BIG BANG THEORY renewed for another three years

One thing to remember is that TV is not really mass media anymore. When the miniseries Roots aired, on ABC-TV, in 1977 almost half the population watched proportion of the show. It was produced on a budget of $6.6 million

Average viewership of top 3 sitcoms (2014-15
18-49 ages --- outside that age group
6.0 million --- 10 million : The Big Bang Theory
4.5 million --- 5.5 million : Modern Family
3.4 million --- 4.5 million : Black-ish
3.4 million --- 14.4 million : NCIS procedural police drama

Consider that there are 130-140 million people in the USA between the ages of 18 and 49, and just as many age 50 and over.
The operative observation is that most people are not watching any one particular TV show.

If you don't like any one particular show, most of the population is not watching it either.

I like Jane the Virgen (Juana la Virgen) and I was happy that both the show and the star were nominated for Golden Globe awards. But the shows average ratings are 600,000 people in the 18-49 demographic and the same number outside. That's an almost insignificant portion of the population.

I wonder whether with today's standards for viewership numbers, shows like "Sports Night" or "The Nutt House" might have made it for several seasons.

Well it looks like TBBT is going to stay lower than last year. They've lost 0.71 in the demographic ratings and 1.8 million total viewers.
There is very little original material anymore.
Thurs 01/29/2015 #08-13 4.50 17.248 million
Thurs 01/30/2014 #07-14 5.21 19.047

Of course they are still way above Modern Family who actually gained in the all age group.
Weds 01/14/2015 #06-12 3.03 9.436 million
Weds 01/15/2014 #05-12 3.21 9.143

Quote: Pacomartin

There is very little original material anymore.

The last few eps I saw were only so-so. A lot of time was wasted making Stewart into a combination of old-time Howard and a grave-robber. And the ep with the creepy doctor incarnating the ghosts of Raj, Howard and Leonard past was largely pointless.

As much as I like BBT, I think it jumped the shark a long ago. Somebody please put the show out of its misery and end it.

Quote: Wizard

As much as I like BBT, I think it jumped the shark a long ago..

Thank god. It jumped for me after 6 ep's.
4 anal retentive guys isn't funny. 2 anals
and 2 jocks, that would have been funny.

Episodic TV devours original material. Especially
comedies.

Quote: Wizard

As much as I like BBT, I think it jumped the shark a long ago. Somebody please put the show out of its misery and end it.

It has to end with Sheldon and Amy having sex.

That won't ever happen.

Quote: Wizard

Somebody please put the show out of its misery and end it.

I think they are contractually obligated for 59 more episodes at $1 million apiece * 3 principal actors. The last one was episode #172. It is still the highest ranked scripted show on TV for the under 50 viewership craved by advertisers.

60 minute scripted dramas are doing relatively well in competing with sports, talent competition , and reality shows.

Network 18-49 demo Year-to-year change Viewers (mil) Year-to-year change
2 Empire (renewed) FOX 4.06 10.43
6 Scandal ABC 3.16 3.95% 10.11 11.03%
7 How to Get Away with Murder ABC 3.04 10.40
11 The Blacklist NBC 2.69 -7.01% 10.10 -6.42%
13 NCIS CBS 2.60 -7.65% 17.94 -3.00%
14 Grey's Anatomy ABC 2.52 -6.41% 8.66 1.49%
15 Once Upon a Time ABC 2.51 13.94% 7.37 4.11%
17 Gotham (renewed) FOX 2.46 6.63
18 Scorpion (renewed) CBS 2.42 11.25
20 Criminal Minds CBS 2.29 -8.13% 10.51 -3.39%
22 NCIS: New Orleans (renewed) CBS 2.27 16.04
31 Backstrom FOX 1.95 7.98
32 Chicago Fire NBC 1.95 -3.59% 7.64 2.41%
36 Marvel's Agent Carter ABC 1.78 6.31
38 Law & Order: SVU NBC 1.71 -5.66% 7.74 15.59%
39 Marvel's Agents of SHIELD ABC 1.70 -29.38% 4.77 -30.48%
41 Castle ABC 1.67 -14.13% 8.79 -12.06%
43 NCIS: Los Angeles CBS 1.64 -32.76% 9.22 -37.89%
44 Madam Secretary (renewed) CBS 1.61 12.56
45 Person of Interest CBS 1.61 -18.07% 9.77 -17.34%
46 Sleepy Hollow FOX 1.61 -37.99% 4.68 -37.27%
47 Chicago PD NBC 1.60 -2.88% 7.20 12.33%
48 Stalker CBS 1.59 7.78
50 The Flash (renewed) CW 1.51 3.98
55 Bones FOX 1.41 -17.85% 5.92 -10.49%
56 Nashville ABC 1.41 -3.88% 5.44 1.94%
58 The Good Wife CBS 1.37 -4.02% 10.55 12.20%
59 The Mysteries of Laura NBC 1.37 8.33
60 The Mentalist (ending) CBS 1.36 -5.64% 9.14 0.02%
61 State of Affairs NBC 1.35 5.64
66 CSI CBS 1.31 -31.98% 8.28 -16.66%
68 Blue Bloods CBS 1.28 -8.93% 11.49 -0.29%
71 Hawaii Five-0 CBS 1.27 -10.17% 9.66 -0.52%
73 Parenthood (ending) NBC 1.26 -0.92% 4.13 3.87%
74 Elementary CBS 1.25 -27.48% 7.32 -16.72%
75 Grimm NBC 1.25 -10.71% 5.00 -6.65%
76 Resurrection ABC 1.25 -50.21% 4.67 -49.89%
78 Forever ABC 1.20 5.32
81 Revenge ABC 1.14 -26.73% 4.55 -22.90%
85 Cristela ABC 1.06 5.36
86 Arrow (renewed) CW 1.02 11.98% 2.82 7.65%
89 Constantine NBC 0.96 3.38
92 Supernatural (renewed) CW 0.93 -5.66% 2.30 5.11%
97 The Vampire Diaries (renewed) CW 0.80 -21.06% 1.66 -25.38%
100 Glee (ending) FOX 0.70 -42.62% 2.12 -35.34%
102 The Originals (renewed) CW 0.63 -29.56% 1.34 -32.23%
103 The 100 (renewed) CW 0.54 1.26% 1.60 11.44%
104 Jane the Virgin (renewed) CW 0.47 1.22
105 Reign (renewed) CW 0.43 -26.02% 1.21 -23.14%
106 Hart of Dixie CW 0.43 23.81% 1.19 22.96%

Quote: Nareed

It has to end with Sheldon and Amy having sex.

That won't ever happen.

Will you lay 10 to 1 on that?

Quote: Wizard

Will you lay 10 to 1 on that?

They decided to make Sheldon asexual in season #2. By this point in the series, I think only Leonard had sex (with Leslie Winkle), so all four of them could be seen as basically frustrated socially awkward men.

I think it was a stupid plotline. Asexual people are very rare, and it diminishes the character a lot.

Quote: Series 2 Episode 06 – The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem

Scene: The apartment building lobby. Ramona is waiting by the lift. Penny enters.

Penny: Oh, yeah, no, this thing’s majorly out of order. (Picking up out of order sign) See? Sorry.
Ramona: That’s okay. Guess I’m taking the stairs.
Penny: Where you going?
Ramona: 4-A.
Penny: Oh, are you here to see Leonard?
Ramona: No, Dr. Cooper.
Penny: Dr. Sheldon Cooper?
Ramona: We’re having dinner.
Penny: Sheldon Cooper? Tall, thin, looks a little like a giant praying mantis?
Ramona: He is cute, isn’t he?
Penny: Sheldon Cooper?

Penny (in hallway): Okay, you guys, look, I know this is none of my business, but I just, I have to ask, what’s Sheldon’s deal?
Leonard: What do you mean “deal”?
Penny: You know, like what’s his deal? Is it girls? Guys? Sock puppets?
Leonard: Honestly, we’ve been operating under the assumption that he has no deal.
Penny: Come on, everybody has a deal.
Howard: Not Sheldon. Over the years, we’ve formulated many theories about how he might reproduce. I’m an advocate of mytosis.
Penny: I’m sorry?
Howard: I believe one day Sheldon will eat an enormous amount of Thai food and split into two Sheldons.
Leonard: On the other hand, I think Sheldon might be the larval form of his species, and someday he’ll spin a cocoon and emerge two months later with moth wings and an exoskeleton.
Penny: Okay, well, thanks for the nightmares.