RENEWAL ALERT: Harry's Law, Parenthood, Chuck

NBC renewed a trio of dramas in preparation for the 2011-2012 season - the successful midseason entry Harry's Law, the critically acclaimed and young-skewing Parenthood, and, most surprisingly, Chuck which has a very loyal but very small fanbase.

The only new NBC show to make any sort of waves in the ratings was midseason entry Harry's Law. Starring Kathy Bates, the legal dramedy was somewhat of a surprise, coming out of the gate with 11.1 million viewers and a 2.2 demo. Though it dropped from there, was old-skewing, and hit a low in the season finale, it was a self-starter through its entire spring run airing after the low-rated and incompatible The Cape and The Event. In 12 episodes, it averaged 9.4 million viewers and a 1.8 in the demo. It will be interesting to see if NBC keeps it in the Monday 10pm timeslot or tries to use it to launch a new show.

Also renewed was the critically acclaimed Parenthood for a third season. The family drama has always had trouble with total viewers but is one of the youngest skewing shows in the demo. Many think that airing at an earlier time and not against The Good Wife would help its ratings. In the 21 episodes that aired in-season, it averaged 5.2 million viewers and a 2.1 in the demo.

Finally, and most surprisingly, Chuck was renewed for, supposedly, a final 13 episode run. The show has escaped the ax many times in its four year run and it did it once again despite hitting series lows in recent weeks. While it has a very loyal and rabid audience, that audience is very small and yet it keeps scoring renewals. NBC would be wise to not use it as a Monday anchor again next season. Through 23 episodes, it has averaged 5.2 million viewers and a 1.7 in the demo.

Comments

EPISODE GUIDES: Rhoda Season Five

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Five (the final season) of Rhoda ! RHODA: SEASON FIVE 1978 13 episodes Rhoda' s final season was a truncated one as the show was cancelled in December 1978 after only 13 episodes had been produced (and only nine had aired). This feels like a continuation from season four in many ways except with the ill-advised split between Ida and Martin (more on that below). While Rhoda has an occasional good moment and even a couple decent episodes, it is a show that seems so wildly different from season one and not in a good way. Rhoda could never figure out what it fully wanted to be and only made it four and a half seasons as a result. Starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern (13 episodes) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern (13 episodes) Ray Buktenica as Benny Goodwin (11 episodes) Kenneth McMillan as Jack Doyle (9 episodes) Nancy Wa...

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Thursdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1995-96 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Charlie Grace The Monroes Various Programs Oct Murder One Nov Various Programs Dec Various Programs Thursday Night Movie Jan Feb World’s Funniest Videos Before They Were Stars! Mar Apr May NBC was the powerhouse on Thursday nights but ABC still gave it the old college try in the Fall of 1995 with a trio of new dramas that they hoped would help them cut into the Peacock's dominance. Headlining their night was Murder One , a high profile new show from Steven Bochco that received much of the network's attention before the season started. The series focused on one murder case for an entire season, whi...

DECADE IN REVIEW: The Best Comedies of the 2010s

During the month of December, I will be looking back at the decade that was the 2010s on TV. I will be sharing my favorite sitcoms, dramas, the best episodes, the best performances and the worst shows of the decade. To be eligible for this list, a show had to air the majority of its episodes in the 2010s. However, for the rankings and determination, all episodes were taken into account, including ones that may have aired before 2010. I will also preface that there are comedies that have aired this decade that I haven't watched yet so this is the best of what I have watched. To be fair, that preface is more true for dramas. There's not a ton of unwatched comedies sitting in my Netflix or Amazon watchlist. So here are my Top 10 comedies of the 2010s! Close Calls: Master of None (Netflix) - An inconsistent but occasionally fascinating commentary on many life issues done so with innovative storytelling. The Good Place (NBC) - A show that aims high with a fascinating premis...

Benjamonster's TV

Search This Blog