SQUIRREL!  NBC, and its media enablers, will do their best to focus discussion of the WINTER OLYMPICS ratings on total viewers, daytime and online numbers, and–SQUIRREL!–anything other than the evident fact that the Games didn’t justify a cost that probably exceeded $1 billion, between rights ($775M alone) and production costs over the 18 days of […]

Last night’s final night of coverage from Sochi on NBC was in three parts.  Sochi Gold from 7:00-8:30 pm (mostly an excellent documentary on the still fascinating Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding controversy in 1994) averaged a 2.6 adult 18-49 rating (peaking at a 3.1 rating in the 8:30 half hour).  The actual Closing Ceremony coverage from 8:30-10:30 averaged a […]

  GROWING UP FISHER:  Tuesday 9:30PM on NBC – If Nothing Else Is On… We reviewed GROWING UP FISHER last summer based on the pilot that was originally shot, but after the series was ordered, one of the lead performers, Parker Posey, was replaced by Jenna Elfman, which required some reshooting.  But not, as it […]

  Everyone knows that the shine of a post-Olympics “preview” berth doesn’t last long–just ask 2012’s Go On and Animal Practice.  But it’s at least supposed to provide a new show with a strong sampling.  Ironically, last night’s WINTER OLYMPICS ratings were so disastrous (2.6 in preliminary numbers–see Mitch Metcalf’s Skedball post for details)  that ABOUT A […]

NBC’s sojourn in Sochi has officially transitioned from Nightmare to Living Hell.  Last night’s primetime coverage averaged a 2.7 adult 18-49 rating from 8:00-11:00 pm or a 2.8 rating from 8:30-11:00.   That’s a new low for primetime Olympic coverage, shattering the record set the night before.  The comparable night in Vancouver 2010 was a […]

  NBC:  See Mitch Metcalf’s Skedball post for detailed analysis and charts of WINTER OLYMPICS ratings.  Last night’s 3.5 (which may adjust up to 3.6 if the network ran the 8PM half-hour without commercials) will in any case mark a historic low for Winter Olympics primetime network coverage, down almost a point from Turin’s parallel […]

  ABOUT A BOY:  Tuesday 9PM on NBC (Preview Tonight at 11:05PM) – If Nothing Else is On… ABOUT A BOY, which NBC will preview tonight at the close of Olympics coverage ahead of its regular timeslot premiere on Tuesday, has a daunting pedigree.  It’s based on the excellent 2002 Paul Weitz/Chris Weitz feature film […]

Last night’s Olympic primetime coverage on NBC averaged a turgid 3.5 adult 18-49 rating from 8:00-11:00 pm in the fast nationals.  The 8:00 half hour will almost certainly be excluded from the ratings, as they have on this night for most previous Winter Olympics on NBC.  When that adjustment is made the primetime number will […]