The return of Caprica, on a new night, did not go well. One has to wonder just how long the show can last with the new Syfy. Meanwhile, over on the networks, a number of shows are still searching for their level. Premiere numbers make for great press releases, but you’re always best waiting for some sort of solid ground. Even with a great premiere performance, if a show keeps dropping every week, you may be looking at the next FlashForward.
FOX – After a fantastic premiere, and a Britney boosted second episode, Glee (11.2m/4.6) came back to earth this week. Those are still great numbers, but the show is no longer leading all the scripted shows in the demo. Still, tied with Modern Family and Grey’s Anatomy isn’t a bad place to be. The comedies that share Tuesday night with the singing kids are not fairing nearly as well. Raising Hope (6.18m/2.5) is doing well enough to have gained the full season pickup. Don’t expect the same vote of confidence for Running Wilde (3.86m/1.7).
Earlier in the week, the Sunday animation block looked solid with The Simpsons (8.63m/4.2), Cleveland (6.7m/3.1), Family Guy (7.98m/4), and American Dad (6.16m/3). House (10.78m/4) also looked good, reaching a 4 in the demo again for a solid second place finish. Lie To Me (5.86m/2.1) didn’t look great in its premiere. On the plus side, that is much better than Lone Star, and there really wasn’t much promotion for the change. We’ll have to keep an eye on this one.
Hell’s Kitchen (6.32m/3 – 7m/3.3) remains a solid performer on Wednesday, and Bones (9.24m/2.7) still looks good opening Thursday. Fringe (5.19m/2), unfortunately, remains mired in a distant fourth place. The worst news of the week had to be from The Good Guys (2.37m/.8). With that being the only new offering, FOX finished below CW in the demo for the night.
ABC - Extreme Makeover (8.69m/2.6) remains down, but combined with Desperate Housewives (13.23m/4.4) and Brothers & Sisters (9.17m/3), Sunday is still a good night for the network. Mondays, of course, remain very strong thanks to Dancing With The Stars (19.89m/4.3) and Castle (10.83m/2.6). Things are a little more murky on Tuesday. DWTS Results (16.7m/3.3) is fine, and No Ordinary Family (8.99m/2.7) still looks OK despite the week two hit. Detroit 187 (7.83m/1.7) though, was down for the third straight week and we’re left wondering when it will stop.
The Wednesday comedy block seems solid. Better With You (6.87m/2.3) could be better at 8:30, but The Middle (8.03m/2.5) looks good opening the night. And Modern Family (11.44m/4.6) and Cougar Town (7.1m/3) are winning the hour in the demo. The Whole Truth (4.4m/1.3), on the other hand, is the biggest hole in the lineup. Thursday is still looking for an 8PM fix, but Grey’s Anatomy (12.75m/4.6) and Private Practice (7.9m/2.9) are good to go from 9 to 11.
NBC - Things started with another great night for Sunday Night Football (20.93m/8), and then hit the usual Monday skids. There is some good news for Chuck (5.38m/1.9) fans though. That’s not a good result for the show, but if the network is looking at what to cancel, Chase (5.78m/1.7), Undercovers (6.38m/1.5), and Outlaw (4.23m/1) all look like much better targets at the moment. Also troubling for the network is the result for The Event (7.56m/2.4). That’s another million and a half viewers and half a point of demo dropped from week 2. And more than 3 million and a 1.2 demo points from the premiere. It is another case of where will it stop.
In the past, The Biggest Loser (6.84m/2.5) would brighten up the results on Tuesday, but that’s just not happening this year. And those drops are doing no favors for Parenthood (5.16m/2.1). L&O SVU (8.69m/2.6) was close to its premiere number, but L&O LA (8.26m/2.4) took a pretty good week two drop. Week three will be a very interesting race with The Defenders. Thursday was, again, ridiculous. Try this stat on for size. NBC, the one-time home of “Must See TV”, averaged less than 5 million viewers for Thursday. They did it with Community (4.2m/1.8), 30 Rock (4.9m/2.1), The Office (6.95m/3.5), Outsourced (5.22m/2.5), and The Apprentice (3.19m/1.3). Changes are needed.
CBS - The beginning of the week is very solid for CBS. Sunday, with The Amazing Race (10.67m/3.4), Undercover Boss (13.41m/4), and the relocated CSI: Miami (11.75m/3.2) looks good to start things off. The Monday comedies, How I Met Your Mother (8.6m/3.5), Rules Of Engagement (8.43m/3), 2 ½ Men (14.37m/4.5), and Mike & Molly (12.21m/3.9) are also fine. Worth noting there, while 2 ½ Men was slightly down in demo, Mike & Molly was up. That’s a good sign. Also a good sign? Hawaii Five-0 (12.24m/3.5) with another solid first place finish at 10 that is very close to the week 2 numbers.
Tuesday is set as well, with NCIS (19.81m/3.8), NCIS LA (16.15m/3.4), and The Good Wife (12.76m/2.5). Better numbers from Good Wife would, I’m sure, be welcomed, but it’s easily winning the time slot at those levels. The first real concern comes Wednesday. Survivor (12.05m/3.8) has settled into the night quite nicely, and Criminal Minds (13.87m/3.5) is cruising right along. The Defenders (9.28m/2.2) though, is another new show that just continues to drop. That’s especially concerning this week as the competition was down. With so few issues on the schedule, the network can work with that number, but further erosion could be a problem, and could lead to giving Blue Bloods a shot there.
The other issue on the schedule, perhaps surprisingly, is CSI (12.5m/2.7). Big Bang Theory (12.59m/4.1) and Bleep My Dad Says (9.77m/2.9) are fine opening the night, and The Mentalist (14.4m/3) looks good at 10. CSI is really showing its age though. It’s not a desperate situation, like other networks are facing (Undercovers, The Whole Truth, Good Guys), but we’re getting close to the time when the network has to figure out what to do with the OG CSI. I’m sure all the networks would like to have a problem with shows that still get 12 million viewers. Friday finished up with Medium (6.1m/1.2), CSI: NY (9.87m/1.9), and Blue Bloods (11.09m/1.8) easily winning the night.
CW - Not much to report from the little network this week. All the shows were very close to the numbers from the previous week. They were 90210 (1.79m/.9), Gossip Girl (2m/1.1), One Tree Hill (1.97m/1), Life Unexpected (1.51m/.7), Next Top Model (2.85m/1.3), Hellcats (2.13m/.9), Vampire Diaries (3.47m/1.6), Nikita (2.9m/1.1), Smallville (2.37m/1), and Supernatural (2.28m/1). Worth noting in that were gains for Nikita, and the fact that Smallville and Supernatural both finished third in the demo for their hours.
CABLE – Remember when SciFi became Syfy, and there was all that hand-wringing about what that meant for the future of the network? We’re now on the verge of seeing all of that come to fruition. Caprica (.89m/.4) returned to its new slot, and didn’t look good at all. Stargate Universe (1.07m/.5) doesn’t look a lot better. The simple answer would seem to be to return the shows to Friday night, where both did better. But I’m guessing that once we see the results for the Friday wrestling show, that won’t really be an option. This is the new Syfy world.
Basic:
Premium
Clacked by Brett Love 
on Oct 11, 2010 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
If Syfy pushes out SGU and Caprica, I’m gone as well. Those are my shows. I understand that others enjoy their other fare (good for them), but I simply do not.
*POST AUTHOR*
Sadly, it’s really not an uncommon thing on cable. There are a bunch of channels that started off with a specific mission in mind, only to later fold under the pressure of ratings and dollars and become something unrecognizable from the original. Do you remember the original FX? Or Bravo? G4? A&E? The Nashville Network?
I’m still not quite sure how wrestling became a staple on a network “devoted” to science fiction, fantasy and horror.
Wrestling on a science fiction station? That’s just goofy.
I like Caprica and SU too. That’s probably the kiss of death.
Thank you – this is a wonderful network by network analysis. The SyFy information is interesting. I never caught BSG so I was not into the heavy SciFi Shows. I do like Eureka and Warehouse 13 – so I like the lighter, fun fare. I also liked SG Atlantis – which was lighter also.
I wonder if ABC will stop trying to recreate Lost’s convoluted time lines and mysterious happenings and come up with something entirely new. Lost cannot be duplicated.
Again, I agree with Mary, this is an excellent network by network analysis. I was really rooting for NBC to have luck with new scripted shows after the Leno mess, but can’t think of one of their new shows that I would really miss. “Outlaw” should be the next to go. ABC could save themselves a lot of trouble if they got rid of “Whole Truth” sooner, rather than later. I’m hoping they give Detroit 1-8-7, a little more time to find viewers–what do you think? CBS is in such good shape–5-0 looks solid, how about Defenders with a little more time? FOX could get rid of Good Guys”–I quit during its summer test, and have no excuse for my brief return to give it a second chance–I am looking for the November return of HumanTarget. “Bones” is still good, even though FOX doesn’t promote it much.