Ratings

[avidreader]

That's great news!

Its a perfect pairing, isnt it?

 

[triplet]

Its a perfect pairing, isnt it?

Yep, I hope it's good news for both of them.

I love Supernatural and am glad it's got another year to go at least, I think it's probably a better lead out from Smallville than Everwood.



It's all good.

 

[AgentPat]

I thought I'd post some happy news too. I know what she says isnt gospel, but she does have a grasp on things.

From Kristen at Eonline!

http://www.eonline.com/Gossip/Kristin/Archive2005/051209.html

Awesome!! (even though I haven't been watching Supernatural) LOL

Now, this bit about sharing "a" night has me worried. I *hope* they're not thinking of moving SV aye freakin' gain!
Move SN, NOT SV!!!! Thursday's has been very good for the show. Don't &%$# with it. It aint broke!!!! *siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh*


I do also wonder how S6 is gonna affect - or be affected - by that *other* franchise. Gah!



Oh Jack? You out there hon?

 

[Serene]

From Kristen at Eonline!
I'll waste away in Supernaturalville anytime, baby.

Supernaturalville, LOL!

I would love to see that pairing.

 

[AgentPat]

Supernaturalville, LOL!

I would love to see that pairing.

Y'know, if ya dig up the thread I started about Supernatural, it's the first thing I said. Put the shows together on the same night. People said I was nuts. Heh! C'mon! It sooooo makes sense. Why they didn't do it out of the gate is beyond me.

 

[avidreader]

Y'know, if ya dig up the thread I started about Supernatural, it's the first thing I said. Put the shows together on the same night. People said I was nuts. Heh! C'mon! It sooooo makes sense. Why they didn't do it out of the gate is beyond me.

I guess they thought Tuesday night was a better place to start. Didnt Smallville start at 9.00 on Tuesday?

Considering that both shows appeal to the same demographic then it makes complete sense to have them both showing back to back.

 

[LarryLegend]

Good news about one more year.

 

[rumpuso]

That's great news, but isn't that the same organization that posted the false rumor about Tom and Jaimie splitting up? It was Ted Casablanca and I don't know who he works for.

Anyway...one more season, good news if it's true!

 

[Brainiac 8]

It's one of the only shows WB has that is making them any money right now. They would be stupid not to do another year of Smallville and it's other flagship show Gilmore Girls.

 

[avidreader]

That's great news, but isn't that the same organization that posted the false rumor about Tom and Jaimie splitting up? It was Ted Casablanca and I don't know who he works for.

Anyway...one more season, good news if it's true!

Ted Casablanca thrives on gossip. He has a gossip column at Eonline!

Kristen reports news for Eonline!

She's a more reliable source. I think she may have been the first to leak the news about James Marsters and she also insisted that Dean Cain would be appearing on the show as well.

 

[AgentPat]

Ted Casablanca thrives on gossip. He has a gossip column at Eonline!

Kristen reports news for Eonline!...

Exactly. They're just on the same website, but they're two very different sources of "information." Kristen used to be "Wanda." She's been around for quite some time and has good contacts for TV show spoilers. Casablanca needs to disappear in a black hole or something. The guy thrives on spreading personal gossip about celebs. He's just a sleaze.

 

[RakuMon]

Y'know, if ya dig up the thread I started about Supernatural, it's the first thing I said. Put the shows together on the same night. People said I was nuts. Heh! C'mon! It sooooo makes sense. Why they didn't do it out of the gate is beyond me.

I always thought it made sense if for no other reason than the fact that they aired a promo for the show after last season's Smallville finale. I think a casual viewer would've assumed as much.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

Smallville's not going anywhere unless ratings tank for the final 13 episodes this season. As I was told by the people I talk to at the local affiliate "They found their ace in the hole on Thursdays".

It would be a cool pairing to see Supernatural with SV on Thursdays. I watched the pilot and always mean to watch it, but I always forget or get caught up in a hockey game or something. If it was on right after SV, I'd never forget it was on.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

Exactly. They're just on the same website, but they're two very different sources of "information." Kristen used to be "Wanda." She's been around for quite some time and has good contacts for TV show spoilers. Casablanca needs to disappear in a black hole or something. The guy thrives on spreading personal gossip about celebs. He's just a sleaze.

my company owns E!, I'd so like to find a way to get Casablanca fired

 

[triplet]

Smallville's not going anywhere unless ratings tank for the final 13 episodes this season. As I was told by the people I talk to at the local affiliate "They found their ace in the hole on Thursdays".

It would be a cool pairing to see Supernatural with SV on Thursdays. I watched the pilot and always mean to watch it, but I always forget or get caught up in a hockey game or something. If it was on right after SV, I'd never forget it was on.

I love Supernatural... the interaction between the two brothers is great and it doesn't hurt that they're both so easy on the eyes.



The storylines, with few exceptions, so far this year have been great. They keep the suspense up and can be truly scary at times. They always have great twists and turns and they have great pacing... They're also beautifully shot and the acting is wonderful. Supernatural is almost like a mini-horror movie every week.

I think it's the only show I would hate to miss a new episode of besides Smallville.

If I ever missed an episode of SV, I'd be seriously angry so it doesn't quite come up to the same level as that but pretty close.

 

[KikiDee]

Should we have any concerns with the new "Must See TV" campaign NBC is putting out? They're stacking up the comedies on Thursday and they're starting Jan. 5 which is opposite the Aqua episode.

 

[avidreader]

Not bad for a repeat night.

Primetime Thursday Ratings:
NBC and Repeat Driven CBS Share the Top Spot

Thursday 12/15/05
Metered Market Ratings

Note: The following overnight results exclude the Atlanta, Hartford, Miami, Providence, Greenville, Charlotte and Greensboro markets.

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 9.7/15, NBC: 8.6/13, ABC: 5.9/ 9, Fox: 3.2/ 5, WB: 3.0/ 5, UPN: 2.7/ 4

-Percent Change From the Comparable Year-Ago Evening (Thursday 12/16/04):
ABC: +37, WB: +30, Fox: -16, CBS: -20, UPN: -32, NBC: -35

----------

Fast Affiliate Ratings

-Total Viewers:
CBS: 13.96 million, NBC: 11.22, ABC: 8.94, Fox: 4.91, WB: 3.88, UPN: 1.2/ 3

-Adults 18-49:
NBC: 4.9/13, CBS: 4.5/12, ABC: 2.9/ 8, Fox: 2.2/ 6, WB: 1.5/ 4, UPN: 1.2/ 3

----------

-Yesterday’s Winners:
CSI R (CBS)

-Down But Not Out:
The Apprentice 4 (NBC)

-Honorable Mention:
Wonderful World of Disney: The Santa Claus R (ABC), Without A Trace R (CBS)

-Yesterday’s Losers:
Joey (NBC), Love, Inc. (UPN), Reunion (Fox), Eve (UPN), Cuts (UPN), Primetime Live (ABC)

----------



A two-hour repeat of Smallville kept the WB on the Thursday map, with a fifth-place 3.0/ 5 in the overnights, 3.88 million viewers and a 1.5/ 4 among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. Compared to the year-ago time period average, that was an increase of as much as 220 percent among men 18-49.



Source: Nielsen Media Research data

 

[triplet]

Have we seen this article on Neilson starting to use DVR homes in their data before?

I think it sounds somewhat familiar, but it's interesting what they said about Smallville....

Read the whole article here:

http://www.examiner.com/articles/2005/12/16/ap/entertainment/d8eirqho1.txt

Here's the bit that mentions Smallville:

But since people with DVRs tend to watch more television than people without them, the data also may help smaller, cult favorites. Tests revealed that the WB's "Smallville," for example, was watched at double the rate in DVR homes than in homes without the device.

 

[JackMercy]

Oh Jack? You out there hon?

Yeah I'm here, Pat.

Busy with that "project"...

And as you can see, I'm still here ("right where I always was"), so that must mean... something.

Oh I think the pizza makers lately have been very happy with the way things are going on Thursday... I wouldn't count on a change -- then again, what do I know?

Keep up the good fight, and some of your wishes may come true...

If I could say just a couple of things about the future, it's these words:

Even numbers are good. And...

"It's better to burn out, than to faaade awaaay..."

 

[Serene]

"It's better to burn out, than to faaade awaaay..."

Neil Young is going to be on SV?

Cool.

 

[triplet]

Despite an otherwise bleak season for The WB, a couple of articles today on how well Smallville is doing for the netlet:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/19/b...l=1&adxnnlx=1134968843-luh5SeCbIHCVmXY7iawIzQ

Registration required but it's free.... The most important part of fans was this:

One risky change - the move of the top-rated "Smallville" from Wednesday to Thursday, which is a more competitive night - has paid off. The ratings for this Superman prequel have improved, even up against CBS's "Survivor," nearly doubling the WB's audience on the lucrative night, with its abundance of movie ads.

In another article, this one is more about the show and is worth copying the wholel thing in here:

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-smallville19dec19,0,6168281.story?coll=cl-home-more-channels

A super leap for WB's timing
The shift of 'Smallville' to Thursday nights has turned out to be a boon for the network, lifting the show's ratings 28% in an otherwise dismal season.
By Scott Collins
Times Staff Writer

December 19, 2005

When the creators of "Smallville" heard that the WB Network was planning to move their series at the start of this season, they regarded the new time slot much like Superman would a barrel of kryptonite.

"Any time you move a show, it's always dangerous," writer-producer Al Gough said over lunch in Burbank recently. Gough and his longtime creative partner, Miles Millar, co-created the drama, a free-wheeling prequel to the Superman comic series that envisions Clark Kent as a small-town youth with a busy social life and some eye-popping abilities that couldn't be addressed in your typical gifted-student program.

The producers already had had a bad experience with a schedule switch. Ratings for "Smallville" sank after a previous regime at the WB pushed the series from Tuesday to Wednesday, which a still-simmering Millar dismissed as "the dumbest move."

Now WB executives wanted the series to open their lineup on Thursday, opposite CBS' durable hit "Survivor" and two other youth-skewing series, ABC's "Alias" and Fox's hot soap "The O.C." Even UPN was getting pre-season buzz for its new Chris Rock comedy, "Everybody Hates Chris."

It looked like curtains for young Clark.

Instead, in a twist that has surprised the producers and challenged the conventional wisdom of the TV industry, "Smallville" has, in its fifth season, become a standout hit for the WB. The series is having its best season, up 28% compared with last year, with an average of 5.5 million total viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.

It's also given the WB what it never had before in its 11-year history: a solid presence on Thursdays, the most lucrative night of the week in terms of TV advertising revenue.

"It kind of bucked the odds," Shari Anne Brill, an analyst at New York ad firm Carat USA, said of "Smallville." "Usually in the fifth season, you'd start to see declines" in the ratings.

"It feels to me like arguably our best move of the year," said David Janollari, president of WB entertainment, which otherwise has had a dismal TV season. Previously, the network "didn't really have an identity on Thursday," he added; last year, for instance, the network was running "Blue Collar TV" and "Drew Carey's Green Screen Show."

Despite all the talk of TiVo and other devices that allow viewers to bypass network lineups, scheduling can still be the Hollywood equivalent of no-limit poker. Millar is hardly the first producer to complain of "dumb" time-slot maneuvers; such battles make up a time-honored tug-of-war between series overseers and network "suits."

This season, both Mark Burnett of "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" and Dick Wolf of "Law & Order" have lamented the supposed effect of schedule shuffles on their shows. In recent weeks, industry attention was riveted to whether Fox would move its smash "American Idol" to Thursday nights. NBC executives waited until Fox announced "Idol" would stay on Tuesdays and Wednesdays before revealing their own midseason changes.

The Thursday move seems to have energized "Smallville." This season's debut found Clark transported to the "Fortress of Solitude," an ice palace where he confronts his father, Jor-El, as a meteor shower threatens Earth. The episode required a number of costly special effects, as well as shooting Clark's Tom Welling on an actual glacier.

"Every episode is like this big, great action movie," Janollari said.

The schedule change came about during meetings last spring, when Janollari and his executives were puzzling over a chart for the fall lineup. "As I was staring at the schedule, I just, like, looked at the 'Smallville' card and ... picked it up and moved it to Thursday at 8, and I said, 'What does everyone else think of this?,' " Janollari recalled. "The thinking was, 'Well, let's bring our loyal audience to Thursday nights.' "

Moving the show would rescue it from fierce competition on Wednesdays, where ABC's smash hit "Lost" was attracting many sci-fi fans and UPN's reality hit "America's Next Top Model" was scoring with young women. "Those two shows cut so deeply into the 'Smallville' core audience that it was sort of held down for the last two years," said Peter Roth, president of Warner Bros. Television, which produces the show.

Thursday had long been the domain of NBC, which had a string of top-rated comedies that night including "The Cosby Show" and "Friends." But NBC's streak ended with such flops as the "Friends" spinoff "Joey," leaving room for other shows such as "The O.C." to find an audience.

Still, the schedule transplant carried enormous risks: If "Smallville" faltered, Janollari might have been accused of killing a profitable asset for the network and Warner Bros., its main studio supplier. (The WB is jointly owned by Tribune Co., publisher of the Los Angeles Times, and Time Warner.)

As it has turned out, "Smallville" is giving WB executives a ray of hope in an otherwise brutal season. Despite heavy publicity and some favorable reviews, the new drama "Just Legal," starring Don Johnson, tanked in the ratings and was quickly pulled; two other premieres, "Supernatural" and "Related," have generated better numbers but failed to emerge as breakout hits. Overall, the WB has slipped 12% this season in its key adults ages 18-34 demographic, and lost ground to longtime rival UPN.

The results may call into question the network's recent push to lure more 30-something viewers instead of the teenagers who turned out for past hits such as "Felicity" and "Dawson's Creek."

"They're definitely in a transition mode right now," Gough said of the network. The same could be said for Gough and Millar, who seem surprised and grateful that "Smallville" has done so well for so long but also are eager to move to their next challenge. The pair, who met in the mid-'90s at USC film school, seem unlikely partners. Maryland native Gough is the sort of amiable, rumpled guy at home in a baseball cap and sweatshirt; the British-born Millar is intense and more reserved, the one whose fingers are on the keyboard during their scriptwriting sessions. (In addition to "Smallville," the duo worked on scripts for the features "Spider-Man 2" and "Herbie: Fully Loaded.")

Neither was a comic-book fan before "Smallville." After the series premiered in 2001, they attended their first Comic-Con, the massive comic-book trade show in San Diego. Gough was worried that they'd be viciously set upon by Superman purists, who might disapprove of such story touches as making young Clark friends with young Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), Superman's longtime nemesis.

Instead, fans swarmed the "Smallville" creators seeking autographs — probably to "sell on EBay," Gough said with a laugh.

Millar would prefer to focus on features. "We've been reluctant to do any more TV," he said. "The failure rate is so high. You put all that work into it, and [the series] doesn't work out."

But "Smallville" isn't letting its creators slip away from the medium that easily. In this season's fourth episode, the writers introduced Arthur "A.C." Curry, who saved Clark's friend Lana Lang from drowning.

As comic fans know, Curry is actually the superhero Aquaman, who'll be at the center of a still-untitled spinoff that Gough and Millar are writing, with an eye toward fall 2006. The writers already know their character will have a much more practical bent than the teenage Clark Kent.

"He's got a very real-world agenda: the environment," Gough said of Aquaman.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

Neil Young is going to be on SV?

Cool.

Is it bad that I first thought of Def Leppard when I read that?

 

[Serene]

Is it bad that I first thought of Def Leppard when I read that?

*slap!*

Yes.

 

[AgentPat]

Is it bad that I first thought of Def Leppard when I read that?

I first thought about the scene in Highlander, the movie LOL

[waves to Jack]

Even numbers are good -- for Star Trek movies. But even Star Trek had its "Nemesis."

Oh, and as far as some wishes coming true.... Heh! Everybody's is different, but I'd venture a guess most here have at least ONE thing in common on their collective X-Mas lists. So here's to seeing that some day. Think ya can make that happen for us, Santa? Please? *sniff*

Moving the show would rescue it from fierce competition on Wednesdays, where ABC's smash hit "Lost" was attracting many sci-fi fans and UPN's reality hit "America's Next Top Model" was scoring with young women. "Those two shows cut so deeply into the 'Smallville' core audience that it was sort of held down for the last two years," said Peter Roth, president of Warner Bros. Television, which produces the show.

Hmm. Well, I dunno. I'm sure those shows did a number on SV, but it wasn't *all* just time slot competition.

I think Facade followed by Devoted was somewhat of a downer for fans, and those two episodes couldn't have come at a worse time since viewers were "feeling out" the shows they wanted to watch, ABC's LOST being one of them. And as much as I personally didn't have a problem with it, I know a LOT of fans were pretty irate with the Lana/witch story arc. It may not have been as pervasive as some fans made it seem, but you wouldn't know that by the way people pissed and moaned about it. Compound all this with writers still leaning hard on FOTW-based plots (yet another thing fans griped over) as well as a de-emphasis on core characters (bringing in Lois, Jason, Mrs. Teague, etc.), and they ended up with a season that's debatable at best. Were there some GREAT episodes? Sure! There always are. But people don't remember those. As good as episodes like Crusade, Run, Transference, and Onyx were, people would rather dwell on Lanabelle, Krypto and Myx as "WTF" moments in SV's 4th season LOL.

Still, the schedule transplant carried enormous risks: If "Smallville" faltered, Janollari might have been accused of killing a profitable asset for the network and Warner Bros., its main studio supplier. (The WB is jointly owned by Tribune Co., publisher of the Los Angeles Times, and Time Warner.)

Oh who are they kidding? The fifth season was supposed to be the last anyway. Now that the goose is laying some boffo golden eggs again, I guess the network wants to make sure they stay shiny.

"They're definitely in a transition mode right now," Gough said of the network. The same could be said for Gough and Millar, who seem surprised and grateful that "Smallville" has done so well for so long but also are eager to move to their next challenge.

Ouch. There's so many ways to respond to this, but "ouch" sums it up best, I think.

But "Smallville" isn't letting its creators slip away from the medium that easily. In this season's fourth episode, the writers introduced Arthur "A.C." Curry, who saved Clark's friend Lana Lang from drowning.

Pssst... It was Lois Lane, not Lana Lang.

As comic fans know, Curry is actually the superhero Aquaman, who'll be at the center of a still-untitled spinoff that Gough and Millar are writing, with an eye toward fall 2006. The writers already know their character will have a much more practical bent than the teenage Clark Kent.

"He's got a very real-world agenda: the environment," Gough said of Aquaman.

If G&M purposely end SV just so they can get Aquaman off the drawing board, I probably won't bother watching the latter. That's all I have to say. I'd rather see a continuation of SV in some way, even if it's just a TV mini series or film. My biggest fan loyalty is to the show and its stars, not the writers or producers. Sorry G&M. It's just the way this cookie crumbles.

 

[Brainiac 8]

I think Facade followed by Devoted was somewhat of a downer for fans, and those two episodes couldn't have come at a worse time since viewers were "feeling out" the shows they wanted to watch, ABC's LOST being one of them. And as much as I personally didn't have a problem with it, I know a LOT of fans were pretty irate with the Lana/witch story arc. It may not have been as pervasive as some fans made it seem, but you wouldn't know that by the way people pissed and moaned about it. Compound all this with writers still leaning hard on FOTW-based plots (yet another thing fans griped over) as well as a de-emphasis on core characters (bringing in Lois, Jason, Mrs. Teague, etc.), and they ended up with a season that's debatable at best. Were there some GREAT episodes? Sure! There always are. But people don't remember those. As good as episodes like Crusade, Run, Transference, and Onyx were, people would rather dwell on Lanabelle, Krypto and Myx as "WTF" moments in SV's 4th season LOL.

You are totally correct Pat, last season was hurt because people remembered the bad episodes more than the good ones, and boy did last season have some good ones! They shot themselves in the foot early on in the season, while some episodes weren't bad per se, but had some of the formulaic plots that people were sick of and it made many people (I know) drop the show for lost. I'm sure that happened with some other people. They seem to have realized that and this season really shows that and improves upon it.

If G&M purposely end SV just so they can get Aquaman off the drawing board, I probably won't bother watching the latter. That's all I have to say. I'd rather see a continuation of SV in some way, even if it's just a TV mini series or film. My biggest fan loyalty is to the show and its stars, not the writers or producers. Sorry G&M. It's just the way this cookie crumbles.

You know, I will give Aquaman a try and see if I like it, but if they hurry and finish Smallville up to get this one going, I will lose so much respect for those two. Why get rid of a good thing, something with so much more potential than Arthur "bro" Curry. I agree, we have alot of people (even here) that watch this show because we like the actors. We watch it for Kreuk, Welling, MR, Durance, JS, O'toole, Glover, Mack, so on and so forth. I don't feel any loyalty to the producers either. I really hope they continue to give Smallville it's due.