> Disclaimer:  Network pilots now in circulation are not necessarily in the form that will air in the Fall.  Pilots are often reedited and rescored, and in some cases even recast or reshot.  So these critiques shouldn’t be taken as full reviews, but rather as a guide to the general style and content of the […]

> There’s almost an embarrassment of riches on Sunday night cable, enough good shows to overload a DVR.  Since many of these series are among the most talked-about (and honored) on all of television, we’re going to start paying attention to them. HBO:  GAME OF THRONES was perfectly poised to become a Season 2 phenomenon, […]

  Some drops from last week’s premieres. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the chart below displays preliminary live+same day key advertiser demographics (adult 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 ratings), audience skews (women 18-49, men 18-49 and adults 50+ shares) and total viewership (thousands of people over the age of 2). Ratings analysis and […]

> SMASHWatch is glad it’s on NBC. NBC:  Last night SMASH slipped for the first time below the Mason-Dixon line of network TV ratings, to a 1.9 (and in each of last 3 weeks, the show has declined further when final numbers for the night were released).  This made it the lowest-rated original show on […]

> CW today renewed the 3 shows on its air that were destined for renewal:  THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, the network’s closest thing to a hit; SUPERNATURAL, which has been doing very well on low-rated Fridays; and 90210, with less impressive numbers but very stable on Tuesdays. That makes the network’s official bubble shows GOSSIP GIRL, […]

  LOVE ISLAND continued to struggle. DEMOGRAPHIC DETAIL: For each broadcast program (or hour segment), the chart below displays preliminary live+same day key advertiser demographics (adult 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 ratings), audience skews (women 18-49, men 18-49 and adults 50+ shares) and total viewership (thousands of people over the age of 2). Ratings analysis and comparisons […]

Everyone knows it’s not worthwhile for the networks to put on real programming during the summer, because no one watches… except for the 14 million or so who tuned in last night. ABC:  Miami and Oklahoma City cooperated to give ABC what it wanted:  a competitive NBA FINALS.  The game outrated its 5 competitors combined […]

NBC gave FOX some rare competition on Wednesday night, winning the night and knocking down So You Think You Can Dance, which usually enjoys a competition-free existence. NBC continued live coverage of the U.S. Olympic Trials (swimming from Omaha) from 8-9 pm, earning a preliminary 1.9 Adult 18-49 rating.  The number could very likely be adjusted […]