I'm going to do a mid-term report card on each of the major networks, and perhaps one for cable. This will be a quick look at the state of each network in regards to new and returning dramas, comedies and reality television programs. What's working; what isn't; what the prognosis is before each network launches their mid-season replacements later this year.Grades will be determined based on a mixture of artistic merit and how the show is doing in the ratings. It is after all show business, and both are equally important. I'll have some personal assertions embedded as all grades are at least in part subjective, but equal weight will be given to an interpretation of the ratings for each program. All new shows will be dealt with individually, while I will group the returning shows together by genre.
Next up, The CW.....
Does 10 hours of programming make you a network? Doubtful, and many have taken to calling it a netlet, instead. I like The CW. I am certainly not their target audience (the 18-34 female), but I can still like what they sell, can't I? I'm addicted to serial drama, and that's what The CW has in spades.
It should be stated upfront that their ratings grades all stink. I have graded them on a curve, because The CW has a much lower threshold for success than the other 4 networks. It isn't fair, but then very little is.
So what's what?
New Dramas Grade: C+
Hart of Dixie is a delightful little show that rests squarely on the charms of Rachel Bilson (Summer Roberts on The O.C.). It's cute, at times funny and almost always charming. It's not changing the face of television, and that is not its intent. It just wants to have a good time and show off hot, mid-20-somethings playing hot, mid-20-somethings. It's essentially a WB version of Northern Exposure. At times, they have even aped entire plotlines from the far-superior CBS series. This is not a bad thing. I say do more of it. Except for re-runs of Prime Suspect, it is oftentimes the best show on Monday nights. The ratings have not been unkind to it. It regularly builds on lead in Gossip girl in both total viewers and the key 18-49 demographics. GRADE: B (Artistically: B+; Ratings Effort: B-)
Ringer should be a fun, trashy tella novella romp rife with mistaken identities and madcap and ultra campy wickedness. Instead, it is a far too earnest and dour series that wastes the bountiful and audacious talents of Sarah Michelle Gellar. Sigh. I have always had the inkling that the series was could move that direction, and if it does, I may check back into it, but it's definitely not for me right now. Ratings wise, it is doing well: far improving on its 90210 lead in in total viewers, and holding its own in the demographics. GRADE: C (Artistically: C-; Ratings Effort: B-)
The Secret Circle is a promising new show from the creators of The Vampire Diaries done in a very similar style and format as The Vampire Diaries. I love The Vampire Diaries. I could probably love this show as well, but there's only so much teen drama I can watch, so I've given it a pass. Ratings wise, it's doing far worse than Nikita was in this time slot last fall. By the spring Nikita had lost enough viewers that this show is doing a little bit better, but if it too hemorrhages viewers this winter, it will be doing very poorly in comparison. GRADE: C (Artistically: B-; Ratings Effort: D+) New Comedies Grade: F
Comedies? The CW don't need no stinking comedies!
Returning Dramas Grade: C-
Gossip Girl is a little long in the tooth and beyond incestuous; it is being squarely beaten each week by the freshman Hart of Dixie. 90210 appears to be tacking the social issues the original issues the original did to much acclaim in the 1990's. I wouldn't know it pulls my taint too much to watch. The ratings don't blow, but they are doing gangbusters either. The Vampire Diaries is the best soap opera on television--BAR none. It's The CW's highest rated show, and makes tons of money for them. Nikita was a cool premise and concept I lost sight of early on. It seemed seriously off-brand for the network. It has lost 55% of the ratings that Smallville got last season in its ninth year. Things don't look good for the underperformer, as it is also pulling down the numbers for Supernatural. Without Smallville, the Winchester brothers are in some serious pain. I feel the show is having one of its weakest seasons thus far, but it looks like we may be done with the angel/heaven stuff for a while. Please?
Returning Comedies Grade: F
See above.
State of Reality Grade: D
The CW has America's Next Top Model but it's never been my cup of tea. Lots of people love it, but it's been around for a long, long time. Earlier this fall they had the show H8R about "celebrities" who confront the people who talk smack about them online. When Snooki is your biggest celebrity, oh and the guy from Girls Gone Wild, then you know the show is doomed. It was cancelled after 2 episodes, I believe.
Reasons to Watch NBC: The Vampire Diaries, Hart of Dixie, Supernatural
Reasons to Be Hopeful: Uhh....The CW doesn't have a lot in the pipeline for the rest of the season, bar reality shows and the final season of One Tree Hill...
Probable Outcomes by End of Season:
- They can't cancel Gossip Girl, 90210, The Secret Circle, Nikita and Supernatural though the ratings would suggest they should. So...
- Nikita gets cancelled.
- The Secret Circle will move to another night, either paired with Supernatural on Fridays or with ANTM on Wednesdays.
- Gossip Girl loses Blake Lively and perhaps one or two other key cast members and announces a final season for next year.
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder