Posts tagged NBC
Hall Of Fame: The West Wing
Nov 21st
It’s time for another Hall Of Fame entry here at Remote Patrolled, a strand we haven’t run for a while given all the new Fall TV Shows!
This time around we’re talking The West Wing, the groundbreaking NBC drama that ran for 7 seasons from 1999 to 2006, back in the days when the Peacock network was still capable of producing great shows!
The West Wing is one of those series that’s remembered fondly by a generation of TV viewers for a whole host of reasons. Foremost among them though was that it was smart. And honestly, smart TV doesn’t come along all that often.
Just like ER before it, The West Wing established its own style of dialogue and pacing. Who can forget all those one-shot walk and talks around the White House, as characters discussed complex policy matters and foreign affairs? The West Wing was one of those shows where you really had to work to keep up with what was going on. Often I wouldn’t fully understand a storyline until halfway through an episode. Put it this way – we’re not exactly talking Keeping Up With The Kardashians here!
Ratings Roundup: 20th November 2011
Nov 20th
Winners and Losers From The Last 7 Days
WINNERS
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: Another great week for FX’s American Horror Story, as the scariest show on TV continues to grow into a smash hit for the network.
This week’s episode, largely centering around Jessica Lange’s Constance and featuring a scene that doubtless made every guy watching wince – pulled in 3.06 million viewers and a 1.8 18-49 share, making it the most watched cable show on Wednesday night in both total viewers and demo share.
What’s more American Horror Story has been growing every week and has now almost reached its premiere levels (3.18 million). And with three episodes left in the current season there’s every chance Horror Story will set record ratings by the end of its run.
Great news for creator Ryan Murphy, especially as his OLD series, Glee, is struggling big time over on Fox. Despite plenty of press coverage and some heavily hyped episodes, Glee remains yesterday’s show – this week barely rising above the 7 million mark to 7.08 million viewers and beaten in total viewers by fellow Tuesday night shows Last Man Standing (9.06 million) and Body of Proof (9.76 million). Now that’s scary.
More >
Ratings Roundup: 5th November 2011
Nov 5th
Winners and Losers From The Last 7 Days
WINNERS
REVENGE: Revenge is certainly proving sweet for ABC who’ve finally found a hit 10pm drama after a whole heap of misfires (The Whole Truth, Off The Map, Eastwick).
Revenge is still not a monster hit but anyone who knows anything about the TV industry can see when a phenomenon is brewing. Chat rooms and comment boards are filled with fans raving about the show, magazines are catching on (there’s a nice piece in this week’s Entertainment Weekly) and the show’s ratings are slowly inching up week by week.
This week’s episode of the Hamptons set soap opera pulled in 8.58 million viewers and a 3.0 18-49 share, Revenge’s highest demo score since the opening episode. And given that the show is getting better and better – and is fairly easy to pick up – I wouldn’t be surprised to see Revenge climbing above the 10 million mark in the very near future. Is the soap opera officially back?
Ratings Roundup: 30th October 2011
Oct 30th
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…
101 Ways To Make TV Better: Enough With The 50’s / 60’s Set Series!
Oct 25th
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!)
2011 Fall TV Preview: Grimm
Oct 24th
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…
First Look: Fear Factor Is Back
Oct 21st
Here’s one for all you lovers of explosions, insect eating and frat boy antics – yep, Fear Factor is back!
I know – it’s hardly been off the air – but given the ratings black hole that NBC is currently in they’re probably better off bringing back a tried and tested format than serving up more flops like Free Agents and The Playboy Club (and let’s be honest Prime Suspect is not long for this world either!)
Fear Factor originally ran for 6 seasons from 2001 to 2006, hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who’s also returning for the reboot. Personally I was never a huge fan of the show – it was all a tad too Jackass for my taste – but I can certainly appreciate the spectacle of the series (and the immense work that goes into a production like this behind the scenes). And I do think it’s a smart idea for NBC to resurrect the show given their current ratings doldrums.
Besides they’re not exactly busting at the seams with great reality shows – The Biggest Loser is falling apart this season (they should never have let Jillian go), The Apprentice only works as a celebrity format and The Sing More >
The Celebrity Apprentice 5: Meet The New Cast
Oct 20th
What do you do if you’re a D-list celebrity in need of a quick buck – and a brief hit of fame?
If you’re lucky you might land yourself a spot on Dancing With The Stars – which not only pays big bucks and brings in great ratings but also has the power to reinvent stars (Gilles Marini, Kirstie Alley, Joey Fatone).
Unfortunately not everyone can make it onto DWTS – they’re gotten fairly choosy over at ABC – so what’s the next best place to be? Well Celebrity Apprentice of course. The ratings are nowhere near as good (about 8 million on average compared to Dancing’s 18-20 million), and the Donald Trump show can’t resurrect your career – but hey it’s a payday. And who’s going to turn down a $50,000 fee for a few weeks work? Not these guys anyway…
Yep, the latest Celebrity Apprentice cast has just leaked and they’re the usual assortment of D-listers and desperadoes…
2011 Fall TV Preview: Prime Suspect
Sep 16th
When Does It Start: Thursday 22nd September at 10pm EST on NBC
In A Nutshell: The Helen Mirren mini-series gets a makeover.
What’s It About: Homicide detective Jame Timoney (Maria Bello) has just transferred to a new squad in the NYPD – and her colleagues already dislike her. Jane is confident and focused – but also rude, abrupt and reckless – and quickly alienates the NYPD boys’ club. But Timoney is also a top cop, who’s great at her job and will do whatever it takes to find the Prime Suspect in each case… hmm, do you think her colleagues are going to come round in the end?
Quick Take: America’s Got Talent – The 2011 Final
Sep 14th
Here we are – after endless auditions, Howie vs Piers bickering, Nick Cannon’s good-natured hamminess and a whole lot of hyperbole – the America’s Got Talent finale is upon us!
As you doubtless know, 4 acts remain: lounge singer Landau Eugene Murphy Jr, glow in the dark dance act Team illuminate, teen pop group PopLyfe and shadow dance act Silhouettes. But who will the million dollar prize and a ‿headlining slot’ at Vegas?
Here’s how I think the final four will pan out…
