http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/cold_pea_cocked_PISEVKqwpAPOC1gdgJgkfJ

Cold-Peacocked: NBC bludgeoned by its disaster of a schedule

By CLAIRE ATKINSON
Last Updated: 12:58 AM, February 12, 2013
Posted: 12:31 AM, February 12, 2013

NBC entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt forgot the first rule of network TV: Do no harm.

After finishing the fall season on top of the ratings heap for the first time in nearly a decade, NBC is suddenly mired in last place again — and close to earning the dubious distinction of having the worst midseason schedule in the history of broadcast television.

Greenblatt, who is in only his second season as the network’s entertainment chairman, is feeling the harsh glare of the spotlight just as parent Comcast gets ready to report earnings tomorrow. Comcast owns 51 percent of NBCUniversal.

Thanks to the strength of Sunday night football and “The Voice,” NBC had a shockingly good fourth quarter, attracting an average of 8.25 million viewers in primetime and winning its first sweeps period in nine years.

What a difference a few weeks makes.

Without those shows to start the new year, NBC lost nearly half its younger viewers ages 18 to 49, the audience advertisers care about most. And total viewers hit a low of just 4.9 million at the end of last week.

“The network also got older,” said Horizon Media research chief Brad Adgate. “They’ve gone from an average age of 49 years to 51.5 years old. All the numbers are headed in the wrong direction.”

Part of the once proud Peacock’s problem is a disastrous slate of midseason replacements that included “Do No Harm,” which is likely to go down as one the biggest flops in the network’s history.

The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde medical drama drew an abysmal 3.1 million total viewers in its debut and was canceled after just two episodes.

Nielsen is set to release another week of humbling mid-season ratings today, adding to the pressure on Greenblatt to junk more shows.

Industry chatter is swirling that Greenblatt will have to cancel his big-budget Broadway musical baby “Smash” after it recorded 4.5 million viewers, down more than 60 percent compared with last year.

Stemming NBC’s slide is getting even tougher with these factors looming:

* Lead actress Christina Applegate is not returning to “Up All Night.”

* The hit comedy “30 Rock” is over, while the finale of “The Office” is May 16.

* “Smash,” “1600 Penn,” “Deception,” “Go On” and “The New Normal” are all struggling.

Just a few weeks ago at a TV critics tour, Greenblatt was feeling cocky and touting NBC’s success.

“I can guarantee you, we don’t have our heads up our asses,” he said in response to a comment by a rival entertainment chief, Fox’s Kevin Reilly, about the TV industry’s misguided focus on live ratings in the age of the DVR.

(News Corp. owns Fox and The Post.)

“I’m surprised at the cockiness,” said ratings watcher Bill Gorman of TVbythenumbers.com. “You could have looked at fall and known these shows might not do so well after you remove the hits. It’s OK for CBS to be cocky — not NBC.”

And they're losing two younger-skewing comedies in 30 Rock and The Office.

I guess I still don't understand how their sister cable network, USA, is doing so well for cable and has so many hits yet they can't develop successful shows for NBC. Some of the USA shows are doing better than the NBC shows and have a younger audience.

I just started watching Chicago Fire. That's a pretty good show. That looks like it will get renewed. I like Revolution too but NBC took it off until the end of March. I was angry at first because of the long delay. Maybe it was a smart move. NBC can't seem to get a hit show without the Voice as a lead-in.

This is from the '70s.

NBC = Nine Bombs Cancelled. :lol:

I just started watching Chicago Fire. That's a pretty good show. That looks like it will get renewed. I like Revolution too but NBC took it off until the end of March. I was angry at first because of the long delay. Maybe it was a smart move. NBC can't seem to get a hit show without the Voice as a lead-in.
I like 1600 Penn. I doubt it will be back though, given the numbers. Might sample Chicago Fire also.

So many cable dramas are out-rating a lot of the NBC shows. Just imagine if NBC had The Walking Dead... :eek: This is what makes me wonder why are USA's shows doing better than some of NBC's? What is USA doing that NBC isn't?

My fear for The Voice is if they keep running it so much, they're going to get viewer fatigue then have nothing. If they didn't have Sunday Night Football, who knows where they'd be.

I like a lot of the shows NBC has put out, even though a lot of them haven't done that well. At least they're trying to be a little different instead of same old same old like CBS, but that's obviously more popular.

when exactly were they at the "top of the ratings heap"? :confused: - maybe they meant "still slightly ahead of the CW, but mostly pretty embarrassing".

as far as I am concerned, Community is the only show left on NBC worth watching; I watch Whitney but I could take it or leave it, and I love SNL, but if they are going to have no-talent idiots like Beiber host it then I am NOT going to watch (this was the first new episode of SNL I have boycotted, I don't think I have missed any episodes since the early 80's)

when exactly were they at the "top of the ratings heap"? :confused: - maybe they meant "still slightly ahead of the CW, but mostly pretty embarrassing".

as far as I am concerned, Community is the only show left on NBC worth watching; I watch Whitney but I could take it or leave it, and I love SNL, but if they are going to have no-talent idiots like Beiber host it then I am NOT going to watch (this was the first new episode of SNL I have boycotted, I don't think I have missed any episodes since the early 80's)
NBC had a pretty good fall season. Sunday night Football and the Voice were big and Revolution was beating Hawaii Five-O and Castle. Go On and The New Normal were also doing well but both have fallen big after the Voice went off. NBC just isn't much without The Voice.

NBC is such a mess, and I find it hilarious that their old "narrow, sophisticated shows" are beating their "new broad shows for everyone!!!" handily.

Anyway, I think the network's major problem is they have absolutely no identity, and therefore don't know what audience to cater to. "We're going to make shows that everyone likes!" is not an identity and sounds like a 30 Rock joke. The other networks have certainly had their issues lately but the thing that keeps them afloat, and above NBC, is that they all have a pretty specific viewer base they can go back to - young people for Fox, middle-aged women/families for ABC, the Middle America audience for CBS, and hell even young girls for The CW. NBC doesn't have that. What audience do shows like Go On and The New Normal appeal to? They don't have the acclaim of the Thursday night shows so they don't get the urban professional viewers of those shows, but they're also not really broad or accessible so the CBS audience they're desperately trying to court rejects them as well. Their strategy to make a bunch of middling/okay shows that lazily rip-off elements from other shows and expect them to stick was ridiculous and if they want to try to come back, they need to develop shows that are either a) quality, b) totally broad appeal, or c) ideally, both (though that's almost impossible these days, it seems).

I know they are desperately trying to get away from "narrow" shows like Parks & Rec and Community, but the truth is those shows do bring in a dedicated audience. It's not a huge audience, but it's an audience, which is more than their silly new shows can say.

Did anyone NOT think they would fall this far? NBC is going to look even worse this Thursday when Community and Parks and Rec fall to 1.5 demo.

Did anyone NOT think they would fall this far? NBC is going to look even worse this Thursday when Community and Parks and Rec fall to 1.5 demo.
I don't see why Parks would fall to a 1.5. Even if they both did, they'd still be ahead of the rest of NBC's shows...

I don't see why Parks would fall to a 1.5. Even if they both did, they'd still be ahead of the rest of NBC's shows...
They'd be ahead, but still weak.

Community always takes a pretty huge dip in its second week back. Taking in account those drops, I'm guessing 0.4 back, making it a 1.5. Parks and Rec may grow out of it, but most of this season its hovered around a 1.6.

These are just predictions, but I may end up being incorrect.

I thought the show "Go On" was pulling in big numbers for NBC?:confused:

I thought the show "Go On" was pulling in big numbers for NBC?:confused:

It was until it lost The Voice as a lead-in.

NBC is having a miserable winter, no doubt about it. But it's one step at a time for a network that has had such a horrible run. They were the only network to get a genuine new hit this year in Revolution (yes the lead in helps of course but the show has done well in time shifted viewing too). The Voice is a genuine hit and Chicago Fire has been surprising. They are FAR from out of the hole as evidenced by this winter but a solid fall and spring with a miserable winter is a step up for NBC from the past couple years

I don't doubt that Revolution would be in the same position as Go On and The New Normal if it had gone Voice-less. NBC knew it too, hence why they opted to put it on a 4-month hiatus rather than seeing if it could stand on its own. I don't think NBC is any better off right now than they were a year ago, when they had The Voice, Smash riding off of The Voice's coattails, and then...everything else.

It was until it lost The Voice as a lead-in.

NBC is having a miserable winter, no doubt about it. But it's one step at a time for a network that has had such a horrible run. They were the only network to get a genuine new hit this year in Revolution (yes the lead in helps of course but the show has done well in time shifted viewing too). The Voice is a genuine hit and Chicago Fire has been surprising. They are FAR from out of the hole as evidenced by this winter but a solid fall and spring with a miserable winter is a step up for NBC from the past couple years


The 2nd season is never good for NBC

I don't doubt that Revolution would be in the same position as Go On and The New Normal if it had gone Voice-less. NBC knew it too, hence why they opted to put it on a 4-month hiatus rather than seeing if it could stand on its own. I don't think NBC is any better off right now than they were a year ago, when they had The Voice, Smash riding off of The Voice's coattails, and then...everything else.
I think the Voice had a lot to do with Revolution's ratings but it was beating Hawaii Five-O and Castle. That was pretty impressive. And NBC rewarded it by cutting it's order by 2 episodes. I'm not sure it will do as well after a 4 month break however. I like the show but I'll have to watch it on another day. The timeslot is too crowded for me.

NBC has had some acclaimed "sophisticated" and niche shows that were popular with younger viewers. I wonder how they would do if they tried to lean younger, but not necessarily have the "sophisticated" type shows? FOX has done a decent job of generating younger, edgier shows in the past that appealed to a broader demographic than NBC's younger shows. I think they could go after a younger audience, but try to reach a broader audience. They need to look at their sister network USA maybe. I am still trying to wrap my head around how their sister network USA seems to have more hit dramas than they have right now. I haven't checked the numbers lately, but some of the USA dramas are probably comfortably outperforming some of the NBC dramas. I don't get how one channel is run so well while the other is a disaster.

I think the Voice had a lot to do with Revolution's ratings but it was beating Hawaii Five-O and Castle. That was pretty impressive. And NBC rewarded it by cutting it's order by 2 episodes. I'm not sure it will do as well after a 4 month break however. I like the show but I'll have to watch it on another day. The timeslot is too crowded for me.
Hawaii Five-O and Castle aren't really huge raters, even Smash beat them a handful of times last season. I don't know if Revolution's collapse would've been as drastic as the comedies, but I do think it would've taken a significant hit. If NBC really believed it would be able to stand up on its own, they would've let it run during The Voice's off months.


NBC has had some acclaimed "sophisticated" and niche shows that were popular with younger viewers. I wonder how they would do if they tried to lean younger, but not necessarily have the "sophisticated" type shows? FOX has done a decent job of generating younger, edgier shows in the past that appealed to a broader demographic than NBC's younger shows. I think they could go after a younger audience, but try to reach a broader audience. They need to look at their sister network USA maybe. I am still trying to wrap my head around how their sister network USA seems to have more hit dramas than they have right now. I haven't checked the numbers lately, but some of the USA dramas are probably comfortably outperforming some of the NBC dramas. I don't get how one channel is run so well while the other is a disaster.
I think the term "sophisticated" is dumb and I don't really get how NBC's shows are too "smart" for the general public. I could see Community turning some people off because it's conceptual and experimental, and I could see 30 Rock turning some people off because, like Arrested Development, it's fast-paced and requires your full attention. But "sophisticated" is not the right term. I don't see why a show like Parks & Rec can't attract a broad audience, it kind of baffles me honestly. It seems like the so-called "broad" audiences only want things like The Big Bang Theory and CBS procedurals, and everyone else has to find a sizable, dedicated following and live off of them.

As for USA, cable is a different ballgame and hard to compare to network TV. But like I said before, USA has a signature brand (light-weight, almost comic dramas) that NBC lacks.

Hawaii Five-O and Castle aren't really huge raters, even Smash beat them a handful of times last season. I don't know if Revolution's collapse would've been as drastic as the comedies, but I do think it would've taken a significant hit. If NBC really believed it would be able to stand up on its own, they would've let it run during The Voice's off months.



I think the term "sophisticated" is dumb and I don't really get how NBC's shows are too "smart" for the general public. I could see Community turning some people off because it's conceptual and experimental, and I could see 30 Rock turning some people off because, like Arrested Development, it's fast-paced and requires your full attention. But "sophisticated" is not the right term. I don't see why a show like Parks & Rec can't attract a broad audience, it kind of baffles me honestly. It seems like the so-called "broad" audiences only want things like The Big Bang Theory and CBS procedurals, and everyone else has to find a sizable, dedicated following and live off of them.

As for USA, cable is a different ballgame and hard to compare to network TV. But like I said before, USA has a signature brand (light-weight, almost comic dramas) that NBC lacks.
Hawaii Five-O was a bigger hit last year. It's gone way down this year though. Smash started out strong but both Hawaii Five-O and Castle passed it by the end of the year, I think. I watched the first episode of Smash but I couldn't get into it. I don't think NBC knows what they're doing. If a show can't stand on it's own then it really isn't much of a hit and people will leave eventually. I think taking a show off for 4 months is taking a huge risk.

I am still trying to wrap my head around how their sister network USA seems to have more hit dramas than they have right now.USA has three shows that are worth watching every week: White Collar, Covert Affairs, and Psych. NBC doesn't have anything worth watching currently. The two shows I've liked in the last year on NBC have been cancelled after one season (Awake) or pulled even sooner (Animal Practice).

USA has three shows that are worth watching every week: White Collar, Covert Affairs, and Psych. NBC doesn't have anything worth watching currently. The two shows I've liked in the last year on NBC have been cancelled after one season (Awake) or pulled even sooner (Animal Practice).
I also like Royal Pains.

Hawaii Five-O was a bigger hit last year. It's gone way down this year though. Smash started out strong but both Hawaii Five-O and Castle passed it by the end of the year, I think. I watched the first episode of Smash but I couldn't get into it. I don't think NBC knows what they're doing. If a show can't stand on it's own then it really isn't much of a hit and people will leave eventually. I think taking a show off for 4 months is taking a huge risk.
I don't disagree with you there. These are the problems when your entire network is propped up by literally one show.

I think taking a show off for 4 months is taking a huge risk.

Long periods of pre-emption have been the death of many a show, including the original Hawaii Five-O. People think a show has already been cancelled, and go on to watch something else. I read the Networks plan to make their seasons consist of 13-15 episodes. I see a lot of shows lasting only a short time because people will give up when a show disappears for a long hiatus.

I think the term "sophisticated" is dumb and I don't really get how NBC's shows are too "smart" for the general public. I could see Community turning some people off because it's conceptual and experimental, and I could see 30 Rock turning some people off because, like Arrested Development, it's fast-paced and requires your full attention. But "sophisticated" is not the right term. I don't see why a show like Parks & Rec can't attract a broad audience, it kind of baffles me honestly. It seems like the so-called "broad" audiences only want things like The Big Bang Theory and CBS procedurals, and everyone else has to find a sizable, dedicated following and live off of them.

As for USA, cable is a different ballgame and hard to compare to network TV. But like I said before, USA has a signature brand (light-weight, almost comic dramas) that NBC lacks.I'm not a fan of using that word to describe them, either, but that's what they've become known as. If you step back and look, though, they ARE "smarter" than some of the stuff on like TBBT and 2.5 Men. I actually praise NBC for their creativity. I can't see any of the other networks (or even, back at the time, most cable nets) putting anything like The Office or 30 Rock on.

I've always wondered - what makes shows "cable shows?" Do viewers expect something different from cable than broadcast after all of these years that we've had both? Cable has been around long enough that it seems like there wouldn't be a difference anymore. When there are cable shows outranking network shows (it doesn't happen that often, but it's becoming more frequent), which used to never happen, I think it might be a wake-up call for some of the networks. The quality (and quantity) of shows on networks like AMC, FX, and USA is really going up. Some of the AMC and FX shows are almost of premium quality.

I'm a very loyal USA Network viewer, as well. Royal Pains, Suits, White Collar, Psych, and Covert Affairs are favorites of mine. I love their shows. It's too bad this direction apparently wouldn't work for NBC. I think some of the USA shows would fit well with a lot of NBC's single-cam shows.

http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2013/02/7-boneheaded-steps-to-go-from-a-first-place-network-to-a-last-place-network-in-six-weeks/

7. NBC decided to pull its SOLE new hit of the season, Revolution, for a show called Deception, which no one watches. Revolution’s ratings hovered around 3.5, while Deception is around 1.3. Also, Bob Greenblatt reduced Revolution’s order by two episodes to make room for Deception.

6. Much of NBC’s early season success was attributed to the modest success of the Matthew Perry sitcom, Go On and New Normal, which were inexplicably scheduled to go up against more established sitcoms on two other channels (Happy Endings and New Girl). After it was all said and done, all of those sitcoms were damaged, but none more than Go On and New Normal, which — without their The Voice lead-ins — fell to ratings similar to that of Guys with Kids and below Whitney, 1.1 – 1.3.

5. Part of the reason that both Community and 30 Rock received shortened, 13-episode orders was to make room for mid-season replacements, which were expected to perform better in the ratings. Eventually, however, Community was shifted over to replace 30 Rock and that mid-season replacement, 1600 Penn, receives a 1.3 rating. In fact, its ratings are so bad and it is so reviled by critics that it’s been preempted this week for an additional episode of The Office. It would probably be canceled if NBC had anything else to put in the slot, but it axed its Dane Cook sitcom before it even aired.

4. Despite tepid ratings, the well liked Up All Night returned for a second season with a retooled format. It didn’t matter. Ratings continued to fall. NBC pulled the show with the intention of reformatting it as a multi-camera laugh track sitcom. During the hiatus, the showrunner quit, and eventually, so did the show’s lead, Christina Applegate. Nevertheless, this week, NBC inexplicably decided to move forward and film ONE episode in the new format without Applegate. Why? God knows.

3. For a full month before it was set to air, promos for the mid-season drama Do No Harm could not be avoided. Despite heavy promotional efforts, however, the show debuted with the lowest ratings ever for a series debut (0.9 in the demo), and then fell even further in its second week (0.7) before it was canceled. The one upside to this, however, was that NBC found out that Rock Center with Brian Williams had better ratings in its Friday slot than the Thursday slot. What will NBC do? Probably move it back to Thursday in a few weeks.

2. NBC came in the 2012-2013 season with the idea that “broader is better” with their choice of sitcoms. The strategy failed. Animal Practice was quickly canceled, while Guys with Kids and Whitney perform poorly in the ratings. In fact, the “niche” comedies, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and even Community are performing better than the “broader” comedies.

1. Despite a huge promotional effort, personnel turnover, and a lot of hopes pinned on the second-season return of Smash, the premiere debuted with a 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demo, essentially hammering the nail into the coffin of NBC’s once promising 2012-2013 season. Parenthood, which received a shortened 15-episode order to make room for Smash, was receiving a 1.7 rating in the demo. At this point, NBC’s schedule has been pretty much decimated, besides one bright light in a sea of suck: Parks and Recreation‘s audience continues to grow.



Read more: http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2013/02/7-boneheaded-steps-to-go-from-a-first-place-network-to-a-last-place-network-in-six-weeks/#ixzz2KozWVqOQ

Frankly I hardly watch much Broadcast Primetime shows anymore. I stick with Nick at Nite, TV Land, My DVD's, Youtube and Hulu. Of the Big three Networks NBC is the worst! The only show I like on NBC with 30 Rock over is Parks and Recreation, Rock Center(although this is produced by the news division) and Law & Order. I stop watching L&O SVU after Meloni left and I wait and watch Parks on Hulu the Friday after it aired. ABC has more Good shows then NBC but the only thing I really watch is Modern Family and the Middle. Last Man Standing and Malibu County are not bad and both are denct dhows. Malibu County is improving ever week, But it would be better if it was on a different night like Tuesday or Wednesday. It does have other good shows too. CBS is the best now with the most variety. I like How I met your Mtoher, Mike & Molly, two and a Half Mens, NCIS, etc. CBS Thursday is crushing NBC in ratings on that night. As someone said above CBS, ABC and FOX cater to a certain audience and I can tell what that network Identity is just by watching a couple shows on that network(FOX: Young Peoples and Teens. ABC: Middle Aged Women's & Families. CBS: Middle Class Americans and Older Folks) but with NBC it hard to tell what audience they are trying to cater too and appeal. NBC is a mess and it been on the downfall pretty much since Friends, Fraiser and WIll & Grace went off the air.


By The way I found a article about NBC Woes and wanted to share it: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nbcs-first-fourth-free-fall-421103

Damage Assessment: NBC's First-to-Fourth Free Fall
5:00 AM PST 2/13/2013 by Marisa Guthrie

A historic flop in "Do No Harm," chaos on "Up All Night" and a schedule full of holes have insiders (and Brian Williams) grumbling about how to right the ship.

This story first appeared in the Feb. 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

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A very bad month for NBC has left TV industry watchers wondering how the network that went from fourth place to first and back to fourth in a matter of weeks can rebuild for the long term.
NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt admitted Jan. 6 that despite a rare top finish in the 18-to-49 demo for the first half of the season, the network was predicting a rough patch without Sunday Night Football and with The Voice on hiatus until March. "No one is more aware of what January through March will bring than us," he told reporters.
But not even NBC executives were prepared for exactly how dismal the ratings would be for its Thursday night midseason entry Do No Harm. The Jan. 31 bow of the Steven Pasquale drama's 0.9 rating (and 3.1 million viewers) made it the lowest-rated in-season scripted premiere in the history of the Big Four networks and earned it the ax after two episodes.
PHOTOS: Overheard at TCA: Sound Bites From TV's Winter Press Tour
Then came news that Christina Applegate would exit Up All Night, the comedy she's headlined for two uneven seasons, as the Lorne Michaels-produced show attempts to switch from single-camera to multicamera. Sources say the series is not dead yet -- co-stars Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph declined comment on their status -- but admit prospects for survival are bleak. At the same time, Smash, a show championed by Greenblatt, returned Feb. 5 with a poor 1.2 rating, a decline of nearly 70 percent compared with last season's Voice-fueled debut. Struggling midseason comedy 1600 Penn is being pre-empted Feb. 14 by The Office after managing a 1.3 rating with 3.3 million viewers for its Jan. 24 episode. New drama Deception earned a low 1.3 rating with 3.3 million viewers for its Feb. 11 episode (and that was an increase of nearly 20 percent week-over-week in the demo). New comedies Go On and The New Normal -- which benefited from the fall boost at NBC -- have seen their ratings plummet after the holidays, and awards magnet 30 Rock's January finale generated a 1.9 rating (4.9 million viewers). Adding salt to the wound, the network's top-rated comedy, Office, ends in May.
All of this puts enormous pressure on The Voice to deliver for its second cycle of the season -- and without Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green (replaced by Shakira and Usher). And even that one hit doesn't solve NBC's long-term problems. "It's going to take more than The Voice to turn their fortunes around," notes Brad Adgate, senior vp research at Horizon Media, who adds that while ratings erosion was inevitable, "no one anticipated that the falloff would be this great."
But if Greenblatt -- and NBC -- is under the microscope from owner Comcast, insiders say he still has the support of boss Steve Burke, who is giving him plenty of latitude. (Comcast also announced Feb. 12 that it will buy out GE's 49 percent ownership of NBCUniversal for $16.7 billion.) One source close to Greenblatt describes NBC's recent woes as "hellacious" but adds that he is focused on rebuilding, however slowly. He has ordered 27 pilots this season, a massive haul that includes an already-ordered-to-series Michael J. Fox comedy. Sources say the thinking is that even further investment is needed to right the ship.
STORY: Christina Applegate Exits NBC's 'Up All Night'
Some have noted that NBC's much-derided Jay Leno experiment at 10 p.m. produced better ratings than some of the current time-slot occupants. But no one expects the network to return to a variety format -- even at one-fifth the cost of a flop like Do No Harm. "When you have a bad show and you put it into a tough time period, fairly bad things happen," notes a top producer. "Does that mean strategically they return to the most disastrous decision in the history of NBC? No, it doesn't mean that."
Indeed, the modest ratings for Rock Center With Brian Williams -- the previous occupant of the 10 p.m. Thursday slot -- look healthy compared with Do No Harm's nosedive. Rock Center pulled in a 1.3 rating (with 5.5 million viewers) for its inaugural Friday installment on Feb. 8, which was 85 percent better than Do No Harm did the night before. But NBC brass might have upset Williams with the move. He closed Rock Center on Feb. 8 with a segment characterizing Friday as its "latest resting place." Sources at NBC News say Williams was angered that Burbank execs did not give the show the promised promotion, while plans to expand it to multiple weekly airings have been abandoned.
Another executive suggests Greenblatt is focused on doing too much too quickly and should rely on more inexpensive, unscripted fare to plug holes while he homes in on building specific nights. At the moment, NBC has little to use for schedule spackle save for Law & Order: SVU reruns -- which will fill 10 p.m. Thursdays for now -- and a few series in waiting, including the thriller Hannibal. The Celebrity Apprentice returns March 3, and Eva Longoria's Ready for Love follows March 31. Also on the roster is an Anne Heche comedy whose title might serve as a call-to-action for the network: Save Me.

I think the term "sophisticated" is dumb and I don't really get how NBC's shows are too "smart" for the general public. I could see Community turning some people off because it's conceptual and experimental, and I could see 30 Rock turning some people off because, like Arrested Development, it's fast-paced and requires your full attention. But "sophisticated" is not the right term. I don't see why a show like Parks & Rec can't attract a broad audience, it kind of baffles me honestly. It seems like the so-called "broad" audiences only want things like The Big Bang Theory and CBS procedurals, and everyone else has to find a sizable, dedicated following and live off of them.

As for USA, cable is a different ballgame and hard to compare to network TV. But like I said before, USA has a signature brand (light-weight, almost comic dramas) that NBC lacks.


I don't watch single camera, no laugh track sitcoms. I can live without the laugh track but I just don't find these shows very funny. 30 Rock had its moments but went on far too long. I caught The Office on a plane and thought it was so unfunny it was cringe inducing. Same goes for P&R. Not funny.

Should we create a "Book of NBC Stupidity", for all of the networks' many screw-ups which have been committed since 2004?

Could these be two reasons NBC is in last place?


1. Whitney

2. Guys with Kids

Could these be two reasons NBC is in last place?


1. Whitney

2. Guys with Kids
Are you still watching Whitney Sol? I've never seen either show. I don't want to start watching shows with ratings like those.

Are you still watching Whitney Sol? I've never seen either show. I don't want to start watching shows with ratings like those.


I stopped watching it when they took it off Thursday nights. On Wednesdays I am usually watching TV land at 8pm:lol:

And I don't wanna watch any show that has a title........"Guys with kids":lol:

I stopped watching it when they took it off Thursday nights. On Wednesdays I am usually watching TV land at 8pm:lol:

And I don't wanna watch any show that has a title........"Guys with kids":lol:
:lol: yea that is a strange name.

I think they want to try to broaden their sitcoms but they're going to have to do better.

:lol: yea that is a strange name.

I think they want to try to broaden their sitcoms but they're going to have to do better.


I won't have any reason to turn to NBC at all next season because the Office will be gone:lol:

I think Sunday Night Football has a lot to do with it. They draw great ratings and w/o it, NBC suffers. Also, remember NBC did have the Super Bowl last year, so that maybe why NBC was a little higher in the ratings overall. Bonnie Hammer, who I believe oversaw USA Network, is now overseeing all over NBC, I think. So maybe, NBC's luck will change soon.

I'm not a fan of using that word to describe them, either, but that's what they've become known as. If you step back and look, though, they ARE "smarter" than some of the stuff on like TBBT and 2.5 Men. I actually praise NBC for their creativity. I can't see any of the other networks (or even, back at the time, most cable nets) putting anything like The Office or 30 Rock on.

I've always wondered - what makes shows "cable shows?" Do viewers expect something different from cable than broadcast after all of these years that we've had both? Cable has been around long enough that it seems like there wouldn't be a difference anymore. When there are cable shows outranking network shows (it doesn't happen that often, but it's becoming more frequent), which used to never happen, I think it might be a wake-up call for some of the networks. The quality (and quantity) of shows on networks like AMC, FX, and USA is really going up. Some of the AMC and FX shows are almost of premium quality.

I'm a very loyal USA Network viewer, as well. Royal Pains, Suits, White Collar, Psych, and Covert Affairs are favorites of mine. I love their shows. It's too bad this direction apparently wouldn't work for NBC. I think some of the USA shows would fit well with a lot of NBC's single-cam shows.
Oh I agree with you, I love those shows and I do agree they are much better made than crap like Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men. I disagree that NBC is the only network that would air shows like them, though. I'd put a handful of FOX and ABC shows in the same class as them (most notably, New Girl and Happy Endings), as well as tons of cable shows. NBC seems to be trying to move away from that brand, which is unfortunate (and so far, not doing them any good).

Anyway, cable networks are really aiming for a niche market, even moreso than the broadcast networks. A cable network has a very, very specific audience they cater to, rather than the broadcast networks that are really designed to appeal to everyone. Like I said, I think in this day and age the broadcast networks also need to appeal to specific audiences to survive, but they're not quite at the point of cable networks yet and they still need to try to get some kind of broad viewership. Plus, budgets are smaller on cable so there's less at stake.

Maybe USA-type shows could help out NBC, but I kinda wonder if NBC/Universal doesn't want to do that because they don't want to hurt USA's brand.

Oh I agree with you, I love those shows and I do agree they are much better made than crap like Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men. I disagree that NBC is the only network that would air shows like them, though. I'd put a handful of FOX and ABC shows in the same class as them (most notably, New Girl and Happy Endings), as well as tons of cable shows. NBC seems to be trying to move away from that brand, which is unfortunate (and so far, not doing them any good).

Anyway, cable networks are really aiming for a niche market, even moreso than the broadcast networks. A cable network has a very, very specific audience they cater to, rather than the broadcast networks that are really designed to appeal to everyone. Like I said, I think in this day and age the broadcast networks also need to appeal to specific audiences to survive, but they're not quite at the point of cable networks yet and they still need to try to get some kind of broad viewership. Plus, budgets are smaller on cable so there's less at stake.

Maybe USA-type shows could help out NBC, but I kinda wonder if NBC/Universal doesn't want to do that because they don't want to hurt USA's brand.I guess I should have been a little more clear - at the time, I'm not sure if any other broadcast networks would have risked shows like The Office or 30 Rock in the mid-2000s.

The best example currently of a niche broadcast network is The CW, and we know how they're doing (I think stuff like Pretty Little Liars on ABCFamily is doing better). I think young females is too narrow of an audience to target - why not young adults in general? They are targeting too narrow of an audience, IMO, even more narrow than most cable channels. However, you can say for them that they seem to know where they are trying to go, unlike NBC. All of the networks seem to have a direction except for NBC. I don't know where they can even begin to start rebuilding if they could get a decent path ahead. I love the Peacock, and really want to see them do well again.

I guess NBC does deserve some credit for their news division, as well as their late night shows, which last time I checked seemed to be holding up well. I'm sure they're not wanting to overlap a lot with USA in primetime, but it would be interesting to see how NBC would have done if they had developed the "characters" theme there instead of USA.

Should we create a "Book of NBC Stupidity", for all of the networks' many screw-ups which have been committed since 2004?

I created a Facebook page as a start:
http://www.facebook.com/TheBookOfNbcsStupidity

I guess I should have been a little more clear - at the time, I'm not sure if any other broadcast networks would have risked shows like The Office or 30 Rock in the mid-2000s.

The best example currently of a niche broadcast network is The CW, and we know how they're doing (I think stuff like Pretty Little Liars on ABCFamily is doing better). I think young females is too narrow of an audience to target - why not young adults in general? They are targeting too narrow of an audience, IMO, even more narrow than most cable channels. However, you can say for them that they seem to know where they are trying to go, unlike NBC. All of the networks seem to have a direction except for NBC. I don't know where they can even begin to start rebuilding if they could get a decent path ahead. I love the Peacock, and really want to see them do well again.

I guess NBC does deserve some credit for their news division, as well as their late night shows, which last time I checked seemed to be holding up well. I'm sure they're not wanting to overlap a lot with USA in primetime, but it would be interesting to see how NBC would have done if they had developed the "characters" theme there instead of USA.
You could probably make an argument that The CW is basically a cable network at this point. I mean, they get the same ratings as one...lol. I agree that their target audience is not working for them, mostly because ABC Family has stolen their thunder. Arrow has done really well for them this year, though. I think they should start moving in that direction.

I think at this point NBC should really just try to monetize the Parks & Rec/Community crowd that sticks with them because hey, consistent 1.9s look better than consistent 1.3s. They could at least be in the same league as FOX and non-Modern Family ABC.

Did anyone NOT think they would fall this far? NBC is going to look even worse this Thursday when Community and Parks and Rec fall to 1.5 demo.
Welp, last night Parks and Rec fell to an expected 1.5 demo, while Community crashed even further to a measly 1.1 demo. Sorry NBC, but your woes continue.

Welp, last night Parks and Rec fell to an expected 1.5 demo, while Community crashed even further to a measly 1.1 demo. Sorry NBC, but your woes continue.


What was the numbers for the Office?

It got a 2.0. Which, depressingly, is NBC's highest rating this week...ouch.

It got a 2.0. Which, depressingly, is NBC's highest rating this week...ouch.


When that show leaves NBC will really be over

They're going to be pushing that new Michael J. Fox show hard.

Yeah, NBC is going to bank on that Michael J. Fox sitcom big time. It's pretty much the biggest thing they have that has a decent chance of bringing them some much needed numbers. If that doesn't do well, I don't know what the heck they can try.

I think some cable networks might beat CW sometimes. I haven't watched them in years.

It got a 2.0. Which, depressingly, is NBC's highest rating this week...ouch.
NBC had only two shows hit a 2.0 this past week; The Office and The Biggest Loser. I thought it was sad last week when they had only three (Parks and Recreation being the other).

Next week is going to be even worse for NBC (as if that was even possible). The Office is off with Parks and Rec airing at 830 and 9. I'm sure the ratings will be okay, but not a 2.0 demo. If The Biggest Loser doesn't hold at a 2.0, NBC may have EVERY show below a 2.0 demo. I'm not sure that has ever happened in a week for a broadcast network (at least during sweeps period).

NBC had only two shows hit a 2.0 this past week; The Office and The Biggest Loser. I thought it was sad last week when they had only three (Parks and Recreation being the other).

Next week is going to be even worse for NBC (as if that was even possible). The Office is off with Parks and Rec airing at 830 and 9. I'm sure the ratings will be okay, but not a 2.0 demo. If The Biggest Loser doesn't hold at a 2.0, NBC may have EVERY show below a 2.0 demo. I'm not sure that has ever happened in a week for a broadcast network (at least during sweeps period).


Yeah since the Office was a hour last week I guess that's why the show is not airing this week.

Does anyone know what in the heck is up with Deception? Everything about it has been terrible so far and I don't blame people for not wanting to watch it.

Does anyone know what in the heck is up with Deception? Everything about it has been terrible so far and I don't blame people for not wanting to watch it.Revolution fans may be boycotting it for taking Revolution off the air 4 months.

Revolution fans may be boycotting it for taking Revolution off the air 4 months.
I know I haven't watched it.

Perhaps it's time for NBC to be cancelled? :lol:

Perhaps it's time for NBC to be cancelled? :lol:


It will be cancelled in my APT after May since the office will be over.:lol:

It will be cancelled in my APT after May since the office will be over.:lol:
Can they actually drop a National Broadcast Network from your bill like that? just wondering.

Can they actually drop a National Broadcast Network from your bill like that? just wondering.


Actually I forgot I will be watching NBC only on sunday nights when the NFL is on but that's it

Revolution fans may be boycotting it for taking Revolution off the air 4 months.
I doubt that is the reason. The top reason is probably that its not good.

Can they actually drop a National Broadcast Network from your bill like that? just wondering.
I don't think so. At least not CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX....

I don't think so. At least not CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX....
I believe you're correct. The only way they would go away is if the companies themselves decide to close down.

I also like Royal Pains.

I liked Animal Practice:( :mad:

What was the numbers for the Office?

When Parks and Recreation gets cancelled, I will need valium because I will have a major hissy fit and curse the American viewing public for days!:mad:

Parks and Rec will be fine for at least another season.

Parks and Rec will be fine for at least another season.
Agreed. I would not be surprised if it was the only NBC comedy renewed for another season. Community or Go On may be able to sneak in a renewal, but it'll be a long shot. The rest (1600 Penn, The New Normal, Whitney, Guys with Kids, and most likely Save Me) are dead.

^I think Community, Go On, and Whitney all have a chance. Considering the horrible performance of their new comedies this year, I don't know that they'd want to have a line-up so dependent on another set of new comedies. Whitney and Community's 1.2 lows are, sadly, not even that horrible for NBC. If they can stay above that level, I think they'll both get renewed, though who knows what will happen on NBC these days.

Anyway, NBC's ratings from last night...

Betty White's Off their Rockers - 1.4
Go On - 1.1
The New Normal - 1.0
Smash - 0.9

....yikes.

Smash is a dud. Parenthood should be getting a full season next year!

I stopped watching Whitney after the character made this statement when she was about to get married

"For now on if you want me to leave Alex you will have to pay me"







There was nothing funny about that statement

The only current NBC shows that I watch are Revolution and Chicago Fire.

Television history has shown that CBS has always been the strongest network over NBC and ABC. Especially in the 1960's, into the 1970's. NBC took their crown away for a few years and then CBS took it back. ABC had their run in the late 1970's to early 1980's. What I am saying through this history is that CBS has always had the ring or getting it back.

NBC to my knowledge was on top in the mid-1980's to the mid-1990's, and before that back in the early 1950's. NBC was sort of in this position in the 1970's to the early 1980's where the network was such a joke that Johnny Carson would make fun of it. Supertrain! BJ and the Bear! Those two Japanese chicks who couldn't speak English and sang badly.

I think ABC are the ones who should be in the woods lost. Basically they were FOX before there was a FOX, and then FOX came in an usurped their audience base. Three's Company and Soap definitely would have been FOX properties if it existed. What does ABC have to rally around, Modern Family? Modern Family and The Middle are the only shows I watch from that network.

Now, there are many networks vying for watchers of their shows, something like 10 networks making TV programs. I watch all my TV shows every week, even though I live outside the USA and watch my stuff online without commercials on a Mini-IPad.

I say that NBC and ABC are going down a hole whiel CBS is beating them handily, but the FCC wouldn't allow CBS to finish killing their rivals. Then all the networks have lost many viewers to other cable networks and the internet. But I wouldn't buy NBC for $20 bucks.

NBC Nightly News, TODAY, Olympics, The Tonight Show and Jimmy Falon are the only real bright spots for NBC anymore. Yes they are not Primetime shows but it not just NBC Primetime but NBC Universal as a whole that is failing. It's News Division is doing fine despite TODAY (Still it biggest money maker) losing in the ratings but it winning age 25-54 Category and making ground on GMA again in Total viewers. It Primetime sucks, the Time between 12:30-5:00 am sucks, Daytime Ratings are not good and is weak (9am-5pm). Only Ellen does good on NBC Daytime and Steve harvey does okay but other then that not much.

Television history has shown that CBS has always been the strongest network over NBC and ABC. Especially in the 1960's, into the 1970's. NBC took their crown away for a few years and then CBS took it back. ABC had their run in the late 1970's to early 1980's. What I am saying through this history is that CBS has always had the ring or getting it back.

NBC to my knowledge was on top in the mid-1980's to the mid-1990's, and before that back in the early 1950's. NBC was sort of in this position in the 1970's to the early 1980's where the network was such a joke that Johnny Carson would make fun of it. Supertrain! BJ and the Bear! Those two Japanese chicks who couldn't speak English and sang badly.

I think ABC are the ones who should be in the woods lost. Basically they were FOX before there was a FOX, and then FOX came in an usurped their audience base. Three's Company and Soap definitely would have been FOX properties if it existed. What does ABC have to rally around, Modern Family? Modern Family and The Middle are the only shows I watch from that network.

Now, there are many networks vying for watchers of their shows, something like 10 networks making TV programs. I watch all my TV shows every week, even though I live outside the USA and watch my stuff online without commercials on a Mini-IPad.

I say that NBC and ABC are going down a hole whiel CBS is beating them handily, but the FCC wouldn't allow CBS to finish killing their rivals. Then all the networks have lost many viewers to other cable networks and the internet. But I wouldn't buy NBC for $20 bucks.
I don't think you can really make that many comparisons to the networks of today with what they were 30/40 years ago. The CBS of 1970 is not at all the same network of the CBS of 2013, and it seems silly to try to make that comparison. The CBS of today wouldn't even dare to put edgy (for their time) shows like All in the Family and Mary Tyler Moore on the air. Right now, they're a safe network catering to the Middle America audience, which is why they've been such a success because that audience is the one who are doing the most traditional-style TV watching.

But the truth is that all of the networks are in trouble, even CBS. Network TV is far from what it used to be, and I have a feeling pretty soon there's not going to be much distinction between it and cable. Networks are going to have re-evaluate their models and come up with a new way to survive. NBC's collapse is just a sign of things to come for everyone else, I think, which is kind of proven by the fact that ABC and FOX are where NBC was 2-3 years ago right now, and even CBS is having a hard time launching new hits, relying almost completely on their solid base of veteran anchors to keep things afloat.

NBC Nightly News, TODAY, Olympics, The Tonight Show and Jimmy Falon are the only real bright spots for NBC anymore. Yes they are not Primetime shows but it not just NBC Primetime but NBC Universal as a whole that is failing. It's News Division is doing fine despite TODAY (Still it biggest money maker) losing in the ratings but it winning age 25-54 Category and making ground on GMA again in Total viewers. It Primetime sucks, the Time between 12:30-5:00 am sucks, Daytime Ratings are not good and is weak (9am-5pm). Only Ellen does good on NBC Daytime and Steve harvey does okay but other then that not much.

None of those are bright spots except the Olympics. Calling TODAY a bright spot is ridiculous. It is no longer #1. Tonight Show is also sinking. Not a bright spot.

Bright spots are SNF, The Voice, Olympics and to a lesser degree Revolution. And Steve Harvey and Ellen are syndication, not NBC.

None of those are bright spots except the Olympics. Calling TODAY a bright spot is ridiculous. It is no longer #1. Tonight Show is also sinking. Not a bright spot.

Bright spots are SNF, The Voice, Olympics and to a lesser degree Revolution. And Steve Harvey and Ellen are syndication, not NBC.
TODAY Show is still a bright spot because It still make the most money for NBC. It winning the Age 25-54 Demographic which is what counts for the Advertisers. And it making strides against GMA in recent weeks. It not number 1 in total viewers but it still makes lot of Money for NBC and it still had a Good size Audiences(Averaging between 4.5-4.8 Million in recent months) despite what some say. I know you don't like TODAY Show and never have but that the fact. It doing fine without Ann and has gained back a lot of viewers. . TODAY Show is still the most profitable show on TV.

Ellen and Steve Harvey are a production of NBC Universal. Nightly News is Number 1 Evening newscast and Jay Leno is the Number 1 Show in Late Night. beating both Lettemran and Kimmel. Sorry to burst you bubble! I know it killing you that in some area NBC is doing okay and decent.

NBC will finish fifth in sweeps for the first time: http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/nbc-sweeps-ratings-lastloses-to-univision/

NBC=Nothing But Crap!

Ellen and Steve Harvey are a production of NBC Universal. Nightly News is Number 1 Evening newscast and Jay Leno is the Number 1 Show in Late Night. beating both Lettemran and Kimmel. Sorry to burst you bubble! I know it killing you that in some area NBC is doing okay and decent.

Ellen is WARNER BROS. not NBCU!

And all the stuff you mentioned are for shows that are on the decline. Today and Tonight Show are declining, while GMA/Kimmel are not. I don't see that as a "bright spot."

The whole Media Industry is about to CRASH. People have become disgruntled with the ever-rising cost of Pay-TV, not to mention the southward trajectory quality of what's being shown (Thanks to rampant advertising and the proliferation of "unscripted" programming), and are seeking their entertainment and informational needs from other sources. The collapse in imminent, a house divided against itself cannot stand!

Ellen is WARNER BROS. not NBCU!

And all the stuff you mentioned are for shows that are on the decline. Today and Tonight Show are declining, while GMA/Kimmel are not. I don't see that as a "bright spot."
Nope. TODAY Is doing Good doing. They are down form last year but they still have a sizable audience and have cut the gap with GMa since September from 900,000 to 500,000, They are averaging 4.6 Million about 500,000 less then GMA and TODAY Show is the winning the age 25-54 Category which they have been doing lately. They have gained 650,000 Viewers since September. And the Tonight Show is doing Good also! Jay has beaten Jimmy Kimmel every week since the first of January. They beat Jimmy Kimmel by 1 Million Two Weeks ago and 1.2 Million the week before! Jimmy Kimmel has declined since his debut while Jay has widen his lead! That (What you are saying) is false! Those numbers are form tvbythenumbers. Letterman is also beating Kimmel.

Sorry Paven But I don't buy your numbers anymore! I go with what Brian, Stelter (Who is Fair when talking about Ratings on both sides), tvbythenumbers, TVNewser, medialife, The Futon Critic and Network Press Releases says! I now realize that you are just a puppet for ABC and very anti-NBC and bias, Even when I read pots form 8 or 9 Years ago you are obviously Anti-NBC. and ABC little puppet And I know of some users n here who agree with me.

and Steve Harvey is by NBCUniversal Television l Domestic Distribution. It says that on it website.

I'm not going to comment to your comments because you are not making any sense. And FYI, I work at NBC so I know what is going on. I get you're a fan of TODAY, so aren't you biased, too? And you keep going back and forth between total viewers and the demo. You say Today wins in 25-54 and then when talking about Tonight Show you go back to total viewers.

Steve Harvey is owned by NBCU but it is NOT an "NBC Daytime" show like you keep saying. It's first-run syndicated show. The only show that airs on NBC Daytime is Days of Our Lives. Steve Harvey and Ellen are not part of NBC Daytime and can air on any affiliate.

And since USATVFAN just keeps going on and on without any actual facts, here is the GMA vs. TODAY season to date (9/24/12-2/8/13) ratings:

TODAY NBC: HH 3.5/13; 4.610 million; 1.6 A25-54 Rtg (1.893 million); 1.1 A18-49 Rtg (1.419 million)
GMA ABC: HH 3.9/14; 5.135 million; 1.6 A25-54 Rtg (1.958 million); 1.1 A18-49 Rtg (1.453 million)

It's close in the demos but TODAY is not in the lead.

EDIT: Listed Total Households instead of Total Viewers. Now fixed.

As long as the Today doesn't fall to 3rd place they should be fine. They just have to figure out two things

1. How to stay right behind GMA

2. How to eventually regain the lead

And since USATVFAN just keeps going on and without any actual facts, here is the GMA vs. TODAY season to date (9/24/12-2/17/13) ratings:

TODAY NBC: HH 3.5/13; 4.009 million; 1.6 A25-54 Rtg (1.893 million); 1.1 A18-49 Rtg (1.419 million)
GMA ABC: HH 3.9/14; 4.404 million; 1.6 A25-54 Rtg (1.958 million); 1.1 A18-49 Rtg (1.453 million)

It's close in the demos but TODAY is not in the lead.


Not too bad, they are just in a battle right now and have to eventually figure out how to get the lead.

And since USATVFAN just keeps going on and without any actual facts, here is the GMA vs. TODAY season to date (9/24/12-2/17/13) ratings:

TODAY NBC: HH 3.5/13; 4.009 million; 1.6 A25-54 Rtg (1.893 million); 1.1 A18-49 Rtg (1.419 million)
GMA ABC: HH 3.9/14; 4.404 million; 1.6 A25-54 Rtg (1.958 million); 1.1 A18-49 Rtg (1.453 million)

It's close in the demos but TODAY is not in the lead.

In the last 4 Months TODAY Show has had more then 4.4 Million Viewers 500,000 behind GMA in recent weeks. They had 4.9 last week which was the biggest since June. And TODAY Show had beaten GMA in the n the Age 25-54 Demo in the last 4 out of 5 Weeks. From NBC Press Release and TVNewswer .

http://www.nbcumv.com/mediavillage/networks/nbcnews/today/pressreleases?pr=contents/press-releases/2013/02/07/todayisno1morni1360268343952.xml


February 07, 2013
'TODAY' IS NO. 1 MORNING SHOW 4 OUT OF 5 WEEKS IN A25-54

TODAY Leads GMA by 27K in A25-54 Over the Past Five Weeks

Over the Past Five Weeks, TODAY Posts a 126K Viewer Gain in A25-54 Versus the Prior STD Period

TODAY Is the Only Morning Show to Post Week-to-Week Growth in Total Viewers

TODAY Had Its Best Deliveries in Total Viewers and A25-54 Since the Week of the Presidential Election (November 5, 2012)

NEW YORK - February 7, 2013 - NBC's TODAY was the number-one morning show for the week of January 21 in the key demo A25-54 and was the only morning program to post week-to-week gaines in total viewers (+40k). TODAY also continues to post notable long term growth in the key demo and total viewers. Over the past five weeks, TODAY has led GMA by +27k viewers in A25-54, a giant +127% (+126k) turnaround versus the prior STD period, which TODAY had viewer deficit. For the week, TODAY posted its best key demo and total viewer deliveries since the week of November 5, 2012.

TODAY Highlights, Week of January 21:

*TODAY posts best total viewer and A25-54 (000) deliveries since week of November 5, 2012 (week of Presidential Election)


TODAY Beat GMA for the week by +3,000 demo viewers and led CBS This Morning by +1,012,000 demo viewers
TODAY has placed first in viewers in the key demo rating for 4 out of 5 weeks
TODAY posted best rating Men 18-49 since the week of November 5, 2012
TODAY was the only morning news program to grow week-to-week (+1% or +40,000)


SEASON-TO-DATE INSIGHTS:


TODAY was up versus its season-to-date average in total viewers (+7% or +325,000) and in key demos:
+13% in rating Women 18-49
+18% in Adults 18-49
+10% in rating Women 25-54
+13% in rating Adults 25-54

And FYI, I work at NBC so I know what is going on.I'm surprised you work at NBC considering how harsh you are on them. What exactly do you do there? I would think you'd enjoy working at ABC a lot more.

I'm surprised you work at NBC considering how harsh you are on them. What exactly do you do there? I would think you'd enjoy working at ABC a lot more.
Thank You. Same with me, I wonder also. I am really shock that he works at NBC since he is really Harsh and critical of them all the time but loves ABC! He also is a GMA Fan which shocks me even more since he clam ins he works at NBC. You think if someone who was working at a network that hated that they would leave and go work for the network that they like. If he really does work at NBC.

In the last 4 Months TODAY Show has had more then 4.4 Million Viewers 500,000 behind GMA in recent weeks. They had 4.9 last week which was the biggest since June. And TODAY Show had beaten GMA in the Demo in the last 4 of 5 Weeks. From NBC Press Release and TVNewswer .

Yeah, but you still don't see the point. You listed it as a "bright spot" when how could it be a bright spot when they have to worry about GMA? It was winning every week for the last decade plus and now it's not. It doesn't belong on the list of "bright spots" on NBC that you listed because it's been declining. You missed the biggest bright spot for NBC: SNF.

Here's the "last 4-5 weeks." Actually the last 6 weeks. You failed to mention last week.

Week of Dec. 31-Jan. 3:
TODAY NBC: HH 3.5/13; 4.572 million; 1.6 A25-54 Rtg (1.899 million); 1.0 A18-49 Rtg (1.322 million)
GMA ABC: HH 3.6/14; 4.814 million; 1.5 A25-54 Rtg (1.778 million); 1.0 A18-49 Rtg (1.266 million)

Week of Jan. 7-11:
TODAY NBC: HH 3.5/13; 4.551 million; 1.6 A25-54 Rtg (1.940 million); 1.2 A18-49 Rtg (1.463 million)
GMA ABC: HH 3.8/14; 5.010 million; 1.6 A25-54 Rtg (1.936 million); 1.1 A18-49 Rtg (1.418 million)

Week of Jan. 14-18:
TODAY NBC: HH 3.6/13; 4.741 million; 1.7 A25-54 Rtg (2.036 million); 1.2 A18-49 Rtg (1.515 million)
GMA ABC: HH 3.9/14; 5.242 million; 1.7 A25-54 Rtg (1.982 million); 1.1 A18-49 Rtg (1.436 million)

Week of Jan. 21-25:
TODAY NBC: HH 3.7/13; 4.868 million; 1.8 A25-54 Rtg (2.088 million); 1.3 A18-49 Rtg (1.587 million)
GMA ABC: HH 4.1/15; 5.529 million; 1.8 A25-54 Rtg (2.105 million); 1.2 A18-49 Rtg (1.555 million)

Week of Jan. 28-Feb. 1:
TODAY NBC: HH 3.7/13; 4.908 million; 1.8 A25-54 Rtg (2.093 million); 1.3 A18-49 Rtg (1.612 million)
GMA ABC: HH 4.2/15; 5.513 million; 1.8 A25-54 Rtg (2.090 million); 1.2 A18-49 Rtg (1.495 million)

Week of Feb. 4-8:
TODAY NBC: HH 3.6/13; 4.744 million; 1.7 A25-54 Rtg (1.994 million); 1.2 A18-49 Rtg (1.552 million)
GMA ABC: HH 4.1/15; 5.385 million; 1.7 A25-54 Rtg (2.043 million); 1.2 A18-49 Rtg (1.498 million)

I'm surprised you work at NBC considering how harsh you are on them. What exactly do you do there? I would think you'd enjoy working at ABC a lot more.

I love what I do and I'm happy where I am (I'm not with primetime or the network itself, I'm in their owned station/regional brand). Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. And as for bashing NBC, everyone does it. Even at NBC. I can tell you there is no good vibe at all for Today Show and this winter in prime. Everyone was loving the Fall thanks to two shows that carried them. It was fun while it lasted.

Yeah, but you still don't see the point. You listed it as a "bright spot" when how could it be a bright spot when they have to worry about GMA? It was winning every week for the last decade plus and now it's not. It doesn't belong on the list of "bright spots" on NBC that you listed because it's been declining. You missed the biggest bright spot for NBC: SNF.

Here's the "last 4-5 weeks." Today didn't win all but one. GMA won two I see in 25-54 viewers.

Week of Jan. 7-11:
TODAY NBC: HH 3.5/13; 4.551 million; 1.6 A25-54 Rtg (1.940 million); 1.2 A18-49 Rtg (1.463 million)
GMA ABC: HH 3.8/14; 5.010 million; 1.6 A25-54 Rtg (1.936 million); 1.1 A18-49 Rtg (1.418 million)

Week of Jan. 14-18:
TODAY NBC: HH 3.6/13; 4.741 million; 1.7 A25-54 Rtg (2.036 million); 1.2 A18-49 Rtg (1.515 million)
GMA ABC: HH 3.9/14; 5.242 million; 1.7 A25-54 Rtg (1.982 million); 1.1 A18-49 Rtg (1.436 million)

Week of Jan. 21-25:
TODAY NBC: HH 3.7/13; 4.868 million; 1.8 A25-54 Rtg (2.088 million); 1.3 A18-49 Rtg (1.587 million)
GMA ABC: HH 4.1/15; 5.529 million; 1.8 A25-54 Rtg (2.105 million); 1.2 A18-49 Rtg (1.555 million)

Week of Jan. 28-Feb. 1:
TODAY NBC: HH 3.7/13; 4.908 million; 1.8 A25-54 Rtg (2.093 million); 1.3 A18-49 Rtg (1.612 million)
GMA ABC: HH 4.2/15; 5.513 million; 1.8 A25-54 Rtg (2.090 million); 1.2 A18-49 Rtg (1.495 million)

Week of Feb. 4-8:
TODAY NBC: HH 3.6/13; 4.744 million; 1.7 A25-54 Rtg (1.994 million); 1.2 A18-49 Rtg (1.552 million)
GMA ABC: HH 4.1/15; 5.385 million; 1.7 A25-54 Rtg (2.043 million); 1.2 A18-49 Rtg (1.498 million)

I said Bright spot as in it still make money for them and the advertisers. They are winning the age 25-54 which matters to the Advertisers. It still the biggst money makers. It not doing that bad in the ratings. It been doing fine in the last couple months gaining some viewers back or gaining new ones. I guess you never read the NBC Press release.

They are winning the age 25-54 which matters to the Advertisers..

Are they? Not the season to date. And not last week either, so there goes your 4 of last 5. It's 4 of last 6. I don't need to read press releases when I have the numbers.

Season to Date:
TODAY NBC: 1.6 A25-54 Rtg (1.893 million)
GMA ABC: 1.6 A25-54 Rtg (1.958 million)

Last Week (Feb. 4-8):
TODAY NBC: 1.7 A25-54 Rtg (1.994 million)
GMA ABC: 1.7 A25-54 Rtg (2.043 million)

Are they? Not the season to date. And not last week either, so there goes your 4 of last 5. It's 4 of last 6. I don't need to read press releases when I have the numbers.

Season to Date:
TODAY NBC: 1.6 A25-54 Rtg (1.893 million)
GMA ABC: 1.6 A25-54 Rtg (1.958 million)

Last Week (Feb. 4-8):
TODAY NBC: 1.7 A25-54 Rtg (1.994 million)
GMA ABC: 1.7 A25-54 Rtg (2.043 million)


Not really that much separation between the two shows

Not really that much separation between the two shows

It's big because Today was winning every week (total viewers and 25-54) for almost 15 years. It's hard to buck a trend in this daypart, so GMA is likely going to continue with the edge. Today might win by a couple thousand a week here and there like they have 4 of the last 6 weeks, but the rating is still not beating GMA. The actual 25-54 rating has been tied for weeks and for the season.

And this was all without Robin Roberts for this season. Now she's back (and prelims show huge ratings yesterday).

It's big because Today was winning every week (total viewers and 25-54) for almost 15 years. It's hard to buck a trend in this daypart, so GMA is likely going to continue with the edge. Today might win by a couple thousand a week here and there like they have 4 of the last 6 weeks, but the rating is still not beating GMA. The actual 25-54 rating has been tied for weeks and for the season.

And this was all without Robin Roberts for this season. Now she's back (and prelims show huge ratings yesterday).
Yes but The Gap in December, Janaury and the first week of February have been smaller then September, October and the beginning of November. TODAY Show also has gained Viewers since September something you don't seem to understand. in September and October they had somewhere between 4.0-4.2 Million Viewers. For the last Two Months it been between 4.4-4.9 excluding Holidays when they don't count Christmas and new years. The Average gap now is 500,,,-600,000 down form 700,000-900,000 back in September. Some of those GMA Viewers may have also headed to CBS or a cable network. TODAY Show has won 4 of the last 5 weeks in age 35-54, Last Weeks Ratings have not came in yet. And Solomon right there is not that much of a separation between.

Yes but The Gap in December, Janaury and the first week of February have been smaller then September, October and the beginning of November. TODAY Show also has gained Viewers since September something you don't seem to understand. in September and October they had somewhere between 4.0-4.2 Million Viewers. For the last Two Months it been between 4.4-4.9 excluding Holidays when they don't count Christmas and new years. The Average gap now is 500,,,-600,000 down form 700,000-900,000 back in September. Some of those GMA Viewers may have also headed to CBS or a cable network. TODAY Show has won 4 of the last 5 weeks in age 35-54, Last Weeks Ratings have not came in yet. And Solomon right there is not that much of a separation between.

I understand perfectly what is going on. And I know Christmas and New Year's don't count. They are listed as "Special" and are not counted in the week/season averages. I have been looking at ratings for years personally and professionally. You are flip-flopping a lot, my friend. Now you want to talk total viewers when before it was all about 25-54. If you want to talk total viewers, GMA is now doing 5.2-5.5 million, up from its 5.1 season average.

And if Today Show is "profitable," then isn't GMA too since it's actually higher season to date than Today in 25-54? And now from February on GMA will win by a wider margin with the return of Robin. You can predict all you want, your prediction after the Olympics was way off.

You're just a fan, so just watch your show and don't worry about the numbers.

I understand perfectly what is going on. And I know Christmas and New Year's don't count. They are listed as "Special" and are not counted in the week/season averages. I have been looking at ratings for years personally and professionally. You are flip-flopping a lot, my friend. Now you want to talk total viewers when before it was all about 25-54.

And if Today Show is "profitable," then isn't GMA too since it's actually higher season to date than Today in 25-54? And now from February on GMA will win by a lot with the return of Robin. You can predict all you want, your prediction after the Olympics was way off.

You're just a fan, so just watch your show and don't worry about the numbers.
GMA make ABC Money and is profitable. but TODAY Show is still the biggest Money Maker for NBC and the most profitable show on TV even so they may be no. 2 at the moment. The age 25-54 category is what the advertisers care about and that is what TODAY Show winning. Also they won the 25-54 category on certain weeks and Days at the end of last year. I am not flip-flopping. I am still talking about the 25-54 Demo. You are the one who brought up Total viewers.

GMA make ABC Money and is profitable. but TODAY Show is still the biggest Money Maker for NBC and the most profitable show on TV even so they may be no. 2 at the moment. The age 25-54 category is what the advertisers care about and that is what TODAY Show winning. Also they won the 25-54 caragory on certain weeks and Days at the end of last year.

Most profitable show on TV? Come on. I don't see huge ad rates for that show compared to shows like Idol, SNF, Big Bang, Modern Family.

And ONCE again in 25-54 for THE SEASON, Today Show is NOT winning. GMA is winning so far: 1.958 to 1.893. And you can bring up the last 6 weeks or whatever, but for the season it hasn't overtaken GMA.

According to Brian Stelter is is the most Profitable franchise on TV: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/bu...ance.html?_r=0

So I am taking his words over yours because he is actually a TV Media Writer and reporter and covers Morning shows and ratings extensively.

There is no arguing with you because you cannot read right.

It says "The weaknesses across the news division probably would be considered marginal if they did not come at the same time as the apparent shift taking place in the morning. That change is under particular scrutiny because of the “Today” show’s status as the most profitable franchise in the history of television news. "

MOST PROFITABLE FRANCHISE IN TELEVISION NEWS. IT DOES NOT SAY MOST PROFITABLE SHOW ON TELEVISION. And it's talking all-time. Today Show obviously has been historically the best all-time.

Most profitable show on TV? Come on. I don't see huge ad rates for that show compared to shows like Idol, SNF, Big Bang, Modern Family.

And ONCE again in 25-54 for THE SEASON, Today Show is NOT winning. GMA is winning so far: 1.958 to 1.893. And you can bring up the last 6 weeks or whatever, but for the season it hasn't overtaken GMA.
[quote=Pavan]Most profitable show on TV? Come on. I don't see huge ad rates for that show compared to shows like Idol, SNF, Big Bang, Modern Family.

And ONCE again in 25-54 for THE SEASON, Today Show is NOT winning. GMA is winning so far: 1.958 to 1.893. And you can bring up the last 6 weeks or whatever, but for the season it hasn't overtaken GMA.[/QUOTE

I never said TODAY has overtaken GMA I said they have beaten GMA in ratings 25-54 on different weeks since December! It been back and for for the most part since but TODAY has won 4 of the last 5 and they have won days during weeks they lost before that. They also won a few weeks at the end of last year. The Viewers Total Gap is smaller now then back in September!

According to Brian Stelter is is the most Profitable franchise on TV: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/bu...ance.html?_r=0

So I am taking his words over yours because he is actually a TV Media Writer and reporter and covers Morning shows and ratings extensively

There is no arguing with you because you cannot read right.

It says "The weaknesses across the news division probably would be considered marginal if they did not come at the same time as the apparent shift taking place in the morning. That change is under particular scrutiny because of the “Today” show’s status as the most profitable franchise in the history of television news. "

MOST PROFITABLE FRANCHISE IN TELEVISION NEWS. IT DOES NOT SAY MOST PROFITABLE SHOW ON TELEVISION. And it's talking all-time. Today Show obviously has been historically the best all-time.
It still pretty profitable for NBC and more then GMA. It still one of the profitable on NBC.

Community, Parks and Rec, and 1600 Penn all hit series lows last night. Perhaps it is best just to clean house.

Well I am not a NBC person anymore after how Conan O'Brien was done after 7 months was not given a fair shake to make The Tonight Show a ratings bonanza. If they could had their way they would had kicked Conan to the curb during his first year on Late Night but they stuck with him for 16 years. I cannot stand to watch Jay Leno anymore and I know Johnny, Jack Parr and Steve Allen is doing flips at the cemetary over what was once a great franchise now destroyed.

The Today Show mess with Ann Curry took my interest away from watching the show. I used to like Matt Lauer but now he has turned into another Bryant Gumbel.

Back in the day NBC was the network to watch but that day is long gone.

Community, Parks and Rec, and 1600 Penn all hit series lows last night. Perhaps it is best just to clean house.
Not a smart move. Imagine if they had cleaned house last year and relied on their new sitcoms to prop things up....

Not a smart move. Imagine if they had cleaned house last year and relied on their new sitcoms to prop things up....
It work for ABC few years back. Maybe not cancel every single show. Keep The 4 or 5 Highest rated Shows and cancel most of the rest. With 30 Rock and The Office Ending I think Parks and go On will get renewed. Up all Night, Guys with kids, The new normal, Community will get cancelled.

P.S: Can we bring Warren Littlefield out of retirement?

Well I am not a NBC person anymore after how Conan O'Brien was done after 7 months was not given a fair shake to make The Tonight Show a ratings bonanza.Conan never should have stolen the Tonight Show from Jay in the first place. Jay never wanted to leave and was forced out.

It work for ABC few years back. Maybe not cancel every single show. Keep The 4 or 5 Highest rated Shows and cancel most of the rest. With 30 Rock and The Office Ending I think Parks and go On will get renewed. Up all Night, Guys with kids, The new normal, Community will get cancelled.

P.S: Can we bring Warren Littlefield out of retirement?
If NBC renews Go On, they should renew Community and Whitney too. Those shows get the exact same ratings as Go On.

I'm sure NBC will be in for a major revamp next year, but cancelling everything could be lethal.

Not a smart move. Imagine if they had cleaned house last year and relied on their new sitcoms to prop things up....
As USATVFan said, it worked for ABC back in 2009. They had terrible comedies for year and started fresh in 2009. I'd like to see NBC follow that model and introduce four new comedies on one night (Tuesday would be ideal, but I doubt it because of The Voice).

The only reason NBC has bad ratings for all of their new comedies is because they SUCK. Nobody wants to watch Guys with Kids, 1600 Penn, or even the yet-unaired Save Me. NBC needs to fire their comedy department and look for something better. ABC went for a traditional, yet nontraditional approach with Modern Family - a family comedy with a twist.

NBC could do this:
8 - Untitled Sean Hayes Comedy
830 - New Multi-Camera Comedy
9 - Michael J. Fox Comedy
930 - Welcome to the Family

I'm usually not a fan of a multi-camera /single-camera lineup, but the Sean Hayes pilot and Michael J. Fox comedy seem high on NBC's priority list. Sean Hayes has the name recognition and I think people would initially tune in to see the show. The first episode (and at least two-three) have to be great to keep the audience in. Michael J. Fox's return to television will probably be talked about for months in advance, and the tentpole 9pm timeslot is key for the show. Follow that up with another single-camera comedy.

NBC could split the comedy blocks up, giving one set the lead in of The Voice on Tuesday, but where do the rest go? Thrown to the dogs on Wednesday and Thursday again?? I think NBC just has to think BIG and out of the box this season. Don't let comedies have the huge Voice lead in if they are going to die shortly after (Go On and The New Normal).

If NBC renews Go On, they should renew Community and Whitney too. Those shows get the exact same ratings as Go On.Go On is a lot stronger when it has The Voice as a lead-in.

Community, Parks and Rec, and 1600 Penn all hit series lows last night. Perhaps it is best just to clean house.


Yup it was no Office last night and it showed:lol: :lol:

I agree that NBC should try launching an all-new comedy night with Michael J. Fox's new show as a 9pm anchor.

Their only real scheduling options are either Thursday, knowing that the 8pm show facing TBBT is doomed, or, if they want to be aggressive, move The Voice to Tuesday and take on CBS's increasingly vulnerable Monday comedy block. The latter has some nice side-effects: they can use SNF to promote the block, it solves their Tuesday problem and Wednesday could be used to boost Chicago Fire in NBC's problematic 9pm Tuesday slot. The big downside is that on Wednesday it would run headlong into X Factor and, more worryingly, Idol.

That said, even if they do that, it's still a bad idea to cancel everything. NBC need backups in case their freshman flop hard. Even ABC kept Scrubs and Better Off Ted around as mid-season replacements when they relaunched Wednesday back in 2009. Ultimately, they weren't needed and were burnt off over the holidays, but it was still a smart strategy.

Also, compared with ABC in 2009, NBC has way more comedy hours and much bigger gaps. It's not the end of the world to wave a white flag and kerep an hour in fall and to keep some veterans around for mid-season, especially as it will keep loyal viewers happy during the transition. One look towards The CW proves that NBC could be doing much worse than they are. It's also far from clear-cut that a clear-out of low-rated shows is always a good thing either, as The Jay Leno Show debacle proved, a mistake NBC is still feeling the of years down the line.

Plus there's a limit on the number shows a network can successfully develop and launch each season. I've long felt one of NBC's problems is that they try to launch way too much at once, which means they can't give their new shows or veterans the promotion they need to succeed. The network feels like it's a perpetual state of relaunch.

I agree, though, that ultimately NBC's single biggest problem is that their comedies suck.

NBC really needs to sort out their comedy development. Every single show they have developed since Community has been self-evidentally terrible, fundamentally misconceived and/or horribly generic and unfunny.

I have a strong suspicion that the genericness is down to network interference, as a lot of these shows feels like they have been noted into a bland mush. "Broad" doesn't appeal to anyone and isn't a programming strategy. It would probably help if the network had any idea whatsoever who they are trying to appeal to.

To me, there seems to be so many fundamental, self-evident problems with how the network is run: the network needs to stop using the same weak writers over and over. No more Scott Silveri sitcoms, please, and more new faces. And stop trying to develop shows by copying others. For example, Modern Family (1600 Penn, New Normal) and Community (Goon, Animal Practice). It's stupid. Stop giving your former Showtime pals jobs and launching Showtime-esque shows. No-one wants to watch those shows. And stop giving straight-to-series orders and guarantees. Hasn't anyone learnt anything from Ben Silverman's reign of terror? I get that things must be pretty desperate but it's a self-perpetuating cycle. And stop firing showrunners every week. That's not going to help attract people to the network. And stop endlessly retooling shows. It doesn't work and it's embarassing. And stop changing the damn schedule every 5 minutes.

And figure out what is going on with NBC's promo department. Why can't they develop decent promos? They make all their comedies look horrible. I don't believe 1600 Penn is as bad as they made it look, but I'm not going to tune in to find out.

I realise that's a rambling rant, but NBC is just incredibly frustrating. I don't understand how a network can just be so consistently awful and make such bad decisions.

I think a change in management may be needed, if only to provide a symbolic break from the past, but I'm not convinced Littlefield is the answer. His book seemed a liked self-congratulatory whitewash, and I certainly don't want a return to theme nights.

And is Hayes really much of a draw these days? I think I'd actively avoid watching a show with him in, even though I don't mind Messing and McCormack and, largely thanks to her endless comedy guest-starring roles, grown to like Mullally.

Go On is a lot stronger when it has The Voice as a lead-in.
Anything is a lot stronger with The Voice as a lead-in, as Smash has proved.

I agree that NBC should try launching an all-new comedy night with Michael J. Fox's new show as a 9pm anchor.

Their only real scheduling options are either Thursday, knowing that the 8pm show facing TBBT is doomed, or, if they want to be aggressive, move The Voice to Tuesday and take on CBS's increasingly vulnerable Monday comedy block. The latter has some nice side-effects: they can use SNF to promote the block, it solves their Tuesday problem and Wednesday could be used to boost Chicago Fire in NBC's problematic 9pm Tuesday slot. The big downside is that on Wednesday it would run headlong into X Factor and, more worryingly, Idol.

That said, even if they do that, it's still a bad idea to cancel everything. NBC need backups in case their freshman flop hard. Even ABC kept Scrubs and Better Off Ted around as mid-season replacements when they relaunched Wednesday back in 2009. Ultimately, they weren't needed and were burnt off over the holidays, but it was still a smart strategy.

Also, compared with ABC in 2009, NBC has way more comedy hours and much bigger gaps. It's not the end of the world to wave a white flag and kerep an hour in fall and to keep some veterans around for mid-season, especially as it will keep loyal viewers happy during the transition. One look towards The CW proves that NBC could be doing much worse than they are. It's also far from clear-cut that a clear-out of low-rated shows is always a good thing either, as The Jay Leno Show debacle proved, a mistake NBC is still feeling the of years down the line.

Plus there's a limit on the number shows a network can successfully develop and launch each season. I've long felt one of NBC's problems is that they try to launch way too much at once, which means they can't give their new shows or veterans the promotion they need to succeed. The network feels like it's a perpetual state of relaunch.

I agree, though, that ultimately NBC's single biggest problem is that their comedies suck.

NBC really needs to sort out their comedy development. Every single show they have developed since Community has been self-evidentally terrible, fundamentally misconceived and/or horribly generic and unfunny.

I have a strong suspicion that the genericness is down to network interference, as a lot of these shows feels like they have been noted into a bland mush. "Broad" doesn't appeal to anyone and isn't a programming strategy. It would probably help if the network had any idea whatsoever who they are trying to appeal to.

To me, there seems to be so many fundamental, self-evident problems with how the network is run: the network needs to stop using the same weak writers over and over. No more Scott Silveri sitcoms, please, and more new faces. And stop trying to develop shows by copying others. For example, Modern Family (1600 Penn, New Normal) and Community (Goon, Animal Practice). It's stupid. Stop giving your former Showtime pals jobs and launching Showtime-esque shows. No-one wants to watch those shows. And stop giving straight-to-series orders and guarantees. Hasn't anyone learnt anything from Ben Silverman's reign of terror? I get that things must be pretty desperate but it's a self-perpetuating cycle. And stop firing showrunners every week. That's not going to help attract people to the network. And stop endlessly retooling shows. It doesn't work and it's embarassing. And stop changing the damn schedule every 5 minutes.

And figure out what is going on with NBC's promo department. Why can't they develop decent promos? They make all their comedies look horrible. I don't believe 1600 Penn is as bad as they made it look, but I'm not going to tune in to find out.

I realise that's a rambling rant, but NBC is just incredibly frustrating. I don't understand how a network can just be so consistently awful and make such bad decisions.

I think a change in management may be needed, if only to provide a symbolic break from the past, but I'm not convinced Littlefield is the answer. His book seemed a liked self-congratulatory whitewash, and I certainly don't want a return to theme nights.

And is Hayes really much of a draw these days? I think I'd actively avoid watching a show with him in, even though I don't mind Messing and McCormack and, largely thanks to her endless comedy guest-starring roles, grown to like Mullally.


Anything is a lot stronger with The Voice as a lead-in, as Smash has proved.
I have to agree that NBC is very bad when it comes to promoting it shows. Especially when your compare them to ABC and CBS. Also ABC and CBS always have stars of their shows going on talk shows on their respective network to promote the show and get peoples (Or even more) to watch which is something NBC rarely does anymore sadly. Take CBS for example, thee is always a CBS star on either The Talk, CBS This morning(to a lesser extent) and Letterman almost everyday. and ABC is the same with GMA, Katie, LIVE, The View, Jimmy Kimmel. Now when it comes to NBC you don't see a lot of NBC Stars going on TODAY Show, Ellen Jimmy Fallon or Jay Leno anymore to promote their show! I have notice recently that Fallon and Leno have began to have stars from other network on their shows more then stars then on their own network. Jimmy Fallon a lot of times has a guest form SNL but he is a SNL Alumni himself.


I also agree on that NBC need a management change!! I don't understand how a network can get as bad as NBC and suck for so long. It only going to get worse for them, Thy already fell to Fifth during February sweeps. Unfortunately it going to get much worse before it get better. They need a huge change in Management. It on Life Support right now.

It really started back in the 90's when NBC couldn't schedule a hit comedy after Friends and Seinfeld and it's gone down hill from there. Just bad management all around. And putting Jay Leno in primetime 5 nights a week...one of the worse things a network can do.

It really started back in the 90's when NBC couldn't schedule a hit comedy after Friends and Seinfeld and it's gone down hill from there.
Completely agree. I think having huge successes in ER/Frasier/Friends in such a short timeframe helped disguise a lot of underlying problems that only caught up with the network a decade later.

Go On is a lot stronger when it has The Voice as a lead-in.
If anything, that makes it look less impressive, because Community and Whitney never had the exposure of following a show with a 4.0+.

My guess for next season is that Parks is the only comedy that gets a full season. I think Community might get a 13-episode send-off, like 30 Rock did this year. Go On will probably get 13 with the possibility of a back 9 if it does well. Everything else is gone, except maybe Whitney gets brought back as a mid-season replacement.

If anything, that makes it look less impressive, because Community and Whitney never had the exposure of following a show with a 4.0+.

My guess for next season is that Parks is the only comedy that gets a full season. I think Community might get a 13-episode send-off, like 30 Rock did this year. Go On will probably get 13 with the possibility of a back 9 if it does well. Everything else is gone, except maybe Whitney gets brought back as a mid-season replacement.


How often does a show get brought back for two mid-season replacements? Asking because I think that is rare

Rules of Engagement is brought back as a mid-season replacement every year basically lol. It's CBS's comedy placeholder.

Technically Whitney wasn't a mid-season replacement this year though, it was supposed to premiere in October and they delayed it.

Rules of Engagement is brought back as a mid-season replacement every year basically lol. It's CBS's comedy placeholder.

Technically Whitney wasn't a mid-season replacement this year though, it was supposed to premiere in October and they delayed it.


Why would the stars of Rules of Engagement just move on and find other work?

Didn't think they would want to go through that every year


That's almost like me being laid off and told I will be called in a few months and I'm called back and then laid off again and told I will be called back:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Well, generally if your show is likely to be renewed, you're told not to go out for any other shows.

But I think the cast has said they're getting sick of it, I think this will be the last season.

How often does a show get brought back for two mid-season replacements? Asking because I think that is rareIn addition to Rules, Body of Proof is a midseason replacement for the 2nd time in 3 years. And of course American Idol is a midseason replacement every year.

But the truth is that all of the networks are in trouble, even CBS. Network TV is far from what it used to be, and I have a feeling pretty soon there's not going to be much distinction between it and cable. Networks are going to have re-evaluate their models and come up with a new way to survive. NBC's collapse is just a sign of things to come for everyone else, I think, which is kind of proven by the fact that ABC and FOX are where NBC was 2-3 years ago right now, and even CBS is having a hard time launching new hits, relying almost completely on their solid base of veteran anchors to keep things afloat.
I was going to respond to this post the other day but got distracted. This is very true. Networks are going to all have to find a niche, IMO - just like the cable networks have (USA with light dramas, FX with edgy dramas/sitcoms, ABC Family with young females, etc). It'll be tougher, since they just have 3 (or 2) hours to develop it, but I think it's going to have to happen. This is why I keep saying the days of "cable being a totally different ballgame" are ending. It's nearly an even playing field. I think NBC's current numbers could very likely be a "new normal" (pun totally unintentional) for most broadcast networks in 5 years. Like I keep saying, there are shows on USA that are doing as well as NBC shows, or not that much less. The lines are blurring more each season.

These aren't the days of Gunsmoke and Bonanza where Grandma and 7 year olds watched the same thing. There are so many different channels creating good, high quality programming that is focused to certain audiences now that the "mass-appeal" model of a handful of broadcast networks offering programming that appeals to everybody is no longer going to work. The networks are going to have to find and program to niches just like the cable channels. Perhaps The CW is on to something. CBS has the widest appeal, so it'll be interesting to see if they can keep it up. They have shows like Big Bang Theory, NCIS, Survivor, etc. all doing well.

NBC is an absolute wreck. Don't forget the Law & Order franchise which did very well for them for years also. I don't know when they'll see the light at the end of the tunnel. Their ratings are an absolute embarrassment.

It's interesting that given CBS's strength, their morning show just never can catch on.

Yep, I agree completely. I'd say the "new normal effect" has already started. Even 2 or 3 years ago, if a show landed in the 1's, it was pretty much good as dead. Now we see shows on FOX and ABC that get in the 1.3-1.4 range and still have a shot at renewal. NBC is in a position this year where shows getting 1.1s are candidates for renewal, and I see no reason why ABC and FOX won't follow suit within the next few years. And I mean...these are cable numbers. A 1.1 is an average number for a network like FX these days.

NBC=Nothing But Crap!


The network's formal name is actually NBC*EFPAR. Which stands for Nothing But Crap Except For Parks And Recreation.

NBC made me mad when they fired Ann Curry. Today Show's ratings fell and they blamed her for the fall, when really it is NBC's crappy programming that people wont watch, and there are less people looking at advertisements for the Today Show. Stupid.

In Raising Hope, Burt kicked a guy in the sack for cancelling My Name is Earl. I would kicked him in the head for firing Ann Curry.

Brandon Tarikoff is now spinning in his grave for what NBC is now.

NBC needs a new Brandon Tarikoff to make NBC go back to the top.

They need a niche? Well, how about this one. And I mean this in all seriousness. Try appealing to men. ABC is the woman's network, CW is for teen girls, CBS goes for older viewers and Fox is after the backwards baseball cap, tattooed moron crowd. NBC should stop trying to be so PC and being all things to all people. There's enough shows on the air now with women leads, gays, every minority, etc. Go after the Baretta, Starsky and Hutch, I Spy crowd. Say what you want but its certainly not an audience that's being catered to by anyone anymore.

The network's formal name is actually NBC*EFPAR. Which stands for Nothing But Crap Except For Parks And Recreation.

:lol:

I don't like Parks and Rec. But, I know alot of people do. So, I'll give you that one. :D

Also. I don't think this is just NBC's problem. When it comes to bad ratings yet renewing shows anyway thing that people are saying. I think the reason why this is happening is a mixture between less people having TV's nowdays than back in the 70s/80s/90s and DVR'ing and not watching on the same night.

I really think it's time for a new ratings system.

:lol:

I don't like Parks and Rec. But, I know alot of people do. So, I'll give you that one. :D

Also. I don't think this is just NBC's problem. When it comes to bad ratings yet renewing shows anyway thing that people are saying. I think the reason why this is happening is a mixture between less people having TV's nowdays than back in the 70s/80s/90s and DVR'ing and not watching on the same night.

I really think it's time for a new ratings system.
That and Hulu as well. Also Three Network now post the newest episodes of TV shows that aired the night before on their website the next day so peoples can watch it if they miss it.

Animal Practice was cancelled too soon, it wasn't doing any worse than the NBC comedies are currently. And it was a rare quality show on NBC. Airing against The Middle (the cream of the crop in current comedies) didn't help it.

That and Hulu as well. Also Three Network now post the newest episodes of TV shows that aired the night before on their website the next day so peoples can watch it if they miss it.
CBS still does not air full episodes of Mike and Molly online. It must be some kind of agreement between the network and Warner Brothers.

CBS still does not air full episodes of Mike and Molly online. It must be some kind of agreement between the network and Warner Brothers.
It's not on Comcast On-Demand either although the other CBS sitcoms are on there.

Animal Practice was cancelled too soon, it wasn't doing any worse than the NBC comedies are currently. And it was a rare quality show on NBC. Airing against The Middle (the cream of the crop in current comedies) didn't help it.

Animal Practice fell to a 1.0 in its second episode, and that was AFTER being exposed to the Olympics audience. No other comedy on the network was doing even close to that poorly at the time. Imagine where it'd be now? Probably at a 0.7.

And lol, Community airs against The Big Bang Theory, a far tougher competitor than The Middle...and STILL gets better ratings than Animal Practice got. NBC was completely justified in cancelling it.

Yeah, The Big Bang Theory is a much bigger deal than The Middle (I do like The Middle more, though).

The Middle is 10x better, no doubt. But it's just not huge competition, especially since it's a family sitcom and Animal Practice was supposed to be a younger-skewing show.

As USATVFan said, it worked for ABC back in 2009. They had terrible comedies for year and started fresh in 2009. I'd like to see NBC follow that model and introduce four new comedies on one night (Tuesday would be ideal, but I doubt it because of The Voice).

The only reason NBC has bad ratings for all of their new comedies is because they SUCK. Nobody wants to watch Guys with Kids, 1600 Penn, or even the yet-unaired Save Me. NBC needs to fire their comedy department and look for something better. ABC went for a traditional, yet nontraditional approach with Modern Family - a family comedy with a twist.

NBC could do this:
8 - Untitled Sean Hayes Comedy
830 - New Multi-Camera Comedy
9 - Michael J. Fox Comedy
930 - Welcome to the Family

I'm usually not a fan of a multi-camera /single-camera lineup, but the Sean Hayes pilot and Michael J. Fox comedy seem high on NBC's priority list. Sean Hayes has the name recognition and I think people would initially tune in to see the show. The first episode (and at least two-three) have to be great to keep the audience in. Michael J. Fox's return to television will probably be talked about for months in advance, and the tentpole 9pm timeslot is key for the show. Follow that up with another single-camera comedy.

NBC could split the comedy blocks up, giving one set the lead in of The Voice on Tuesday, but where do the rest go? Thrown to the dogs on Wednesday and Thursday again?? I think NBC just has to think BIG and out of the box this season. Don't let comedies have the huge Voice lead in if they are going to die shortly after (Go On and The New Normal).

My guess is they're going to try a multi-camera and a single-camera block on separate nights (hence why they might try to keep Whitney around, just so they have a returning multi-cam or another one to slot in if a new one fails). Multi-camera and single-camera combination blocks typically never work, so I don't see why NBC would try it. I think they should put the multi-cameras after The Voice. The Michael J. Fox pilot will probably be their Office replacement and they'll try to get it to anchor the Thursday block.

Then they'll stick Parks & Rec at 8:30 and another new comedy after Michael J. Fox at 9:30. But again, what do you put at 8? Nothing they put there is going to work. That's why I think Community might get a final 13, just to stick something there to hold down the fort. Then when Community ends maybe they'll bring back Go On and throw it there or something. There's no point in trying something new in that slot. I guess they can try Off their Rockers...

I know ABC cleaned house with comedy, but didn't they only have one block? And one of them was Scrubs, which was ending anyway? I don't think NBC can do the same thing, particularly coming off of a season where all of their new comedies failed. NBC had a terrible spring last year too and probably could've cancelled everything but The Office, but instead they did the opposite - they brought back pretty much everything but gave them short orders and kept them as possible replacements. While it didn't give them amazing ratings, imagine if they had cancelled everything and had to rely on the likes of Go On and The New Normal to hold up their entire comedy slate.

The Middle is 10x better, no doubt. But it's just not huge competition, especially since it's a family sitcom and Animal Practice was supposed to be a younger-skewing show.



My guess is they're going to try a multi-camera and a single-camera block on separate nights (hence why they might try to keep Whitney around, just so they have a returning multi-cam or another one to slot in if a new one fails). Multi-camera and single-camera combination blocks typically never work, so I don't see why NBC would try it. I think they should put the multi-cameras after The Voice. The Michael J. Fox pilot will probably be their Office replacement and they'll try to get it to anchor the Thursday block.

Then they'll stick Parks & Rec at 8:30 and another new comedy after Michael J. Fox at 9:30. But again, what do you put at 8? Nothing they put there is going to work. That's why I think Community might get a final 13, just to stick something there to hold down the fort. Then when Community ends maybe they'll bring back Go On and throw it there or something. There's no point in trying something new in that slot. I guess they can try Off their Rockers...

I know ABC cleaned house with comedy, but didn't they only have one block? And one of them was Scrubs, which was ending anyway? I don't think NBC can do the same thing, particularly coming off of a season where all of their new comedies failed. NBC had a terrible spring last year too and probably could've cancelled everything but The Office, but instead they did the opposite - they brought back pretty much everything but gave them short orders and kept them as possible replacements. While it didn't give them amazing ratings, imagine if they had cancelled everything and had to rely on the likes of Go On and The New Normal to hold up their entire comedy slate.
When ABC started their Wednesday lineup they had Hank, the Middle, Modern Family and Cougar Town. Only Hank was unsuccessful and it was an awful show so that was expected.

I know ABC cleaned house with comedy, but didn't they only have one block?
It's a bit messy, but I don't think they ever intended to "clean house", it just ended up that way.

In 2008-09, they had 5 sitcoms: Scrubs, Better Off Ted, In The Motherhood, Samantha Who and According to Jim. Scrubs and Better Off Ted were ultimately renewed (despite it being Scrubs' final season and Better Off Ted being a summer burn-off). Samantha Who collapsed after a move to Thursday, In The Motherhood was DOA sat next to it and both were pulled after 4 weeks. According to Jim was pulling ratings of ~1.0 (in 2009!) and should have been cancelled two seasons before but was kept around for syndication and as filler against Idol.

ABC pretty much renewed their only 2 half-way viable sitcoms.

When ABC started their Wednesday lineup they had Hank, the Middle, Modern Family and Cougar Town. Only Hank was unsuccessful and it was an awful show so that was expected.
If I remember correctly, The Middle initially struggled a bit, too.

Obviously, the entire block was helped because Modern Family was a runaway hit. But what if it hadn't been? It would've been a disaster. Entirely new blocks are risky and I don't know if NBC is in a place where they should be taking risks like that. They thought Smash would save their network and that Go On would be the anchor comedy they needed to prop up their line-up, so they can't exactly be trusted to pick the right shows to make moves like this.

I'd argue that when networks are struggling is precisely when they need to take big risks.

That said, I agree that I don't think NBC can develop and pick the right shows. ABC hadn't had much luck with sitcoms but Samantha Who and Better Off Ted were both good shows with great casts. I'd also guess that NBC has such a bad reputation that it's increasingly hard for them to attract people to the network. It's no secret how they mangled Up All Night and Community.

^ This. NBC's brand is becoming so tarnished that I think it's going to become more and more difficult for them to attract viewers to watch their new shows - that's why I think their numbers are their "new normal." With some of their last shows that got loyal, long-time audiences like 30 Rock and The Office (soon) gone, I don't know what can pull them out of this depression. They're going to have to have something that's MASSIVE. I don't think the Michael J. Fox sitcom is going to move the meter that much. I think it'll do well, but it's not gonna be huge.

Cable is doing so well because they are taking big risks and thinking outside of the box. I dislike The Walking Dead, but you can't ignore that it's different than most of the other shows on right now.

http://t.co/3QuV1MZa3S

Things are so bad at the Peacock that the highest-rated show this month has been "Saturday Night Live." How did things fall so fast?

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-fi-ct-nbc-thursday-night-20130226,0,6315425.story?

Viewers have fled what used to be the Peacock's "Must See TV."

I think I've read about 4 out of these 9 pages about NBC and I didnt think NBC was doing this bad. What I would is find out how USA has all these hits (Psych, Royal Pains etc.) and NBC doesnt? How is it that for every one good program NBC has, USA has about 5 or 6 good ones? Thats what I would do.Only thing helping NBC is that they have the Olympics to prop them up, plus Sunday Night Football.

USA is a different network than NBC with a different audience, a different budget, and different financial needs. I don't really get the comparisons. Yeah, they're owned by the same company, but so are CBS and The CW and you don't see any comparisons there.

I guess what the big connection is, is that USA is doing much better for its medium than NBC is.

Sure, but again, different networks. NBC can't just copy USA.

I wouldn't necessarily consider USA to be at the top of the cable heap, either. FX and AMC generally do better than it.

I wouldn't necessarily consider USA to be at the top of the cable heap, either. FX and AMC generally do better than it.
Yeah, FX and AMC have really come up. USA was leading back in the 2000s, though, and as far as I can recall (I didn't really follow cable dramas back then), I believe they were one of the first cable networks to devote a generous amount of time to original, scripted programming.

I was always surprised NBCU didn't put Chuck on USA instead of NBC more than any other show. I think it would have been much better off on USA.

Hey NBC. It's not 1979! Wake up and get your crap together. LMAO.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nbcs-first-fourth-free-fall-421103

A historic flop in "Do No Harm," chaos on "Up All Night" and a schedule full of holes have insiders (and Brian Williams) grumbling about how to right the ship.

I have to admit I dont watch much on nbc...but I do love law & order special victims unit..its one of my fave shows ever....and whitney is pretty good too.

Peace, Love & Rainbows

I have to admit I dont watch much on nbc...but I do love law & order special victims unit..its one of my fave shows ever....and whitney is pretty good too.

Peace, Love & Rainbows
I used to love the show but I stopped watching after Stabler left.

NBC definitely needs to clean house, but I think its ridiculous for some critics to suggest that they have to cancel Community to save other shows like "Smash" that they want to succeed (but obviously won't).

Cancelling Community instead of Smash wouldn't even make sense since Community gets better ratings than Smash now. (in a much tougher timeslot, no less)

So I read from @TheCancelBear that Deception is pretty much being burned off by NBC. No surprise there. NBC is basically paying for good actors to sleep their way through bad dialog with that one.

I don't see NBC renewing Smash, especially when it costs nearly $4 million dollars an episode. Think about that: it costs more per episode than the number of viewers who watch the show. If it returns, I would be shocked, and most likely thinking "WTF NBC."

I guess that's what happens when you keep an idiot in charge of your network all those years. It might take decades to get out of it.

Animal Practice fell to a 1.0 in its second episode, and that was AFTER being exposed to the Olympics audience. No other comedy on the network was doing even close to that poorly at the time. Imagine where it'd be now? Probably at a 0.7.

And lol, Community airs against The Big Bang Theory, a far tougher competitor than The Middle...and STILL gets better ratings than Animal Practice got. NBC was completely justified in cancelling it.

I for one liked Animal Practice a lot and I was mad when they cancelled it so early. I thought the animal hospital was a unique idea and I loved the monkey sidekick. I watched it every week up to the Annie Potts episode.

This is the Neislen ratings for Feb 4-10 2013.

1. "Grammy Awards," CBS, 28.38 million.

2. "NCIS," CBS, 21.79 million.

3. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 18.98 million.

4. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 16.67 million.

5. "Person of Interest," CBS, 14.88 million.

6. "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 14.27 million.

7. "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 14.12 million.

8. "American Idol" (Thursday), Fox, 13.28 million.

9. "Criminal Minds," CBS, 11.98 million.

10. "2 Broke Girls," CBS, 11.37 million.

11. "Blue Bloods," CBS, 11.24 million.

12. "60 Minutes," CBS, 11.04 million.

13. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 10.97 million.

14. "Elementary," CBS, 10.84 million.

15. "Mike & Molly," CBS, 10.77 million.

16. "How I Met Your Mother," CBS, 10.31 million.

17. "Vegas," CBS, 10.25 million.

18. "Hawaii Five-0," CBS, 9.86 million.

19. "Modern Family," ABC, 9.83 million.

20. "CSI: NY," CBS, 9.57 million.

CBS has 17 shows or 85% of the Top 20. But really, that percentage is even higher. Take away the Grammies as a one off, and that FOX has ONE SHOW "American Idol" that they apparently show once a week.

So 16 out of 18 weekly series belongs to CBS, one for FOX and one for ABC.
CBS is just dominant, for better or worse.

ABC has Modern Family at #19. That's it. They had less viewers than Hawaii Five-0 (!), with NCIS and Big Bang Theory drawing more than double than Modern Family.

Everybody talks bad about NBC, but ABC to me doesn't seem to be doing that much better, with a lot of shows they hype dying (like Pan Am, V and the Don't Trust the B*tch show) When Modern Family breaks up in the next two or three years, they could be NBC Part 2.

How many of these Top 20 shows do I watch?? Two. Mike and Molly and Modern Family.

This is the Neislen ratings for Feb 4-10 2013.

1. "Grammy Awards," CBS, 28.38 million.

2. "NCIS," CBS, 21.79 million.

3. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 18.98 million.

4. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 16.67 million.

5. "Person of Interest," CBS, 14.88 million.

6. "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 14.27 million.

7. "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 14.12 million.

8. "American Idol" (Thursday), Fox, 13.28 million.

9. "Criminal Minds," CBS, 11.98 million.

10. "2 Broke Girls," CBS, 11.37 million.

11. "Blue Bloods," CBS, 11.24 million.

12. "60 Minutes," CBS, 11.04 million.

13. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 10.97 million.

14. "Elementary," CBS, 10.84 million.

15. "Mike & Molly," CBS, 10.77 million.

16. "How I Met Your Mother," CBS, 10.31 million.

17. "Vegas," CBS, 10.25 million.

18. "Hawaii Five-0," CBS, 9.86 million.

19. "Modern Family," ABC, 9.83 million.

20. "CSI: NY," CBS, 9.57 million.

CBS has 17 shows or 85% of the Top 20. But really, that percentage is even higher. Take away the Grammies as a one off, and that FOX has ONE SHOW "American Idol" that they apparently show once a week.

So 16 out of 18 weekly series belongs to CBS, one for FOX and one for ABC.
CBS is just dominant, for better or worse.

ABC has Modern Family at #19. That's it. They had less viewers than Hawaii Five-0 (!), with NCIS and Big Bang Theory drawing more than double than Modern Family.

Everybody talks bad about NBC, but ABC to me doesn't seem to be doing that much better, with a lot of shows they hype dying (like Pan Am, V and the Don't Trust the B*tch show) When Modern Family breaks up in the next two or three years, they could be NBC Part 2.

How many of these Top 20 shows do I watch?? Two. Mike and Molly and Modern Family.
I watch 9 of them....all of them on CBS except Modern Family.

It looks like out of the top 20, only 2 are in danger of being canceled...Vegas and CSI:NY.

ABC does better in the 18-49 ratings. Castle, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and The Middle all do well. Revenge is way down this year. Moving it was a mistake and the show just isn't as good as last year. Once Upon a Time is way down too. So ABC does have problems and if they don't find new hits they could be in trouble in the next few years too.

Overall viewership is misleading because the networks (mostly) chase 18-49 rather than total viewers. If they chased total viewers, the networks would create different shows (likely be closer to CBS, with more old-skewing cop shows, news magazines and multicamera comedies).

ABC is doing fine. Once Upon A Time, Grey's, Modern Family, The Middle and Shark Tank are all consistent performers throughout the week, and they aren't reliant on one or two shows to prop up their entire schedule like Fox and NBC. The decline of Dancing With The Stars is an inconvenience rather than a meltdown.

Given that that they don't have football and programme the lower-rated 10pm hour, ABC and CBS are always going to be at a disadvantage to NBC and Fox.

Fox looks like a potential NBC Part 2. X Factor struggles, Idol is fading fast, their new comedies haven't hit, Glee is dying and Bones is getting old.

I don't like any of the shows in the viewership top 20, largely because I don't like reality competitions, procedurals or Lorre-esque multicams. I used to like HIMYM but it's tired.

Jay Leno last night


"NBC is doing so bad that the network doesn't have reruns anymore because no one watched when the show ran the first time"

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I still am LOL'ing over the fact that the affiliate in Cleveland pulled the Thursday night lineup and showed Matlock instead. They are going to do it again next week!!! I wish Lexington's affiliate would grow a pair and play Matlock too.

The Andy Griffith Project we will call it.

Yeah, those "top shows of the week" lists are for bragging purposes and nothing more. They mean absolutely nothing.

That said, ABC is not having a great year, and neither is FOX. ABC hasn't seen success with any of their new shows - the closest to being a hit is Nashville and its ratings are middling. Not to mention most of their returning shows have declined this year, even Modern Family (albeit slightly). FOX had an awful fall and its spring is only marginally better because they have Idol to fall back on and because The Following has been doing pretty well. Even CBS has had a rough year for new shows and only continues to do well because they have a strong slab of veteran shows. It's been a rough year for broadcast TV in general, with substantial year-to-year drops pretty much across the board.

But none of these networks woes are comparable to NBC's spring. It's really been that terrible.

I still am LOL'ing over the fact that the affiliate in Cleveland pulled the Thursday night lineup and showed Matlock instead. They are going to do it again next week!!! I wish Lexington's affiliate would grow a pair and play Matlock too.

The Andy Griffith Project we will call it.


You're joking, right? LOL. Wow! Now that, I think about it, I would have have watched Matlock too. At 10pm last night, NBC showed an SNL rerun with guest host Louis CK. I put on a homeade DVD of "Grace Under Fire" reruns. LOL.

You're joking, right? LOL. Wow! Now that, I think about it, I would have have watched Matlock too. At 10pm last night, NBC showed an SNL rerun with guest host Louis CK. I put on a homeade DVD of "Grace Under Fire" reruns. LOL.



I was unaware that a NBC affiliate could do something like that

I was unaware that a NBC affiliate could do something like that
It happens quite often, usually for sports.

NBC use to have some great shows with huge ratings. There biggest problem is they keep very low rated shows on for years. I do love 30 Rock but that show has always had very low ratings and they kept it on for years. Basically they need to cancel everything on their prime time schedule with maybe 3 exceptions. Only thing they should keep on the air due to pretty good ratings are Law and Order SVU, Dateline, and the Voice.

Networks generally renew their highest-rated shows.

NBC's problem wasn't 30 Rock, the problem is that they didn't develop anything more successful than 30 Rock so they could cancel it. It's the same reason Parks and Recreation and Community are still around, because they keep beating all of NBC's new shows.

NBC can't cancel most of their shows because they wouldn't be able to successfully promote and launch that many new shows in fall. I've long felt that NBC should do the opposite and try to launch fewer new shows, instead ensuring the ones they do launch are good and promoting them more effectively. They spread themselves too thin.

Networks generally renew their highest-rated shows.

NBC's problem wasn't 30 Rock, the problem is that they didn't develop anything more successful than 30 Rock so they could cancel it.

It's the same reason Parks and Recreation and Community are still around, because they keep beating all of NBC's new shows.



Very good point, because those shows definitely would have been gone if one of those new shows did well

It happens quite often, usually for sports.

In 1979 the Detroit NBC Affiliate (WDIV) found themselves between a rock and a hard place. They had the contract to carry the Detroit Tigers Baseball Games, naturally, to carry the game they had to pre-empt the NBC Programming. 1979 was "The Year of the Toothless Tigers", as they were in LAST PLACE. (A Radio Station, WNIC would actually INTERRUPT a song they were playing with the Barry Manilow Song It's A Miracle whenever they got the news the Tigers won a game). On this fateful evening, the NBC Offering was the movie The Sound of Music, which at that time was the third-highest money-making movie in history (Behind Star Warsand Gone With The Wind) Unfortunately their hands were tied, and they had to carry the game. The next day I read in the paper that the station was BOMBARDED with phone calls from irate viewers who wanted to see the movie. :angryfire A switchboard operator at the station said they were getting 900 calls per hour!

I'd like to have seen what happened if a similar situation five years later (When the Tigers went ALL THE WAY to the Championship! :lol:

Networks generally renew their highest-rated shows.



A high rated show may not be profitable if it's high budget while a lower rated show may be more profitable since the budget might be lower. It's not about ratings, it's about profits. The shows with the highest profits are renewed

What are the most profitable network shows? The highest rated show is not necessarily the most profitable. A lot of shows may not get huge ratings during their first runs but might make a lot of $ in syndication, merchandising, or DVD sales.

It happens quite often, usually for sports.

but more sports are on cable now since they can make more $ there

You're joking, right? LOL. Wow! Now that, I think about it, I would have have watched Matlock too. At 10pm last night, NBC showed an SNL rerun with guest host Louis CK. I put on a homeade DVD of "Grace Under Fire" reruns. LOL.

That is absolutely true!! That is my hometown NBC affiliate, WKYC Channel 3 in Cleveland. They are going to be showing another Matlock rerun in primetime this coming Thursday the 7th. :crazy: :cool: :lol: :D

Jay Leno last night


"NBC is doing so bad that the network doesn't have reruns anymore because no one watched when the show ran the first time"

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I saw that - too funny. :rofl:

I still am LOL'ing over the fact that the affiliate in Cleveland pulled the Thursday night lineup and showed Matlock instead. They are going to do it again next week!!! I wish Lexington's affiliate would grow a pair and play Matlock too.

The Andy Griffith Project we will call it.

That is pretty awesome, isn't it? If Lexington won't show it, come to my house in the Cleveland 'burbs and we can watch it together. :lol:

Sometime when a Network is plagued with low ratings, a station will preempt the entire lineup because thay can make more money selling commercials for a local program. It irritates fans of the shows being preempted, but if enough stations do this it sends the Network a notice - shape up or ship out!

Since the network was showing reruns and a new episode of an extremely low-rated new program that night, I doubt the viewers here in Cleveland cared too much. :lol:

Networks generally renew their highest-rated shows.

NBC's problem wasn't 30 Rock, the problem is that they didn't develop anything more successful than 30 Rock so they could cancel it. It's the same reason Parks and Recreation and Community are still around, because they keep beating all of NBC's new shows.

NBC can't cancel most of their shows because they wouldn't be able to successfully promote and launch that many new shows in fall. I've long felt that NBC should do the opposite and try to launch fewer new shows, instead ensuring the ones they do launch are good and promoting them more effectively. They spread themselves too thin.

Exactly. If 30 Rock wasn't profitable for them, they would've cancelled it. But there were enough factors going for it that kept it around (it was doing decently in comparison to the rest of the network and it also did well with affluent viewers which is attractive to advertisers). Same goes for Parks and Community.

What are the most profitable network shows? The highest rated show is not necessarily the most profitable. A lot of shows may not get huge ratings during their first runs but might make a lot of $ in syndication, merchandising, or DVD sales.
There's not really definitive list that combines all of those factors, but every year there's usually a list that reveals what shows advertisers pay the most money for. Most of them are the expected, but there's some surprises. For example, New Girl was one of the most expensive shows last season despite not being one of the highest-rated shows, probably because its audience is so young, which advertisers love. (I'd expect that probably changed this year, since its ratings have slumped considerably, but it still skews very young). Modern Family also cost more than The Big Bang Theory because of its younger skew despite slightly lower ratings.

Exactly. If 30 Rock wasn't profitable for them, they would've cancelled it. But there were enough factors going for it that kept it around (it was doing decently in comparison to the rest of the network and it also did well with affluent viewers which is attractive to advertisers). Same goes for Parks and Community.


There's not really definitive list that combines all of those factors, but every year there's usually a list that reveals what shows advertisers pay the most money for. Most of them are the expected, but there's some surprises. For example, New Girl was one of the most expensive shows last season despite not being one of the highest-rated shows, probably because its audience is so young, which advertisers love. (I'd expect that probably changed this year, since its ratings have slumped considerably, but it still skews very young). Modern Family also cost more than The Big Bang Theory because of its younger skew despite slightly lower ratings.


there's also production costs, scripted shows have high production costs, reality and news shows are cheap, a lot of the CBS shows are older skewing expensive dramas that don't get a lot of or ad $, syndication $, or merchandising $ like the Family Guy, a highly profitable show for the networks may not be highly profitable for the affiliates (Leno in primetime)

I saw that - too funny. :rofl:


I still don't know why they are paying that man to make fun of the network:lol:

In 1979 the Detroit NBC Affiliate (WDIV) found themselves between a rock and a hard place. They had the contract to carry the Detroit Tigers Baseball Games, naturally, to carry the game they had to pre-empt the NBC Programming. 1979 was "The Year of the Toothless Tigers", as they were in LAST PLACE. (A Radio Station, WNIC would actually INTERRUPT a song they were playing with the Barry Manilow Song It's A Miracle whenever they got the news the Tigers won a game). On this fateful evening, the NBC Offering was the movie The Sound of Music, which at that time was the third-highest money-making movie in history (Behind Star Warsand Gone With The Wind) Unfortunately their hands were tied, and they had to carry the game. The next day I read in the paper that the station was BOMBARDED with phone calls from irate viewers who wanted to see the movie. :angryfire A switchboard operator at the station said they were getting 900 calls per hour!

I'd like to have seen what happened if a similar situation five years later (When the Tigers went ALL THE WAY to the Championship! :lol:
________________________________________________________________

A little bit different story, but back in the 1990's I was poor and renting a room from a guy in Jackson, Mississippi. Because I had little money, watching TV was a great source of entertainment (and it was an old black and white at that). The public internet was in its infancy, before Hulu or anything else similar, legal or illegal. I had no cable, it was CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox.

In the late 1990's, on CBS was King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond and Becker (I). I think I watched That 70's Show between King and Raymond because the show, because it was much better than (I think) "Yes, Dear". Anyway, my weekly dose of Leah Remini, Patricia Heaton, Shawnee Smith and Terry Farrell. Yeah buddy.;)

:mad: -ing CBS affiliate put on their local charity marathon that night. "Kids Count" or some other crap. All my shows were pre-empted, to be shown after David Letterman at midnight. I was fit to be tied:mad: :mad: :mad: and called the affiliate and got into it with someone there. I cursed them out for pre-empting my shows for their stupid charity and they were :mad: -ing stupid to take off their top rated programming for their crap.

I do not feel that the local affilaites should have the right to do this. If you do not want to show the network shows, do not be an affiliate!! Someone in this thread mentioned that some NBC affiliate took off the Thursday night lineup for Matlock. Well, my favorite show (Parks and Recreation) is on that night. Now in 2013, I would be less upset than in the 1990's because I could watch the content online, but ratings are still graded by how many people watch the show at the airing time, so this is less people watching my show, than some show that was on 20 years ago.

Gosh, that used to be quite common in the old days. Local affiliates would drop some network shows that were massive ratings bombs in their local areas, and replace them with fancy movie packages, made-for-syndication items, or even reruns of popular series that had ended. As examples of the latter, I know of local stations that ran "Perry Mason" and "Rawhide" episodes right in prime-time, two years after they had left the air. Similarly, my ABC station back then on Monday nights (for many years!) would not show the network's offerings, but instead ran its own movies.

Gosh, that used to be quite common in the old days. Local affiliates would drop some network shows that were massive ratings bombs in their local areas, and replace them with fancy movie packages, made-for-syndication items, or even reruns of popular series that had ended. As examples of the latter, I know of local stations that ran "Perry Mason" and "Rawhide" episodes right in prime-time, two years after they had left the air. Similarly, my ABC station back then on Monday nights (for many years!) would not show the network's offerings, but instead ran its own movies.
I remember when Full House first started before it was a hit. One of my ABC affiliates ran the first run syndicated episodes of Webster in it's place. When NYPD Blue premiered, one of my affiliates wouldn't even air it. They later did after it became a hit. lol

Sometimes the practice of a Station to replace a Network's offering with Local Programming backfires. In 1975 The Detroit NBC Affiliate refused to air NBC's Saturday Night Live, opting to air movies instead. They also refused to air CHIPs because they thought it would be a dud (They replaced it with some 'Public Service" programming). Only after an outcry did the pick up both series (A Lot of Detroiters who wanted to watch these series would turn to the Toledo, Ohio Station to watch them, even though the picture was "snowy").

Smash fell to a 0.7 last night...geez.

This network needs more than new shows IMO. Maybe they need to go in a totally new direction and revamp the entire thing.

they need to bring back Dave Garroway and J. Fred Muggs

Smash fell to a 0.7 last night...geez.
When I saw the number earlier today, I actually laughed a bit. I mean, going as low as a 1.0 demo is bad, but an 0.7 demo is awful. Hell, Hart of Dixie was only A TENTH behind Smash.

Sadly, I do not see NBC pulling the plug anytime soon. The show costs way too much ($4 million an episode) and just dumping it on Saturdays would probably result in more money lost. I'm guessing NBC is going to ride it out and see how things go in March/April when The Voice returns.

If it was me, I'd move Smash to Thursdays at 10, shift Hannibal to Tuesdays at 10 and air The Voice at 9. As for the 8 o'clock timeslot, burn off something that is going to be cancelled. There is really nothing that would benefit if NBC were to air The Voice at 8.

Here's some more of The Tarikoff Years of NBC, maybe reruns of older NBC Shows may give NBC Ratings!

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Maybe next week, there'll be an "ALF" Marathon on Monday, "Night Court" on Tuesday, "Gimme a Break" on Wednesday, "Facts of Life" on Thursday, "Family Ties" on Friday, "Cheers" on Saturday, and "The Cosby Show" on Sunday. That may get MORE ratings than NBC had in the past few weeks!

If NBC decided to fill up their schedule with their old triumphs of the past (heck, go all the way back to the early days of "Dragnet!"), I might actually find myself watching their network! As it is, I haven't even watched a single minute of NBC in at least the past four or five years.

If NBC decided to fill up their schedule with their old triumphs of the past (heck, go all the way back to the early days of "Dragnet!"), I might actually find myself watching their network! As it is, I haven't even watched a single minute of NBC in at least the past four or five years.
They really should do something like that,just show older and classic shows.I think they would get a lot of viewers if they actually turned their channel into an Antenna-TV type station.--CBS and ABC should do the same.I know I'd give them a look.

Uh do you really expect a broadcast network to just suddenly turn into a classic TV station? Come on now. Be a little realistic.

Smash fell to a 0.7 last night...geez.

Now I see why Thorsten Kaye (Who was going to play a bigger role in this season of Smash) chose to go back to the new All My Children. :lol:

0.7 is "Homeboys In Outerspace" and "Shasta McNasty" type ratings....Yeah stuff that was on UPN in the 90s. Not ratings for a show that is on a network like NBC.

It's laughable really.

Looks like Smash is a FLOP.

If NBC decided to fill up their schedule with their old triumphs of the past (heck, go all the way back to the early days of "Dragnet!"), I might actually find myself watching their network! As it is, I haven't even watched a single minute of NBC in at least the past four or five years.

I don't think they should do that all the time. But, I do think that maybe to fill Saturday programming or something...That's the way they should go.

Maybe from 8-11pm have there regular shows and in between 8-11, they can show maybe an hour of classic shows. But then, what do you show? Frasier, Friends, Seinfeld, hell even The Golden Girls have been run to death so I dont think they would draw when you can see them in syndication.

People like to say things like "boy, NBC should just show Friends reruns and they'd probably do better!"...it's a funny joke, but it's not really true. Do people really think these shows are going to draw the same numbers they did when they ran for the first time? I doubt even 2 or 3 million people would be rushing home to get in front of their TVs so they don't miss a TV episode that already aired 10-20 years ago and has been repeated hundreds of times since. It works in syndication obviously, because the purpose of syndication is that kind of background-watching TV where you can be flipping through the channels and go "hey, I remember this old episode of Fraiser!". But it's not going to work for a broadcast model.

^Okay...how about even further? Like show "Rockford Files", "Laugh-in", or "Wonderful World of Color"?

^Okay...how about even further? Like show "Rockford Files", "Laugh-in", or "Wonderful World of Color"?
These shows haven't even been successfully syndicated, what makes you think they would work on a broadcast network?

^Did "Matlock" do better on last week when it was on NBC? If so...I rest my case!

It aired on one affiliate out of 100+, and it replaced a repeat and an extremely low-rated comedy.

Maybe it worked for that affiliate but it would never work for everyone. Anyone who thinks this is signaling the new future of broadcast TV is kidding themselves.

I doubt old series will be making their return, but I would like to see broadcast networks air older episodes of their current shows. For example, they could air throwback episodes of CSI, Law and Order: SVU, NCIS, etc. on Saturday nights. I'm assuming something in the contract says they can't do it (for syndication) but it'd be nice to see older episodes.

Last season, Fox aired the pilots of Married With Children and The Simpsons for their 20th anniversary special and they got 1.3 and 1.5 in 18-49 respectively.

CBS famously aired reruns of All In The Family in the Summer of 1991 after airing a 20th anniversary special. They also reaired Police Squad.

I don't think the networks would do it because of the message it sends out, and backlash from affiliates, but I'm not totally convinced it wouldn't work.

Last season, Fox aired the pilots of Married With Children and The Simpsons for their 20th anniversary special and they got 1.3 and 1.5 in 18-49 respectively.

CBS famously aired reruns of All In The Family in the Summer of 1991 after airing a 20th anniversary special. They also reaired Police Squad.

I don't think the networks would do it because of the message it sends out, and backlash from affiliates, but I'm not totally convinced it wouldn't work.
Those numbers are barely better than what NBC is pulling and they were for a one-time special that received substantial hype and promotion. I'm not saying these kinds of things can never air, but most people aren't going to adjust their schedules to sit down and watch an old episode of Friends every week - and that kind of viewing is what makes broadcast TV money.
I doubt old series will be making their return, but I would like to see broadcast networks air older episodes of their current shows. For example, they could air throwback episodes of CSI, Law and Order: SVU, NCIS, etc. on Saturday nights. I'm assuming something in the contract says they can't do it (for syndication) but it'd be nice to see older episodes.
I remember The WB used to do that with some of their more popular shows. They would call it like "Gilmore Girls: Beginnings" or something and stick it in some of their more troubled timeslots. It's not a bad idea at all. It probably would have to be shows that aren't in syndication yet though, like you said.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/nbc-can-change-network-model-426457

The broadcast television model is dead.

^Did "Matlock" do better on last week when it was on NBC? If so...I rest my case!

it didn't do much worse, and it also beat reruns on ABC

Maybe NBC could run the older shows thry used to play on April Fools Day!

it didn't do much worse, and it also beat reruns on ABC
How do you know this? It only aired on one affiliate and those ratings are rarely made public.

Don't forget the UPN 1998 atrocity called The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer!!! :eek: :lol:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/nbc-can-change-network-model-426457

The broadcast television model is dead.
Love this article. Exactly what I've been saying.

The one-size-fits-all model is no longer viable.

Heck, the other networks could air test patterns and still beat NBC. :lol: Seriously, this goes back to the Fred Silverman days of the late 70s/early 80s when flops like Pink Lady, Supertrain and Manimal were running the network into the ground before Brandon Tartikoff came along and completely transformed the network into a winner.

Don't forget the UPN 1998 atrocity called The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer!!! :eek: :lol:


I don't even remember that one. LOL.

I don't even remember that one. LOL.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Diary_of_Desmond_Pfeiffer

Revive Pink Lady & Jeff !!

Revive Pink Lady & Jeff !!
AAAAH!! No!!! I actually watched the DVD set of that monstrosity (I borrowed it from my then-boss, who hosted a pop culture radio show on the side). I watched all 6 episodes, straight through. Scary. :eek: :lol:

Maybe revive "Supertrain"...as a matter of fact...I'd like to see a real-life Supertrain, tha'd be cool.

^ It probably wouldn't do any worse than anything else on NBC right now. :lol:

Apparently, WKYC Channel 3 (the NBC affiliate here in Cleveland) opted not to rerun Matlock on Thursday again after all, because when I was flipping through channels, I came across an SVU rerun. Bummer, because I was curious as to what the ratings would be like for Matlock. :lol:

it didn't do much worse, and it also beat reruns on ABC

Gooooooooo Matlock!!! :D

Heck, the other networks could air test patterns and still beat NBC. :lol: Seriously, this goes back to the Fred Silverman days of the late 70s/early 80s when flops like Pink Lady, Supertrain and Manimal were running the network into the ground before Brandon Tartikoff came along and completely transformed the network into a winner.

OMG. I am dying at that..."the networks could air test patterns and still beat NBC." :lol:

Seriously. They could. NBC is like.....The spleen of television. We could live if it was taken out. :lol:

NBC=Nothing But Cancelled.

http://www.wkyc.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=286495

"Matlock" wins the night! (Sort of)

In a surprising return to prime time television, the 90's era hit show "Matlock" aired on Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC Channel 3 Thursday night in place of repeats of regular network programming and actually beat competing shows locally, which were mostly repeats as well.

Showing the drawing power of the late Andy Griffith, the 2-hour movie beat ABC's Scandal repeat and Jimmy Kimmel Live Oscar special in the Men 25-54 demographic, according to Nielsen overnights.

It even tied Kimmel in the overall demographic of people 18 -34 years old, which is remarkable considering a good portion of that audience hadn't been born or was still in diapers when the show premiered. (For a history of "Matlock", see the links below)

Asked why a 20-year old television movie was chosen, station management explained that since the Academy Awards left Griffith out of their Oscar night memorial tribute, there had been an outpouring of indignity across social media regarding the star's omission.

"'Matlock' is one of the most requested shows we get here at the station", said the executive who added, "Then again, we don't get a lot of requests either." The executive also noted, "It's the only movie left in our library that hasn't been over-exposed in constant repeats on cable."

What the station underestimated was the devotion to The Office. Those viewers clearly vocalized their preference for re-runs of the sitcom as opposed to the iconic Matlock. Lesson learned: do not pre-empt The Office.

Despite its laser focused ratings success, the airing of the "Matlock" movie sparked debate across social media the landscape not only in Northeast Ohio, but around the world, reviving interest in the long dormant franchise. No word as to whether the station is planning a digital sub-channel with Matlock Movies running 24/7.

^Maybe CoziTV may pick-up "Matlock".

NBC's main competitors:

http://www.wkyc.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=286495No word as to whether the station is planning a digital sub-channel with Matlock Movies running 24/7.

WKYC already has a subchannel (3.2) but it is devoted entirely to weather...at least for now. ;)

NBC's main competitors:

Reminds me of an Elliott Smith song....."I see colorbars when I come" He didn't mean it that way either. :lol:

"'Matlock' is one of the most requested shows we get here at the station", said the executive who added, "Then again, we don't get a lot of requests either."
Once again, The Simpsons knows our world better than anyone else. Even 20 years later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Qo9j5k-No

Reminds me of an Elliott Smith song....."I see colorbars when I come" He didn't mean it that way either. :lol:


:rofl:

With all of the headlines focused toward NBC, I decided to look back at their prime night: Thursdays. Plenty of shows have graced the night (Frasier, Friends, Cheers, The Cosby Show, the list goes on and on) and some have died quickly (The Paul Reiser Show, Perfect Couples, etc). Which Thursday night sitcom on NBC is your all time favorite? To vote and advance your show to the next round, check out my link in the signature. If you want to skip going to my blog (no biggie, I just needed a place for the contest to be organized) you can simply vote right here: http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/icyHDNu/NBCs-Best-Thursday-Night-Comedy

Thanks to all who participate!

Can Deception be over and done and never come back? This is the least enjoyable thing I've ever seen John Larroquette in. It makes me reconsider the last two seasons Boston Legal, that's just how terrible it is.

Can Deception be over and done and never come back? This is the least enjoyable thing I've ever seen John Larroquette in. It makes me reconsider the last two seasons Boston Legal, that's just how terrible it is.The finale is next Monday, I doubt it's ever seen again after that.

AAAAH!! No!!! I actually watched the DVD set of that monstrosity (I borrowed it from my then-boss, who hosted a pop culture radio show on the side). I watched all 6 episodes, straight through. Scary. :eek: :lol:

I would not think watching two Japanese girls strut themselves for an hour would make for bad viewing. One thing about the girls, they barely spoke English, as in a few words at best.

I would not think watching two Japanese girls strut themselves for an hour would make for bad viewing. One thing about the girls, they barely spoke English, as in a few words at best.

They had to learn their lines phonetically (sp?) and really only looked comfortable in the numbers where they sang and danced. From what I read a few years ago, Mie and Kei have stayed in touch all these years. :cool:

If you're gonna do a series on American television, make sure that any of its main cast doesn't almost exclusively speak a foreign language. :crazy: :wave:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-justin-timberlake-saturday-429007

In fact, last week's "Saturday Night Live" was bigger than last night's "American Idol," which hit a season low.

Among the shows that crashed and burned in the 1979-1980 Season was a Homage to the Old-Time Movie Serials called Cliffhangers. NBC had the audicity to Cancel this series before the final episode was shown. For 30 years I was held in Limbo not knowing what happened in the final episode. In 2009 I was able to see the final episode, thanks to a Godsend called ioffer.com. :mad: :angryfire

So... Deception was a thing. I guess. According to TV By The Numbers, it shouldn't let the door hit it in the butt on the way out.

Are there ANY NBC shows on right now in the Top 30?

^^NBC Sunday Night Football. Football has to be the only bright spot on a flophouse network. :crazy: :lol:

Are there ANY NBC shows on right now in the Top 30?
For the week of 3/11/13, The Biggest Loser, The Office, and Celebrity Apprentice ranked in the top 30.

You can the top 30 here: http://www.tvmediainsights.com/forum/?mingleforumaction=viewtopic&t=3283.0#postid-44660

Thanks!!!

^^NBC Sunday Night Football. Football has to be the only bright spot on a flophouse network. :crazy: :lol:

no midseason football

Unfortunately for NBC, the NFL isn't year round. Though they might be better off showing reruns of the NFL games in the off-season. :lol:

We talked about the idea of NBC airing old series' and it would never happen, but this is quite interesting:

Thursday, March 14th
1600 Penn - 2.23 million (1.0)
Friends (repeat at 1130pm on Nick at Nite) - 1.73 million (0.9)

lol...NBC shouldn't really be striving for a 0.9 rating.

lol...NBC shouldn't really be striving for a 0.9 rating.
They shouldn't, but it's sad when an encore of their old series nearly ties a new episode of a current series.

On Tuesday, the Friends repeat on Nick at Nite (at 11:36) got the same 0.7 18-49 rating as an original episode of The New Normal on NBC at 9:30.

The best comedy on network television is Parks and Recreation, which shows that NBC isn't completely worthless.

NBC used to be such a great network, what with their successful sitcoms such as friends, frasier, the fresh prince of bel air, seinfeld, the cosby show, a different world. they ruled during the 80s and 90s but now they are struggling. i haven't watched a single show of theirs since frasier went off the air.

unless we see a similar line-up to the one in the 90s with frasier, seinfeld, fresh prince, then NBC will continue to struggle.

What they really need is a visionary, like Brandon Tartikoff was in the 80s.

NBC used to be such a great network, what with their successful sitcoms such as friends, frasier, the fresh prince of bel air, seinfeld, the cosby show, a different world. they ruled during the 80s and 90s but now they are struggling. i haven't watched a single show of theirs since frasier went off the air.

unless we see a similar line-up to the one in the 90s with frasier, seinfeld, fresh prince, then NBC will continue to struggle.

What helped NBC as well is they all aired at the sametime. What I mean is when Fresh Prince was on air, so did Fraiser and Seinfeld. When Friends was on the air, so was Seinfeld and Frasier. When A different World aired so did the Cosby Show and Seinfeld.

That helps when you have 2 or 3 great shows like those carrying your network.

NBC needs to come up with some better family show's like the ones they had back in the 80's and 90's

NBC needs to come up with some better family show's like the ones they had back in the 80's and 90's\

I prefer them going back to the 1960s!

NBC needs to come up with some better family show's like the ones they had back in the 80's and 90's


They didn't really have many family comedies in the 90s... that was the era of all the hip young urban sitcoms

NBC needs to come up with some better family show's like the ones they had back in the 80's and 90's
They tried that with 1600 Penn. Didn't work so well.

\

I prefer them going back to the 1960s!

Yes, I'm sure shows like I Dream of Jeannie would just light up the Nielsons with modern audiences...

^ Hey, the Matlock movie they ran in primetime in Cleveland earlier this month did pretty well in the ratings, so don't knock it. :eek: :crazy: :lol:

They tried that with 1600 Penn. Didn't work so well.



Yes, I'm sure shows like I Dream of Jeannie would just light up the Nielsons with modern audiences...
In Bloomington, Il, we have Cozi TV as a subchannel on the local NBC affiliate. I much prefer the older shows to the new crap NBC shows. As for Jeannie, it seems to survive on ME-TV pretty well. I'd sooner watch that than 1600 Penn.

They tried that with 1600 Penn. Didn't work so well.



Yes, I'm sure shows like I Dream of Jeannie would just light up the Nielsons with modern audiences...
They should at least try airing lets say a 2-3 hour block of 1960s/70s and even some 80s tv shows maybe one or two nights a week.How can they do any worse than the test pattern ratings they're getting now.....Not to mention it would cost them very little to do this, even much less than the cheapest reality etc. junk they air.

The biggest problem with that idea is that the affiliates would be unhappy and pre-empt it to air their own reruns to get all the ad income.