Big Bang Theory - season 2 (2 Viewers)

[Inspector Hammer!]

Improve the numbers? TBBT is already a huge hit for them, what more could they want lol?

I also don't like the idea of TBBT following T&HM, IMO TBBT is the funnier of the two and was perfect in the 8 pm timeslot.

 

[Patrick Sun]

They should just call it the Chuck Lorre Comedy hour.

 

[DavidJ]

Oh, other than the ratings standpoint, I think it is a terrible match. Sure they are both Chuck Lorre shows, but they couldn't be more different. I'm also not sure Rules of Engagement belongs at the "family friendly" hour of prime time, but it seems as the "family friendly" hour concept is all but dead. While it still exists according to the FCC, it seems to be more theoretical than practical. Siberian tigers still exist too, but good luck finding them in the wild.

 

[Jason Charlton]

I also thought BBT was perfect at 8. I'm a fan of all 4 CBS Monday shows, and feel that of the 4 shows, "Men" definitely pushes the envelope of what's acceptable (but DAMN it's funny) and HIMYM and ROE are a close 2 and 3.

I thought last season's order was perfect, but am just glad that all 4 shows are returning.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

I'm glad for the time change. Gets it away from Chuck - which is going after the same target audience.

Now I can watch both live.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

You rang?

 

[Malcolm R]

It's not a HUGE hit, but it fares pretty well. I think it usually lands around #45 of all ranked shows. With the time slot change, CBS is trying to pull it into the Top 20.

 

[Josh Dial]

BBT is definitely a huge hit, as it actually lands in the top 20 every week, usually bested only by the endless parade of reality TV (of which I am guilty of watching my share of), Two and a Half Men, and a few other powerhouse dramas (like NCIS, House, CSI, 24). As an aside, it's also one of the most pirated shows out there--take that for what it's worth

 

[Malcolm R]

Originally Posted by Josh Dial

BBT is definitely a huge hit, as it actually lands in the top 20 every week

Not true. For Season One, it was ranked the #59 show among all shows on the broadcast networks, Season Two was ranked #44. If it was in the Top 20 "every week", it's season ranking would be #20 or higher.

The show drew its largest audience ever (13.1 million) on Feb 9, 2009, when it aired at 9:30pm (airing later than usual due to a presidential address, as I recall). This landed it at #15 for the week and likely contributed to CBS changing its timeslot for the upcoming season.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

With all due respect to this fascinating ratings debate, has no one noticed that I posted the much-requested pic of Penny answering her door? Am I the last straight male still reading this thread?

Regards,

Joe

 

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by Joseph DeMartino /forum/thread/276744/big-bang-theory-season-2/360#post_3579774

You fail to recognize something even more powerfully attractive than a hot chick...
http://xkcd.com/386/

 

[Josh Dial]

Originally Posted by Malcolm R



Not true. For Season One, it was ranked the #59 show among all shows on the broadcast networks, Season Two was ranked #44. If it was in the Top 20 "every week", it's season ranking would be #20 or higher.

The show drew its largest audience ever (13.1 million) on Feb 9, 2009, when it aired at 9:30pm (airing later than usual due to a presidential address, as I recall). This landed it at #15 for the week and likely contributed to CBS changing its timeslot for the upcoming season.

Ignoring the data for the late spring and summer airings (in which BBT is also in the top 20 every week), BBT was ranked 20th in week 33, 21st in week 32, 12th for the week of April 19th, and so on. Obviously we are using two different methods for determining viewship, it seems, since there is a pretty big gap between numbers on various sites (futon critic, tv by the numbers, et cetera--I don't even bother with anything wikipedia has to say).

In my opinion, the show (though I slightly prefer How I Met Your Mother, personally) qualifies as a hit comedy.

 

[Malcolm R]

Originally Posted by Josh Dial /forum/thread/276744/big-bang-theory-season-2/390#post_3579873

 

[Josh Dial]

Does anyone even remotely attempt to target demos outside of the 18-49 bracket (excluding, of course, demos within that demo, such as wealthy graduates with 100k+ incomes). Virtually everything I've read, such as this article, hints that the industry is attempting to move beyond such narrow "limited logic" yet finds it difficult to do so in any real sense. Any success appears to be incidental, dare I say accidental.

It seems to be a two-faced beast, published ratings, in that on one hand networks talk up successes, citing whatever demographic or total viewership is required, while seeking to diminish dissapointing performances by claiming key demos "aren't what they used to be." Truth be told, given the speed at which the entire television industry is changing (PVR, DVD releases, et cetera), I don't think any set of numbers can be seen as "the facts." Executives and creative minds alike are stuggling to find that elusive magic formula that will preserve (or even, in hushed whispers and silent prayers, increase) market share.

If anything, the recent--and I do mean recent, as in this past renewal cycle--trend has seen, for lack of a better term, "risks" on behalf of many networks. Renewing shows such as Dollhouse and Chuck, tightening budgets or placing the bulk of the monetary load on the production companies, clawing back what little residuals remain, and so on. I'm not saying risks were never taken before (The X-Files, for example), but there has been a definite increase in my opinion.

Indeed, what is and what was a "hit" perhaps no longer holds any meaning. Is the family who eschews Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (tried to pick the most cerebral show I could think of from recent memory) but never misses an episode of Dancing with the Stars or Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? truly purchasing anything from the advertisements in any meaningful quantity?

Who really knows? It certainly is interesting, though. Of course, it means the ground is littered with the corpses of some truly good shows along the way...