(2/8 – 2/15)
What do you think? Is disappointing the right word to use in the post title? Reading the chatter around the internet over the weekend, there are certainly various spins on the Dollhouse numbers that try to paint them as a success. But really, if you have to spin the numbers and start talking about minor demographics, that’s kind of disappointing, right? Of course, it could have been worse, like it was for Terminator:TSCC. We’ll get to those numbers in a bit, along with the debut for the 18th(!!) season of Survivor, gains for The Office & 30 Rock, drops for Heroes & Lost, and one heck of a week for the doctors over at Private Practice.
FOX - Well, crap. It seems I was a little optimistic with my prediction for how Dollhouse (4.72m/2) would do in its debut. No matter how you slice it, less than 5 million viewers is terrible. On the bright side, the 2 in the demo did just edge out Flashpoint. Unfortunately, they were both outpaced in that regard by the Supernanny, surprisingly enough. Before all of that went wrong, Terminator:TSCC (3.71m/1.4) made its Friday debut, and you really can’t spin those numbers.
As to the Dollhouse demo, here’s the problem. Yes, it’s an improvement over what Don’t Forget The Lyrics has been doing, but you have to ask whether or not it’s enough of one. Keep in mind, the network can fund DFTL with the change they find in the couch cushions, but Dollhouse costs real money to produce. Also, it is a very rare thing for the numbers to go up in week two of a series. So, this might be the best we’re going to see out of Dollhouse. I certainly hope not, but the numbers for this week’s episode will be very telling. If they do drop, the show is in real trouble.
That wasn’t the only bad news for FOX this week. The NAACP Image Awards (4.2m/1.4) brought less than half what Bones and Hell’s Kitchen would have. Meanwhile, Fringe (9.83m/4.1) headed off to an extended break with more of those disappointing numbers. Taken out of context, they look pretty good. But those came on the heels of the Tuesday edition of Idol (24.94m/9.2). Dropping more than 15 million viewers and over half the demo, while finishing third in the time slot, is not good at all. Dr. House had the week off, making way for Obama, which led to a bit of a drop for 24 (10.61m/3.4). I suspect those numbers will go right back up when House returns. And finally, the extended Wednesday Idol (24.83m/9.5) was as expected.
CBS – The news was better over at CBS. The week got off to a great start with the Grammy Awards (19.05m/7.4). That was followed up by an experimental Monday that found Big Bang Theory (12.72m/4.5) following 2 ½ Men (14.99m/4.8), highlighting once again how poorly Worst Week has been doing in that spot. The good news continued on Tuesday as NCIS (18.03m/3.7) continued to thrive against Idol, and The Mentalist (19.7m/4.2) not only improved on those numbers, it also managed to top Fringe in the demo.
Thursday brought the return of Survivor (13.63m/4.4), and another strong showing for CSI (17.94m/4.9). Any fears about the loss of Grissom should be put to rest at this point. The only real negative would seem to be Wednesday. Old Christine (6.87m/1.9) and Gary Unmarried (6.54m/2.1) have settled at those numbers and don’t look to be improving. They were followed by Criminal Minds (12.47m/3), which was down versus the increased competition of Idol. Still, a solid week for the network.
ABC – I keep saying it week after week, but damn if The Bachelor (11.58m/4.2) didn’t go and improve its numbers again. At this point, ABC executives must be considering embracing polygamy, so they can have this guy back every year to choose a new wife. Making even larger gains were the doctors on Private Practice (14.09m/5.7). The crossover with Grey’s Anatomy (15.15m/5.9) worked better than anyone could have imagined.
Less encouraging, Lost (9.82m/4.4) managed to drop a million viewers and three tenths in the demo when faced with Idol. It doesn’t bode well for the upcoming schedule change. Not that the show is in any kind of danger. For Lost to get canceled, it would take some drastically bad numbers, like… Life On Mars (4.63m/1.6). On paper those two shows should go together, but the Lost audience just can’t be bothered to watch Mars. The numbers for Scrubs (4.55m/2 – 4.21m/2) also continue to slide.
NBC – There was good news for the peacock this week, and not just The Biggest Loser (9.25m/3.7). Dateline (11.25m/4) also got in on the fun with the Tuesday edition. Elsewhere, The Office (9m/4.6) and 30 Rock (7.68m/3.8) were both up week to week, despite facing new episodes of Grey’s and CSI. Unfortunately, there was some bad news as well.
Apparently, putting the Heroes (7.9m/3.6) on the run wasn’t the answer fans were looking for, landing the show in fourth place for viewers, third in the demo. That led to a drop for Medium (7.89m/2.6), although it does remain the most compatible show for Heroes the network has had. More troubling than Monday though, are Knight Rider (5.48m/1.3) Life (4.59m/1.3), and Friday Night Lights (3.49m/1.1). The one that really disappoints me there is Life. It’s actually a really good show that, for whatever reason, hasn’t worked on NBC. If only it had been conceived and produced for USA. Charlie certainly has enough ‘character’ to fit right in. The others make sense. Knight Rider is bad execution of a flawed concept, and Friday Night Lights is the result of the DirecTV experiment not working.
CW - Not much to report this week. 90210 (2.38m/1.2) continues to struggle against Idol, and 13: Fear Is Real (.95m/.4) is dying on Friday. That was the balance of new programming for the week. So let me just take a moment to point out that Supernatural‘s Jared Padalecki had the best ever 4-day opening for an R-rated movie with Friday The 13th.
Coming up this week, CBS is taking the night off on Monday, so let’s see if Chuck and Heroes can gain anything. On Wednesday, Idol goes back to an hour, so Lost and Criminal Minds should both bounce back. Thursday we get our first look at Survivor vs. Bones. And then the biggy, Dollhouse on Friday. CBS is all repeats for the night, so if it’s ever going to gain viewers, this is the place to do it. If the numbers go down, we can probably start making a spot on the DVD shelf for Dollhouse: The Complete Series. Right between Brisco and Firefly I’m thinking, assuming you file yours alphabetically, by network, and day of the week.
Clacked by Brett Love 
on Feb 16, 2009 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
How incredibly depressing. All of the ratings of shows I like are in the tank. Not that it should be a surprise.
Eighteen seasons of Survivor is a bit misleading, as they have two “seasons” a year.
I continue to be surprised that anyone expects people who watch American Idol to tune into Fringe. They couldn’t be less compatible. American Idol is for the average American. Fringe is for the viewers who like to think and discover mysteries. Hardly a companion piece.
As for those shows up against Idol, or the Biggest Loser, etc., they shouldn’t even count as losses. I don’t understand the appeal of those programs, but obviously Average American is all about the reality. Surely there are advertisers out there who want to promote their products to other than Average American. We need a new demo. One that sets apart Average American from those who enjoy these other types of programming. Surely there is a type of advertising that has proven to do better in these time slots. I just don’t believe it can’t be true. I refuse to believe it isn’t true. What I do believe is that age and sex are not enough of a determining factor in advertising. Dammit…I’m so angry about this.
Anyone shocked by the Dollhouse numbers? They are only as good as they are because of the people behind it, and that drew more people in.
It wasn’t the greatest show, as it is now I won’t care when it gets canceled.