I'm officially starting to ...
Question: I'm officially starting to worry. My top favorite shows of the new season are being stomped in the ratings!
Kidnapped and
Friday Night Lights both premiered with really bad numbers,
Studio 60 has lost a third of its premiere numbers, and it's only three episodes into the season. If
The Nine doesn't premiere with good numbers, I'm really gonna be depressed. Plus
Veronica Mars' third-season premiere wasn't spectacular. (Is 70 percent retention really that bad?) I have this bad feeling that some of my favorite shows won't make it to November sweeps, let alone finish the season. Please tell me there is a silver lining somewhere!
Answer: It has been a discouraging few weeks, with several notable exceptions (the strong opening for
Ugly Betty in particular), but the best spin I can put on the situation at this early stage of the game is that the networks can't cancel
everything. There is certainly cause for concern regarding
Kidnapped (although NBC seems committed to airing at least a full 13-episode arc, though maybe not during sweeps), but I'm betting NBC tries to nurture
Friday Night Lights for at least the short term (the show scored well with male viewers, who aren't easy to attract). Still, what a heartbreaker that this fine show took such a direct hit. I also think NBC has too much invested in
Studio 60 to abandon it anytime soon. Its overall ratings aren't good, but its demos are strong. And the good news for
Veronica is that the CW has bigger problems elsewhere (on Sundays and Mondays, which, according to
Variety, are headed for a switcheroo). As you noted, the real story will be which shows are invited to the November-sweeps party. When shows are sidelined that early, it's almost always the beginning of the end.
