Posts tagged HBO
In Production: Game Of Thrones – Season 2
Nov 21st
If you, like me, are hungry for more Game Of Thrones, take a look at this just released behind the scenes look at the upcoming second season…
I can’t really call this video clip a First Look or a proper teaser as it doesn’t reveal a whole lot – but it’s at least a vague taste of what’s to come.
Game Of Thrones was a show that really surprised me first time around. I’m normally not a fan of grungy, fantasy series but Thrones was so fascinating and complex and featured such terrific characters it was hard not to get sucked into the world. For me the series got better every single week – and it seems I wasn’t the only one who felt that way, with viewing figures climbing pretty much every week, ending on a high of 3.04 million.
My instinct is that Game Of Thrones will really explode in Season 2, in the same way that True Blood truly took off after its first season. The big challenge will be maintaining the show’s quality – and bringing the series’ more fantastical elements to life – remember Daenerys and her recently hatched dragons!
The second season of Thrones will launch on HBO in More >
Ratings Roundup: 13th November 2011
Nov 13th
Winners and Losers From The Last 7 Days
WINNERS
HELL ON WHEELS: I’ll be honest – I didn’t see this one coming!
AMC has had an amazing track record in recent years, scoring big with Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Killing and, of course, The Walking Dead. But it seemed to me that new western series Hell On Wheels had zero buzz and was likely headed for the ‘one and done’ category also occupied by fellow AMC ‘failure’ Rubicon.
Yet Hell On Wheels turned out to be no slouch in the ratings department in its Sunday night debut – pulling in 4.36 million viewers and a 1.9 18-49 share – AMC’s biggest opener ever, outside of The Walking Dead.
To be fair, Hell did inherit a large audience from its Dead lead in (6.29 million and a 3.4 18-49 share) – and chances are the show will slip in future weeks. But even so – Hell On Wheels would have to lose a heck of a lot of viewers not to score a second season at this stage. AMC does it again.
NCIS: It’s time to give credit where its due – and this week that means singing the ratings praises of long running CBS procedural NCIS.
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Ratings Roundup: 23rd October 2011
Oct 23rd
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 >
First Look: HBO’s Enlightened
Sep 10th
Hmm, this looks interesting…
Check out the just released trailer for the new HBO show Enlightened, featuring Laura Dern as a corporate exec who suffers a breakdown, heads off to a retreat in Hawaii and returns to work as a new person full of self help and life affirming mantras!
It’s an intriguing concept, although as someone who’s a big believer in self improvement, I hope the show doesn’t stray too far into the ‘let’s-make-of-the-self-help-crowd’ territory. This is an HBO show though, so I have a feeling the series will prove smarter than that!
Enlightened is built around Laura Dern, a criminally underused actress who’s best known these days for Jurassic Park (and perhaps Blue Velvet). But like all ‘aging’ actresses – and Dern is only 44 – she’s realized that all the best material for women is on TV, specifically cable. So just like the likes of Laura Linney and Glenn Close, Dern’s heading to our screens. Plus she’s bringing her mom along – check out Diana Ladd, playing Dern’s on screen mom Helen.
Enlightened is created by Mike White – actor, writer, director and even Amazing Race contestant. The show launches on October 10th… so will you be watching? (more…)
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Ratings Roundup: 27th August 2011
Aug 27th
Winners and Losers From The Last 7 Days
WINNERS
TRUE BLOOD: It feels as though True Blood – along with Jersey Shore – is permanently in our Winners’ circle here at Remote Patrolled. But there’s just no arguing with the figures.
True Blood Season 4 has been remarkably consistent on the ratings front, aside from a week 2 dip (mainly due to HBO making the show available ahead of time for eager fans). For the first time ever, each episode this season has rated above the 5 million mark, with this week’s installment pulling in the show’s highest ever viewing figures – 5.52 million and a 3.1 18-49 share.
That’s a better demo rating than EVERY show on the broadcast networks this week – aside from Tuesday’s America’s Got Talent which also pulled in a 3.1. Not the highest demo socore of the week though… that honor goes to – you guessed it – Jersey Shore, which on Thursday pulled in a stonking 8.47 million viewers and a terrific 4.5 demo score (plus a further 3.27 million and a 1.7 for its encore showing!)
Vamps and guidos. It’s what summer TV is all about these days!
True Blood Series 4: What Do You Think Of The Season So Far?
Aug 16th
So have you been following the latest season of True Blood… and if so what are your thoughts so far?
I’ve been a big True Blood fan from the very start but as regular Remote Patrolled readers would know, I was NOT a big supporter of the messy Season 3 which suffered from far too many characters, dragged out story lines and a whole heap of plots that didn’t connect.
So I was pleasantly surprised when Season 4 started with a bang a few weeks ago – and since then the quality has remained pretty high. But of course I’m never satisfied and there are always holes to pick!
On the plus side I’m loving Marnie the witch – a worthy successor to the fabulous Maryann (when is Michelle Forbes going to get her own series I wonder?) I also like how the witches versus vampires storylines has given the season clear battle lines and a central thrust that was missing from last year’s show.
Ratings Roundup: 9th July 2011
Jul 9th
Winners and Losers From The Last 7 Days
WINNERS
AMERICA’S GOT TALENT: Now we’re talking!
It’s already been a great ratings season so far for America’s Got Talent but on Tuesday night AGT received a supersized summer boost as the warm weather favorite scored its highest ratings in FIVE YEARS!
Yep, Tuesday’s 2 hour Vegas special, unveiling many of the Top 48, scored 15.78 million viewers and a 4.6 18-49 rating, tying the series high set by the show’s opening episode way back in 2006!
My theory – America’s Got Talent has been building momentum for a while now, aided by the addition of the very likable Howie Mandel to the panel and last year’s discovery of a bona fide star in the form of Jackie Evancho. Plus after a long holiday weekend with very little fresh programming on network TV, I think viewers were hungry for new entertainment.
Now the question is whether AGT will continue to bank high numbers as we go into the live shows… we’ll see!
Ratings Roundup: 2nd July 2011
Jul 2nd
Winners and Losers From The Last 7 Days
WINNERS
TRUE BLOOD: The bloodsuckers are back and audiences clearly haven’t lost their appetite!
Sunday night’s True Blood premiere essentially matched the season high set by Season 3’s penultimate episode, scoring 5.42 million viewers and a 3.0 18-49 share. Remember True Blood airs on HBO which many homes in America DON’T subscribe to and yet its demo scores beat out virtually every show on cable and network for the week (except The Voice and America’s Got Talent)
Personally I’m just thrilled that True Blood seems to be back on form after a shaky third season. If the quality continues I wouldn’t be surprised to see the show setting some series highs in the weeks to come – we’ll see…
Ratings Roundup: 25th June 2011
Jun 25th
Winners and Losers From The Last 7 Days
WINNERS
GAME OF THRONES: I guess America has a thing for dragons!
After weeks of growing buss and steadily building audiences, Game of Thrones ended its run with 3.04 million viewers and a 1.4 18-49 share, a season high for the show and a strong result for subscription network HBO.
Thrones wasn’t the top scripted cable show of the night – that honor went to Falling Skies (below) – but considering the number of homes HBO is available in these are still great numbers. And with True Blood back this weekend and a second season of Boardwalk Empire on the way, the future is looking rosy for the network once again. Look for Game of Thrones to jump even higher in its second season as people discover the show on DVD and the word continues to spread. Remember True Blood only became a breakout hit in Season 2 itself…
True Blood Trouble: Are You Excited For Season 4?
Jun 24th
It’s that time of the year again – when TV starved summer audiences finally find the fix they’ve been craving.
Yes, after a few weeks of banal network reality offerings (101 Ways To Leave A Game Show – really!), bad comedy (hello, Happily Divorced) and Bachelorettes, summer officially kicks off this weekend with the return of True Blood Season 4…
I’ve been a fan of HBO’s vampire saga from the start and over the last three years True Blood has given us some delicious moments, storylines and characters. Remember Michelle Forbes’ fabulous Maryann, Season 1’s terrific murder mystery and Jason’s V-addiction?
But let’s be honest – last season was not a vintage year for True Blood. I really wanted to love season 3 – and there were some great moments along the way – but as a whole the series was chaotic, contrived and at times, actually a bit boring.
