Episode 3 of CBS’s Wisdom of the Crowd drew 8.26 million viewers with a rating of 1.2. These numbers are up compared to the 2nd episode now that Sunday sports were back on CBS. It is up 20% in it’s key demo compared to episode 2. On the week it aired (10/16), CBS had four out of the five most watched program for that week. CBS also had seven of the top ten shows, including Wisdom of the Crowd. Social media users have reacted well the the show, as most audience engagement has been positive. Facebook is up to 28,695 likes and 29,119 followers, while Twitter has 317 likes and 2,510 followers.

A Look at New Shows and Network Branding 

Margaret Lyons of The New York Times makes an interesting point with the current fall TV season in regards to broadcast networks. She states that each show is becoming more about the brand than the show itself. The big five are looking for a show to fill the roster of what will soon be the demise in the natural rotation of TV sit-coms. For some shows, it may work… “Young Sheldon”, though a one-camera show, is anticipated to be the replacement of CBS’ number one show, “The Big Bang Theory.” “The Mayor” in place of “Modern Family” on ABC and so on. If there is no replacement in place the networks appear to be doing their best to make it like one of their former, very former, successful shows.

So, as mentioned before, “9JKL” is similar to “Everybody Loves Raymond.” But why can’t it simply be “9JKL”?

I don’t believe this is anything new. In TV history if there were successful shows execs tried to re-use that formula, again and again, such as “Friends”. Remember “Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place”? There were many shows like this, some not as lucky as “Two Guys…” and that ran only three years from 1998 to 2001. Many more unmemorable ones faltered.

So why do the networks keep doing it?

It seems to be an unanswerable question. Because sometimes it does work. You feed the audience’s tastes and you’re golden. But what about something new, original and different? That’s okay, as long as it’s successful and that can’t be guaranteed.

Audiences seemed to be getting fatigued already by “9JKL” as their ratings continue to drop week by week. Audiences have seen it before and even though they may have loved Raymond, they are looking for something new to love and that something new may be on a competing network like Fox. Or they may stick with their tried and true talent shows, “Dancing with the Stars” and “The Voice”, which already has history and known viewership in a similar demographic to “9JKL”.

Audiences gave the funny new kid a shot, but in the schoolyard that is network television, it wasn’t funny enough and even though its name dropping it’s similarity to Ray Romano’s show, it’s simply not Ray Romano and audiences know this. Relations will only take you so far. It will be interesting to see how far it takes “9JKL”.

Images courtesy of CBS

Fox’s “The Orville” will not have a new episode this week, instead there will be a rerun of an old episode.  This decision on behalf of Fox not to release an episode has prompted discussion about why this occurred.  Fox has not directly explained the reasoning for pulling the episode, but many speculate that they would not be able to compete with playoff baseball, particularly with the New York Yankees doing so well.  There was also another speculation on television gossip sites that the show is canceled, but this also did not come directly from fox.  The show is likely not canceled, but just taking a week off to prevent another big ratings slump.  It will be interesting, however, to see how this strategy plays out as World Series programming is scheduled to start next week. With the Yankees possibly in the World Series, that is bound to be the most watched program of those nights.

Uh, oh. Trouble in paradise. Will, Grace, Karen, Jack look like they are in a little bit of a pickle. Last weeks October 5^th showing had a huge drop in ratings. Our revival was so hyped up and racked in an unbelievable and unprecedented 10 million viewers its first week, it was expected to have a drop in viewers the second week. But why couldn’t we uphold the more obtainable 7 million from the second week? My thought- the competition we are up against.

What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word “Scandal”? I know my first thought is one of the hottest shows of 2017. Scandal is a show that gets viewers because it’s great content. But so is Will & Grace you say? Me too.

But I see why Scandal steals live viewers from Will & Grace. Scandal is an on the edge of your seat show with plot twists and turns that you don’t want ruined for you the next day at work- Will & Grace not so much. So, people tend to watch Scandal live, and then tune into Will & Grace through DVR or streaming services, affecting the ratings.

After ‘Valor’s’ second episode, the ratings dropped 20.35% from the series’ October 9^th premiere. While the first episode brought in 1.198 million viewers, just under a million people tuned into the October 16^th episode. That viewership decline caused an overall ratings drop from .29 to .23 in the 18-49 demographic.

The show sets itself apart from the other military dramas this fall by promoting the series with a female driven plot. Christina Ochoa—the lead female actress playing Nora—is the key component of the cast to draw in typical CW viewers. The network is known for SOAP-type dramas, and Christina Ochoa is the actress to attract the female viewers who want a woman to resonate with. Because the military plot is said to be off-brand for the CW, casting Christina was a critical decision to retain loyal viewers who want a relatable female character.

Christina does a great job of incorporating her role on the series into her personal social accounts. She began a #WarriorWednesday hashtag, where she highlights her own heroes and people she admires. By including veterans she has met while filming, she is not only promoting her show but also sharing positive messages with her followers. In addition, she uses a hashtag #MissionMonday for her Monday posts before the show airs. Her combination of personal photos and those in costume for ‘Valor’ are a great way to promote the show while allowing viewers to feel connected to her personally.

Much of this week’s buzz about the Orville is surrounded around whether or not it will get picked up again for a second season.  As networks make a decision about renewing a show, they often look to mid season data, possibly why this topic has come up so much this week.  From the beginning,  renewal has always been a goal for show producers, however mixed messages in terms of viewership, ratings, and controversy have affected the probability of Fox’s “The Orville” being renewed for another season.  Seth MacFarlane is pessimistic about a season two stating that he believes that a renewal is ‘likely.’  With viewership on a steady decline and the 18-49 demo rating still hovering around 1%, the numbers may not look as promising as McFarlane would like to admit.  These numbers are unfortunate given attempts to bring guests on the show such as actors Liam Neeson and Charlize Theron.  In addition to these facts and figures, it’s additionally important to consider plot. Crafting a season two plot could be difficult. Producers would have to craft a plot that would keep watchers interested while still heavily relying on a Star Trek themes.

The Orville continues to keep people talking.  Even though the amount of people tuned in for last Thursday’s episode fell once again, social media was in a buzz when guest talent want announced for the series.  It has been announced that actor Brian Thompson who was the Night Slasher in “The Cobra” and also known for his recurring role on “The X Files.”  This guest appearance could certainly be a way to get the overall viewers to move back in the right direction as well as attract more people in the crucial 18-49 demographic.  Thompson recently did an interview where he expressed how excited he was for the opportunity.  Since the episode hasn’t aired yet, he has not gone into detail on his role, but he did say that “he thinks the show has marvelous possibilities” and that he has “a fun part [in the show].”  Him alongside Seth MacFarlane and the other cast members should certainly make for a great episode.

The Orville has now switched from being on Sunday night’s to Thursday Night. The absence of an NFL lead-in on Thursday Night Fox  seems to be affecting how many people are tuning into Fox’s “The Orville.”  Many viewers stuck around to watch these episodes, generating both great viewership and ratings.  Although we have already seen a decline between the first and second episodes, there was an even steeper decline between the second episode and the third episode.  The Orville’s 18-49 rating fell in half, standing at 1.1. Although the NFL programming is likely a factor in this, there could be more to the story. With many in the southern U.S still feeling the effects from hurricane Irma, and the brewing hurricanes that seem to be growing larger by the day out at sea heading towards the country, many Americans are tuning into weather related programming to prepare for and track the storms. This pulls from the viewer pool, affecting programs such as “The Orville.”

We’re only two episodes into the fall debut of the new show The Orville on Fox and there is already controversy and critical reception brewing over the program.  Positive ratings for the show on popular websites such as Rotten Tomatoes already hit a low of 17%. The strange thing however, is that these low positive ratings from critics doesn’t seem to fall in line with how fans are feeling about the show because they are still tuning in, in droves.  Episode two brought in 6.63 million viewers with a 18-49 rating of 2.2. Star of the show, Seth MacFarlane responded to this saying: “It happens to me almost every time I release a movie or TV show… I’ve grown to expect this from critics…”  Another important thing that could resonate negatively with critics is the similarities between Fox’s The Orville and the Star Trek series.  Some media sources have pondered potential legal repercussions of the striking similarities between the two. All in all, it does not seem likely that The Orville is headed for cancellation, but let’s see how the next few weeks play out.