Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Overnight TV Ratings -- Goodbye "Studio 60"

In its last attempt to show a little life before being shunted aside by "Black Donnellys" (aka "The Sopranos" with a brogue), "Studio 60" again failed miserably, losing more than 50% of its "Heroes" lead-in. I think they've made it easier for fans to say goodbye since the show has been running away from whatever made itn distinctive in the first place. Meanwhile, I enjoyed "Heroes" but it's gonna get awfully hard for me to get used to the idea of Milo Ventimiglia flying through the air. The less we see of that sort of thing, the better. And I hope Ando ignores Hiro and tracks him down -- they make a great team. Personally, I don't see the point of being a superhero if I can't have a sidekick a la Robin. But maybe that's just me. And yes, perception matters a great deal. "Heroes" loses audience from its lead-in, gameshow "Deal Or No Deal" while both "24" and especially "Two and a Half Men" improve dramatically. But "Heroes" is the winner in the eyes of the media and rightly so. "24" and "Two and a Half Men" were established hits and now "Heroes" is beating "24" in viewers and beating "Two...Men" in the 18-49 demo. Still, "Two...Men" is a hit and never gets the respect it deserves because critics are bored by it. For a complete ratings breakdown, go to MediaWeek's Marc Berman.

8 p.m.
1. Deal Or No Deal -- 17.59 million viewers
2. Prison Break -- 9.55 million
3. How I Met Your Mother -- 9.12 million/The Class -- 8.80 million
4. Wife Swap -- 8.68 million
5. Everybody Hates Chris -- 2.99 million/All Of Us -- 2.54 million

9 p.m.
1. Two and a Half Men -- 16.58 million /Rules Of Engagement -- 13.94 million
2. Heroes -- 14.02 million
3. 24 -- 12.96 million
4. Supernanny -- 8.89 million
5. Girlfriends -- 2.24 million/The Game -- 2.29 million

10 p.m.
1. CSI: Miami -- 19.08 million
2. Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip -- 6.40 million
3. What About Brian -- 5.64 million

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Too bad -- what may have been the last show of the series was, for me, also the funniest and most entertaining. That is, except for every single moment involving Harriet or Matthew Perry's character pining for Harriet. That entire storyline bored me to tears.

Michael in New York said...

I'm sorry. It can be painful to watch a show you like be trashed by others and then cancelled. It's as if you were reading a decent book -- not for everyone, but smart and you liked it -- and then they ripped it out of your hands just as you were sinking into the story. That's one of the unique things about TV. How it can cut off a tale in mid-sentence. Hmm, I should blog about that. Dig your website! The quotes section is a fun idea, too. Did you create it yourself?

Anonymous said...

Thanks, and yes, the website is homemade (and, obviously, still under construction). I've been noodling around with ideas for the site for a few years, and finally put something on the web a couple of months ago. Actually, the quote board was inspired by something on your old site-- that section on people's first jobs (isn't that right?) Anyway, I'm not that invested in Studio 60 -- probably the only reason I cared at all was I know someone working on it.

Unknown said...

As is typical for television, any show that targets viewers with a reading level higher than the sixth grade can't survive. Studio 60 required much more from viewers. TV remains "a vast wasteland." I'm glad I'm not foolish enough to actually pay for it.