Premier Week for broadcast TV

This is the 11th season for "Two and Half Men". There are only two comedies that have been on TV longer than 11 seasons: "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" (1952-1966) and "My Three Sons" (1960-1972). Given the massive salaries of the cast, it is not clear if they have more seasons in the show.

TBBT is by far the highest rated comedy on TV. This season it may even pass NCIS and Sunday Night Football to become the highest rated show on TV of any genre.

Millions of viewers for highest rated premier shows
20.44 The Big Bang Theory 8:30
20.02 NCIS
18.99 The Big Bang Theory 8:00
16.17 NCIS:LA
15.52 The Crazy Ones (New)
12.58 The Blacklist (New) NBC
12.44 Person Of Interest
12.12 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (New) ABC
11.68 Modern Family ABC
11.59 Two and a Half Men
11.46 Castle ABC
11.39 Blue Bloods
11.27 Criminal Minds

People tend to watch a new show if it is promoted enough. Last year Vegas's premier attracted 14.85 million viewers, but the show was still cancelled after 21 episodes. The alien invasion miniseries V (2009) pilot attracted 14.30 million viewers, but was cancelled after only 22 episodes.

The Big Bang Theory attracted a respectable 9.52 million viewers to it's pilot. But it keeps building viewers year after year.

NBC has not had a scripted show in the top 20 since the 2004–05 season. The Blacklist (similar to Silence of the Lambs) is their strongest bid in years.

In addition to Lucky 7 which was cancelled after two episodes, there is speculation that 11 other new shows are in trouble.

ABC Back In The Game
ABC Betrayal
ABC Trophy Wife
CBS Hostages
CBS Mom
CBS We Are Men
Fox Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Fox Dads
NBC Ironside
NBC Sean Saves The World
NBC Welcome To The Family

Also some of the returning shows may not make it past this year.

ABC Nashville
ABC The Neighbors
CBS Good Wife, The
CBS Hawaii Five-0
CBS Mentalist, The
Fox The Mindy Project
NBC Parenthood
NBC Revolution

>Lucky 7 Never heard of it.
>ABC Back In The Game Never heard of it
ABC Betrayal Never heard of it
ABC Trophy Wife Read a TV guide squib for one episode and decided it was about three wives, so didn't watch it.
CBS Hostages Heard of it.... understand its a remake of some movie where ordinary people either become hit men or their families die.
CBS Mom Never heard of it.
CBS We Are Men Never heard of it.
Fox Brooklyn Nine-Nine Never heard of it.
Fox Dads Never heard of it.
NBC Ironside Yeah, heard of it, its a remake of that old show of wheel chair bound detective hires young punk who put him there.
NBC Sean Saves The World Never heard of it
NBC Welcome To The Family Never heard of it.

Also some of the returning shows may not make it past this year.

ABC Nashville Aint never heard of it
ABC The Neighbors Never heard of it
CBS Good Wife, The a/k/a The power women one of whom is mainly gay
CBS Hawaii Five-0 Must be re-runs or re-runs.
CBS Mentalist, The Nope, but did see the start of one episode.
Fox The Mindy Project Nope. Is it Mork and Mindy something??
NBC Parenthood God no,,,, TV is supposed to be escapism... who wants a show about parenthood.
NBC Revolution Heard of it... heavily hyped first episode. never saw it though.

Quote: Fleastiff

...Never heard of it.

The Universe of TV viewers are:
People 2+: 294.56 Million
Adults 18-49: 126.96 Million

Most people have never heard of new scripted broadcast TV shows, and they are cancelled so regularly that many doubt the long term existence of broadcast TV.

The Big Bang Theory is getting a high of 22.61m viewers for an episode of which over 9 million are adults ages 18-49. Those numbers are now so unprecedented that the acting cast will almost certainly be paid more than $40 million in combined salary next year.

Quote: Pacomartin

The Big Bang Theory is getting a high of 22.61m viewers for an episode of which over 9 million are adults ages 18-49. Those numbers are now so unprecedented that the acting cast will almost certainly be paid more than $40 million in combined salary next year.

They may or may not deserve that much money but the writers perhaps do since I don't see how the show can keep coming up with two twists and turns about a couple of nerdy geeks and a perfectly normal girl who is willing to live with them even though they aren't nerdy enough to pay off her bills by buying her laundry lint.


Please note: I did not intend by my "never heard of it" comment to send the producers to their bartenders due to the loss of one potential audience member. What I meant was since I've never heard of these shows perhaps others have not either and there is something wrong with the process of introducing new shows.

The CWs show Supernatural had its best premiere since 2010. 9th season. Great show about "hunting things, saving peope, the family business"

Quote: Fleastiff

Please note: I did not intend by my "never heard of it" comment to send the producers to their bartenders due to the loss of one potential audience member. What I meant was since I've never heard of these shows perhaps others have not either and there is something wrong with the process of introducing new shows.

I know what you mean. But that is exactly why when TV gets unstable there are all these new shows that people have never heard of, that are cancelled before anyone sees a single episode.

CBS is the biggest network. These are the scripted shows not returning

1) CSI: NY (made it to 200 episodes)
2) Rules of Engagement (made it to 100 episodes so it can be syndicated)
3) Vegas was popular but didn't attract enough young people (failed drama 21 episodes)
4) Golden Boy (failed drama 13 episodes)
5) Partners (failed comedy 13 episodes)
6) Made in Jersey (failed comedy 8 episodes)

So while CBS is relatively stable network, NBC has almost no audience. Series after series is developed and cancelled after a single season. Most people have never even heard of the series.

Not returning from 2012–13 on NBC
1)The Office (201 episodes)
2)30 Rock (138 episodes)
3)Whitney (38 episodes)
4)Up All Night (35 episodes)
5)Smash(32 episodes)
6)Go On (22 episodes)
7)The New Normal (22 episodes)
8)Guys with Kids (17 episodes)
9)1600 Penn (13 episodes)
10)Do No Harm (13 episodes)
11)Deception (11 episodes)
12)Animal Practice (9 episodes)

I realized there's not much for me to watch any more. At least, not that I can't stand missing an episode or even a season. There's The Big Bang Theory, which I never miss, and that's it. Other shows I do watch, it's fine if I catch them and no big deal if I don't. Even football feels flat this year, as the Steelers have gone AWOL for the season (and, I fear, for the next six to fourteen seasons).

Quote: Pacomartin

But that is exactly why when TV gets unstable there are all these new shows that people have never heard of, that are cancelled before anyone sees a single episode.

I do have one very important question. I understand there is a show entitled How I Married Your Mother. I'm not quite certain who the "I" is and who the "your" is but is there anyone out there who can tell me briefly what the circumstances were and can then tell me how the show has had umpteen zillion episodes and some guy is still telling the same story over and over to the same person. Isn't that "I", whoever he is, tired of relating the same narrative over and over again? I don't know who the "your" is but whoever they are, isn't it tiring for them to keep hearing the same narrative over and over again each week? Don't the advertiser's think their audience will get tired and take out their frustrations on the products that are advertized?

Quote: Fleastiff

I do have one very important question. I understand there is a show entitled How I Married Your Mother. I'm not quite certain who the "I" is and who the "your" is but is there anyone out there who can tell me briefly what the circumstances were and can then tell me how the show has had umpteen zillion episodes and some guy is still telling the same story over and over to the same person. Isn't that "I", whoever he is, tired of relating the same narrative over and over again? I don't know who the "your" is but whoever they are, isn't it tiring for them to keep hearing the same narrative over and over again each week? Don't the advertiser's think their audience will get tired and take out their frustrations on the products that are advertized?

How I (Ted) Met Your (his kids) Mother (we dont know who yet just the girl with the umbrella) is a comedy about Teds search for his true love as he tells his kids the story. Its also about Uncle Barney and Aunt Robin and Aunt Lilly and Uncle Marshall as twenty somethings. Its a funny show but this is the last season and the timing is right for it to end and reveal the mother.