Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Nice call

Prediction from Lawrence O’Donnell on “The McLaughlin Group” last Sunday:

MR. O'DONNELL: “This weekend, when "The West Wing" moves to its Sunday time slot at 8:00 p.m. on NBC, its ratings will go through the roof.”
From the NY Post:

NBC's "The West Wing" is having a tough go of it in its new Sunday-night timeslot. This week's episode averaged around 7.7 million viewers — and was soundly thrashed from 8 to 9 p.m. by timeslot winner "Cold Case" on CBS (16.2 million viewers), "Extreme Home Makeover" (ABC) and Fox's "The Simpsons"/"War at Home" combo. Not good.
I predict the ratings for that other Oval Office fantasy show will plunge once the “look at all the extra challenges a female President has to face” shtick runs thin (about four episodes).

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

that new "I'm A Woman And I Can Run This Country Better Than A Man" show isn't really about ratings. It's no small coincidence that it's hitting the airwaves a few years before a junior senator from NY allegedly won't be running for POTUS.. as any marketing guru will tell you, it takes a year for people to start thinking about a dramatic social change.. that's just THINKING about it.. then, a few years to become comfortable with the concept, whether they agree with it or not

so consider that new show a subsidiary of Friends Of Hillary PAC.. ratings are incidental as long as it stays on the air

Anonymous said...

The second theory shows such a phenomenal misunderstanding of network television, and the tens of millions of dollars a single mistake causes, that it's not worth debunking. If the conspiracy is genuine and Commander in Chief "isn't really about ratings," maybe it should follow the master plan and stop getting the highest ones in its timeslot.

As for the original post, The West Wing's ratings may be lower because the country is fed up with its nakedly leftist content. Then again, it might also have something to do with the show being moved to a new night, on the 4th-rated network, many years into its run, with its star having reduced his face time to a supporting role.

Besides, what are the odds that a TV show's producer/writer would talk up its chances in a hyperbolic manner? Such a mystery.

Eric said...

Unless you have the ratings from last night, yes, "Commander in Chief" got the highest ratings for the pilot episode in that timeslot. Unsurprising considering the massive ad campaign launched by ABC including Geena Davis whoring herself on Monday Night Football and throwing out the first pitch at a Baltimore Orioles game.

This won't last.

Anonymous said...

O'Donnell must not watch much TV. Sunday night is where TV series go to die.

Anonymous said...

how could that be? I distinctly remember watching Barnaby Jones on Sunday night!

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