That was one of the many insights that NBC head Jeff Zucker had on Charlie Rose last night.
Charlie wanted to know what the top five shows in the ratings were, and while Zucker mentioned shows like Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, and House, he also included Heroes in that bunch. He named Heroes and four other shows and said "those are the top five." Now, I love Heroes as much as the next person, but I don't really remember it being in the top five that much (if at all). Top ten or twenty? Sometimes I guess, but not top five.
I think Zucker didn't want to name a bunch of shows on rival networks without naming something from NBC, so he threw Heroes into the mix. I guess he wanted to say a buzz-worthy show like Heroes instead of the NBC shows that he could have mentioned that actually are in the top twenty a lot, such as one of the Law and Order shows or Deal Or No Deal.
Video of the interview should be up later today or early tomorrow. The above is not the only odd thing Zucker said.
Seven greatest hand cannons in TV history
TV Squad previews NBC's new shows (part 1)
TV 101: How ESPN controls the world and what the other networks can learn from it
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-21-2008 @ 2:53PM
LA Dave said...
He's right in terms of the 18-49 and 18-34 demos for non-reality shows. I would have said scripted but what reality show isn't scripted these days.
Heroes at least in the first season was consistently one of the top 5 rated non-reality shows in the 18-49 and 18-34 demos.
Reply
5-21-2008 @ 3:50PM
Dave said...
Dave, even if that's right -- and I'm not sure it is, source please? -- Zucker's still wrong because he didn't qualify his "Top 5" claim. Additionally, why should anyone be citing 2006-2007 ratings when doing a May 2008 interview about the "Top 5" shows on TV?
It's just more deceptive ratings slight of hand from NBC. Maybe Zucker meant to say that Heroes is "Top 5" in $100k+ households with surnames beginning with a "Z." 8-)
Reply
5-21-2008 @ 4:26PM
Oreo said...
"He's right on blah blah blah."
He's not right, he's an idiot.
Reply
5-21-2008 @ 5:04PM
Bill G said...
I haven't seen the interview so I cannot judge how many qualifiers he put behind his statement, but Heroes is the #8 show season to date for adults 18-49:
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/05/21/season-to-date-top-broadcast-shows-though-may-18/3862
It's not in the top 20 for total viewers though, and it's the only NBC programmed show [as opposed to football, which just requires writing a check to the NFL] in the top 20 for adults 18-49.
In any event, Zucker is still a clown.
Reply
5-21-2008 @ 7:55PM
Vito said...
Zucker has been nuts for a long time. I have no clue how anyone hasn't put together the fact that while NBC heads have come and gone, the ratings are still bad. And he presided over the period that saw the loss of those ratings personally.
Reply
5-21-2008 @ 7:56PM
Vito said...
Oh, I should have said that the reason the ratings still suck is because he's still at the top of the decision-making process.
5-21-2008 @ 7:56PM
Jake said...
i can see heroes as a top 5 show.
Just because we haven't seen new Heroes since the Writers Strike and an ungodly horrible ending to Volume 2, doesn't mean that it can be written off.
Look at how many shows have been written off their second season only to come back stronger like the OC and Lost!
Reply
5-21-2008 @ 8:24PM
Nick said...
Wow, he can count to five.
On another note, since how is that dead horse "Desperate Housewives" still a Top 5 show? And what about "American Idol"? I mean, hell, I think the show is barely watchable, but that doesn't stop it from topping the ratings almost every time it comes out. Maybe Jeff thought Charlie asked him about his top 5 shows to watch while dropping the kids off at the pool. That would make more sense.
Reply
5-21-2008 @ 9:00PM
jeff stiefer said...
it hurts my soul that Heroes would be in any list with Grey's...im going to have a little party when GA goes off the air.
Reply
5-21-2008 @ 9:30PM
MERVE-THE-PERVE said...
Them network idiots crack me up when they promote one of their shows by saying something like - Watch Show X, The number one new comedy on Wednesday night, when in fact it is the only new comedy on that night. So I guess they aren't lying but they're still full of shit.
Reply