting right this time. Once I find the formula, Idol will be finished! But we’ll talk about Randy, Simon, Paula, and that new chick, next week. This week, there were a few surprises on the schedule. Superstars Of Dance and True Beauty debuted to better numbers than I expected. Flashpoint looks to be a perfect fit for the CBS Friday. And, apparently, Old Christine fans are g0ing to watch anyway, new or repeat. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Network Suits,

Did you ever see Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels? Go with me here. There’s a scene where a bunch of the bad guys are locked in a security cage, and being shot from the rafters. The leader, finally fed up with the situation, bellows out, “Could everyone stop getting shot?!” It’s a great line, and that’s kind of how I feel when I hear yet another network tagging a promo with “produced by Ashton Kutcher.” Could everyone stop ordering these crappy shows?

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