LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - If the opening of the fall TV season has proved one thing so far, it's that comedy has reclaimed the broadcast throne.
After the genre made promising gains last season with the launch of game-changers "Modern Family" and "Glee," this year's first couple of weeks of premieres are forming a pattern: popular comedies are returning to steady or better ratings than last year, and top dramas are coming back to lower numbers -- sometimes, a lot lower.
Of the seven highest-rated premieres so far, five were comedies. There was Fox's "Glee" (5.6 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic, up 60%; each ratings point in that demo equals about 1.3 million viewers), ABC's "Modern Family" (5.1, up 21%), NBC's "The Office" (4.4, up 7%), "CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" (4.9, up 4%) and "Two and a Half Men" (4.9, up 10%).
Of the two other top premieres, one was a drama (ABC's "Grey's Anatomy"; 5.4, down 21%) and the other was a reality show (ABC's "Dancing With the Stars"; 5.1, up 24%).
The "Grey's" slump was not without company. Part of the issue is the oft-reported observation that many of TV's dramas are a bit long in the tooth. Veteran series "House" (4.2) was down 37%, "CSI" (3.4) -- despite a guest appearance by Justin Bieber -- fell 17%, and "NCIS" (4.0) was down 17%.
Ratings for new shows followed a predictable bell-curve pattern of a couple delivering truly impressive opens, several performing solidly and a handful that blew up at the starting gate.
"Everybody has something to feel good about," CBS scheduling chief Kelly Kahl said.
Especially CBS, which is off to a great start. On Monday, "Hawaii Five-0" (3.9) didn't create quite the splash that many expected, though its rating is formidable, and freshman "Mike & Molly" (3.9) managed to be the second-highest-rated comedy in the network's block. Tuesday legal drama "The Defenders" (2.9) wasn't spectacular but didn't embarrass either. Thursday's "$#*! My Dad Says" (4.0) opened terrific. And on Friday, despite rumors of a troubled production, "Blue Bloods" (2.2) performed solidly in a tough time period and even won the night.
"All our new shows so far have at least gotten off the ground and look to have every opportunity to succeed," Kahl said.
Much has been made of CBS' bold scheduling shakeup for fall. And although at least one move clearly has paid off -- "Survivor" (4.0) is rocking its new Wednesday time period -- the jury is still out on the others. The network's comedies went big on Thursday for their first week, though whether the critically panned "$#*!" will maintain its numbers is a question. "Hawaii" was below "CSI: Miami" in its time period, and on Friday, "CSI: NY" drew a tad less than "Medium" at the post last year.
NBC has enjoyed a couple positive headlines. Monday's mystery thriller "The Event" (3.6) had a head-turning opening for the network in a competitive time period, and insiders hope audiences stick around for the next couple episodes, which critics say improve creatively on the pilot. At 10 p.m., action-thriller "Chase" (2.3) wasn't able to catch up with competitors. New spy dramedy "Undercovers" (2.1) underwhelmed, and Friday's Jimmy Smits legal drama "Outlaw" (1.1) looks DOA against "Blue Bloods."
"It's still the top of the first inning, but I'm happy with our start," NBC scheduling head Mitch Metcalf said. "We've set out what we planned to do, and that's to patiently hour-by-hour lay the foundation for a long-term turnaround.
Many expected NBC's "Community" (2.2) to get crushed by "Big Bang" on Thursdays, but the comedy delivered a typical number.
"They're different types of comedies," Metcalf said. "It's not an election where the winner takes all."
Thursday's new comedy "Outsourced" (3.6) was impressive. But the return to a civilian version of "The Apprentice" (1.4) is not doing the network any favors on the night.
No comments:
Post a Comment