TVSquad

Did PSYCH or THE CLOSER have the highest ratings ever for a cable show? They are both claiming it, despite THE CLOSER having close to 3 million more viewers (if my memory is correct on the premiere). Can anyone explain? (or is there a difference between USA and TNT in the heirarchy of the cable ratings world?)

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Psych is the highest NEW scripted cable show of the year and the Closer got the highest ratings of a returning show. I guess that's what they are both trying to say. But if you click the link in the article it does say new for Psych. The Closer is on it's second season.

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Good! Serves the networks right for cancelling shows only after one season before finding an audience. Instead, they produce dumb reality shows which appeal to the lowest common viewer, cost nothing to produce because they don't have to pay actors and writers. I'll be reticent about getting involved in any show NBC or ABC put out next season. I got burned with Invasion and Surface last year.

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I turned off my cable after 911. It seemed I couldn't believe anything the networks were reporting. No facts just opinions. I get my news from Time or Newsweek. The BBC network and NPR. There wasn't a balance of good news and bad news. And there is good news in the world. Also the news networks give to much information to terrorist. We don't need to know all the military moves. The british don't report details of crimes so it is possible to try the person and actually get a conviction. Which most of our criminals get off because jurors know to much. To much gay stuff on TV. I have gay friends but I don't want to see PDA or be privy to anything in the bedroom it should be private and not in my family room. Children are already confused about their sexuality they don't need adults to lead them into the wrong direction. Too much sex on TV and not enough fun and learning.

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Last week being the least watched week is no surprise to me. I grew up in the 50's which means there were usually 39 weeks of all new shows, no repeats, and each half hour show had 25 minutes of program. We had only 3 channels but it was all quality programs. I'm glad to see many of them now on DVD. Today, you get 22-24 shows for a season with 22 minutes of program and even though we have a lot more channels, most of these shows are crap. I just watch my few favorites: Smallville, Law & Order, CSI, Criminal Minds, According to Jim. Last season, I thought it was ridiculous of how many times I would be looking forward to seeing a show and it was another repeat. We spent last winter inside the house watching your repeats. Who's going to do the same in the summer? These networks will never learn. I don't mnd watching an old show again on TV Land. It's better than what they are making now.

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The networks blame the holiday on poor ratings,are they kidding?Have they watched their own programing?Network tv shows get worse by the day.I only have broadcast tv and i rarely watch it.If i want to watch something interesting theres enough sites on the web to see good video.

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Watching the News from all of these shows, is like watching an old snake tonic seller. Most stations tell one lie, and then the others tell their lie. It's become a joke to watch the News.

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There is nothing to watch on the networks anymore. All they put on now is reality shows, and some of the most ridiculous shows I have ever heard of. I am so sick of reality shows I can hardly stand it. I used to look so forward to getting the TV Guide in September to check out all the new shows but now its just a bunch of reality junk. When they do happen to get a hit show, they don't leave it on long enought for people to get into it and pull it after about 2 or 3 episodes. I don't know who is in charge now of the prime time lineup but I am just thankful for TV Land and for my DVD collection of some of the oldies but goodies.

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Since the discovery of real tv, the companies have found they can save money. No real script and no paying any high priced star. And please why would anyone watch some of these shows, and then in the middle of last season, we learn that the people who play in some of the reality shows were told what to do, my thats real. Doesn't anyone in higer up offices know there are only 2 shows that get the audiences. And sports which get large watchers will soon be going to the cable companies leaving cbs,nbc,abc,wgn and fox in the dust. Dont you understand when two channels join together to make one something is wrong. Please new and good shows

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We have several favorite shows that we watch, but we tape them and watch them the next day/night so that we can FF through the 15 and 20 minutes of commercials when we want to watch a show. Commercials are ruining TV in their length and repeating the same commercial over and over during one showing. To say nothing about the fact that there aren't that many good shows on to begin with.

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There used to be a time when we could count on at least one of the prime time networks showing a good movie or possibly even world broadcast premier movie on Friday and Saturday nights. The family would get together, eat dinner and then kick back and enjoy a good movie. I don't know what happened to those days. But lately every time the weekend rolls around and we get ready to relax and watch a good movie, prime time has nothing to offer. If we are lucky we can find a movie on cable that is not from the 80's or earlier. I'm not sure why all of the movies on cable seem to be from the 80's or ealier with the hundreds of blockbusters produced in hollywood each year. Seems like they could offer something good each weekend from a variety of selections. But regardless of what we decide to watch there are 2 things that both the networks and cable have in common. Both are extremely painful watch these days. I almost can't stand to watch anything on television now a days. We watched an hour long show the other night and after 6 minutes of the show we got to enjoy 4 minutes of commercials and that continued for the entire duration of the broadcast. For an hour long show we watched 36 minutes of show, and 24 minutes of commercials. Almost 50/50 in viewing time. Double those numbers if you consider watching a 2 hour movie. You end up watching 1 hour and 12 minutes of the movie and 48 minutes of commercials. Now you tell me who in they're right mind wants to sit down and watch an hour of commercials? What happened to the days when you found yourself begging for a commercial, because you wanted a snack or a drink, or you had to urinate but you didn't want to miss part of the movie. I think that those days are over with. The amount of commercials being shown today on both network and cable television is pathetic. If you want people to tune in to your station stop brainwashing us with b.s. suggestions to buy stuff that we really don't need a commercial to influence us to buy. If I'm hungry for a big mac I don't need a commercial to suggest it to me. Just my appetite and a longing from within myself for whatever it is that I'm hungry for. Stop playing so many commercials and maybe we'll start watching television again.

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Maybe now, the 3 networks will work on getting the viewers better programing.Each year, it gets worse and worst.I myself in the last ten years have switch to Cable. If we are going to watch reruns,it makes sense to watch the older shows.The networks should ask their viewers which shows.Should they cancel, before just zapping Our favorites off the air. The era is gone, when a team of people think that they know, which shows, will the Public will watch.

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I channel surf, nothing looks even remotely interesting and even if there was something, I don't take the time to watch anything more than 3 min. to get into it.
My confidence in what's being shown anymore is now tuned out....
When I find that "Most Funniest Videos" is the best thats out there whats that say for our TV industry.
I'm not sure who comes up with this dribble that's on now (all this reality material) but after awhile it gets boring.
I have read,watched and gone to see many films where the main actors weren't well known. they happened to be from England and Austrailia...these were all things that had substance. Is it Hollywood that has lost touch...
I'm as patriot as American Pie ....

but when I see a classic novel being shown on PBS I know it will be somethimg that will be worth watching, especially if actors in the UK are involved.
The US is full of creative people where are they...
probably in line at Universal Studio where they can't even get in because of who they aren't...it's sad...celebrities are over rated, esp. in Hollywood.

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I'm watching the major networks less each year and it's their own faults. If it's not a repeat, then they move the show around several times until it's canceled. They never give a new show a chance. Back in yesteryear some of the biggest hits were not a huge success their first or second years-sometimes it takes time for a show to find it's nitch. God bless cable, it gives us choices and options!

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I bought a DVR, which cut actual time watching American Idol to 33 minutes. But it is now in hiatus, because the commercials are better written than the shows.

There is nothing to watch, and when you watch, you realize that you are watching nothing, even on the cable networks. There is even a so called documentary channel, which I recorded some shows from, only to discover that apparently they only have about a dozen shows in inventory, and have kept repeating the schedule for three months now.

I blame the FCC, which went ape over a flash of breast at the super bowl, a flash which I saw, but wasn't sure that I actually observed. There is a "no guts, no fines" attitude. A smart, funny, and satisfying show like "All in the Family" would now be nixed by both the network and by advertisers. The eary Seinfeld shows were inferior, but the network NBC gave the show time to develop themes, charaters and stories.

The so called reality shows are just using the inferior scriptwriters who are canned when they reach 30 or maturity, whichever comes first. I have, with HDTV which has two to four feeds per channel, and with a sattilite on which I have 170 channels, (not including Sirus) nothing to watch. I am sorry that Newton Minnow can't see how vast the wasteland has become, and even CBS has decided to bow down to the newsreader, celebrity interview, so called newscast.

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The networks got rid of all my favorite shows, and the stuff they are showing now are repeats of the stuff I didn't watch the first time, or reality shows. At least I can watch new episodes of Monk, and Psych seems good. BBCA has Hex, which is good. And of course the last season of Deadwood. That's about it tv wise for me this summer.

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TV IN GENERAL IS WAY TOO INNAPROPRIATE WITH THE VULGER AND IMMORAL CONTENT AND THEMES. HOPEFULLY THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS SHOWING HOW MUCH THEY DISAGREE WITH WHAT IS BEING SHOWN. HOLLYWOOD NEEDS TO REALIZE THAT 90% OF PEOPLE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN GAY AND LESBIEN BEHAVIOR AND LIFE STYLE. EVEN THE COMMERCIALS WITH THE CIALIS,VIAGRA AND FEMININE HYGENE PRODUCTS HAVE CAUSED US AND OUR FRIENDS TO WATCH LESS TV.

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I agree it's the networks own fault. They have canceled every show I have watched in the past years. And it seems everyone I talk to says the same thing. We all watch the baseball games in the summer, save the dvd movies for this winter now. The reality shows are ruining the networks it's too bad but they only have themselves to blame. The good family shows are gone as well as all the good series shows. Even if there is a good show, they start at the end of Sept or beginning of Oct. They show re runs from the middle of Nov until Feb then show new shows until May when they all end for the season. By the time all this goes on I have NO interest anymore.

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I'm 56 and remember well scripted shows. As a child I was hooked on Perry Mason, Hawaiian Eye, Surfside 6, Donna Reed. I currently love Medium, Law and Order, CSI, Criminal Minds, The Closer, Boston Legal, Monk etc. I now mute commercials because they are so annoying. What's happening to writing in some shows? My mother has me hooked on Nanny reruns. They're a hoot! Who want's to watch Big Brother? How many Survivor shows have to be on the air? How many American Idol copies do we have to endure? My biggest gripe is the award shows. It used to be the Oscars, Grammy's and Emmy's and that was it. Now any one trying to sell something creats an award. Watching some of these "stars" trying to take themselves seriously is just over the top. Too much ego on the airwaves! How many "star magazine' shows do we have to sit through until we get to Prime Time only to have it full of cheap to produce crap. How Many quirky, unrealistic characters can you pack into NCIS?

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Where getting tired of all of the additional stupid reality shows. All of the spin offs from the good original ones.

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