Lowest ratings EVER (1 Viewer)

[KevinGress]

There was a lengthy discussion about this in the thread on Drive. It is my opinion that unless a network is willing to allow a show to chance to find its groove, or to tell a complete story, it's going to suffer lower ratings because I, and others, aren't going to waste our time only being told half a story. That's why I didn't jump on Heroes in the beginning, and only when I saw that it was doing well and got renewed that I decided to try it. And I'm glad I did. It's one of the best new shows out there. (And actually, I'm glad I waited - then I was able to do a marathon of my own - watched 21 episodes in 3 days)

 

[Brent M]

Yeah, I watched the British version first and thought it was absolutely brilliant(which of course it was). I thought there's no way they can do a U.S. version and have it be any good, but I was sorely mistaken. The second season was pretty much perfect IMHO and while the quality dropped a little this season it's still my favorite comedy on TV.

 

[AnthonyC]

I completely disagree.

It's better than Seinfeld. Although Arrested Development gets my vote for best sitcom ever (let alone best show ever).

 

[Brent M]

Well, I don't know how I would rank them in order, but I think we can definitely agree that those are 3 of the best TV comedies of all-time. I'd also throw Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Larry Sanders Show and Cheers into the discussion as well, but I think we might be veering off topic so I digress.

 

[DanielCo]

Me again. Glad to see that this topic has garnered so much interest.

I appreciate that some of you like NBC comedies. I like Scrubs myself...although not as much in recent years. I also understand that all network television has dropped at the expense of cable.

But I'm going to start calling NBC the Chrysler of networks. Why doesn't The Office get better ratings? Maybe because they decided to kill their comedies by running them on Thursday against CSI and Grey's Anatomy, they season's 6th and 7th rated shows.

Sure, they counterprogram with their comedies. However, it's obvious that these shows will not get ratings in that time slot. Maybe try one of their game shows there and move the Scrubs and The Office to a less competitive night.

When the new season starts, see what show NBC puts after Deal of No Deal. That'll be their next attempt at success.

 

[Brian^K]

Remember that the objective of commercial television is to generate profit, and Thursday night is among the most lucrative nights of television available (advertising things people would take action on over the weekend). Giving the night up because the competition has strong programming is not a rational option.

 

[Hanson]

I watch more programming on NBC than any other network and have done so for decades. Fox has slowly become a close number 2, but If I had a reception issue and could only get one channel, it would be NBC for me. It's worth it to me just for the Thursday night comedy block. I'm baffled by the terrible ratings -- like, I watch two hours on ABC a week (and with Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty in rerun mode, it's only The Next Best Thing for now), and so I don't understand what the Nielson homes consider watchable (although, if I were the ultimate Nielson home, the CW would have a 0 rating consdiering I never tune into that channel).

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I don't watch ABC live because their online episode service is SO good. The upside is, the shows I watch on ABC's website are ones that conflict with other shows I watch and probably wouldn't get viewed by me at all if it wasn't for the website.

 

[Hanson]

I really should disclose that I don't watch anything live -- everything in my house is recorded (even football games). So I never have to make a choice of watching one program over the other in a competing timeslot. I guess the issue isn't that there's nothing to watch on NBC, but rather that NBC rarely has the number 1 choice for each timeslot. I never have to make that choice.

 

[Jason Seaver]

There are no less competitive nights. Everybody wishes their favorite show would move to some time slot where there aren't entrenched shows ready to kill it, but the simple fact of the matter is that these hypothetical hours only exist on Friday and Saturday nights, when viewership is low enough that they wouldn't be worth the cost and the same people crying for a move would be yelling some variation on "Friday Death Slot".

 

[Holadem]

I know! So networks are killing shows nowadays by moving them into prime slots and hoping they fail?

Almost makes you wanna start empathizing with network execs.

--
H

 

[Brian^K]

Indeed. The American public is incredibly fickle, capricious, and self-defeating.

 

[Walter C]

The fans of some of these NBC shows should be grateful that their shows are getting a 2nd season, when there was a great chance that they would be cancelled.

I record and watch 2 of the L&O's (original and SVU), the only NBC shows. I watch 30 Rock, My Name is Earl, and Medium online, although I find their web site to be the worst, since it freezes up way too much.

 

[LarryDavenport]

The news this morning says NBS is giving Rosie O'Donnel TWO new shows. an afternoon talk show and a prime time game show.

Ick.

 

[Brian^K]

It is amazing to me, sometimes, what the general public wants to watch.

 

[Jason Seaver]

I think a lot of fans honestly believe this - that network heads spend their time plotting how to destroy shows into which their company has invested millions of dollars out of sheer spite and stupidity.

The irony, of course, is that NBC's Thursday comedy line-up was, until just a few years ago, the sort of unstoppable juggernaut that Daniel feels they're up against now: With the brief exception of The Simpsons's time there, nobody wasted anything that they felt had a future on that night until CBS decided to take a risk with an unscripted show that had had a good summer run and a procedural that was building an audience on Friday nights.

But is the lesson people take away that different types of shows can thrive even on a competitive night? Nope, the same mindset prevails, just with a new program cast as the 800-pound gorilla.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Not like those geniuses at CBS that, in their omniscient wisdom, made the obviously correct decision to cancel "Jericho" right?

 

[Brian^K]

Indeed, it was a masterstroke of brilliance on their part. Look how much free publicity they got for the show... that's the only thing that is bringing the show back. The fans outrage didn't do it -- the free publicity did.

For a very realistic and pointed perspective on the Jericho situation, see http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/06/06/tv...rigitte-video/

Regardless, the American public is notoriously unreliable and self-defeating.

 

[Jeff Jacobson]

NBS? Is this a new network, or did you mean CBS or NBC? (Please let me know ASAP so I know which network to avoid!!)

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

Are they starting at the beginning and if when?

NBC used to be a hell of a network but they scared everyone away from Thursdays with Reality shows and such and they viewers never came back.