Archive for October, 2011
Posted by Roger in OPINION
In the year and a half that I’ve been writing Remote Patrolled we’ve covered a whole heap of shows on a range of networks from ABC to Fox to AMC to FX and many more.
But as I was writing a piece last week a sudden thought hit me. There isn’t a single show on CBS that I regularly watch!
Now of course there are many other networks out there that I barely glance at. I can’t say I’m tuning into HGTV religiously, or BET, or any sports related channel. But CBS is a MAJOR network – in fact in terms of overall ratings it’s the biggest network of all. No other channel has a slate where virtually everything that airs attracts over 10 million viewers. And yet in our household CBS barely registers.
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Posted by Roger in RATINGS
Winners and Losers From The Last 7 Days
WINNERS
FAIRYTALE TV: Looks like there might be a couple of happy ever afters for the broadcast networks this week!
After a mixed season with several successes but no major out of the box smashes, both ABC and NBC received some good news this week from some rather unexpected sources.
For ABC the pleasant surprise was Once Upon A Time, the fairy tale series that’s been tasked with launching their whole Sunday night line-up. Given that that line-up includes Desperate Housewives and Pan Am, two shows that define the phrase ‘fading fast’ that’s quite a tall order. But Once Upon A Time more than stepped up to the challenge, pulling in a terrific 12.93 million viewers and a 4.0 18-49 share. That’s ABC’s best drama premiere this Fall and LAST Fall! Now of course the question becomes – how will the ratings hold up in week 2? Remember Pan Am…
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Posted by Roger in COMEDY
Time for a little comedy here at Remote Patrolled – and one of the most unexpected surprises of the Fall TV Season.
Let’s be honest – did anyone have high expectations for the new ABC sitcom Suburgatory? Aside from a dubious title and a complete lack of buzz there was also the fact that Suburgatory hailed from the producer of Emily’s Reasons Why Not – one of the biggest sitcom misfires of the last few years (remember how the Heather Graham starrer only aired ONE episode!)
But that’s the thing with the TV industry – you just never know where the next big hit might hail. Suburgatory isn’t a smash hit quite yet, but it’s doing a very good job as part of ABC’s terrific Wednesday night line-up and is gradually winning over an army of fans. For me the show is delivering at least 5 proper laughs an episode – which is 5 more than Two And A Half Men has ever given us – total!
In case you haven’t caught Suburgatory yet here’s the basic story. The show follows George and Tessa, a father and daughter who relocate from Manhattan to the suburbs. Tessa is the snarky teen who hates her new More >
Posted by Roger in REALITY
They’re here – The X Factor USA live shows have arrived – but what did you make of all the much hyped production numbers? Any $5 million winners in the bunch?
Before I deliver my category by category thoughts here’s a few general notes:
1) Could host Steve Jones be any blander? Sure Jones looks great in a suit but I don’t think I detected anything resembling a personality during the entire length of last night’s 2 1/2 hour show. It just goes to show how valuable Ryan Seacrest is to the Idol franchise.
2) What a relief to finally hear some DIFFERENT songs on a music competition show. I’m so tired of tracks like Mack The Knife, Alone and Hallelujah being performed on Idol – so it was definitely a breath of fresh air to hear contestants taking on Britney’s Womaniser, Come On Eileen, Do You Really Want To Hurt Me and I Kissed A Girl. Sure it didn’t all work but it was good to see X Factor artists actually trying on some more contemporary songs. No Fleetwood Mac / Beatles week here!
3) I liked the Judges’ squabbling but it’s gonna get real old real fast if they don’t start criticizing More >
Posted by Roger in REALITY
Okay – quick confession time here – the X Factor Groups are starting to grow on me!
All season long it’s felt like The Groups were the weak link in The X Factor – ironic given that they’re one of the main elements that set the show apart from Idol and The Voice. But I don’t think any of us were looking forward to live shows that might include Illusion Confusion and 4Shore!
But I have to say – giving The Groups to Paula was definitely the right move. Her background in choreography is a great fit for the category and she put together some entertaining – though admittedly not vocally perfect – performances.
Here’s Intensity in action – the kid group that everyone on the internet seems to hate – but I really like! Sure the blonde girl was pretty flat – but as a whole I think the guys are great – full of energy and enthusiasm – and the kids will love em! I also really liked the mash up of songs (something else Idol doesn’t do) and picking Footloose was a smart move given the recent movie remake. Well done Paula!
Elsewhere The Stereo Hogzz were a tad underwhelming for me and More >
Posted by Roger in OPINION
We all know that TV sometimes isn’t a hive of originality – hello CBS – but sometimes the lack of imagination in the industry does leave me scratching my head!
Take the latest craze – for show’s set in the 50’s / 60’s!
A couple of days ago I posted the trailer for the new Starz series, Magic City, a show based in the hotel industry in Miami Beach in the late 50’s. Now I don’t want to be mean to Magic City and it may turn out to be an amazing show – but it’s hard not to look at the series and make comparisons with a certain iconic 60’s series set on Madison Avenue.
Yep, Mad Men has cast a large shadow on the TV industry and spawned more than its fair share of imitators. Of course we all know about The Playboy Club, the ill-fated NBC series that lasted just 3 episodes before being unceremoniously yanked in favor of Prime Suspect repeats (which are also stinking up the joint!)
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When Does It Start: Friday 28th October at 9pm EST on NBC
In A Nutshell: Crime fighting gets a fairytale spin…
What’s It About: Nick Burkhardt is an ordinary homicide detective who’s about to make a startling discovery. Turns out Nick is descended from a long line of ‘Grimms’, crime fighters with the ability to see supernatural monsters hidden to the normal human eye. But Nick is also the last of his kind and must now devote his life to fighting fairytale killers who have infiltrated the real world…
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Winners and Losers From The Last 7 Days
WINNERS
HORROR TV: It’s been a big week for horror on TV as Halloween approaches and ratings for scary series continue to rise
First up of course is The Walking Dead. AMC’s zombie epic blasted back onto our screens on Sunday night with an amazing 7.25 million viewers and an eye popping 3.8 18-49 demo number (a further 2.17 million watched the encore showing immediately after the show). That’s the biggest 18-49 rating for a cable drama series EVER!
Meanwhile over on FX, American Horror Story is proving to be quite the hit. After a predictable week 2 decline, this week Story bounced back, up over 100,000 in viewers, and scoring 2.58 million and a 1.5 18-49 share. Plus with reviewers and audiences starting to embrace the show – and an Entertainment Weekly cover this week – look for American Horror Story to continue to grow in the weeks to come.
And finally, we’ve The Vampire Diaries over on The CW. This week the teen friendly vampire drama managed 3.03 million viewers and a 1.4 18-49 share – the ONLY show on The CW all week to climb above the 3 million mark (most of the CW shows can’t even bring More >
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American Horror Story Nielsen ratings,
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Desperate Housewives Nielsen ratings,
Enlightened Nielsen ratings,
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Homeland Nielsen ratings,
Jersey Shore Nielsen ratings,
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Rules Of Engagement Nielsen ratings,
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The Vampire Diaries Nielsen ratings,
The Walking Dead Nielsen ratings
Posted by Roger in REALITY
Over here in the US we’re down to the Final 17 on The X Factor and awaiting the live shows… but back in the UK – well it’s all kicking off!
Following reports of slipping ratings and lackluster contestants, the show needed a good old dose of drama to get everyone talking – and voila, here it is…
Check out contestant Misha B. She’s been hitting the headlines recently for reports of diva behavior backstage and bullying the other contestants – and tonight judge Tulisa decided to call her out on her antics…
Check out what happens when Tulisa tells it like it is! Fellow judge Kelly Rowland definitely isn’t happy – prompting Louis to leap to her defense… and somewhere Simon Cowell is rubbing his hands together in delight!
Personally I think Misha is very good on stage – but as someone who can’t stand diva behavior – and I’ve seen a LOT of it over the years – I’m thrilled that Tulisa took the cocky contestant down a notch.
But what do you think? Should Tulisa have dealt with Misha backstage? Or was it right to call her out on stage? Comment away…
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And the Mad Men copycats continue…
Check out the just released trailer for Magic City, the upcoming Starz series chronicling the behind the scenes dramas of a Miami Beach hotel in the late 1950′s. In a nutshell it’s Mad Men meets Casino…
City stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen) as Ike Evans, a luxury hotel owner who in order to finance his dream partners with a Mob boss called Ben ‘The Butcher’ Diamond (Danny Huston, so menacing in the under-rated 30 Days Of Night). Meanwhile Evans’ fiercely loyal wife Vera remains unaware of what’s really going on and his kids try to make their own way in the ever-changing Miami social scene…
To be fair to Magic City the trailer is much more Boardwalk Empire than Mad Man but nowadays it’s hard to look at shows of the era and not instantly think of the iconic AMC series. Not helping matters is the fact that both of the much hyped sixties set network series have either been cancelled (The Playboy Club) or are on their way out (Pan Am). I wonder if Starz would have commissioned Magic City in today’s climate?
That said the ratings bar is set a lot lower at Starz and Magic City’s More >
