Summer Session: Critical
Thinking - June 14
Last week, we began our
Summer Session of the Numbers Game with promise. Does
that promise continue into this week? Depends on who you
ask. With thirty-some shows premiering between now and
Labor Day, some will rise to the top, and some will fall
through the cracks. Primetime games are no longer
exempted from the rules that govern broadcast
television, and this week in the Numbers Game just might
prove that as we cite some critics on last week's four
premieres, and then compare them to the numbers.
Keep in mind as you read
this that one swallow does not a summer make, and that
numbers and criticism are posted strictly for purposes
of comparison.
We start with...
The Good...
Critically.
The Scholar, a rarity in
reality television: an active structure of competition
rather than "divide into two and vote someone out." The
five finalists among ten high-school seniors will be
guaranteed $50,000 toward a college education, with the
winner getting another $240,000. That amounts to,
according to ABC, a full-ride scholarship anywhere in
the country.
What the critics say:
Jerry Graham of the Santa Cruz Sentinel says that this
isn't typical reality. "First of all, it's no game. The
future of the contestants is at stake. To the producer's
credit, there is no humiliation involved. The kids are
also not forced to survive physical challenges or eat
gross objects." Ruben Navarrette of the San Diego
Union-Tribune calls it "inspiring." "Rather than
playing to the lowest common denominator, it aims for a
higher standard. It's no wonder that some of its
producers reportedly fled other, tackier, reality shows
to join this one in the hopes of - according to an ABC
executive - sleeping better at night. The best thing
about this series is the respect it pays not just to
these hard-charging young people but also to the very
idea of a college education. That's what the whole show
is about."
What the numbers say:
Unfortunately, probably speaking to a wave of American
anti-intellectualism, the numbers don't reflect the
critical acclaim of the series. "The Scholar" drug into
a third-place finish in households (3.7/5) and viewers
(4.87 million), and a fourth-place finish in the key
A18-49 demo (1.7/5). Again, youth is not served its due
justice, and a battle of the brains goes unnoticed.
That's what happens when you put up next to "Fear
Factor".
Conclusion: the unfair
balance continues.
The Bad...
Critically.
The Real Gilligan's
Island is back for more, as 14 stranded castaways
compete to be rescued from the real version of the
television atoll for $250,000 and a new car. Now here,
there tends to be more leniency for ratings, as cable
historically doesn't measure viewers like broadcast
does.
What the critics say:
William Wadsack of the Beauregard Daily News didn't
think this was "as interesting as the first season."
Scott Fuller of the Washington Examiner called it "a
shipwreck." However, they're both put to shame by this
from David Bianculli of the New York Daily News: "The
only way this show could justify its existence would be
if the island, this time, were the Bikini Atoll, and the
collected contestants were eliminated in a very real,
atom-bomb sense." That, and he compares watching it to
being in the seventh circle of hell.
What the numbers say:
Despite a floating ad in which the ladies are involved
in a pie-fight, the island made a relatively modest
return for its two-hour premiere Wednesday, averaging
roughly 1.9 million viewers between 9-11p. Not too
terrible, but consider this: the first season drew more
viewers and was cable's #1 new reality series last year,
debuting to 2.1 million viewers.
Conclusion: 200,000
viewers, or roughly the population of Fayetteville, NC,
give or take 50,000. One city wouldn't make a difference
on broadcast, but it could mean everything in cable,
especially if a downward trend continues.
A "Cut" from
Something Else
We go now to the
90-minute premiere of "The Cut", in which Tommy Hilfiger
looks for the next great fashion designer for his label.
It plays out like "The Apprentice" in the fashion world.
It REALLY plays out like "The Apprentice" in the fashion
world.
What the critics say:
Geoffrey Lewis of EarthTimes.org: "While the first
episode was no great shakes, we'll reserve judgment
until the next few ones to decide if Hilfiger has got
the roguish charm of Donald Trump. Until then, fingers
crossed." Over at the Reality Reel: "It took all of
about two minutes of watching Tommy Hilfiger and his
schtick in The Cut to consider that I was watching a
bleeping clone of The Apprentice." But then, you have
the other side of the coin, as delivered by the Grand
Forks Herald. "Although
Hilfiger's first interaction with the aspiring designers
is a fussy critique of their outfits, he's more subdued
than other reality TV czars. No Trumpian firings or Tyra
tirades here. Hilfiger, who's daughter Ali onced starred
in her own MTV reality show titled "Rich Girls," insists
the contestants fashion all the drama - not him." And
Scott Walton of Cox News Service: "Hilfiger
wouldn't be on the series if the potential rewards
didn't outweigh the risks."
What the numbers say:
This is one of those times where I have to pull out one
of my standard philosophies: "People are dumb, but
they're not stupid." They could have seen "clone of the
Apprentice", which, by the way, is losing some of its
own lustre. End result, a narrow number-two placing in
households (5.1/9) and viewers (6.68 million), and a
number-three placing in A18-49 (2.1/7), all opposite
ABC's NBA playoff matchups.
Conclusion: The NBA
Finals is still going, and this week isn't looking good
for Tommy's brood either in that hour, especially
considering that the third half-hour of the premiere is
when the show gained ground.
And the Ugly... No
Matter WHAT Side You Take.
Finally, there's Fire
Me... Please! Based on a British format, "The Sack
Race", two players have to get fired before 3pm, with
the closest getting $25,000. Yep, on this game, "You're
fired" means "You win."
What the critics say:
Back to Mr. Bianculli: "[The
show] is built around the irritation of unsuspecting
employers, and has the same irritating effect on
viewers." Joanne Weintraub of OnWisconsin.com agrees:
"Basically, it's an hourlong practical joke in which two
individuals - each followed by hidden cameras - compete
to see if they can get fired on their first day at a
brand-new job. If this sounds funny, I'm telling it
wrong." And then there's what Gordon said last week in
his State of Play: "I only hope that the poor people
that did have to deal with the manic contestants from
Hell got compensated - a lot." On the bright side, Marc
Berman of Mediaweek called it "riotous".
I
promise never to quote the demented one again :)
What the numbers say:
5.7/9 second-place finish trailing out of NCIS (6.8/12).
The top-finisher that hour: House (6.1/12).
Conclusions: Sounds like
viewers are pretty much telling critics to go piss off.
Last week
revisited...
Hell's Kitchen: The
oven's beginning to heat up, and we're not talking about
Gordon Ramsay's short fuse, either. A second-place
finish in households (5.2/8, up from last week) and
viewers (6.98 million), and a number one finish in
A18-49 (3.5/9) builds from a strong repeat showing last
Monday. A good sign all around.
Dancing with the Stars:
ABC's summer darling is still the belle of the ball with
another top-rated performance. 11.3/18 in the
overnights, 14.86 million viewers and a 4.7/14 among
adults 18-49 from 9-10p, all increases.
Beauty and the Geek: Not
necessarily troubling news for the beauties and the
geeks, but not a mover by any means, as levels remain
consistent. This week: 3.1/ 5 in the overnights, 3.55
million viewers and a 1.7/ 6 among adults 18-49 from
8-9p. All three denote fifth-place finishes.
Hit Me Baby 1 More Time:
The good news, still number one amongst the key demo
(3.6/11). The better news: the household levels are
creeping up (6.0/9). The bad news... that HH level was
still only good for third.
And finally...
We all know by now that
"Family Feud" is currently in production for a seventh
season, matching lengths with the Combs version, but do
we all know why? That magic word that FremantleMedia
likes to hear so much: growth. The show was up 5 percent
from last season in household, 17 percent in women
25-54, and 75 throughout the demographics. Fingers
crossed for more of the same. Richard Karn deserves it.
Also, Jeopardy! inched
up 10 percent from last year, partly in due to the
champion that shall not be named right now. The
Emmy-winning game also saw an increase in demos 16
percent. This is just a nice little tidbit to know,
since we all know that J! isn't going anywhere any time
soon.
More new next week.
Until then, remember... the numbers don't lie.
Chico Alexander can't
believe he threw in a Fayetteville reference either.
E-mail him at chico@gameshownewsnet.com |