NBC's Committed to The Michael J. Fox Show if Ratings hold up - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Mr. Television · 09-28-2013, 05:44 PM

http://www.thewrap.com/nbcs-jeff-bad...re-week-gains/

NBC’s Jeff Bader Committed to ‘Michael J. Fox,’ Talks Premiere Week Gains
TV | By Tim Molloy on September 27, 2013 @ 4:22 pm F

NBC improved in first four nights for first time in nearly two decades

Michael J. Fox may have lost out to Robin Williams this week — but he isn’t going anywhere.

Jeff Bader, NBC’s president of Program Planning, Strategy and Research, says that if “The Michael J. Fox Show” can keep scoring the 2.1 rating it earned Thursday – or even close to it – then the network will certainly air all 22 episodes of the series.

“That’s the plan right now,” Bader told TheWrap.

In a huge vote of confidence, NBC ordered a full season of Fox’s comeback series more than a year ago. Fox and Williams’ “The Crazy Ones” faced off in the 9 o’clock hour Thursday, something they won’t often do: Fox’s normal timeslot is at 9:30, where he will move next Thursday when Sean Hayes’ “Sean Saves the World” debuts at 9.

The dueling comebacks for Fox and Williams capped a very interesting week for NBC.

On Monday, the third-place network scored the best premiere rating in a year for the new James Spader drama “The Blacklist.” The next night, ABC’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” topped that rating. On Thursday, Williams beat Fox thanks largely to a huge lead-in from “The Big Bang Theory.”

But for the first time in nearly two decades, NBC improved over last year in the first four nights of the fall season. No other Big 4 network has done that since 2004.

“It’s been a tremendous week of growth for us, not only in the 18-49 demo but, remarkably, in total viewers as well,” NBC entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said in a statement to TheWrap. “We know that one week doesn’t determine anything, but this week turned out better than any of us dreamed it would.”

We talked to Bader about what went right and wrong in the first week of the 2013-14 season.

Tim Molloy: How were you able to improve on your first four nights?

Bader: People don’t always remember that we actually had a good summer. We were the No. 1 of the Big 4 for the summer, so we had some circulation there. “Sunday Night Football” is a great promo base. We have “The Voice” which is the number one non-scripted series, and “The Blacklist”… it helps when you have shows that people are writing about, that they like.

Going Sunday, Monday, we just had a great platform there to push into Tuesday. “Chicago Fire” I think is very compatible, as we’ve discovered, with “The Voice.” So that helped us there.

And then we get into some more difficult stuff later in the week. “Revolution” going to an 8 o’clock time period, new time period, for it to basically start where it left off was great, and it turned out to be a good lead-in for the two-hour ‘SVU.’ So we were able to keep our circulation going.

Thursday obviously we’d love for the numbers to be higher. But the numbers that we’re seeing for Thursday are great. We’ve all been saying here, It’s not about winning time periods, necessarily. We just need to improve. So far it’s been working.

Was it a strategic error to put Michael J. Fox straight up against Robin Williams?

I think it’s the best shot that we had. We knew that a one-hour “Big Bang Theory” – it’s the number one show on television, and that’s going to help Robin Williams. That’s why we did the back-to-back episodes. Knowing that 9 o’clock would be tough, hoping that people would come in at 9:30.

Next week Fox moves to 9:30 permanently, which seems like an easier timeslot.

It’s only the first few days of the season. You never know what happens in Week 2 for any series. Robin Williams had a huge, huge lead-in. If you look at the ratings… “Big Bang,” for the first minute of the 9 o’clock hour, was a 6.8 rating. So then “The Crazy Ones” was a 3.9 for the balance of that half hour.

Next week, it will not have a 6.8 lead-in. It will have whatever “The Millers” does, which will probably be half that. So who knows what’s going to happen? “Two and a Half Men” will hopefully be a little bit lower, and hopefully “Sean” will have some kind of presence in that [9 o'clock] time period.

That’s what’s great and scary about this business. You never know.

If it continues to get these ratings – it got a 2.1 last night — will all 22 episodes air?

Absolutely. … Remember, we’re trying to improve our performance in the time period where we averaged… somewhere around a 1.4 at 9:30. So the bar is actually a little bit lower.

So how happy are you with the Michael J. Fox numbers?

I’m disappointed. I just think it deserved more sampling than it got. It’s not that the show was rejected. It’s not like they came and they didn’t come back. I’m hoping we’re still going to get more sampling.

The show addresses his battle with Parkinson’s. Does your research say if anyone tuned out because they thought, ‘Oh no, he’s fighting a tough disease, this will be hard to watch?’

Who knows? Again, I think the biggest factor was “Big Bang.” Don’t forget, it was also the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ premiere. It was a big night of competition.

It has not come up as an issue in any of the research that we’ve done on the show. … Nobody was saying that they wouldn’t watch it because of Parkinson’s.

TVFactFan · 09-28-2013, 06:45 PM

Well I hope Bader is telling the truth because he will look foolish if he does the opposite in 4 weeks

TMC · 10-01-2013, 04:32 PM

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywo...hael-fox-brand

Quote:

Michael J. Fox's return to the sitcom format that cemented his fame proved to be anything but celebratory this week. Could the actor's political statements be to blame for The Michael J. Fox Show's weak debut?

Mr. Television · 10-01-2013, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMC

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywo...hael-fox-brand

The big difference was Williams had TBBT as a lead in and Fox had P & R. Williams is more political than Fox is.

Vahan · 10-01-2013, 10:09 PM

And apparently, none of the people on that site want to move on and forget about the time he faked Parkinson's in front of Rush Limbaugh. Some people there are also praying that he rots in hell with Satan for not being pro-life. The comments especially spewed by TruckinMack make me wanna throw up. So if MJF died tomorrow, it would be a great day for him. Pathetic.

But then what do I expect from that site? According to them, they despise anyone who doesn't vote with their wallets for starters.

lucy&vivfan · 10-03-2013, 01:33 PM

People just don't watch prime-time TV anymore on CBS, NBC or ABC. So, why would anyone think a TV star from the 1980s would cause tens of millions of people to sit glued to the TV set? And of all the previews I saw of Fox's new show, I couldn't tell what it was even about. Not enough to make me take the time to watch it.

LittleRickyII · 10-04-2013, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMC

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywo...hael-fox-brand

I wouldn't take anything seriously that's posted on that website.

Vahan · 10-04-2013, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LittleRickyII

I wouldn't take anything seriously that's posted on that website.

And if any of you here does, let's just say that I feel sorry for you.

Mr. Television · 10-04-2013, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vahan

And if any of you here does, let's just say that I feel sorry for you.

I didn't even read the website. I don't need to. There are crazy people out there. No need to take them seriously.

comedyfreak · 10-06-2013, 05:43 AM

I seen finally seen the show it was okay, need to watch a few more times to see if this is for me.

Yong Fang · 10-19-2013, 05:01 AM

Both Fox and Williams' shows are not very good.

I like Robin Williams. I like his schtick. He is a very unique person with a unique sense of humor. Some have praised that Williams is more or less limited and restrained from his comedy, but I think Robin does his best work when he is unrestrained and free to do his own stuff. A lot of people like that, this is why Williams has been a box office hit for the past thirty years. I know he is 62 and not 28, but damn, let the guy work outside the box a bit.

I would have framed the Michael J. Fox show a lot like the old Dick Van Dyke show from the 1960's. From the show now, I would only keep Betsy Brandt (who is gorgeous) and the youngest red haired kid. Haf f the show he does in the TV station, but it would have made Mike Henry into a writer of a show surrounded by funny comedic actors which would have made MJF a funny straight man. I would even have a recurring character with a disability to challenge Fox and someone to relate to.

Chocolate Moose · 10-29-2013, 03:33 PM

I'm out. This show is painful to watch.

09-28-2013, 05:44 PM	#1
Mr. Television 22 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,125	NBC's Committed to The Michael J. Fox Show if Ratings hold up http://www.thewrap.com/nbcs-jeff-bad...re-week-gains/ NBC’s Jeff Bader Committed to ‘Michael J. Fox,’ Talks Premiere Week Gains TV \| By Tim Molloy on September 27, 2013 @ 4:22 pm F NBC improved in first four nights for first time in nearly two decades Michael J. Fox may have lost out to Robin Williams this week — but he isn’t going anywhere. Jeff Bader, NBC’s president of Program Planning, Strategy and Research, says that if “The Michael J. Fox Show” can keep scoring the 2.1 rating it earned Thursday – or even close to it – then the network will certainly air all 22 episodes of the series. “That’s the plan right now,” Bader told TheWrap. In a huge vote of confidence, NBC ordered a full season of Fox’s comeback series more than a year ago. Fox and Williams’ “The Crazy Ones” faced off in the 9 o’clock hour Thursday, something they won’t often do: Fox’s normal timeslot is at 9:30, where he will move next Thursday when Sean Hayes’ “Sean Saves the World” debuts at 9. The dueling comebacks for Fox and Williams capped a very interesting week for NBC. On Monday, the third-place network scored the best premiere rating in a year for the new James Spader drama “The Blacklist.” The next night, ABC’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” topped that rating. On Thursday, Williams beat Fox thanks largely to a huge lead-in from “The Big Bang Theory.” But for the first time in nearly two decades, NBC improved over last year in the first four nights of the fall season. No other Big 4 network has done that since 2004. “It’s been a tremendous week of growth for us, not only in the 18-49 demo but, remarkably, in total viewers as well,” NBC entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said in a statement to TheWrap. “We know that one week doesn’t determine anything, but this week turned out better than any of us dreamed it would.” We talked to Bader about what went right and wrong in the first week of the 2013-14 season. Tim Molloy: How were you able to improve on your first four nights? Bader: People don’t always remember that we actually had a good summer. We were the No. 1 of the Big 4 for the summer, so we had some circulation there. “Sunday Night Football” is a great promo base. We have “The Voice” which is the number one non-scripted series, and “The Blacklist”… it helps when you have shows that people are writing about, that they like. Going Sunday, Monday, we just had a great platform there to push into Tuesday. “Chicago Fire” I think is very compatible, as we’ve discovered, with “The Voice.” So that helped us there. And then we get into some more difficult stuff later in the week. “Revolution” going to an 8 o’clock time period, new time period, for it to basically start where it left off was great, and it turned out to be a good lead-in for the two-hour ‘SVU.’ So we were able to keep our circulation going. Thursday obviously we’d love for the numbers to be higher. But the numbers that we’re seeing for Thursday are great. We’ve all been saying here, It’s not about winning time periods, necessarily. We just need to improve. So far it’s been working. Was it a strategic error to put Michael J. Fox straight up against Robin Williams? I think it’s the best shot that we had. We knew that a one-hour “Big Bang Theory” – it’s the number one show on television, and that’s going to help Robin Williams. That’s why we did the back-to-back episodes. Knowing that 9 o’clock would be tough, hoping that people would come in at 9:30. Next week Fox moves to 9:30 permanently, which seems like an easier timeslot. It’s only the first few days of the season. You never know what happens in Week 2 for any series. Robin Williams had a huge, huge lead-in. If you look at the ratings… “Big Bang,” for the first minute of the 9 o’clock hour, was a 6.8 rating. So then “The Crazy Ones” was a 3.9 for the balance of that half hour. Next week, it will not have a 6.8 lead-in. It will have whatever “The Millers” does, which will probably be half that. So who knows what’s going to happen? “Two and a Half Men” will hopefully be a little bit lower, and hopefully “Sean” will have some kind of presence in that [9 o'clock] time period. That’s what’s great and scary about this business. You never know. If it continues to get these ratings – it got a 2.1 last night — will all 22 episodes air? Absolutely. … Remember, we’re trying to improve our performance in the time period where we averaged… somewhere around a 1.4 at 9:30. So the bar is actually a little bit lower. So how happy are you with the Michael J. Fox numbers? I’m disappointed. I just think it deserved more sampling than it got. It’s not that the show was rejected. It’s not like they came and they didn’t come back. I’m hoping we’re still going to get more sampling. The show addresses his battle with Parkinson’s. Does your research say if anyone tuned out because they thought, ‘Oh no, he’s fighting a tough disease, this will be hard to watch?’ Who knows? Again, I think the biggest factor was “Big Bang.” Don’t forget, it was also the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ premiere. It was a big night of competition. It has not come up as an issue in any of the research that we’ve done on the show. … Nobody was saying that they wouldn’t watch it because of Parkinson’s.
	__________________ Sonny

10-01-2013, 10:09 PM	#5
Vahan Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 14, 2008 Posts: 2,712	And apparently, none of the people on that site want to move on and forget about the time he faked Parkinson's in front of Rush Limbaugh. Some people there are also praying that he rots in hell with Satan for not being pro-life. The comments especially spewed by TruckinMack make me wanna throw up. So if MJF died tomorrow, it would be a great day for him. Pathetic. But then what do I expect from that site? According to them, they despise anyone who doesn't vote with their wallets for starters.
	Last edited by Vahan; 10-04-2013 at 01:20 AM.

10-06-2013, 05:43 AM	#10
comedyfreak Cheers! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 14, 2005 Location: Sunny California Posts: 11,058	I seen finally seen the show it was okay, need to watch a few more times to see if this is for me.
	__________________ www.facebook.com/comedyfreak

10-29-2013, 03:33 PM	#12
Chocolate Moose Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 21, 2007 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 4,881	I'm out. This show is painful to watch.
	__________________ How long a minute is, depends on what side of the bathroom door you're on.

09-28-2013, 06:45 PM	#2
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 98,950	Well I hope Bader is telling the truth because he will look foolish if he does the opposite in 4 weeks

10-03-2013, 01:33 PM	#6
lucy&vivfan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 01, 2013 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 126	People just don't watch prime-time TV anymore on CBS, NBC or ABC. So, why would anyone think a TV star from the 1980s would cause tens of millions of people to sit glued to the TV set? And of all the previews I saw of Fox's new show, I couldn't tell what it was even about. Not enough to make me take the time to watch it.

10-19-2013, 05:01 AM	#11
Yong Fang Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 04, 2009 Location: Memphis Tennessee Posts: 3,072	Both Fox and Williams' shows are not very good. I like Robin Williams. I like his schtick. He is a very unique person with a unique sense of humor. Some have praised that Williams is more or less limited and restrained from his comedy, but I think Robin does his best work when he is unrestrained and free to do his own stuff. A lot of people like that, this is why Williams has been a box office hit for the past thirty years. I know he is 62 and not 28, but damn, let the guy work outside the box a bit. I would have framed the Michael J. Fox show a lot like the old Dick Van Dyke show from the 1960's. From the show now, I would only keep Betsy Brandt (who is gorgeous) and the youngest red haired kid. Haf f the show he does in the TV station, but it would have made Mike Henry into a writer of a show surrounded by funny comedic actors which would have made MJF a funny straight man. I would even have a recurring character with a disability to challenge Fox and someone to relate to.