Summer of FAIL for broadcast TV

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**Frazzled**

http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/08/summer-of-fail-why-are-new-shows-bombing.html

Summer of fail: Why are new shows bombing?

This summer is one for the record books: more than a dozen new programs launched on broadcast television and not one breakout hit, with returning shows down and ratings at an all-time low.

After a tough season for broadcasters, summer has been a huge disappointment.

"The sheer amount of waste is staggering," one broadcast executive said. "They say reality is low cost, but there are still costs."

Accumulated near the bottom of the ratings list are new programs like ABC's wonky "Grey's Anatomy"-in-space drama "Defying Gravity" (3.3 million viewers, 1.0 adults 18-49 rating); ABC's ironically titled "The Superstars" (3.8 million, 1.3); NBC's crime drama "The Listener" (4.7 million, 1.3); Fox's scripted psychological procedural "Mental" (4.6 million, 1.4 adults 18-49 rating); NBC's once-promising drama "The Philanthropist" (5.6 million, 1.4); the CW's relationship reality show "Hitched or Ditched" (1.4 million, 0.6); NBC's imported miniseries "Merlin" (4.8 million, 1.3); and NBC's "Great American Road Trip" (3.9 million, 1.1), or, as one publicist called it, "Great American Roadkill."

Note the wide range of genres. There are programs from every broadcaster, with imported dramas like "Mental" and domestically grown titles such as "Philanthropist." There's no clear trend that the titles have in common -- other than flopping.

"Sometimes we make general pronouncements about trends; this summer we just collectively missed the mark," another network exec said. "There's too many shows with 1s in front of their demo rating. We just did a bad job."

The one potential systemic reason was that a few of the projects were picked up during the writers strike. "It felt like a leftover summer -- whatever was sitting on the shelves, a fire sale," one network exec said.

Still, that only explains some of the titles.

Among the better performers was Fox's fat bachelor dating show "More to Love" (3.9 million, 1.8), NBC's Heidi and Spencer-filled "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here" (5.0 million, 1.9) and ABC's literal blind dating series "Dating in the Dark" (5.1 million, 2.1).

"Dark" performed well when it had a "Bachelorette" lead-in and carries the highest average rating of the new shows. Yet none of them has drawn large enough of an audience to be considered highly likely to return.

Other new titles this summer include CBS' urban "Survivor" reality show "There Goes the Neighborhood" (4.8 million, 1.6) and ABC's investment reality series "Shark Tank" (4.2 million, 1.3), both of which debuted to disappointing numbers Sunday yet could improve.

At the bottom of the ratings list were a couple of shows that were new to summer but launched in-season -- like ABC's "Surviving Suburbia" (3.2 million, 0.9).

Appropriate for a summer of fail, the very last show was one of the most expensive and with the most regal title -- "Kings," which was run off on Saturdays.

At the top of the list are returning hits "America's "Got Talent" (12.4 million, 3.4) from NBC and Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" (9 million, 3.5), with "Talent" leading in viewers and "Dance" edging out a victory for the adult demo. Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" (7.4 million, 3.4) and ABC's "Wipeout" (8.8 million, 3.1) round out the top shelf. Yet all took knocks from last summer.

The erosions are not happening in a vacuum. The ratings playing field between broadcast and cable ratings continues to collectively flatten, with several shows on cable posting gains (such as USA's "Royal Pains" and "Burn Notice" and HBO's "True Blood").

For the summer, Fox (averaging 5.2 million, 1.9) leads in the demo, with largely repeat-driven CBS (6.8 million, 1.5) tops among total viewers. Then there's ABC (4.8 million, 1.6), NBC (5.3 million, 1.5) and the CW (1 million, 0.4).

Subscribe to The Live Feed's daily email newsletter

**barlio**

Geez I wonder why? I'll take Kings for example. When they were pitching I don't remember actually seeing clips from the show. It was like they expected us to either tune in opening night or search for it on the internet. We are lazy, you must pitch it to us a little bit.

Too many new shows as well. I can care less about the summer television break As long as i can watch Wipeout and the Office on TBS I'm ok, everything else looks like crap.

If Defying Gravity suffered it's because you showed Space-Lesbians (who weren't kissing), a dude crying, and added the fact that a writer or producer for Grey's Anatomy is directing it or something. I don't know why True Blood is doing so well on HBO either. It's basically Scinemax on a Sunday night. First season was good, but now it just sucks.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that the Network nitwits need to pull their collective head out. The NFL season is coming up. If anything learn from them. You can't go wrong with good, well-written, family comedies, people love good characters, and don't over-sell it. If you have an audience they will watch it.

**BrookM**

True Blood is pretty good.

**barlio**

I think Season 1 was great, but Season 2 just seems like it is about sex. Not that I mind, but at some point in a show like that you're trying to cover up something else.

From what I've heard (from friends who have read the books) it is creeping farther, and farther from the books.

**Kanluwen**

The only good shows that are ever really on during the summer are USA's shows and Eureka.

With a smattering of Ghost Hunters episodes(your opinion on the paranormal or the accusations of hoaxes aside) being quite good.

Or at least that's how I feel about it.

**Cheese Elemental**

TV over here is pretty good if you ask me. Most of our documentaries and the friday night crime shows are British, as is the Bill (which is very popular). We don't have Doctor Who screening at the moment, but we did get the recent specials. Pity I have to wait until November for the next one.

Most of the stuff on satellite TV is either American or British, with most of the Australian shows being on the Lifestyle channel and stuff like that.

I have to say though, the only non-satellite channel worth watching (IMO) is the ABC (not the American one), because Southern Cross, WIN and TDT just find a bunch of American shows and shamelessly slap them on air. I'd watch SBS more, but 90% of the shows on it are in foreign languages.

**warpcrafter**

If it weren't for Warehouse 13 and Eureka! I would hardly even turn on the TV this summer. I'm waiting for the new seasons of NCIS, CSI: New York and Fringe. Those three shows had absolutely killer cliffhangers and I will be a wreck the week leading up to the payoffs. I'm Surprised that nobody mentioned the biggest dud on the air, Monster Hunters on the history channel. They ran out of actual 'monsters' and so they started looking for feral dog packs, giant rats and roving killer chimps. Sounds like what I had to deal with walking to school.

**Kanluwen**

warpcrafter wrote:If it weren't for Warehouse 13 and Eureka! I would hardly even turn on the TV this summer. I'm waiting for the new seasons of NCIS, CSI: New York and Fringe. Those three shows had absolutely killer cliffhangers and I will be a wreck the week leading up to the payoffs. I'm Surprised that nobody mentioned the biggest dud on the air, Monster Hunters on the history channel. They ran out of actual 'monsters' and so they started looking for feral dog packs, giant rats and roving killer chimps. Sounds like what I had to deal with walking to school.

You mean MonsterQuest?

Some of the stuff they investigate IS odd...
But then again, you can't have every episode being a hunt for Bigfoot can you?

Poor furry guy needs his space!

**ShumaGorath**

I really only watch the daily show and comedy central presents presentations these days. Modern television is pure gak because the average american television watcher is a brain-dead mouth-breathing tool. Long live Hulu.

**Oldgrue**

I was really enjoying Kings. Too bad that ended.

**Cheese Elemental**

ShumaGorath wrote:I really only watch the daily show and comedy central presents presentations these days. Modern television is pure gak because the average american television watcher is a brain-dead mouth-breathing tool. Long live Hulu.

We don't have nearly as many brain-dead mouth-breathing tools over here (just rowdy blokes who like AFL too much), but some of the American crap I see is just awful. How the feth did the Sarah Silverman program win Emmy awards? It's not funny, it's just stupid. Why not give the awards to something that actually deserves it? If that's the kind of lame program that gets awards, standards must really have dropped over the pond.

**Kanluwen**

I'm fairly certain the Sarah Silverman program didn't win any Emmy Awards.

It may be that she did, and they call it "Emmy award winning Sarah Silverman in the Sarah Silverman Show" or somethin'.

But it's cancelled, as far as I know so...

**Cheese Elemental**

Kanluwen wrote:I'm fairly certain the Sarah Silverman program didn't win any Emmy Awards.

It may be that she did, and they call it "Emmy award winning Sarah Silverman in the Sarah Silverman Show" or somethin'.

But it's cancelled, as far as I know so...

Huh, I'll have to look into that.

**warpcrafter**

Kanluwen wrote:
warpcrafter wrote:If it weren't for Warehouse 13 and Eureka! I would hardly even turn on the TV this summer. I'm waiting for the new seasons of NCIS, CSI: New York and Fringe. Those three shows had absolutely killer cliffhangers and I will be a wreck the week leading up to the payoffs. I'm Surprised that nobody mentioned the biggest dud on the air, Monster Hunters on the history channel. They ran out of actual 'monsters' and so they started looking for feral dog packs, giant rats and roving killer chimps. Sounds like what I had to deal with walking to school.

You mean MonsterQuest?

Some of the stuff they investigate IS odd...
But then again, you can't have every episode being a hunt for Bigfoot can you? Poor furry guy needs his space!

Yeah, you're right. It was interesting when they were searching for Bigfoot, the Chupacabra and the Jersey Devil, but lately it seems like they've become a parody of themselves. I know there are feral dogs and giant rats, I've seen them in my own neighborhood. That's why I used to keep giant bottle-rockets around, before they became illegal.

**Kilkrazy**

Merlin was made by the BBC as a late afternoon children's/teenager drama. I didn't get very good ratings over here though the only episode I watched seemed OK.

**Lordhat**

I'm currently watching Warehouse 13, Eureka, and Royal Pains. None of which hold a candle to Heroes, BSG(might watch Caprica, might not) or Lost.

**Kanluwen**

BSG was okay until the middle of the third season.

Then it just got too freakin' weird.

But anyways, @ Warpcrafter:

I think the reason they look into the "weirder" cryptids(which is what giant mutant rats, etc are filed under) is to compete with SciFi's Destination Truth(which caught some of the greatest Yeti evidence on their investigation around Christmas of 07/08ish--made international headlines for a few weeks, and they're STILL running tests on the footprints to make sure they're not hoaxes).

**Roze**

BrookM wrote:True Blood is pretty good.

True blood was awesome i DlL'ded all of season 1 and it was amazing but that was last year.....is there a season 2?

**Noble713**

Roze wrote:
BrookM wrote:True Blood is pretty good.

True blood was awesome i DlL'ded all of season 1 and it was amazing but that was last year.....is there a season 2?

Yeah, I think it started just a few months ago. I'm waiting for it to finish so I can *ahem* "acquire it" and watch it all in 3-4 days like I did Season 1. As for it being "mostly about sex".....uhhh, couldn't the same be said about Season 1? I mean, I summarize Season 1 for people as "Boobies & Blood".

Just watched the first episode of Defying Gravity on Hulu. I like hard sci-fi stuff but the whole medical/relationship drama thing doesn't really work for me as I can't relate to any of that crap.....except for House, but that's just cause the titular character is cool.