 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| Save American Dreams Year 3 |
NBC hurts but it's
still got the bucks
Leads in shows with highest share
of moneyed folk
By Toni Fitzgerald
With NBC’s ratings eroding faster than
Donald Trump’s hairline, you might expect
that forecasters would be predicting that the
ever-faltering network would be eclipsed by
the ever-gaining CBS at this May’s upfront.
Not so.
Though NBC will suffer it will remain the top-
grossing network of the Big Three because it
still best delivers what advertisers care most
about: viewers with money. That's still so
even with a season-to-date dip of 14 percent
among 18-49s and 8 percent decline among
households.
According to Magna Global USA’s primetime
upscale update released yesterday, NBC
has eight of the top 10 shows most likely to
attract adults 25-54 from households with an
income of $125,000 or more.
For example, “ER” has an index of 164 on
this scale, meaning its 25-54 audience is 64
percent more upscale than the general
population. By comparison, ABC’s “20/20”
has a 96 index, meaning its audience is 4
percent less upscale than the general
population.
But a high index doesn’t necessarily mean
“Scrubs,” the sixth-ranked program on the
index, draws more upscale viewers than
“CSI” (44th). It just means “Scrubs” viewers
are more likely to be upscale.
“Some series, such as ‘CSI’ and ‘American
Idol,’ attract so many total viewers that they
invariably rank highly among most demos,
including upscale viewers. Other series,
such as ‘American Dreams,’ ‘NYPD Blue’
and ‘Scrubs,’ do not attract the highest raw
number of upscale viewers, but rank among
the top 20 based on upscale audience
skew,” explains Steve Sternberg, Magna
Global executive vice president and director
of audience analysis.
“A handful of shows—‘The Apprentice,’
‘Desperate Housewives,’ ‘Will & Grace,’
‘West Wing,’ ‘ER,’ ‘Boston Legal,’ ‘Law &
Order,’ ‘24,’ and ‘Two and a Half Men’—are
among the top 20 in terms of both upscale
audience composition and size.”
Even a dog like “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
Model Search” on NBC still indexes higher
than major hits like ABC’s “Extreme
Makeover: Home Edition,” with viewers 14
percent more upscale than the general
population to “Makeover’s” 10 percent.
Two shows that have lost a lot of momentum
this season, both editions of “The
Apprentice” and “Will & Grace,” top the index
at spots one through three.
ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” is fourth,
along with the recently renewed “West Wing”
on NBC, both at 191.
The top-rated show among 25-54s in
upscale households is “Housewives” with a
15.6 rating. Fox’s Tuesday edition of
“American Idol” is second at a 12.8, though
its index is only 26th-best, a 123.
NBC still ranks tops on the index and
upscale viewer average rating. Its index
average is 127, 12 points higher than
second-place ABC, 32 ahead of Fox and 33
above CBS. The WB averages a 70 and UPN
a 30.
For average rating among 25-54s in
households making $125,000 or more, NBC
also ranks No. 1 with a 4.7 average, but by
just 0.3 rating points ahead of CBS. ABC is
third at 4.3, followed by Fox at 2.9, UPN at 0.8
and the WB at 0.4.
NBC’s “American Dreams” and Fox’s
“Arrested Development,” two low-rated but
critically praised shows that are on the fence
for next season, ranked No. 16 and 17 on the
index, respectively, out of 180 primetime
shows.
UPN’s “WWE Smackdown” was 180th with
an index of 12.
Among cable networks, BBC America was
the most upscale with an audience 73
percent more upscale than the general
population. Bravo, Golf Channel, Biography
and ESPN filled out the top five.
“A number of cable networks with minuscule
ratings among upscale viewers have a
strong upscale skew,” Sternberg says. “Only
three cable networks—ESPN, TLC, and Fox
News—are among the top 10 in terms of
upscale composition and size.”
PRIMETIME REGULAR SERIES UPSCALE
VIEWERS
Ranked on adults 25-54
(October 2004-March 2005)
Program
Network
A25-54 in HH with $125K+ Income
Indexed to Population
A25-54 in HH with $125K+ Income
Average Ratings
Rank
Index
Rank
Rating
Apprentice 3 NBC
1 205 5 10.5
Will & Grace
NBC
2
202
13
7.6
Apprentice 2
NBC
3
194
3
11.3
Desperate Housewives
ABC
4
191
1
15.6
West Wing
NBC
4
191
12
7.7
Scrubs
NBC
6
186
33
4.8
Committed
NBC
7
181
38
4.4
Grey’s Anatomy
ABC
8
174
6
10.2
Joey
NBC
9
165
21
6.4
ER
NBC
10
164
8
9.4
Boston Legal
ABC
11
160
15
7.2
Contender
NBC
12
154
45
4.0
Law & Order
NBC
13
153
16
7.2
24
Fox
14
151
20
6.7
The Bachelorette
ABC
15
148
35
4.6
American Dreams
NBC
16
146
50
3.8
Arrested Development
Fox
17
135
66
2.9
NYPD Blue
ABC
18
135
30
4.9
Two and a Half Men
CBS
19
133
11
7.8
Law & Order: SVU
NBC
20
130
24
6.2
Source: MAGNA Global analysis of
copyrighted Nielsen Media Research data
How to Read: 5.59% of the total population in
TV Households are Adults 25-54 w/HH
incomes of $125K+. 11.47% of The
Apprentice 3’s total audience are Adults 25-
54 w/HH incomes of $125K+. 11.47% /
5.59% = 205 index.
http://www.medialifemagazine.
com/News2005/april05/apr18/2_tues/news3t
uesday.html
still got the bucks
Leads in shows with highest share
of moneyed folk
By Toni Fitzgerald
With NBC’s ratings eroding faster than
Donald Trump’s hairline, you might expect
that forecasters would be predicting that the
ever-faltering network would be eclipsed by
the ever-gaining CBS at this May’s upfront.
Not so.
Though NBC will suffer it will remain the top-
grossing network of the Big Three because it
still best delivers what advertisers care most
about: viewers with money. That's still so
even with a season-to-date dip of 14 percent
among 18-49s and 8 percent decline among
households.
According to Magna Global USA’s primetime
upscale update released yesterday, NBC
has eight of the top 10 shows most likely to
attract adults 25-54 from households with an
income of $125,000 or more.
For example, “ER” has an index of 164 on
this scale, meaning its 25-54 audience is 64
percent more upscale than the general
population. By comparison, ABC’s “20/20”
has a 96 index, meaning its audience is 4
percent less upscale than the general
population.
But a high index doesn’t necessarily mean
“Scrubs,” the sixth-ranked program on the
index, draws more upscale viewers than
“CSI” (44th). It just means “Scrubs” viewers
are more likely to be upscale.
“Some series, such as ‘CSI’ and ‘American
Idol,’ attract so many total viewers that they
invariably rank highly among most demos,
including upscale viewers. Other series,
such as ‘American Dreams,’ ‘NYPD Blue’
and ‘Scrubs,’ do not attract the highest raw
number of upscale viewers, but rank among
the top 20 based on upscale audience
skew,” explains Steve Sternberg, Magna
Global executive vice president and director
of audience analysis.
“A handful of shows—‘The Apprentice,’
‘Desperate Housewives,’ ‘Will & Grace,’
‘West Wing,’ ‘ER,’ ‘Boston Legal,’ ‘Law &
Order,’ ‘24,’ and ‘Two and a Half Men’—are
among the top 20 in terms of both upscale
audience composition and size.”
Even a dog like “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
Model Search” on NBC still indexes higher
than major hits like ABC’s “Extreme
Makeover: Home Edition,” with viewers 14
percent more upscale than the general
population to “Makeover’s” 10 percent.
Two shows that have lost a lot of momentum
this season, both editions of “The
Apprentice” and “Will & Grace,” top the index
at spots one through three.
ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” is fourth,
along with the recently renewed “West Wing”
on NBC, both at 191.
The top-rated show among 25-54s in
upscale households is “Housewives” with a
15.6 rating. Fox’s Tuesday edition of
“American Idol” is second at a 12.8, though
its index is only 26th-best, a 123.
NBC still ranks tops on the index and
upscale viewer average rating. Its index
average is 127, 12 points higher than
second-place ABC, 32 ahead of Fox and 33
above CBS. The WB averages a 70 and UPN
a 30.
For average rating among 25-54s in
households making $125,000 or more, NBC
also ranks No. 1 with a 4.7 average, but by
just 0.3 rating points ahead of CBS. ABC is
third at 4.3, followed by Fox at 2.9, UPN at 0.8
and the WB at 0.4.
NBC’s “American Dreams” and Fox’s
“Arrested Development,” two low-rated but
critically praised shows that are on the fence
for next season, ranked No. 16 and 17 on the
index, respectively, out of 180 primetime
shows.
UPN’s “WWE Smackdown” was 180th with
an index of 12.
Among cable networks, BBC America was
the most upscale with an audience 73
percent more upscale than the general
population. Bravo, Golf Channel, Biography
and ESPN filled out the top five.
“A number of cable networks with minuscule
ratings among upscale viewers have a
strong upscale skew,” Sternberg says. “Only
three cable networks—ESPN, TLC, and Fox
News—are among the top 10 in terms of
upscale composition and size.”
PRIMETIME REGULAR SERIES UPSCALE
VIEWERS
Ranked on adults 25-54
(October 2004-March 2005)
Program
Network
A25-54 in HH with $125K+ Income
Indexed to Population
A25-54 in HH with $125K+ Income
Average Ratings
Rank
Index
Rank
Rating
Apprentice 3 NBC
1 205 5 10.5
Will & Grace
NBC
2
202
13
7.6
Apprentice 2
NBC
3
194
3
11.3
Desperate Housewives
ABC
4
191
1
15.6
West Wing
NBC
4
191
12
7.7
Scrubs
NBC
6
186
33
4.8
Committed
NBC
7
181
38
4.4
Grey’s Anatomy
ABC
8
174
6
10.2
Joey
NBC
9
165
21
6.4
ER
NBC
10
164
8
9.4
Boston Legal
ABC
11
160
15
7.2
Contender
NBC
12
154
45
4.0
Law & Order
NBC
13
153
16
7.2
24
Fox
14
151
20
6.7
The Bachelorette
ABC
15
148
35
4.6
American Dreams
NBC
16
146
50
3.8
Arrested Development
Fox
17
135
66
2.9
NYPD Blue
ABC
18
135
30
4.9
Two and a Half Men
CBS
19
133
11
7.8
Law & Order: SVU
NBC
20
130
24
6.2
Source: MAGNA Global analysis of
copyrighted Nielsen Media Research data
How to Read: 5.59% of the total population in
TV Households are Adults 25-54 w/HH
incomes of $125K+. 11.47% of The
Apprentice 3’s total audience are Adults 25-
54 w/HH incomes of $125K+. 11.47% /
5.59% = 205 index.
http://www.medialifemagazine.
com/News2005/april05/apr18/2_tues/news3t
uesday.html
Posted on Mon, Apr. 11, 2005
ADVERTISING WATCH
Product placement reaches new
levels
Marketers are trying to determine the
effectiveness of branded entertainment,
which involves embedding advertising inside
the content of programs.
BY STUART ELLIOTT
New York Times News Service
As branded entertainment becomes an
increasingly popular marketing strategy,
advertisers and agencies are pondering how
to handle problems that could potentially
slow what, until now, has been robust growth.
Branded entertainment involves embedding
advertising inside the content of television
and radio programs and movies by placing
products within important scenes or making
brands intrinsic elements of plot lines.
The goal of such ploys, on display in TV
series like American Idol and The Apprentice,
is to regain the attention of consumers who
have the ability to avoid advertising by using
digital video recorders or DVRs, satellite
radio and digital juke boxes.
In recent weeks alone, there was word of
deals in branded entertainment from
Energizer, Home Depot, McDonald's and
Volkswagen. Actually, Home Depot had two --
one on an Englishlanguage network, NBC,
and one on a Spanish-language network,
Telemundo.
''You don't want to be the last one in,'' said
Peter Gardiner, partner and chief media
officer at Deutsch in New York, part of the
Interpublic Group of Cos. ``But because
we're in the early stages, it's so confusing.''
''What you're seeing right now is the same
kind of fuzzy marketplace we saw eight or 10
years ago, when people were trying to figure
out how the Internet would work for
marketing,'' said Gardiner, whose agency
opened Media Bridge, specializing in
branded entertainment, last year under his
aegis.
A company named iTVX, based in New
Rochelle, N.Y., is providing data to Media
Bridge to help determine the answer to a
question that particularly vexes marketers:
What is the return on investment for money
spent on branded entertainment?
''With all the deals that are happening, it's the
Wild West,'' said Frank Zazza, chief executive
of iTVX, which sells a service that seeks to
measure the quality of a product placement
or other forms of branded entertainment.
`WALKING CHECKBOOKS'
The brand managers responsible for making
marketing decisions are ''getting proposals
from ad agencies, networks,
product-placement agencies and producers,''
he added. ``They're being looked at as
walking checkbooks.''
Branded entertainment is novel enough that
even the amount of the checks being written
is not entirely known. To address that
problem, PQ Media, a research company in
Stamford, Conn., has released a report that
summarizes spending on product placement
for the last three decades.
INCREASED SPENDING
The report predicts that spending this year
will total a record $4.25 billion, an increase of
22.8 percent from the $3.46 billion spent in
2004. As recently as 1999, the spending
totaled just $1.63 billion.
''Technological advances, most notably
DVRs, mean that a more engaged consumer
can skip ads at the touch of a button,'' said
Patrick Quinn, president of PQ Media, adding
that while branded entertainment ``is not the
answer to the problem, it's one of the many
answers, so advertisers are ratcheting up its
role in their buying strategies.''
But as that happens, Quinn said, branded
entertainment is becoming more
sophisticated, making it ''harder to gauge its
effectiveness'' than 'in the days when there
was a handshake deal between a director
and the prop person, who said, `Here's a
six-pack of Budweiser; put it in the movie if
you get a chance.' ''
The growing sophistication also means that
advertisers must carefully pick their projects,
said Mark Kaline, global media manager at
Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Mich. Ford's
have included American Idol on Fox and
American Dreams on NBC.
ADVERTISING WATCH
Product placement reaches new
levels
Marketers are trying to determine the
effectiveness of branded entertainment,
which involves embedding advertising inside
the content of programs.
BY STUART ELLIOTT
New York Times News Service
As branded entertainment becomes an
increasingly popular marketing strategy,
advertisers and agencies are pondering how
to handle problems that could potentially
slow what, until now, has been robust growth.
Branded entertainment involves embedding
advertising inside the content of television
and radio programs and movies by placing
products within important scenes or making
brands intrinsic elements of plot lines.
The goal of such ploys, on display in TV
series like American Idol and The Apprentice,
is to regain the attention of consumers who
have the ability to avoid advertising by using
digital video recorders or DVRs, satellite
radio and digital juke boxes.
In recent weeks alone, there was word of
deals in branded entertainment from
Energizer, Home Depot, McDonald's and
Volkswagen. Actually, Home Depot had two --
one on an Englishlanguage network, NBC,
and one on a Spanish-language network,
Telemundo.
''You don't want to be the last one in,'' said
Peter Gardiner, partner and chief media
officer at Deutsch in New York, part of the
Interpublic Group of Cos. ``But because
we're in the early stages, it's so confusing.''
''What you're seeing right now is the same
kind of fuzzy marketplace we saw eight or 10
years ago, when people were trying to figure
out how the Internet would work for
marketing,'' said Gardiner, whose agency
opened Media Bridge, specializing in
branded entertainment, last year under his
aegis.
A company named iTVX, based in New
Rochelle, N.Y., is providing data to Media
Bridge to help determine the answer to a
question that particularly vexes marketers:
What is the return on investment for money
spent on branded entertainment?
''With all the deals that are happening, it's the
Wild West,'' said Frank Zazza, chief executive
of iTVX, which sells a service that seeks to
measure the quality of a product placement
or other forms of branded entertainment.
`WALKING CHECKBOOKS'
The brand managers responsible for making
marketing decisions are ''getting proposals
from ad agencies, networks,
product-placement agencies and producers,''
he added. ``They're being looked at as
walking checkbooks.''
Branded entertainment is novel enough that
even the amount of the checks being written
is not entirely known. To address that
problem, PQ Media, a research company in
Stamford, Conn., has released a report that
summarizes spending on product placement
for the last three decades.
INCREASED SPENDING
The report predicts that spending this year
will total a record $4.25 billion, an increase of
22.8 percent from the $3.46 billion spent in
2004. As recently as 1999, the spending
totaled just $1.63 billion.
''Technological advances, most notably
DVRs, mean that a more engaged consumer
can skip ads at the touch of a button,'' said
Patrick Quinn, president of PQ Media, adding
that while branded entertainment ``is not the
answer to the problem, it's one of the many
answers, so advertisers are ratcheting up its
role in their buying strategies.''
But as that happens, Quinn said, branded
entertainment is becoming more
sophisticated, making it ''harder to gauge its
effectiveness'' than 'in the days when there
was a handshake deal between a director
and the prop person, who said, `Here's a
six-pack of Budweiser; put it in the movie if
you get a chance.' ''
The growing sophistication also means that
advertisers must carefully pick their projects,
said Mark Kaline, global media manager at
Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Mich. Ford's
have included American Idol on Fox and
American Dreams on NBC.
Posted on Tue, Apr. 12, 2005
Gail Shister | Philly-born star
says 'American Dreams' not
dead yet
By Gail Shister
Inquirer Columnist
Odds are slim, but it may not be over for
American Dreams, says Philly-born star Tom
Verica.
The fact that NBC chose to run Dreams'
season-finale episode March 30 instead of a
quickly produced alternative ending for the
whole series bodes well for the struggling
third-year drama, he says.
"I view it as a positive sign," says Verica, who
plays patriarch Jack Pryor. "Our executive
producer [Jonathan Prince] didn't want the
alternate ending. He felt it would be the final
nail in our coffin."
As the cast began production on the season
finale in late February, NBC asked the
producers to shoot an alternative ending that
would tie up the story lines, according to
Verica, 40, a Haverford High alum.
The acclaimed Dreams, set in Philly during
the 1960s, revolves around the Pryor family.
Dick Clark's American Bandstand serves as
a backdrop, and Clark is an exec producer.
In the season cliffhanger, viewers saw Meg
Pryor (Brittany Snow) defy her father by riding
off to California with her draft-dodger
boyfriend on his motorcycle.
The 12-minute alternative ending takes place
three years later. On the day of Neil
Armstrong's walk on the moon, Meg returns
home and faces her family.
That segment "felt thrown together, not really
thought out," Verica says. "I'm glad it didn't
air."
After production wrapped, "we all left not
knowing which one would run. It was very
strange not to know. Everything was so
abrupt." About a week before broadcast, the
cast was told.
Meanwhile, Dreams' fate won't be known
until NBC announces its fall schedule to
advertisers next month. The show "has a
shot, but it's a long shot," says a high-ranking
NBC executive.
As for fan reaction, Verica is surprised by the
e-mail campaign to save Dreams.
"A lot of times, people say they love a show,
but for someone to actually sit down at the
computer and put something into action is a
different thing.
"A family show like this, as a period piece,
hits a chord with a lot of people who care
about quality TV. You can't watch CSI with
your 6-year-old. You can watch our show with
anybody in your family."
Verica and the cast are under contract for
three more years, but if NBC whacks
Dreams, they can do other projects.
Gail O'Grady, who plays Pryor's wife, Helen,
shot an ABC pilot about women selling real
estate called Hot Properties. (See rip-off,
Desperate Housewives.)
Verica plans to direct an independent film in
the fall - possibly in our town.
Tentatively titled All This Falling, it's about a
young writer who returns to his hometown of
Easton, Pa., for his mother's funeral, hoping
to figure out his own life.
More "Anatomy." Sunny news for Grey's
Anatomy.
Originally set for a four-episode tryout on
ABC, the freshman medical drama will
continue through the rest of the season.
Instead of returning to its 10 p.m. Sunday
slot, as planned, Boston Legal is off the
docket until fall. Five unaired episodes will
run next season, for a total of 27.
Anatomy stars Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh,
T.R. Knight, Katherine Heigl and Justin
Chambers as first-year surgical interns at a
Seattle hospital.
In the plum post-Desperate Housewives slot,
Anatomy has averaged more than 17 million
viewers since its March 27 launch, compared
with 12.5 million for Boston, with James
Spader and William Shatner.
Anatomy has scored ABC's strongest series
numbers at 10 p.m. Sunday in four years -
since the 2000-01 season of The Practice.
More important, it's big with
advertiser-friendly 18-to-49-year-olds,
particularly women.
Shonda Rhimes, Anatomy's creator-exec
producer, says she knew ABC would keep
the show on the air, but she didn't expect to
stay in her Rolls-Royce time slot.
"I did a little dance of joy," she says. Having
Housewives as a lead-in "is wildly important.
It gave us a platform we never would have
had, otherwise."
--------------------------------------------------------------
------------------
Contact TV columnist Gail Shister at
215-854-2224 or gshister@phillynews.com.
Read her recent work at
http://go.philly.com/gailshister.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/mag
azine/daily/11370090.htm
Gail Shister | Philly-born star
says 'American Dreams' not
dead yet
By Gail Shister
Inquirer Columnist
Odds are slim, but it may not be over for
American Dreams, says Philly-born star Tom
Verica.
The fact that NBC chose to run Dreams'
season-finale episode March 30 instead of a
quickly produced alternative ending for the
whole series bodes well for the struggling
third-year drama, he says.
"I view it as a positive sign," says Verica, who
plays patriarch Jack Pryor. "Our executive
producer [Jonathan Prince] didn't want the
alternate ending. He felt it would be the final
nail in our coffin."
As the cast began production on the season
finale in late February, NBC asked the
producers to shoot an alternative ending that
would tie up the story lines, according to
Verica, 40, a Haverford High alum.
The acclaimed Dreams, set in Philly during
the 1960s, revolves around the Pryor family.
Dick Clark's American Bandstand serves as
a backdrop, and Clark is an exec producer.
In the season cliffhanger, viewers saw Meg
Pryor (Brittany Snow) defy her father by riding
off to California with her draft-dodger
boyfriend on his motorcycle.
The 12-minute alternative ending takes place
three years later. On the day of Neil
Armstrong's walk on the moon, Meg returns
home and faces her family.
That segment "felt thrown together, not really
thought out," Verica says. "I'm glad it didn't
air."
After production wrapped, "we all left not
knowing which one would run. It was very
strange not to know. Everything was so
abrupt." About a week before broadcast, the
cast was told.
Meanwhile, Dreams' fate won't be known
until NBC announces its fall schedule to
advertisers next month. The show "has a
shot, but it's a long shot," says a high-ranking
NBC executive.
As for fan reaction, Verica is surprised by the
e-mail campaign to save Dreams.
"A lot of times, people say they love a show,
but for someone to actually sit down at the
computer and put something into action is a
different thing.
"A family show like this, as a period piece,
hits a chord with a lot of people who care
about quality TV. You can't watch CSI with
your 6-year-old. You can watch our show with
anybody in your family."
Verica and the cast are under contract for
three more years, but if NBC whacks
Dreams, they can do other projects.
Gail O'Grady, who plays Pryor's wife, Helen,
shot an ABC pilot about women selling real
estate called Hot Properties. (See rip-off,
Desperate Housewives.)
Verica plans to direct an independent film in
the fall - possibly in our town.
Tentatively titled All This Falling, it's about a
young writer who returns to his hometown of
Easton, Pa., for his mother's funeral, hoping
to figure out his own life.
More "Anatomy." Sunny news for Grey's
Anatomy.
Originally set for a four-episode tryout on
ABC, the freshman medical drama will
continue through the rest of the season.
Instead of returning to its 10 p.m. Sunday
slot, as planned, Boston Legal is off the
docket until fall. Five unaired episodes will
run next season, for a total of 27.
Anatomy stars Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh,
T.R. Knight, Katherine Heigl and Justin
Chambers as first-year surgical interns at a
Seattle hospital.
In the plum post-Desperate Housewives slot,
Anatomy has averaged more than 17 million
viewers since its March 27 launch, compared
with 12.5 million for Boston, with James
Spader and William Shatner.
Anatomy has scored ABC's strongest series
numbers at 10 p.m. Sunday in four years -
since the 2000-01 season of The Practice.
More important, it's big with
advertiser-friendly 18-to-49-year-olds,
particularly women.
Shonda Rhimes, Anatomy's creator-exec
producer, says she knew ABC would keep
the show on the air, but she didn't expect to
stay in her Rolls-Royce time slot.
"I did a little dance of joy," she says. Having
Housewives as a lead-in "is wildly important.
It gave us a platform we never would have
had, otherwise."
--------------------------------------------------------------
------------------
Contact TV columnist Gail Shister at
215-854-2224 or gshister@phillynews.com.
Read her recent work at
http://go.philly.com/gailshister.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/mag
azine/daily/11370090.htm
TV Gal Is Over the Moon
About 'Mars'
(Monday, April 11 08:02 AM)
By Amy Amatangelo
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - - Can I have a
"whoo" and a "hoo"?
UPN is picking up "Veronica Mars" for a
second season. The spunky heroine, her
oh-so-terrific dad and the mishmash of
television's most eclectic high school
students will be back to channel its
inner-Buffy next season.
So, let's take a moment to celebrate.
Are you done? Good because, alas, our work
isn't done. I can't remember when there were
this many shows that need to be saved.
Here's my list of shows I desperately want to
see next season:
"Arrested Development": Would FOX actually
cancel the best comedy on television? As
this terrific series heads to its second
season finale this Sunday (FOX, 8:30 p.m.)
the show is unabashedly going for it without
pausing to think -- will the viewers catch this
reference? Will they understand the joke?
Should we slow down? Is that too
inappropriate? It's easy to see why everyone
in Hollywood wants in on this show. But I'm
not going to lie to you. I'm quite concerned.
What can you do? Go to getarrested.com and
get your friends in on the fun and tune in to
the season finale to catch Marc Cherry,
executive producer of "Desperate
Housewives," guest starring as himself.
"American Dreams": Well, we simply can't
have the series end with Meg jetting off to
Berkley to live the life of a rebel. No matter
how cute Milo Ventimiglia is (and he's pretty
darn cute), I simply don't believe that Meg
would have left without even saying goodbye
to Sam (a relationship I would love to see the
series further explore). Set against the
backdrop of "American Bandstand" and the
tumultuous '60s, the show is a throwback to
another television era -- a time when there
were quality one-hour dramas that
entertained multiple generations. This dream
should live on.
"Eyes": You know what I think the problem is?
Maybe viewers just feel too exhausted to take
on yet another quality drama. Well, boo-hoo.
You need to start watching this show. Tim
Daly thrives as punchy private eye who
always knows the right way to get the bad
guy. Plus, we get to see the terrific Laura
Leighton again. People what more could you
want?
"Joan of Arcadia": I'll concede that this
season has been creatively uneven. The
Annie Potts as the devil-in-disguise story line
was dropped far too quickly. After all that
build up (will she have an affair with Will? Is
she Satan?) she was suddenly gone with
little fanfare. But there have been shining
moments -- the heartbreaking death of
Judith, the devastating end of Joan and
Adam's relationship, and the blossoming
romance between Luke and Grace. It
shouldn't take divine intervention to bring this
show back for another season.
"Jack & Bobby": How does Jack die? Why
does Bobby get into politics? How did his
affair with the Vice-President begin? Can
Christine Lahti continue to take it down a
notch? All questions we deserve answers to.
We know Greg Berlanti does family drama
brilliantly ("Everwood" told us so). We know
Thomas Schlamme does political dramas
brilliantly ("The West Wing" told us so). All I
can't figure out is why this show has failed to
catch on. I mean can you live with making
"One Tree Hill" a hit and letting "Jack &
Bobby" flounder. Can you?
"Judging Amy": A television week without
Tyne Daly's Maxine is not acceptable. Plus,
hello, I cannot rest until Bruce and Amy get
together.
What shows do you want to save this
season? What shows do you wish never had
been cancelled? Talk about it on the TV Gal
message board.
Quotes of the Week
"This is the place where good taste goes to
die." Felicia to Zach on "Desperate
Housewives." Thanks to Jeff for the quote.
"It was the first taste of alcohol Buster had
since he was nursing." Ron Howard as the
narrator on "Arrested Development."
"Don't get carried away you two." Simon to
Paula and Randy on "American Idol." Oh,
Simon, it's too late to save Paula don't you
think?
"It's a free for all. I think Aaron Burr got 20
votes." The President about the Democratic
Convention on "The West Wing." Thanks to
Amy for the quote.
Where Have I Seen Them Before?
Michael K. Williams who I loved as Omar on
"The Wire" is Roberts, Vaughn's informant on
"Alias." Thanks to Rishi for catching this
familiar face.
Louis recognized Ken Marino is the sleazy
rival private detective Vinnie on "Veronica
Mars." Marino was the inappropriate
Professor Wilder on "Dawson's Creek" and
Andy on the short-lived NBC show "Leap of
Faith."
William recognized Zack Ward was Jack's
best man on "Lost." Ward is best known for
playing Dave Titus on "Titus."
Matthew Del Negro was Brian Cammarata,
Carmela's cousin and financial advisor on
"The Sopranos." We've seen him this season
playing one of the campaign workers for
Congressman Matt Santos on "The West
Wing."
Robin Sachs, the nefarious Ethan Rayne on
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer," played the
nefarious Hans Dietrich on "Alias." Katherine
was the first to recognize this familiar face.
Brian McNamara was Brad Harper, the
drug-dealing doctor on "Eyes." McNamara
was Luke's dad on "The O.C." Thanks to Gav
for recognizing this familiar face.
Highlights of the Week Ahead
All times listed are Eastern Time for April 11
to 17
My picks for the final four (Anwar, Nadia,
Carrie and Bo) are still in "American Idol"
(Tuesday, FOX, 8 p.m.). Are yours?
Can we briefly discuss how stressful
Tuesdays at 9 p.m. is? "The Amazing Race,"
"Veronica Mars," and "Scrubs" all air in the
same time slot. Go ahead tell me this isn't a
plot against me. I'm a little worried that Logan
(the terrific Jason Dohring) is the killer.
Everyone else seems a little too obvious, but
I so don't want it to be Logan. He's one of the
best new characters of the season. This
week on "Veronica Mars" (Tuesday, UPN, 9
p.m.), our intrepid hero investigates bomb
threats at Neptune High.
I fear we may have gotten off a little too easy
on "Lost" (Wednesday, ABC, 8 p.m.). We all
kind of knew Shannon or Boone would have
been killed off. My worry is that the producers
are plotting another death -- one that may
hurt a little more. So Jack was married to
Carol Vessey (what is up with Julie Bowen
being everywhere these days?). My guess is
that they must be divorced because the plane
had barely crashed and Jack was already
flirting with Kate among the wreckage. Or
maybe he didn't actually marry her (after all
we never saw them pronounced husband
and wife). After all, Matthew Fox does have
trouble with outdoor weddings on television
(just ask Kirsten). I think the episodes would
be stronger if they used less familiar actors
for the back stories. I couldn't get over the fact
that Swoosie Kurtz was Locke's mom.
Although she must be thrilled that the
general consensus was that she looked way
too young to be Locke's mom. In this week's
repeat, we learn what happened to Michael.
As the last woman standing in Ulong,
Stephenie on "Survivor" (Thursday, CBS, 8
p.m.) has been surprisingly positive. Is there
any way she can survive this week? Perhaps
Koror is getting a little sick of each?
I haven't talked about this movement to put
Marissa and Ryan back together on "The
O.C." (Thursday, FOX, 8 p.m.) because it is
so ridiculous. Both characters are stronger
when they are apart. I'm totally behind
Marissa having a fling with Ryan's brother
though. That's some Julie Cooper type
drama.
Okay, I was fine with "The Apprentice"
(Thursday, NBC, 9 p.m.) having some
embedded advertising. But last week, the
group designed clothes for American Eagle
by purchasing items at Best Buy with their
Visa cards while the Donald told them about
the latest pizza at Domino's and plugged his
own clothing line. All I have to say is, "Go,
Tana."
Bill Brochtrup, the fabulous John Irvin on the
late, great "NYPD Blue," guest stars on
"Without a Trace" (Thursday, CBS, 10 p.m.)
In a most perfect country music moment,
Dolly Parton guest stars as real estate agent
Dolly Majors on "Reba" (Friday, WB, 9 p.m.).
All y'all better watch.
Sometimes "Desperate Housewives"
(Sunday, ABC, 9 p.m.) fails to hit the right
balance of comedy and drama. And the
casual way it dealt with abusive relationships
in last week's episode was a tad unsettling.
Also why is Carlos suddenly so evil? And can
I please have more than five minutes of Mike
per episode. Thanks.
http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002
,276%7C94635%7C1%7C,00.html
SAVE THIS SHOW
In defense of AMERICAN DREAMS
- Beth Danesco
NOTE: Over the next month as television
networks plot their schedules for the 05-06
series, various TVZone staffers will take up
the cause of bubble shows, shows maybe in,
maybe out. If you have a show you’d like to
see defended, drop us a line bethtvzone@aol.
com
I was reading a few weeks back that NBC
had decided to move it’s family period drama
American Dreams to Wednesday nights.
Some buzz was this was not a good sign. It
meant to some that NBC was cutting the
show loose, not planning a fourth season for
Meg Pryor (Brittany Snow) and her family in
Philly. I didn’t know why this little scheduling
change was such cause to believe the show
had lost it’s network support. What was the
big deal about Wednesdays? Then, a few
weeks after that, I recognized the big about
Wednesdays. Lost. NBC had moved
American Dreams opposite ABC’s huge hit,
Lost. Yeah, probably not a good sign.
So will American Dreams come back to face
Lost next year? Will it come back at all?
Forget about why that plane crashed on that
island, the mystery of American Dreams’
future is what concerns me right now. My
hope is NBC will put the modest ratings
aside and realize they have in AD a drama
which doesn’t involve law, order, medicine,
dead bugs or punch lines about sex. This is
the show I can point to when my mom says
the only thing on TV these days is “murder,
reality, or crude sitcoms” – nothing for
families.
American Dreams is breath of fresh air. It’s
not the greatest show on television, but it’s a
very entertaining, engaging, original, and well-
acted hour drama which offers first-rate
family conflicts, great period elements, a
chance for us to see our own current events
discussed in analogy-form, and also, some
darn good music. I’ve only seen two
episodes of American Dreams, the last two
of the season, in fact, but that was enough to
get me saying out loud “Man, they cannot
cancel this show!”
For the uninitiated, which, again, I admit, I am
more or less myself, American Dreams tells
the story of Meg Pryor, the smart, headstrong,
“typical teen” eldest daughter of a close-knit
Catholic family. The first three seasons have
tracked her journey from teenybopper to
thoughtful, politically aware young adult in
60s Philadelphia.
Meg’s whole family, in fact, serves a
microcosm of the era, the good and the bad.
Mom Helen (Gail O’Grady) explores her
potential outside of the home. Dad Jack
(Tom Verica) and his business partner Henry
(Jonathan Adams) run a mom-and-pop store
decades away from being run out of town by
Wal-Mart. That’s the good side. But on the
bad side, both Helen and Jack contend with
what the changing times has done to their
family and their kids: JJ (Will Estes) who did
a tour in Vietnam and Meg, again, is taking off
with her boyfriend who Jack declares “a
coward.” On the other hand, Henry, who is
African American, sees the times not
changing quickly enough sometimes, as his
son Sam (Arlen Escarpeta), Meg’s friend, still
has to contend with second-class citizen
treatment too often.
All of these events are set against the best
soundtrack on TV- though, I’m a Motown
maniac, so maybe I’m not unbiased enough
to judge. (And the fact the show had
someone playing high priestess of soul Nina
Simone once is reason enough for me to
love it…). Meg and her buddy Roxanne
(Vanessa Lengies) dance on American
Bandstand, and the songs on Bandstand are
often shown in real clips from the 60s, or
performed by famous current singers in what
is one of the show’s unique elements. For
instance, The Duff sisters appear as the
Shangra-Las, Brandy Norwood shows up as
Gladys Knight. You get the drift. Others who
have appeared include two American Idols
(Kelly Clarkson and Fantasia) a Destiny’s
Child (Kelly Rowland) a country diva (LeeAnn
Rimes), an alt diva (Alanis Morrisette) an
R&B diva(Monica) and several groups
including Third Eye Blind and this season,
Fountains of Wayne. The result is instant
multi-generational appeal, baby boomers
want to hear the songs (many which aren’t
covered by guest stars but just played in the
background…) and teens want to see their
favorites.
Another in the plus column, for those of you
who are counting.
NBC has had its own time of transition this
year, if you want to make the analogy to the
sixties. A lot of their staples have gone, they’
ve yet to find a new hit comedy, and the
shows the top 10 which they used to own is
now a land, many weeks, out of reach. More
bad sitcoms and a new Law & Order seem to
be their only response. Keeping an original
quality program that isn’t giving them big
numbers will probably not be their next move.
Instead, I expect to see NBC make the first
really bad cancellation they’ve made in a
while. I expect to see, next season,
Wednesday (or Sundays) at 8PM, more
“murder, reality, or crude sitcoms” as my
mom would say. And as for the Pryors, well, I’
m thinking the only place we’ll see them is in
our own dreams…or on dvd.
But, since it's not May yet, Dreams's isn't
official beyond hope. Our final thought to
NBC? Come on, now, save this show!"
http://www.atnzone.
com/tvzone/features/americandreams.shtml
In defense of AMERICAN DREAMS
- Beth Danesco
NOTE: Over the next month as television
networks plot their schedules for the 05-06
series, various TVZone staffers will take up
the cause of bubble shows, shows maybe in,
maybe out. If you have a show you’d like to
see defended, drop us a line bethtvzone@aol.
com
I was reading a few weeks back that NBC
had decided to move it’s family period drama
American Dreams to Wednesday nights.
Some buzz was this was not a good sign. It
meant to some that NBC was cutting the
show loose, not planning a fourth season for
Meg Pryor (Brittany Snow) and her family in
Philly. I didn’t know why this little scheduling
change was such cause to believe the show
had lost it’s network support. What was the
big deal about Wednesdays? Then, a few
weeks after that, I recognized the big about
Wednesdays. Lost. NBC had moved
American Dreams opposite ABC’s huge hit,
Lost. Yeah, probably not a good sign.
So will American Dreams come back to face
Lost next year? Will it come back at all?
Forget about why that plane crashed on that
island, the mystery of American Dreams’
future is what concerns me right now. My
hope is NBC will put the modest ratings
aside and realize they have in AD a drama
which doesn’t involve law, order, medicine,
dead bugs or punch lines about sex. This is
the show I can point to when my mom says
the only thing on TV these days is “murder,
reality, or crude sitcoms” – nothing for
families.
American Dreams is breath of fresh air. It’s
not the greatest show on television, but it’s a
very entertaining, engaging, original, and well-
acted hour drama which offers first-rate
family conflicts, great period elements, a
chance for us to see our own current events
discussed in analogy-form, and also, some
darn good music. I’ve only seen two
episodes of American Dreams, the last two
of the season, in fact, but that was enough to
get me saying out loud “Man, they cannot
cancel this show!”
For the uninitiated, which, again, I admit, I am
more or less myself, American Dreams tells
the story of Meg Pryor, the smart, headstrong,
“typical teen” eldest daughter of a close-knit
Catholic family. The first three seasons have
tracked her journey from teenybopper to
thoughtful, politically aware young adult in
60s Philadelphia.
Meg’s whole family, in fact, serves a
microcosm of the era, the good and the bad.
Mom Helen (Gail O’Grady) explores her
potential outside of the home. Dad Jack
(Tom Verica) and his business partner Henry
(Jonathan Adams) run a mom-and-pop store
decades away from being run out of town by
Wal-Mart. That’s the good side. But on the
bad side, both Helen and Jack contend with
what the changing times has done to their
family and their kids: JJ (Will Estes) who did
a tour in Vietnam and Meg, again, is taking off
with her boyfriend who Jack declares “a
coward.” On the other hand, Henry, who is
African American, sees the times not
changing quickly enough sometimes, as his
son Sam (Arlen Escarpeta), Meg’s friend, still
has to contend with second-class citizen
treatment too often.
All of these events are set against the best
soundtrack on TV- though, I’m a Motown
maniac, so maybe I’m not unbiased enough
to judge. (And the fact the show had
someone playing high priestess of soul Nina
Simone once is reason enough for me to
love it…). Meg and her buddy Roxanne
(Vanessa Lengies) dance on American
Bandstand, and the songs on Bandstand are
often shown in real clips from the 60s, or
performed by famous current singers in what
is one of the show’s unique elements. For
instance, The Duff sisters appear as the
Shangra-Las, Brandy Norwood shows up as
Gladys Knight. You get the drift. Others who
have appeared include two American Idols
(Kelly Clarkson and Fantasia) a Destiny’s
Child (Kelly Rowland) a country diva (LeeAnn
Rimes), an alt diva (Alanis Morrisette) an
R&B diva(Monica) and several groups
including Third Eye Blind and this season,
Fountains of Wayne. The result is instant
multi-generational appeal, baby boomers
want to hear the songs (many which aren’t
covered by guest stars but just played in the
background…) and teens want to see their
favorites.
Another in the plus column, for those of you
who are counting.
NBC has had its own time of transition this
year, if you want to make the analogy to the
sixties. A lot of their staples have gone, they’
ve yet to find a new hit comedy, and the
shows the top 10 which they used to own is
now a land, many weeks, out of reach. More
bad sitcoms and a new Law & Order seem to
be their only response. Keeping an original
quality program that isn’t giving them big
numbers will probably not be their next move.
Instead, I expect to see NBC make the first
really bad cancellation they’ve made in a
while. I expect to see, next season,
Wednesday (or Sundays) at 8PM, more
“murder, reality, or crude sitcoms” as my
mom would say. And as for the Pryors, well, I’
m thinking the only place we’ll see them is in
our own dreams…or on dvd.
But, since it's not May yet, Dreams's isn't
official beyond hope. Our final thought to
NBC? Come on, now, save this show!"
http://www.atnzone.
com/tvzone/features/americandreams.shtml
Posted on Sun, May. 22, 2005
Center Square | The feel of 'Dreams': TV
need not be mediocre
By Chris Satullo
Dreams died hard.
In the end, though, nothing could save
American Dreams, the superb television
drama that tracked a Philadelphia family
through the 1960s.
Up to 4,000 e-mails a week from desperate
fans couldn't rescue it. Nor could the plane
that flew over NBC's Burbank offices with a
"Save American Dreams" banner. Nor could
the pleas of television critics who were
appalled to think they cover a medium where
Dreams could die while Joey lives.
NBC confirmed last week that the show was
being cancelled after three seasons. The
blunt fact: The ratings weren't good enough.
So American Dreams joins the scrap heap
labeled "Fine TV Dead Before Its Time."
The show had a seductive premise. The
Pryors were a middle-class Catholic family
living in Philly just as the '60s turned
tumultuous. Teenage Meg Pryor was one of
the regulars who danced on Dick Clark's
American Bandstand, then being broadcast
from WFIL's old studios on Market Street next
to the El. The music of Bandstand provided
the backbeat for story lines that danced
nimbly through the great themes of a
haunted era: race, Vietnam, feminism, drugs
and the sexual revolution, even Philly
pay-to-play politics.
Of course, a show could try to do all those
things and still come across as labored and
wooden. With Dreams, the delight was in the
details. The dialogue was superb, the acting
solid, and the storytelling sophisticated. This
being TV, the pilot sketched some
predictable stereotypes - the Frustrated
Housewife, the Rigid Paterfamilias - but the
characters evolved in subtle, satisfying ways.
The attention to period detail and the truths of
family dynamics was tremendous.
One devoted fan - my wife, who, like Meg
Pryor, went to a Catholic high school in the
'60s - put it this way: "Boy, they have the
Catholic thing down cold." Our college-age
daughter loved the show as much as her
mom did. For her, Dreams was a fascinating
window onto the events that shaped her
parents into the weird people they are today.
So why did a show of such virtues draw a
pathetic audience? NBC executives are
asking themselves that.
"It's unfortunately the contradiction of
America," NBC's Kevin Reilly told the Miami
Herald. "People say they want quality,
family-friendly shows at 8 p.m. And yet you
put them on and what they really want to
watch is Desperate Housewives. We loved
the show... . It just was not pulling the ratings
to justify the cost."
It's not stunning news that, on television,
dreck often buries diamonds. The digital age
of a gazillion channels makes it even harder
for a polished series like Dreams to attract
audiences big enough to offset its production
costs.
Another factor inthe series' demise was, I'd
wager, snobbery. Many of the people who
would have appreciated the qualities that
made this show special are of the type that
loves to say at wine-and-cheese parties,
"Ugh, I never watch network TV." They'll watch
dreadful junk on PBS as long as it's done
with a British accent, but never a prime-time
show on NBC.
TV is not simply a wasteland. It's a wasteland
dotted with oases of creativity and excellence
that deserve more support than they get.
Some of the best dramatic and comic writing
being done today is done for TV. Ever read a
Frasier script? It's a comic dissection of
manners and human folly as deft as Molière.
Students a century from now may well study
the incandescent dialogue Aaron Sorkin
wrote for shows such as Sports Night and
The West Wing. Remember: In 19th century
England, Dickens was popular culture.
For better or worse, TV is where America
puzzles out its story for itself. The people who
dismiss TV with a scowl and a sneer, the
ones who write nasty letters asking why a
"serious" newspaper would print stories
about pop culture phenomena like American
Idol, are missing a lot.
They condemn themselves, among other
things, to a clueless, deep-blue funk over
how America thinks.
Chris Satullo (215-854-4243;
csatullo@phillynews.com) is editorial page
editor. To see his recent work, go to:
http://go.philly.com/Satullo.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/117057
53.htm
Center Square | The feel of 'Dreams': TV
need not be mediocre
By Chris Satullo
Dreams died hard.
In the end, though, nothing could save
American Dreams, the superb television
drama that tracked a Philadelphia family
through the 1960s.
Up to 4,000 e-mails a week from desperate
fans couldn't rescue it. Nor could the plane
that flew over NBC's Burbank offices with a
"Save American Dreams" banner. Nor could
the pleas of television critics who were
appalled to think they cover a medium where
Dreams could die while Joey lives.
NBC confirmed last week that the show was
being cancelled after three seasons. The
blunt fact: The ratings weren't good enough.
So American Dreams joins the scrap heap
labeled "Fine TV Dead Before Its Time."
The show had a seductive premise. The
Pryors were a middle-class Catholic family
living in Philly just as the '60s turned
tumultuous. Teenage Meg Pryor was one of
the regulars who danced on Dick Clark's
American Bandstand, then being broadcast
from WFIL's old studios on Market Street next
to the El. The music of Bandstand provided
the backbeat for story lines that danced
nimbly through the great themes of a
haunted era: race, Vietnam, feminism, drugs
and the sexual revolution, even Philly
pay-to-play politics.
Of course, a show could try to do all those
things and still come across as labored and
wooden. With Dreams, the delight was in the
details. The dialogue was superb, the acting
solid, and the storytelling sophisticated. This
being TV, the pilot sketched some
predictable stereotypes - the Frustrated
Housewife, the Rigid Paterfamilias - but the
characters evolved in subtle, satisfying ways.
The attention to period detail and the truths of
family dynamics was tremendous.
One devoted fan - my wife, who, like Meg
Pryor, went to a Catholic high school in the
'60s - put it this way: "Boy, they have the
Catholic thing down cold." Our college-age
daughter loved the show as much as her
mom did. For her, Dreams was a fascinating
window onto the events that shaped her
parents into the weird people they are today.
So why did a show of such virtues draw a
pathetic audience? NBC executives are
asking themselves that.
"It's unfortunately the contradiction of
America," NBC's Kevin Reilly told the Miami
Herald. "People say they want quality,
family-friendly shows at 8 p.m. And yet you
put them on and what they really want to
watch is Desperate Housewives. We loved
the show... . It just was not pulling the ratings
to justify the cost."
It's not stunning news that, on television,
dreck often buries diamonds. The digital age
of a gazillion channels makes it even harder
for a polished series like Dreams to attract
audiences big enough to offset its production
costs.
Another factor inthe series' demise was, I'd
wager, snobbery. Many of the people who
would have appreciated the qualities that
made this show special are of the type that
loves to say at wine-and-cheese parties,
"Ugh, I never watch network TV." They'll watch
dreadful junk on PBS as long as it's done
with a British accent, but never a prime-time
show on NBC.
TV is not simply a wasteland. It's a wasteland
dotted with oases of creativity and excellence
that deserve more support than they get.
Some of the best dramatic and comic writing
being done today is done for TV. Ever read a
Frasier script? It's a comic dissection of
manners and human folly as deft as Molière.
Students a century from now may well study
the incandescent dialogue Aaron Sorkin
wrote for shows such as Sports Night and
The West Wing. Remember: In 19th century
England, Dickens was popular culture.
For better or worse, TV is where America
puzzles out its story for itself. The people who
dismiss TV with a scowl and a sneer, the
ones who write nasty letters asking why a
"serious" newspaper would print stories
about pop culture phenomena like American
Idol, are missing a lot.
They condemn themselves, among other
things, to a clueless, deep-blue funk over
how America thinks.
Chris Satullo (215-854-4243;
csatullo@phillynews.com) is editorial page
editor. To see his recent work, go to:
http://go.philly.com/Satullo.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/117057
53.htm
Posted on Mon, May. 23, 2005
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/enter
tainment/television/11709740.htm
GLENN GARVIN
TELEVISION COMMENTARY
Something's spooky about new TV schedules
The world of television, at its very best, is
always something of an Alice-in-Wonderland
experience, a sort of karmic demolition derby
between diva stars, egomaniacal producers
and harried network executives whose lives
dangle by a Nielsen thread. And the mid-May
unveiling of network programming schedules
known as the upfronts -- a deeply ironic
name, since most of what the network brass
spout during their presentations falls
somewhere along a sliding scale that runs
from airy hallucinations to profound lies -- is
far from the best. Usually it takes five or six
months to figure out what really happened
during upfronts, by which time a lot of the
new shows that were announced there have
been found out as wretched dogs and
canceled, and the whole process is starting
to gear up again.
Nonetheless, a few clear winners and losers
emerged during last week's upfronts. The
winners: ABC's Lost, well known to millions
of American couch potatoes, and a guy
named David Nutter, known to practically
none. The loser: quality family programming,
which American viewers will do practically
anything to support except actually watch it.
Let's give David Nutter his 15 minutes -- well,
the marketing demons who run newspapers
these days say to keep these stories short,
so it will be more like 15 seconds -- of fame
first. He's a TV director who specializes in
pilots, the sample episodes that networks
order up to decide if they like a show enough
to put it on their schedules. When The WB
last week picked up a drama about
ghost-hunting brothers called Supernatural, it
made Nutter a perfect 11-for-11 over the past
decade: Every pilot he has directed has been
turned into a series.
Note, however, that I called Nutter a big
winner, not Supernatural. The life of some of
the series created from his pilots can be
measured in nanoseconds. Anybody out
there who actually saw dr. vegas,
Sleepwalkers or Tarzan -- they aired for a
grand total of 20 episodes -- raise your
hands; the Smithsonian wants to put you in
an exhibit. (To be fair -- though where's the
fun in that? -- he also did the pilots for
Smallville and Without A Trace, hits for seven
seasons and counting.)
I don't know if future TV historians will refer to
this as the Nutter Era, but they will very likely
call 2005-2006 the Lost Season. No single
show in years has been as influential in
shaping the programming schedule.
When ABC announced Lost last fall, most
critics and network executives took it as one
more brain-dead scheme from the network
that brought us Are You Hot? and I'm A
Celebrity -- Get Me Out Of Here. A show about
plane crash survivors on a sinister desert
island might make a good two-hour TV
movie, ran the conventional wisdom, but
could never sustain an entire season of 22
episodes. But Lost confounded everybody by
stirring healthy dollops of sociology and
mystery into its science-fiction brew. Viewers
-- and advertisers -- which for the past few
seasons had been mostly a mere rumor to
ABC, poured back to the network.
The result: Science-fiction and paranormal
shows teemed around last week's upfronts
like vampires at a half-off bloodbank sale.
ABC had space aliens in the Everglades
(Invasion), CBS had space aliens in the
ocean (Threshold) and NBC had sea
monsters (Fathom). There were reporters
tracking werewolves (ABC's The Night
Stalker), hot chicks chatting with rotting
corpses (Jennifer Love Hewitt -- the hot chick,
not a corpse -- in CBS' Ghost Whisperer),
and cuddly-cute boys chasing spooks (Jared
Padalecki and Jensen Ackles in The WB's
Supernatural).
How many of these shows will last longer
than a David Nutter pilot remains to be seen.
My guess is Lost's execution will prove much
more difficult to rip off than its concept.
If only the producers of American Dreams
and Joan of Arcadia could have figured out a
way to work a zombie or a Martian into the
plot! The least-noticed story from last week's
upfronts was that the two best family dramas
in decades were canceled within 48 hours of
one another.
NBC's American Dreams, set in the 1960s,
used the stories of two middle-class families
to explore how the conflicts of that decade
tore the country apart and set the course of
U.S. culture and politics for decades to come.
CBS' Joan of Arcadia revolved around the
enigmatic and often conflictive encounters
between God and a teenage girl, skillfully
reducing existential questions about the
nature of faith and the point of life to bite-size
chunks. (Near the end of its run, Joan of
Arcadia also offered a valuable insight into
journalism -- the character of Satan
appeared, and he turned out to be a
newspaper publisher.)
These were not Disneyesque fantasies.
American Dreams dwelt not in the revisionist
peace-love-and-understanding pipe dream
'60s of which Hollywood is so fond, but the
jagged real-life place where kids and parents
were savagely estranged. The deity in Joan
of Arcadia was not some cosmic muffin like
George Burns in Oh God, but a guy with a
whiff of the Old Testament who knew how to
play hardball. Both shows were written with
intelligence, wit and often pathos. Their casts
were among the best on television. They
featured great rock 'n' roll soundtracks. Both
were among the Top 15 list in the last poll of
critics by TV Week.
And the only people who watched them were
critics and network executives.
Among the crucial 18-to-49 audience,
American Dreams had just 3.1 million
viewers and Joan of Arcadia 2.7 million. By
contrast, the quirky sitcom Arrested
Development, whose ratings are so poor that
executives at other networks were openly
incredulous that Fox didn't cancel it last
week, draws 3.7 million viewers in the
age-preferred demographic.
NBC carried American Dreams through three
years of declining ratings, CBS kept Joan of
Arcadia for two. At their upfront presentations,
network officials like to keep things upbeat,
and they almost never talk about the shows
they've just canceled, but NBC's Jeff Zucker
and Kevin Reilly and CBS' Leslie Moonves
talked freely last week of their remorse that
the shows hadn't made it.
Millions of Americans join groups like the
Parents Television Council to demand that
the networks offer programming that is
neither kinky nor grisly. What a shame that
they didn't put their mouths -- or at least two
hours a week of their time -- where their
money is.
Glenn Garvin is The Herald's television critic.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/enter
tainment/television/11709740.htm
GLENN GARVIN
TELEVISION COMMENTARY
Something's spooky about new TV schedules
The world of television, at its very best, is
always something of an Alice-in-Wonderland
experience, a sort of karmic demolition derby
between diva stars, egomaniacal producers
and harried network executives whose lives
dangle by a Nielsen thread. And the mid-May
unveiling of network programming schedules
known as the upfronts -- a deeply ironic
name, since most of what the network brass
spout during their presentations falls
somewhere along a sliding scale that runs
from airy hallucinations to profound lies -- is
far from the best. Usually it takes five or six
months to figure out what really happened
during upfronts, by which time a lot of the
new shows that were announced there have
been found out as wretched dogs and
canceled, and the whole process is starting
to gear up again.
Nonetheless, a few clear winners and losers
emerged during last week's upfronts. The
winners: ABC's Lost, well known to millions
of American couch potatoes, and a guy
named David Nutter, known to practically
none. The loser: quality family programming,
which American viewers will do practically
anything to support except actually watch it.
Let's give David Nutter his 15 minutes -- well,
the marketing demons who run newspapers
these days say to keep these stories short,
so it will be more like 15 seconds -- of fame
first. He's a TV director who specializes in
pilots, the sample episodes that networks
order up to decide if they like a show enough
to put it on their schedules. When The WB
last week picked up a drama about
ghost-hunting brothers called Supernatural, it
made Nutter a perfect 11-for-11 over the past
decade: Every pilot he has directed has been
turned into a series.
Note, however, that I called Nutter a big
winner, not Supernatural. The life of some of
the series created from his pilots can be
measured in nanoseconds. Anybody out
there who actually saw dr. vegas,
Sleepwalkers or Tarzan -- they aired for a
grand total of 20 episodes -- raise your
hands; the Smithsonian wants to put you in
an exhibit. (To be fair -- though where's the
fun in that? -- he also did the pilots for
Smallville and Without A Trace, hits for seven
seasons and counting.)
I don't know if future TV historians will refer to
this as the Nutter Era, but they will very likely
call 2005-2006 the Lost Season. No single
show in years has been as influential in
shaping the programming schedule.
When ABC announced Lost last fall, most
critics and network executives took it as one
more brain-dead scheme from the network
that brought us Are You Hot? and I'm A
Celebrity -- Get Me Out Of Here. A show about
plane crash survivors on a sinister desert
island might make a good two-hour TV
movie, ran the conventional wisdom, but
could never sustain an entire season of 22
episodes. But Lost confounded everybody by
stirring healthy dollops of sociology and
mystery into its science-fiction brew. Viewers
-- and advertisers -- which for the past few
seasons had been mostly a mere rumor to
ABC, poured back to the network.
The result: Science-fiction and paranormal
shows teemed around last week's upfronts
like vampires at a half-off bloodbank sale.
ABC had space aliens in the Everglades
(Invasion), CBS had space aliens in the
ocean (Threshold) and NBC had sea
monsters (Fathom). There were reporters
tracking werewolves (ABC's The Night
Stalker), hot chicks chatting with rotting
corpses (Jennifer Love Hewitt -- the hot chick,
not a corpse -- in CBS' Ghost Whisperer),
and cuddly-cute boys chasing spooks (Jared
Padalecki and Jensen Ackles in The WB's
Supernatural).
How many of these shows will last longer
than a David Nutter pilot remains to be seen.
My guess is Lost's execution will prove much
more difficult to rip off than its concept.
If only the producers of American Dreams
and Joan of Arcadia could have figured out a
way to work a zombie or a Martian into the
plot! The least-noticed story from last week's
upfronts was that the two best family dramas
in decades were canceled within 48 hours of
one another.
NBC's American Dreams, set in the 1960s,
used the stories of two middle-class families
to explore how the conflicts of that decade
tore the country apart and set the course of
U.S. culture and politics for decades to come.
CBS' Joan of Arcadia revolved around the
enigmatic and often conflictive encounters
between God and a teenage girl, skillfully
reducing existential questions about the
nature of faith and the point of life to bite-size
chunks. (Near the end of its run, Joan of
Arcadia also offered a valuable insight into
journalism -- the character of Satan
appeared, and he turned out to be a
newspaper publisher.)
These were not Disneyesque fantasies.
American Dreams dwelt not in the revisionist
peace-love-and-understanding pipe dream
'60s of which Hollywood is so fond, but the
jagged real-life place where kids and parents
were savagely estranged. The deity in Joan
of Arcadia was not some cosmic muffin like
George Burns in Oh God, but a guy with a
whiff of the Old Testament who knew how to
play hardball. Both shows were written with
intelligence, wit and often pathos. Their casts
were among the best on television. They
featured great rock 'n' roll soundtracks. Both
were among the Top 15 list in the last poll of
critics by TV Week.
And the only people who watched them were
critics and network executives.
Among the crucial 18-to-49 audience,
American Dreams had just 3.1 million
viewers and Joan of Arcadia 2.7 million. By
contrast, the quirky sitcom Arrested
Development, whose ratings are so poor that
executives at other networks were openly
incredulous that Fox didn't cancel it last
week, draws 3.7 million viewers in the
age-preferred demographic.
NBC carried American Dreams through three
years of declining ratings, CBS kept Joan of
Arcadia for two. At their upfront presentations,
network officials like to keep things upbeat,
and they almost never talk about the shows
they've just canceled, but NBC's Jeff Zucker
and Kevin Reilly and CBS' Leslie Moonves
talked freely last week of their remorse that
the shows hadn't made it.
Millions of Americans join groups like the
Parents Television Council to demand that
the networks offer programming that is
neither kinky nor grisly. What a shame that
they didn't put their mouths -- or at least two
hours a week of their time -- where their
money is.
Glenn Garvin is The Herald's television critic.
Primetime series
Final audience and ratings figures
"Lost" (ABC)
Rank/series (new shows in grey)
Network Viewers
(mil) Rank by
adults 18-49
rating/share % change
from 2003-04
viewers/18-49
1. American Idol (Tuesday) Fox 27.3
11.4/30 (1) +6/+4
2. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CBS
26.6 9.2/23 (4) +4/+3
3. American Idol (Wednesday) Fox
26.1 11.1/27 (2) +7/+6
4. Desperate Housewives ABC 23.7
10.4/23 (3) N/A
5. Survivor: Palau CBS 20.9
7.7/21 (7) -3/-5
6. Survivor: Vanuatu CBS 19.6
7.4/20 (8) -5/-4
7. CSI: Miami CBS 19.0 6.7/17
(10) +5/+6
8. Without a Trace CBS 18.9
6.0/16 (14) +12/+11
9. Grey's Anatomy NBC 18.5
8.1/20 (5) N/A
10. Everybody Loves Raymond CBS
17.4 5.7/13 (16) n.c./n.c.
11. Two and a Half Men CBS 16.5
5.5/13 (17) +8/+6
12. Monday Night Football ABC 16.2
6.5/17 (11) -2/-2
13. The Apprentice 2 NBC 16.1
7.8/19 (6) -22/-23
14. Lost ABC 16.0 5.8/16 (15)
N/A
15. Extreme Makeover: Home Ed. ABC
15.8 6.5/16 (11) +42/+51
16. ER NBC 15.5 7.2/19 (9)
-21/-21
17. Cold Case CBS 15.1 3.5/9
(47) +5/n.c.
18. The Apprentice 3 NBC 14.0
6.4/16 (13) -32/-37
19. 60 Minutes CBS 13.9 3.1/9
(59) -2/n.c.
19. Medium NBC 13.9 5.4/13 (18)
N/A
21. CSI: NY CBS 13.6 4.9/13 (23)
N/A
21. NCIS CBS 13.6 3.1/8 (59)
+15/+19
23. Law & Order: SVU NBC 13.5
5.1/13 (21) +6/+2
24. House Fox 13.3 5.2/13 (20)
N/A
25. The Amazing Race 7 CBS 13.0
5.3/13 (19) N/A
25. Law & Order CBS 13.0 4.1/11
(36) -18/-24
27. Boston Legal ABC 12.5 4.9/12
(23) N/A
28. Law & Order: Criminal Intent NBC
12.1 3.9/9 (40) -9/-13
29. 24 Fox 11.9 5.0/12 (22)
+15/+11
30. Crossing Jordan NBC 11.7
4.0/10 (37) -8/-11
31. The Amazing Race 6 CBS 11.5
4.6/11 (25) N/A
32. Las Vegas NBC 11.4 4.3/10
(30) -3/-12
33. The West Wing NBC 11.1
3.3/8 (54) -6/-11
33. Numbers CBS 11.1 3.2/10
(57) N/A
35. Law & Order: Trial by Jury NBC
10.7 3.1/9 (59) N/A
36. Judging Amy CBS 10.6 2.9/8
(68) -1/+7
37. Revelations NBC 10.3 3.8/9
(43) N/A
37. The Biggest Loser NBC 10.3
4.3/11 (30) N/A
37. Alias ABC 10.3 4.2/10 (32)
+26/+20
40. Fear Factor NBC 10.2 4.2/11
(32) -25/-28
40. Joey NBC 10.2 4.2/12 (32)
N/A
42. NYPD Blue ABC 10.1 3.4/9
(51) +2/-8
42. Stacked Fox 10.1 4.6/12 (25)
N/A
44. Will & Grace NBC 10.0 4.5/12
(27) -36/-41
44. According to Jim ABC 10.0
3.9/10 (40) +1/-5
44. Still Standing CBS 10.0 3.1/9
(59) -16/-23
47. JAG CBS 9.9 2.0/6 (105)
-10/-13
48. The King of Queens CBS 9.8
3.6/9 (45) -12/-5
49. The Simple Life 3 Fox 9.6
4.4/11 (29) -17/-24
49. The Simpsons Fox 9.6 4.5/11
(27) -9/-8
49. Listen Up CBS 9.6 3.0/8 (65)
N/A
52. Wife Swap ABC 9.3 4.0/10
(37) N/A
53. Life on a Stick Fox 9.2 4.2/10
(32) N/A
53. Yes, Dear CBS 9.2 3.3/8 (54)
-14/-3
53. Third Watch NBC 9.2 2.9/9
(68) -2/-12
56. Center of the Universe CBS 9.0
3.4/8 (51) N/A
56. Rodney ABC 9.0 3.5/8 (47)
N/A
56. Supernanny ABC 9.0 3.7/9
(44) N/A
59. Dateline NBC Friday NBC 8.8
2.3/8 (88) -11/-18
60. Medical Investigation NBC 8.7
3.0/9 (65) N/A
60. The Bachelorette ABC 8.7
3.9/9 (40) -25/-25
62. America's Funniest Home Videos
ABC 8.5 2.7/8 (78) +5/+8
62. The Bachelor ABC 8.5 3.6/9
(45) -32/-38
62. 20/20 ABC 8.5 2.8/8 (72)
-12/-10
62. American Dad Fox 8.5 4.0/9
(37) N/A
66. Nanny 911 Fox 8.4 3.5/9 (47)
N/A
66. 60 Minutes Wednesday CBS 8.4
1.9/5 (109) -15/-14
68. Blind Justice ABC 8.2 2.9/8
(68) N/A
68. Dr. Vegas CBS 8.2 2.1/7 (96)
N/A
70. Joan of Arcadia CBS 8.0 2.1/7
(96) -21/-19
70. Dateline NBC-Sunday NBC 8.0
2.1/6 (96) -2/-9
72. Extreme Makeover: How'd They Do That?
ABC 7.8 2.8/8 (72) N/A
72. Trading Spouses Fox 7.8
3.3/9 (54) N/A
74. Family Guy Fox 7.6 3.5/8 (47)
N/A
75. Clubhouse CBS 7.5 2.0/5
(105) N/A
76. AMW: America Fights Back Fox
7.3 2.8/9 (72) -5/n.c.
76. Father of the Pride NBC 7.3
3.0/8 (65) N/A
76. 48 Hours Mysteries CBS 7.3
2.1/6 (96) -12/-13
79. George Lopez ABC 7.2 2.8/7
(72) -4/+8
79. American Dreams NBC 7.2
2.4/6 (84) -18/-25
79. The Swan 2 Fox 7.2 3.2/8 (57)
-24/-27
79. Hawaii NBC 7.2 2.2/6 (92)
N/A
79. My Wife and Kids ABC 7.2
2.6/7 (80) -25/-28
84. Eyes ABC 7.1 2.6/7 (80)
N/A
85. That '70s Show Fox 7.0 3.4/10
(51) -30/-31
85. The O.C. Fox 7.0 3.1/9 (59)
-28/-30
85. Primetime Live ABC 7.0 2.3/6
(88) -11/-18
88. Hope & Faith ABC 6.9 2.4/8
(84) -17/-20
88. Scrubs NBC 6.9 3.1/8 (59)
-33/-38
90. Cops Fox 6.8 2.7/9 (78)
+1/+4
90. 8 Simple Rules ABC 6.8 2.1/7
(96) -32/-42
92. Committed NBC 6.7 2.9/7
(68) N/A
93. LAX NBC 6.5 2.2/6 (92)
N/A
94. The Contender NBC 6.2 2.8/7
(72) N/A
94. Less Than Perfect ABC 6.2
2.3/7 (88) -30/-38
96. Complete Savages ABC 6.1
2.1/7 (96) N/A
97. Arrested Development Fox 5.9
2.8/7 (72) -5/+4
97. Extreme Makeover ABC 5.9
1.9/5 (109) -28/-39
99. Malcolm in the Middle Fox 5.6
2.5/7 (82) -33/-31
99. Wickedly Perfect CBS 5.6
1.8/6 (116) N/A
101. Jake in Progress ABC 5.5
1.8/5 (116) N/A
102. The Office NBC 5.4 2.5/6
(82) N/A
103. 7th Heaven WB 5.3 1.9/5
(109) -4/-5
104. Quintuplets Fox 5.2 2.4/6
(84) N/A
104. Life of Luxury ABC 5.2 1.5/4
(128) N/A
106. America's Next Top Model 4 UPN
5.1 2.4/6 (84) -19/-20
106. WWE SmackDown! UPN 5.1
1.8/5 (116) n.c/-5
108. Sports Illustrated: Model Search
NBC 5.0 2.0/5 (105) N/A
108. America's Next Top Model 3 UPN
5.0 2.3/6 (88) -21/-23
110. King of the Hill Fox 4.8 2.2/7
(92) -25/-27
110. Gilmore Girls WB 4.8 2.1/5
(96) +17/+24
110. The Bernie Mac Show Fox 4.8
2.1/7 (96) -36/-38
113. The Next Great Champ Fox 4.5
2.2/6 (92) N/A
113. Kelsey Grammer's Sketch Show Fox
4.5 2.1/5 (96) N/A
115. The Benefactor ABC 4.4
1.6/5 (124) N/A
115. Smallville WB 4.4 2.0/5 (105)
-12/-5
117. Renovate My Family Fox 4.3
1.9/5 (109) N/A
117. Everwood WB 4.3 1.6/4
(124) -4/n.c.
117. Reba WB 4.3 1.7/5 (123)
+8/+13
117. One Tree Hill WB 4.3 1.9/5
(109) +23/+36
121. The Will CBS 4.2 1.2/3 (140)
N/A
121. Tru Calling Fox 4.2 1.9/5
(109) -9/+6
123. The Rebel Billionaire Fox 4.1
1.8/5 (116) N/A
123. Point Pleasant Fox 4.1 1.8/4
(116) N/A
123. North Shore Fox 4.1 1.8/4
(116) N/A
126. My Big, Fat Obnoxious Boss Fox
4.0 1.9/4 (109) -76/-76
127. World's Craziest Videos Fox 3.9
1.5/5 (128) -30/-32
128. life as we know it ABC 3.8
1.4/4 (132) N/A
129. Totally Outrageous Behavior Fox
3.7 1.5/5 (128) -23/-25
130. Jonny Zero Fox 3.6 1.6/5
(124) N/A
130. Girlfriends UPN 3.6 1.5/4
(128) -3/-6
132. Charmed WB 3.5 1.6/4 (124)
-19/-16
132. Britney & Kevin: Chaotic UPN 3.5
1.8/5 (116) N/A
134. Blue Collar TV WB 3.4 1.4/4
(132) N/A
135. Half and Half UPN 3.3 1.4/3
(132) -9/-7
136. Living With Fran WB 3.2
1.4/4 (132) N/A
137. Summerland WB 3.1 1.3/3
(135) N/A
137. One on One UPN 3.1 1.3/4
(135) +7/+8
137. Cuts UPN 3.1 1.2/3 (140)
N/A
140. Second Time Around UPN 3.0
1.3/3 (135) N/A
140. The Road to Stardom UPN 3.0
1.3/3 (135) N/A
142. Kevin Hill UPN 2.8 1.2/3
(140) N/A
142. Eve UPN 2.8 1.1/3 (146)
-22/-27
142. Star Trek: Enterprise UPN 2.8
1.1/4 (146) -15/-15
145. Drew Carey's Green Screen WB
2.7 1.1/3 (146) N/A
145. Grounded for Life WB 2.7
1.2/4 (140) -4/n.c.
147. All of Us UPN 2.6 1.0/3 (150)
-24/-29
148. High School Reunion WB 2.5
1.2/3 (140) -17/-20
148. Steve Harvey's Big Time WB 2.5
1.0/2 (150) -24/-9
148. The Complex: Malibu Fox 2.5
1.2/4 (140) N/A
148. Veronica Mars UPN 2.5 1.0/2
(150) N/A
148. What I Like About You WB 2.5
1.1/4 (146) -4/+10
153. Jack & Bobby WB 2.2 0.9/2
(153) N/A
154. The Starlet WB 2.1 0.9/2
(153) N/A
155. The Mountain WB 1.9 0.8/2
(155) N/A
156. Big Man on Campus WB 1.7
0.7/2 (156) N/A
Published May 27, 2005
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/televisio
n/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10009
37471
Final audience and ratings figures
"Lost" (ABC)
Rank/series (new shows in grey)
Network Viewers
(mil) Rank by
adults 18-49
rating/share % change
from 2003-04
viewers/18-49
1. American Idol (Tuesday) Fox 27.3
11.4/30 (1) +6/+4
2. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CBS
26.6 9.2/23 (4) +4/+3
3. American Idol (Wednesday) Fox
26.1 11.1/27 (2) +7/+6
4. Desperate Housewives ABC 23.7
10.4/23 (3) N/A
5. Survivor: Palau CBS 20.9
7.7/21 (7) -3/-5
6. Survivor: Vanuatu CBS 19.6
7.4/20 (8) -5/-4
7. CSI: Miami CBS 19.0 6.7/17
(10) +5/+6
8. Without a Trace CBS 18.9
6.0/16 (14) +12/+11
9. Grey's Anatomy NBC 18.5
8.1/20 (5) N/A
10. Everybody Loves Raymond CBS
17.4 5.7/13 (16) n.c./n.c.
11. Two and a Half Men CBS 16.5
5.5/13 (17) +8/+6
12. Monday Night Football ABC 16.2
6.5/17 (11) -2/-2
13. The Apprentice 2 NBC 16.1
7.8/19 (6) -22/-23
14. Lost ABC 16.0 5.8/16 (15)
N/A
15. Extreme Makeover: Home Ed. ABC
15.8 6.5/16 (11) +42/+51
16. ER NBC 15.5 7.2/19 (9)
-21/-21
17. Cold Case CBS 15.1 3.5/9
(47) +5/n.c.
18. The Apprentice 3 NBC 14.0
6.4/16 (13) -32/-37
19. 60 Minutes CBS 13.9 3.1/9
(59) -2/n.c.
19. Medium NBC 13.9 5.4/13 (18)
N/A
21. CSI: NY CBS 13.6 4.9/13 (23)
N/A
21. NCIS CBS 13.6 3.1/8 (59)
+15/+19
23. Law & Order: SVU NBC 13.5
5.1/13 (21) +6/+2
24. House Fox 13.3 5.2/13 (20)
N/A
25. The Amazing Race 7 CBS 13.0
5.3/13 (19) N/A
25. Law & Order CBS 13.0 4.1/11
(36) -18/-24
27. Boston Legal ABC 12.5 4.9/12
(23) N/A
28. Law & Order: Criminal Intent NBC
12.1 3.9/9 (40) -9/-13
29. 24 Fox 11.9 5.0/12 (22)
+15/+11
30. Crossing Jordan NBC 11.7
4.0/10 (37) -8/-11
31. The Amazing Race 6 CBS 11.5
4.6/11 (25) N/A
32. Las Vegas NBC 11.4 4.3/10
(30) -3/-12
33. The West Wing NBC 11.1
3.3/8 (54) -6/-11
33. Numbers CBS 11.1 3.2/10
(57) N/A
35. Law & Order: Trial by Jury NBC
10.7 3.1/9 (59) N/A
36. Judging Amy CBS 10.6 2.9/8
(68) -1/+7
37. Revelations NBC 10.3 3.8/9
(43) N/A
37. The Biggest Loser NBC 10.3
4.3/11 (30) N/A
37. Alias ABC 10.3 4.2/10 (32)
+26/+20
40. Fear Factor NBC 10.2 4.2/11
(32) -25/-28
40. Joey NBC 10.2 4.2/12 (32)
N/A
42. NYPD Blue ABC 10.1 3.4/9
(51) +2/-8
42. Stacked Fox 10.1 4.6/12 (25)
N/A
44. Will & Grace NBC 10.0 4.5/12
(27) -36/-41
44. According to Jim ABC 10.0
3.9/10 (40) +1/-5
44. Still Standing CBS 10.0 3.1/9
(59) -16/-23
47. JAG CBS 9.9 2.0/6 (105)
-10/-13
48. The King of Queens CBS 9.8
3.6/9 (45) -12/-5
49. The Simple Life 3 Fox 9.6
4.4/11 (29) -17/-24
49. The Simpsons Fox 9.6 4.5/11
(27) -9/-8
49. Listen Up CBS 9.6 3.0/8 (65)
N/A
52. Wife Swap ABC 9.3 4.0/10
(37) N/A
53. Life on a Stick Fox 9.2 4.2/10
(32) N/A
53. Yes, Dear CBS 9.2 3.3/8 (54)
-14/-3
53. Third Watch NBC 9.2 2.9/9
(68) -2/-12
56. Center of the Universe CBS 9.0
3.4/8 (51) N/A
56. Rodney ABC 9.0 3.5/8 (47)
N/A
56. Supernanny ABC 9.0 3.7/9
(44) N/A
59. Dateline NBC Friday NBC 8.8
2.3/8 (88) -11/-18
60. Medical Investigation NBC 8.7
3.0/9 (65) N/A
60. The Bachelorette ABC 8.7
3.9/9 (40) -25/-25
62. America's Funniest Home Videos
ABC 8.5 2.7/8 (78) +5/+8
62. The Bachelor ABC 8.5 3.6/9
(45) -32/-38
62. 20/20 ABC 8.5 2.8/8 (72)
-12/-10
62. American Dad Fox 8.5 4.0/9
(37) N/A
66. Nanny 911 Fox 8.4 3.5/9 (47)
N/A
66. 60 Minutes Wednesday CBS 8.4
1.9/5 (109) -15/-14
68. Blind Justice ABC 8.2 2.9/8
(68) N/A
68. Dr. Vegas CBS 8.2 2.1/7 (96)
N/A
70. Joan of Arcadia CBS 8.0 2.1/7
(96) -21/-19
70. Dateline NBC-Sunday NBC 8.0
2.1/6 (96) -2/-9
72. Extreme Makeover: How'd They Do That?
ABC 7.8 2.8/8 (72) N/A
72. Trading Spouses Fox 7.8
3.3/9 (54) N/A
74. Family Guy Fox 7.6 3.5/8 (47)
N/A
75. Clubhouse CBS 7.5 2.0/5
(105) N/A
76. AMW: America Fights Back Fox
7.3 2.8/9 (72) -5/n.c.
76. Father of the Pride NBC 7.3
3.0/8 (65) N/A
76. 48 Hours Mysteries CBS 7.3
2.1/6 (96) -12/-13
79. George Lopez ABC 7.2 2.8/7
(72) -4/+8
79. American Dreams NBC 7.2
2.4/6 (84) -18/-25
79. The Swan 2 Fox 7.2 3.2/8 (57)
-24/-27
79. Hawaii NBC 7.2 2.2/6 (92)
N/A
79. My Wife and Kids ABC 7.2
2.6/7 (80) -25/-28
84. Eyes ABC 7.1 2.6/7 (80)
N/A
85. That '70s Show Fox 7.0 3.4/10
(51) -30/-31
85. The O.C. Fox 7.0 3.1/9 (59)
-28/-30
85. Primetime Live ABC 7.0 2.3/6
(88) -11/-18
88. Hope & Faith ABC 6.9 2.4/8
(84) -17/-20
88. Scrubs NBC 6.9 3.1/8 (59)
-33/-38
90. Cops Fox 6.8 2.7/9 (78)
+1/+4
90. 8 Simple Rules ABC 6.8 2.1/7
(96) -32/-42
92. Committed NBC 6.7 2.9/7
(68) N/A
93. LAX NBC 6.5 2.2/6 (92)
N/A
94. The Contender NBC 6.2 2.8/7
(72) N/A
94. Less Than Perfect ABC 6.2
2.3/7 (88) -30/-38
96. Complete Savages ABC 6.1
2.1/7 (96) N/A
97. Arrested Development Fox 5.9
2.8/7 (72) -5/+4
97. Extreme Makeover ABC 5.9
1.9/5 (109) -28/-39
99. Malcolm in the Middle Fox 5.6
2.5/7 (82) -33/-31
99. Wickedly Perfect CBS 5.6
1.8/6 (116) N/A
101. Jake in Progress ABC 5.5
1.8/5 (116) N/A
102. The Office NBC 5.4 2.5/6
(82) N/A
103. 7th Heaven WB 5.3 1.9/5
(109) -4/-5
104. Quintuplets Fox 5.2 2.4/6
(84) N/A
104. Life of Luxury ABC 5.2 1.5/4
(128) N/A
106. America's Next Top Model 4 UPN
5.1 2.4/6 (84) -19/-20
106. WWE SmackDown! UPN 5.1
1.8/5 (116) n.c/-5
108. Sports Illustrated: Model Search
NBC 5.0 2.0/5 (105) N/A
108. America's Next Top Model 3 UPN
5.0 2.3/6 (88) -21/-23
110. King of the Hill Fox 4.8 2.2/7
(92) -25/-27
110. Gilmore Girls WB 4.8 2.1/5
(96) +17/+24
110. The Bernie Mac Show Fox 4.8
2.1/7 (96) -36/-38
113. The Next Great Champ Fox 4.5
2.2/6 (92) N/A
113. Kelsey Grammer's Sketch Show Fox
4.5 2.1/5 (96) N/A
115. The Benefactor ABC 4.4
1.6/5 (124) N/A
115. Smallville WB 4.4 2.0/5 (105)
-12/-5
117. Renovate My Family Fox 4.3
1.9/5 (109) N/A
117. Everwood WB 4.3 1.6/4
(124) -4/n.c.
117. Reba WB 4.3 1.7/5 (123)
+8/+13
117. One Tree Hill WB 4.3 1.9/5
(109) +23/+36
121. The Will CBS 4.2 1.2/3 (140)
N/A
121. Tru Calling Fox 4.2 1.9/5
(109) -9/+6
123. The Rebel Billionaire Fox 4.1
1.8/5 (116) N/A
123. Point Pleasant Fox 4.1 1.8/4
(116) N/A
123. North Shore Fox 4.1 1.8/4
(116) N/A
126. My Big, Fat Obnoxious Boss Fox
4.0 1.9/4 (109) -76/-76
127. World's Craziest Videos Fox 3.9
1.5/5 (128) -30/-32
128. life as we know it ABC 3.8
1.4/4 (132) N/A
129. Totally Outrageous Behavior Fox
3.7 1.5/5 (128) -23/-25
130. Jonny Zero Fox 3.6 1.6/5
(124) N/A
130. Girlfriends UPN 3.6 1.5/4
(128) -3/-6
132. Charmed WB 3.5 1.6/4 (124)
-19/-16
132. Britney & Kevin: Chaotic UPN 3.5
1.8/5 (116) N/A
134. Blue Collar TV WB 3.4 1.4/4
(132) N/A
135. Half and Half UPN 3.3 1.4/3
(132) -9/-7
136. Living With Fran WB 3.2
1.4/4 (132) N/A
137. Summerland WB 3.1 1.3/3
(135) N/A
137. One on One UPN 3.1 1.3/4
(135) +7/+8
137. Cuts UPN 3.1 1.2/3 (140)
N/A
140. Second Time Around UPN 3.0
1.3/3 (135) N/A
140. The Road to Stardom UPN 3.0
1.3/3 (135) N/A
142. Kevin Hill UPN 2.8 1.2/3
(140) N/A
142. Eve UPN 2.8 1.1/3 (146)
-22/-27
142. Star Trek: Enterprise UPN 2.8
1.1/4 (146) -15/-15
145. Drew Carey's Green Screen WB
2.7 1.1/3 (146) N/A
145. Grounded for Life WB 2.7
1.2/4 (140) -4/n.c.
147. All of Us UPN 2.6 1.0/3 (150)
-24/-29
148. High School Reunion WB 2.5
1.2/3 (140) -17/-20
148. Steve Harvey's Big Time WB 2.5
1.0/2 (150) -24/-9
148. The Complex: Malibu Fox 2.5
1.2/4 (140) N/A
148. Veronica Mars UPN 2.5 1.0/2
(150) N/A
148. What I Like About You WB 2.5
1.1/4 (146) -4/+10
153. Jack & Bobby WB 2.2 0.9/2
(153) N/A
154. The Starlet WB 2.1 0.9/2
(153) N/A
155. The Mountain WB 1.9 0.8/2
(155) N/A
156. Big Man on Campus WB 1.7
0.7/2 (156) N/A
Published May 27, 2005
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/televisio
n/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10009
37471
Commentary: Dramatic improvement awaits
Emmys
Commentary
11:51 AM PDT on Sunday, July 10, 2005
By CHARLIE McCOLLUM / Knight Ridder
Newspapers
ON TV
Emmy nominations
5:30 a.m. July 14, networks TBA
ONLINE
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
www.emmys.org
When it comes to drama, the members of the
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences who
get to vote on the Emmy nominations have a
very, very tough task ahead of them.
The past season of drama has been one of
television's richest and most vital ever. The
five series I think should be nominated for
the best drama Emmy -- "Deadwood," "Lost,"
"Rescue Me," "The Shield" and "The Wire" --
may vary in their tone and their visions of life.
But all had superb seasons that put them on
the top of the heap.
What really marks this year, though, is just
how deep the drama field has been. There
are 20 dramatic series at least worth
considering -- the biggest number of worthy
contenders in at least a decade.
Of course, some don't stand a chance in the
real world of the Emmys.
Sci Fi's atmospheric "Battle-star Galactica"
won't get any respect simply because it's
science fiction and, as a rule, the Emmy
voters don't do sci-fi. (As with most rules,
there are exceptions. See below for this
season's.)
"MI-5," the gripping spy thriller, won't make it
onto voters' radar because A&E airs it late
Saturday nights when few are watching. "The
L Word," the solid drama set in the gay
community, draws only a smallish audience
on Showtime. UPN's "Veronica Mars" is
considered a teen drama, even though it has
real emotional depth and a superb lead
performance from Kristen Bell.
AP photo
Ian McShane is considered a favorite to get a
best-actor nomination for "Deadwood" -- one
of this past season's many acclaimed
dramas.
"House," Fox's fresh take on classic medical
drama, is perceived unfairly as a star vehicle
for the brilliant Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory
House and not as a fully realized work.
NBC's "Special Victims Unit," the best of the
"Law & Order" series, probably won't get the
attention it deserves because its topics are
too grim and creepy.
And that doesn't count such often-engaging,
if somewhat inconsistent, series as ABC's
"Alias," the original "CSI" on CBS, NBC's
"American Dreams" and the WB's
"Everwood" or ABC's "NYPD Blue," which
exited with such grace in its final season.
(Note to any Emmy voters: I've left two Emmy
perennials -- NBC's "The West Wing" and
HBO's "Six Feet Under" -- off my list, and so
should you.)
That still leaves a fistful of series that will --
and should -- get at least some
consideration.
Both CBS's "Cold Case" and "Without A
Trace" are fine police procedurals with
enough character development to raise them
beyond the formulaic. FX's "Nip/Tuck," a
flashy bit of entertainment set in the world of
plastic surgery, had a terrific season,
although it came awfully close to going way
over the top in some episodes. And Fox's
"24" had its best season since Jack Bauer
first started saving the world four years ago.
That leaves us with these series, which
ought to be this season's five nominees:
"Deadwood" (HBO): Writer David Milch's
exercise in profound profanity was very good
in its first season. In its second, it was
nothing short of brilliant.
"Lost" (ABC): This is the year's exception to
the sci-fi rule. While it has all the trappings of
the genre -- monsters in the jungle,
supernatural mysteries -- the lushly
produced "Lost" is really a character study.
"Rescue Me" (FX): Unchained from the
limitations of network TV, comedian Denis
Leary unleashed a powerful drama about life
in the New York City Fire Department in the
post-Sept. 11 world.
"The Shield" (FX Not only was the writing and
storytelling consistently raw and edgy, but the
show got superior performances from
newcomers Glenn Close as precinct captain
Monica Rawling and Anthony Anderson as
gang lord Antwon Mitchell.
"The Wire" (HBO): Until "Deadwood"
skyrocketed in its second season, this was
the best drama on television with a superb
ensemble cast and a willingness to tackle
difficult subjects.
That, folks, is a very strong list, and I'd be
hard-pressed to choose the winner, although
-- at this point -- I'd lean toward "Deadwood."
Now if only the Emmy voters see things that
way ...
http://www.pe.com/entertainment/stories/PE_
Fea_Ent_D_column.emmys.2fa16c.html
Emmys
Commentary
11:51 AM PDT on Sunday, July 10, 2005
By CHARLIE McCOLLUM / Knight Ridder
Newspapers
ON TV
Emmy nominations
5:30 a.m. July 14, networks TBA
ONLINE
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
www.emmys.org
When it comes to drama, the members of the
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences who
get to vote on the Emmy nominations have a
very, very tough task ahead of them.
The past season of drama has been one of
television's richest and most vital ever. The
five series I think should be nominated for
the best drama Emmy -- "Deadwood," "Lost,"
"Rescue Me," "The Shield" and "The Wire" --
may vary in their tone and their visions of life.
But all had superb seasons that put them on
the top of the heap.
What really marks this year, though, is just
how deep the drama field has been. There
are 20 dramatic series at least worth
considering -- the biggest number of worthy
contenders in at least a decade.
Of course, some don't stand a chance in the
real world of the Emmys.
Sci Fi's atmospheric "Battle-star Galactica"
won't get any respect simply because it's
science fiction and, as a rule, the Emmy
voters don't do sci-fi. (As with most rules,
there are exceptions. See below for this
season's.)
"MI-5," the gripping spy thriller, won't make it
onto voters' radar because A&E airs it late
Saturday nights when few are watching. "The
L Word," the solid drama set in the gay
community, draws only a smallish audience
on Showtime. UPN's "Veronica Mars" is
considered a teen drama, even though it has
real emotional depth and a superb lead
performance from Kristen Bell.
AP photo
Ian McShane is considered a favorite to get a
best-actor nomination for "Deadwood" -- one
of this past season's many acclaimed
dramas.
"House," Fox's fresh take on classic medical
drama, is perceived unfairly as a star vehicle
for the brilliant Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory
House and not as a fully realized work.
NBC's "Special Victims Unit," the best of the
"Law & Order" series, probably won't get the
attention it deserves because its topics are
too grim and creepy.
And that doesn't count such often-engaging,
if somewhat inconsistent, series as ABC's
"Alias," the original "CSI" on CBS, NBC's
"American Dreams" and the WB's
"Everwood" or ABC's "NYPD Blue," which
exited with such grace in its final season.
(Note to any Emmy voters: I've left two Emmy
perennials -- NBC's "The West Wing" and
HBO's "Six Feet Under" -- off my list, and so
should you.)
That still leaves a fistful of series that will --
and should -- get at least some
consideration.
Both CBS's "Cold Case" and "Without A
Trace" are fine police procedurals with
enough character development to raise them
beyond the formulaic. FX's "Nip/Tuck," a
flashy bit of entertainment set in the world of
plastic surgery, had a terrific season,
although it came awfully close to going way
over the top in some episodes. And Fox's
"24" had its best season since Jack Bauer
first started saving the world four years ago.
That leaves us with these series, which
ought to be this season's five nominees:
"Deadwood" (HBO): Writer David Milch's
exercise in profound profanity was very good
in its first season. In its second, it was
nothing short of brilliant.
"Lost" (ABC): This is the year's exception to
the sci-fi rule. While it has all the trappings of
the genre -- monsters in the jungle,
supernatural mysteries -- the lushly
produced "Lost" is really a character study.
"Rescue Me" (FX): Unchained from the
limitations of network TV, comedian Denis
Leary unleashed a powerful drama about life
in the New York City Fire Department in the
post-Sept. 11 world.
"The Shield" (FX Not only was the writing and
storytelling consistently raw and edgy, but the
show got superior performances from
newcomers Glenn Close as precinct captain
Monica Rawling and Anthony Anderson as
gang lord Antwon Mitchell.
"The Wire" (HBO): Until "Deadwood"
skyrocketed in its second season, this was
the best drama on television with a superb
ensemble cast and a willingness to tackle
difficult subjects.
That, folks, is a very strong list, and I'd be
hard-pressed to choose the winner, although
-- at this point -- I'd lean toward "Deadwood."
Now if only the Emmy voters see things that
way ...
http://www.pe.com/entertainment/stories/PE_
Fea_Ent_D_column.emmys.2fa16c.html