 |
| "The Big Bang Theory" continues to dominate for CBS |
We’ve reached the end
of November Sweeps, so it’s time to start taking stock of where the networks
stand on the season as we enter the winter break. Over the next four weeks, I’ll be using the Ratings
Roundup column to offer my mid-term grades for each of the four broadcast
networks. First up: CBS
CBS has a reputation for stability and not taking
chances. Their long history of spinoffs
and reboots would seem to confirm this reputation, but every couple of years
CBS will make a big move to either try to break into a new night or solidify an
existing property. In 2010, the network
saw an opportunity to break NBC’s grip on the mantra of Thursday night’s “Must
See TV” and moved a promising comedy entering its fourth season to the top of
the Thursday lineup. That move set the
television world atwitter because it involved moving Survivor, which had held down the Thursday at 7:00 timeslot for
almost a decade at that point, but which had steadily been losing steam since
its early seasons. That comedy, however,
was The Big Bang Theory, which has
since exploded to become the number one scripted show on network television,
sitting behind only The Walking Dead
as the number one show on all of television.
And you could easily argue that it’s the most valuable property because
of its ability to draw a reasonable number of viewers even in repeats, which
the vast majority of series can’t do anymore.
After a couple of years of trying to launch new comedies after
The Big Bang Theory, and after Person of Interest turned into a hit of
its own at 8:00 on Thursdays, CBS decided it was time to lock down Thursday
night once and for all by moving the down, but still solid comedy Two and a Half Men to follow Big Bang. It was a successful move and helped to make
CBS the most-watched network on television’s most valuable night.
This year, CBS decided to take yet another chance on
Thursday nights, by moving Person of
Interest to 9:00pm on Tuesday, where the network had struggled mightily for
the better part of the last decade. In
its place, CBS decided to expand its Thursday comedy block to two hours,
debuting a pair of new comedies in between veterans Big Bang and Two and a Half
Men. The network’s fate didn’t
necessarily hinge on these changes, but it was definitely the biggest move of
the year, and so is deserving of the most scrutiny.
After the first ten weeks of the season, the experiment can
only really be called a mixed success.
At this point last year, POI’s
Tuesday predecessor, Vegas, was
pulling 18-49 ratings in the mid-1s, on its way to being moved to Fridays at
midseason and replaced by The Golden Boy
which, likewise, was unable to even occasionally get its ratings above
2.0. Person
of Interest, in contrast, has averaged a 2.08 rating on Tuesday nights,
allowing CBS to finish first or second in the night every week, even in spite
of good competition from NBC and ABC in the forms of The Voice and SHIELD.
The Thursday side of the equation, unfortunately, has not
held together so well. Last year, during
November sweeps, Person of Interest averaged
a 2.95 rating at 8:00 on Thursday nights.
This year, the comedies are averaging 2.38, almost two-thirds of a ratings point
lower than the network averaged in 2012.
The Millers has been doing
well, averaging close to a 2.8 rating, but most of that is likely due to it
following monster hit The Big Bang Theory. You’ll note that the one week when the show
didn’t have Big Bang as a lead-in, The Millers drew only a 2.1 rating. And while The
Crazy Ones and Two and a Half Men
haven’t been doing terribly, their recent ratings have been ahead of only Mom amongst CBS’s comedies.
So the Thursday night experiment has had mixed results to
date. But how is CBS doing as a
whole? So far, I’m giving them a
C+. They’re currently in second place,
but their problem is that they’ve dropped the most year-to-year of any network
thus far. Without the primetime AFC
Championship Game or the Super Bowl, they’re going to be much closer to ABC and
NBC and likely behind Fox, who is actually coming closer to last year’s numbers
as we approach the end of the year.
Looking at each night individually, it’s easy to see CBS’s weak
spots: Friday and Sunday in particular and the 9:00pm hour in general. On Friday nights, while Undercover Boss has been a legitimate Friday hit, Hawaii Five-0 regularly loses to Shark Tank and even finishes behind Grimm more often than not. And Blue
Bloods is the lowest-rated show on the network. Obviously, Fridays are a struggle for every
network, but Sunday night is quickly becoming another Friday night for CBS with
The Good Wife and The Mentalist both drawing ratings on
par with the Friday shows. To be more
specific, all of the Friday and Sunday scripted shows are averaging between a 1.39
rating and a 1.49 rating. CBS has spent
the last few years trying to lock down Tuesday and Thursday nights, but their
biggest challenge moving forward is going to be figuring out how to repair
their Sunday schedule.
The good news for CBS is that they are dominating on
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights, typically winning every night in both
total viewers and Adults 18-49. The
problem that success is causing, however, is that the network’s audience seems
to be solidifying behind its aging hits while only tentatively tasting the new
shows. Four of the five highest-rated
shows on the network are in their seventh season or later, with How I Met Your Mother ending this year
and NCIS in its eleventh season and Criminal Minds in its ninth. Aging hits aren’t necessarily a problem, mind
you, but when you can’t develop new hits, they become an issue.
Just look at the other broadcast networks. Each one has a legitimate new(ish) hit,
whether it’s Sleepy Hollow on Fox, The Blacklist on NBC or SHIELD and Scandal on ABC. The closest
thing to new hits that CBS has are The
Millers, which is entirely lead-in dependent, and 2 Broke Girls, which had to be moved from its timeslot and
protected by HIMYM because its
ratings were falling so quickly this season.
And the one legitimate hit the network has launched in the last three
years (Person of Interest) just saw its young audience cut by a third thanks to a timeslot change.
CBS isn’t exactly in dire straits. They don’t have the schedule black holes that
NBC and Fox have. But their hits are
aging, and they need to develop some new shows to eventually take their
place. Maybe How I Met Your Dad will be the next big hit. I’d wager against it, but it’s not
impossible. Whatever shows the network
finds, it needs to find them soon, or these precipitous ratings drops will only
continue for the foreseeable future.
CBS Midseason Grade – C+
So thoughts? Comments?
Just want to tell me my blog sucks?
Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @TyTalksTV.
No comments:
Post a Comment