TMC
05-05-2023, 08:24 PM
https://www.looper.com/1278087/chicago-fire-med-pd-recent-season-breaks-terrible-for-viewership/
BY MELISSA LEMIEUX/MAY 5, 2023 3:00 PM EST
It may be normal for broadcast television shows to take brief breaks over the holiday season and summer, but NBC — perhaps following in the footsteps of ABC, which often put their top-tier dramas like "Grey's Anatomy" on hiatus from Mid-November to early February — has taken this notion to an extreme, and the odd scheduling of their One Chicago shows.
Season 11 of "Chicago Fire" had, for instance, aired fairly regularly from September to early December of 2022. The show returned to the airwaves on January 4 and aired episodes regularly from then until April 5. But it won't be back on the air again until May 3. That's the same pattern "Chicago Med" and "Chicago P.D." have followed. Whether it's a cost-cutting measure intended to ensure the programs will have first-run episodes set for the entirety of May sweeps or an attempt at extending the seasons, it's beginning to have an effect on the ratings. Numbers for all three shows took a dip in their demos when they returned in March after their winter hiatuses, losing at least 20% of the demo. The ratings didn't slide too far southward, but it's a worrying sign since in 2022 they didn't slide this far. That's why it might be best to winnow those breaks down to a single hiatus before the rest of their audience vacates the premises.
BY MELISSA LEMIEUX/MAY 5, 2023 3:00 PM EST
It may be normal for broadcast television shows to take brief breaks over the holiday season and summer, but NBC — perhaps following in the footsteps of ABC, which often put their top-tier dramas like "Grey's Anatomy" on hiatus from Mid-November to early February — has taken this notion to an extreme, and the odd scheduling of their One Chicago shows.
Season 11 of "Chicago Fire" had, for instance, aired fairly regularly from September to early December of 2022. The show returned to the airwaves on January 4 and aired episodes regularly from then until April 5. But it won't be back on the air again until May 3. That's the same pattern "Chicago Med" and "Chicago P.D." have followed. Whether it's a cost-cutting measure intended to ensure the programs will have first-run episodes set for the entirety of May sweeps or an attempt at extending the seasons, it's beginning to have an effect on the ratings. Numbers for all three shows took a dip in their demos when they returned in March after their winter hiatuses, losing at least 20% of the demo. The ratings didn't slide too far southward, but it's a worrying sign since in 2022 they didn't slide this far. That's why it might be best to winnow those breaks down to a single hiatus before the rest of their audience vacates the premises.