TVSquad

Wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to worry about TV ratings? That we could watch all of our favorite shows and not have to worry about them being watched by a lot of people, getting good ratings, and all that? And they'd be on for as long as we wanted?

Back to reality.

My Own Worst Enemy, the new Christian Slater spy show that I happen to like a lot, got its lowest ratings yet last night. The number was down 22% from the previous week. I think that kinda translates into "not many people really care about this show." I don't think any show can succeed in NBC's Monday at 10 slot, at least not in the past three or four years, and MOWE is no exception. It's up against CBS's CSI: Miami and ABC's Boston Legal, which gets a strong lead-in from Dancing with the Stars and Samantha Who?

Ratings for NBC's Heroes are falling each and every week. The most recent episode was down 11% from the previous week's numbers.

I gotta tell ya, I don't get it. I'm really loving this season, but TV critics left and right have given up on the show. Sure, it's completely ridiculous and over the top, but if you remember the first season wasn't exactly a PBS documentary. The show has always been comic-book crazy, so I wonder if the writers strike had a bigger impact on the show than we all thought. Or maybe people have just gotten tired of the show, not because of any massive drop in quality but just because they're watching other things, not into sci-fi as much anymore, or don't want to follow another show with a continuing storyline and a lot of characters. I don't know, but I do know that the show is a ton of fun to watch, and even if there is a lot going on, it's a great ride.

It probably doesn't help that the ratings for the lead in show, Chuck, are down 15%. Wow, if these two shows go away, what other hour-long shows will there be left to watch on NBC? I'm not sitting through The Biggest Loser or Knight Rider, sorry. I wonder how My Own Worst Enemy will do in the Monday at 10 time slot when it premieres next week?

Dancing with the Stars seems to be unstoppable. The two-hour long episode of the celebrity dancing show led ABC to a win last night (along with The Bachelor) in not only households but also the 18-49 demographic.

NBC was second in 18-49 (tied for third in households) with Chuck, Heroes, and Journeyman. CBS tied them with How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, and CSI: Miami (which rolled over The Bachelor and Journeyman, of course). FOX was number four in both households and 18-49 with Prison Break and K-Ville, and then The CW, with Everybody Hates Chris, the series premiere of Aliens in America, then Girlfriends and The Game.

By the way, all of the new shows (Chuck, Journeyman, Big Bang Theory, and K-Ville) dropped a bit in their second weeks, in both households and 18-49.

Well, the first big Monday night ratings battle is over, and the outcomes is really no surprise to anyone, though some of the specific numbers are interesting.

ABC won the night overall with their premieres of Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor. Heroes did really well too, up 10% from the same period last season. Journeyman must be a bit of a letdown for NBC, considering the Heroes lead-in. Ratings were down 26% from the Studio 60 premiere last season.

Well, this is very good news.

Heroes, the surprise NBC hit (and I say "surprise" not based on quality - it's very good - just based on how most networks succeed with sci-fi, especially on Monday nights), beat CSI: Miami last night in the all-important 18-49 demographic. CSI: Miami was a close second.

I'm not a fan of the CSI shows - any of them - so I'm really happy about this. And it's not like Heroes is a sub-par show. Somehow, NBC is doing a comic book show right on the money. It feels and looks like a comic book, but also has characters and situations that are a lot deeper than you usually see in a show like this. Each plot is kicking along on all cylinders; there are no dead spots on the show, though I'd like to see more of Greg Grunberg.

Deal Or No Deal did really well, Studio 60 so-so again, and the CBS comedies were strong as well.

This ratings business can be confusing as hell. I always get bogged down in the numbers, and I've been looking at them for years. But one thing's for sure: NBC's Heroes got off to a great start on Monday night, improving over numbers for the same time slot last year. The Futon Critic says at the link above (I think) that NBC won the night), though TV Week says that CBS did. Huh? I think Futon Critic is right: NBC won the night, but CBS won in the important 18-49 demo.

Meanwhile, Studio 60. [Heavy sigh] The second episode of THE FREAKIN' BEST NEW SHOW OF THE SEASON PEOPLE, JESUS! saw a 13% drop in households and 10% drop in adults (from it's premiere episode). But the numbers weren't terrible, and they helped NBC win the night (though most of that win is from Heroes and Deal Or No Deal). Before I panic I'll see how the network spins it and how the analysts decipher what it all means.

CBS' lineup did well too, coming in second. ABC was third, FOX fourth.

Update: NBC says that Studio 60 is doing better in the time slot than Medium did last year, and that it tied with CSI: Miami in key demos.