UPDATE: NBC DOESN'T SUCK ANYMORE lol - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Mr. Television · 02-12-2013, 02:13 PM

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busines...pAPOC1gdgJgkfJ

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.”

clj2 · 02-12-2013, 02:32 PM

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.

Mr. Television · 02-12-2013, 02:48 PM

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.

Regulus · 02-12-2013, 02:58 PM

This is from the '70s.

NBC = Nine Bombs Cancelled.

clj2 · 02-12-2013, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuck In The '70's

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...

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.

robyrob · 02-12-2013, 03:41 PM

when exactly were they at the "top of the ratings heap"?

- 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)

Mr. Television · 02-12-2013, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robyrob

when exactly were they at the "top of the ratings heap"?

- 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.

EmoJoe · 02-12-2013, 05:09 PM

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.

yankeesrj12 · 02-12-2013, 08:01 PM

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.

EmoJoe · 02-12-2013, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yankeesrj12

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...

yankeesrj12 · 02-12-2013, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EmoJoe

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.

TVFactFan · 02-12-2013, 11:12 PM

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

benjamoon · 02-12-2013, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

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

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

EmoJoe · 02-12-2013, 11:56 PM

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.

TVFactFan · 02-12-2013, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benjamoon

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

02-12-2013, 02:13 PM	#1
Mr. Television 22 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,127	UPDATE: NBC DOESN'T SUCK ANYMORE lol http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busines...pAPOC1gdgJgkfJ 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.”
	__________________ Sonny Last edited by Mr. Television; 05-22-2014 at 10:37 PM.

02-12-2013, 02:32 PM	#2
clj2 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 16, 2005 Location: SC Posts: 3,501	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.
	__________________ -Chris

02-12-2013, 02:58 PM	#4
Regulus Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 07, 2011 Location: Port Orange, Florida Avatar - Poiuyt Posts: 3,374	This is from the '70s. NBC = Nine Bombs Cancelled.
	__________________ Grail Shows: *Doc Elliot, Owen Marshall-Counselor of Law, Here's Boomer, Three for the Road, Holmes and YoYo* Bucket List Shows: *Hot Wheels, Skyhawks, Run Joe Run, Westwood*

02-12-2013, 03:41 PM	#6
robyrob certified wackball#3 Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Aug 03, 2003 Location: hiding under the third booth at Arnold's Posts: 58,168	when exactly were they at the "top of the ratings heap"? - 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)
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02-12-2013, 05:09 PM	#8
EmoJoe Cool cool cool Forum Addict Join Date: Apr 23, 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 71,478	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.
	__________________ "I know the difference between TV and reality, Jeff. TV has structure, it makes sense, there are likable leading men. In real life, we have this. We have you." - Abed Nadir, Community www.sitcomsarestupid.blogspot.com

02-12-2013, 02:48 PM	#3
Mr. Television 22 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,127	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.

02-12-2013, 08:01 PM	#9
yankeesrj12 Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 09, 2008 Posts: 4,335	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.

02-12-2013, 11:12 PM	#12
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 98,985	I thought the show "Go On" was pulling in big numbers for NBC?

02-12-2013, 11:56 PM	#14
EmoJoe Cool cool cool Forum Addict Join Date: Apr 23, 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 71,478	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.