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Ratings Clack – Playboy Club and Free Agents are the first shows canceled

As we enter October it is time for the merciless axe of cancellation to start swinging. The week brought the first four pink slips for the 2011-2012 season as 'Playboy Club', 'Free Agents', 'How To Be A Gentleman', and 'H8R' were all sent packing.

NBC - If you had Playboy Club (3.47m/1.2) in the first canceled pool, your ship has come in. Although, really, it only beat Free Agents (3.25m/1) to the punch because Sunday comes before Wednesday. Free Agents has also been yanked. Those were the lowest of what was a week filled with lowlights for the peacock. After the usual triumph of Sunday Night Football (18.9m/7.7), the rest of the week was rather bleak. Before Playboy, The Sing Off (4.89m/1.8) had another distant fourth place outing. Tuesday wasn’t much better as Biggest Loser (5.72m/2.1) checked in with its lowest rated fall episode ever and Parenthood (5.05m/2) clocked the usual iffy performance.

Paired with the Wednesday comedies, Harry’s Law (8.45m/1.2) and SVU (7.98m/2.1) also continued to struggle. And with baseball playoffs on cable hitting everyone on Thursday, Community (3.35m/1.5) and Parks & Rec (4.15m/2) looked even worse than usual. Even The Office (5.82m/3.2) had trouble. That, of course, didn’t do any favors for Whitney (4.89m/2.3) and Prime Suspect (5.04m/1.5). These are dark days at NBC.

FOX - The news was better at FOX. The Sunday animation block of Simpsons (6.19m/3), Cleveland (5.56m/2.6), Family Guy (6.99m/3.5), and American Dad (5.8m/2.7) was down from premiere week. But Monday actually looked solid. Terra Nova (8.73m/3.1) retained 100% of the demo from its premiere, and most of the viewers. It was joined by House (9.78m/3.9), which looked strong against the 9PM competition.

Glee (8.42m/3.6), New Girl (8.65m/4.3), and Raising Hope (6.36m/2.9) remained steady on Tuesday, and it would seem that X Factor (11.93m/4.1 – 11.67m/4) has found its level. If there was one curious bit for the week it was the bonus episode of Raising Hope (5.85m/2.2) that aired after X Factor. It looks like fans just didn’t find it. Friday brought more of the same from Kitchen Nightmares (3.7m/1.5) and Fringe (3.24m/1.3).

ABC - The story for ABC this season is increasingly becoming one of aging hits on their way out. Look at the results for Desperate Housewives (9.16m/3), Dancing With The Stars (16.56m/3.1 – 15.28m/2.9), and Grey’s Anatomy (8.7m/3.1). They’re all still doing fine, but they’re all also a far cry from where they once were. The network needs another hit soon.

That hit isn’t going to be Charlie’s Angels (5.93m/1.2). Now that Playboy Club and Free Agents are gone, the smart money is probably moving to Charlie’s Angels as the next show to get the axe. The 10PM dramas – Pan Am (7.76m/2.6), Castle (11.18m/2.5), Body Of Proof (9.95m/2), Revenge (7.68m/2.4), and Private Practice (6.06m/2.1) – are in much better shape, but none are likely to become a Grey’s/Housewives size hit.

The brightest spot in the ABC schedule remains the Wednesday comedy block. The Middle (9.13m/2.8) continues to hold up well, and Suburgatory (9.11m/3.1) had a very good second week, while Modern Family (13.24m/5.7) continues to trail only Two and a Half Men. Happy Endings (6.7m/2.8) remains the weaker link that is holding the block back just that little bit.

CBS - As usual, the week was much less stressful for CBS. As evidence for how smooth things are running, the network has issued its first backdoor cancellation. How To Be A Gentleman (7.59m/2.5) wasn’t officially canceled, but it was moved to Saturday and replaced with Rules of Engagement. I think we can all read between those lines. The bit that must be frustrating for all of those working on the show though is the number. That 2.5 demo would put the show in second place on NBC. Expectations are a bitch. But if that’s the bad bit of the schedule, things are going along pretty well.

The week started with more of the same from Amazing Race (10.87m/3.2), The Good Wife (11.08m/2.2), and CSI Miami (10.34m/2.4). Two and a Half Men (17.71m/6.2) continued to settle, and we continue to wait to see where it will level out. The better news on Monday though is probably the 8 to 9 hour. How I Met Your Mother (10.39m/4.5) and 2 Broke Girls (11.42m/4.5) remain well up over last season’s offering of HIMYM (8.6m/3.5) and ROE (8.43m/3). Mike & Molly (13.2m/4.3) and Hawaii Five-O (11.07m/3.2) complete the night.

NCIS (19.35m/4.2) continues to power Tuesday night, with NCIS LA (14.78m/3.4) and Unforgettable (11.58m/2.5) in tow. Wednesday is steady as well, with Survivor (10.72m/3.1), Criminal Minds (13.43m/3.8), and CSI (11.98m/2.9). The troubling bit of the schedule remains Person of Interest (11.57m/2.6). Those are not the numbers of a Thursday at 9 entry. It’s tracking well below what CSI was doing last season, and The Mentalist (13.15m/2.7) is beating it at 10. It’s fine for now, but I don’t see this as a long term solution for the network, especially given the quick trigger that sent Gentleman packing. Big Bang Theory (13.92m/4.5) has no worries and has settled in as the top show at 8. Finally, it was an expected Friday from A Gifted Man (7.5m/1.2), CSI NY (9.75m/1.6), and Blue Bloods (11.04m/1.9).

CW - Good grief. What to saw about the CW? There are two results that I find interesting, if not really impressive. First, despite the competition at 9, Hart Of Dixie (1.75m/.8) is growing out of Gossip Girl (1.34m/.7). Didn’t see that one coming. Second, even though Vampire Diaries (2.63m/1.2) is down a bit, it still managed to tie Charlie’s Angels in the demo. Of course, that says more about Charlie’s Angels than it does Vampire Diaries.

The rest of the week is just not good. It even brought about the fourth cancellation for the week, H8R (1.07m/.4). The downside is that now they won’t get to film the episode where the programming executives get to confront the producers of the show and tell them how much they H8 it. Elsewhere, it’s just bleh. 90210 (1.29m/.7), Ringer (1.5m/.6), Next Top Model (1.74m/.8), Secret Circle (1.96m/.8), Nikita (1.6m/.5), Supernatural (1.64m/.7)… The numbers are just heading the wrong direction.

CABLE - It was something of a big premiere week on cable. Showtime kicked off the latest season of Dexter (2.19m/1.1) and had the series premiere of Homeland (1.08m/.4). FX joined in the fun with the return of The League (1.29m/.9) and the series premiere of American Horror Story (3.18m/1.6). And Comedy Central got the ball rolling on the latest season of South Park (2.94m/1.5).

Basic

  • Breaking Bad (1.73m/.8)
  • The Lying Game (1.23m/.5)
  • Warehouse 13 (1.63m/.6)
  • Sons of Anarchy (3.51m/1.9)
  • Death Valley (.83m/.4)
  • It’s Always Sunny (1.82m/1.1)
  • Project Runway (2.92m/1)

Premium

  • Boardwalk Empire (2.6m/1.1)
  • Hung (1.11m/.5)
Photo Credit: NBC

4 Responses to “Ratings Clack – Playboy Club and Free Agents are the first shows canceled”

October 10, 2011 at 12:10 PM

What day was the bonus episode of Raising Hope on? I didn’t know anything about it and it’s one of my favorite comedies on TV.

October 10, 2011 at 12:43 PM

It was Wednesday after the 90 minute X Factor. Like you, I always watch Raising Hope, and had no idea it was going to be on. The marketing team dropped that particular ball.

October 10, 2011 at 4:17 PM

I wonder how much the ratings at this time of year are affected by the MLB playoffs.

October 26, 2011 at 1:25 AM

The Playboy Club got booted to fast….with the playoffs, football starting, …this show didn’t have a chance…it should have been on Showtime or HBO…the ratings would have been a lot better… :)

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