Ratings are in !

[EstoniaKat]

Gep Malakai wrote:

---

The writers and Sci-Fi have made a very dark, sometimes depressing show with main characters who can be difficult to like. This is not the same as "bad," but it is something that the average TV viewer is not going to tolerate. Which is their right, but that they tune out is not an indictment of the quality of the writing. Do the declining numbers of people reading short literary fiction mean that all those authors are writing bad stories?

That's why B-Star-G stands out so much from other sci-fi series. We might not see it's like again for awhile. It IS getting bleaker by the episode, but that doesn't mean that the number of cable viewers in the U.S. of the Sci-Fi Channel is a good measure.

I'll give you one example. I went to Fed Con a couple weeks ago in Bonn, Germany. It is one of the largest Star Trek, and the largest sci-fi convention, in Europe.

They more than DOUBLED their attendance this year. Wasn't about Star Trek; it was all about Battlestar Galactica, and second, SG-Atlantis.

I talked to one of the organizers, and she said that last year that BSG was not really on the radar. But it's reached a critical mass in England, Germany, etc. People walking around in full Viper regalia. Marines; the works. She said that hadn't happened last year. It should be called "Colonial Con" for the time being.

The panels with McDonnell, Bamber, Cains, Forbes, etc., were better attended than the Spiner, Sirtis, Burton ones, generally. At the closing ceremony, McDonnell got several "So say we all" from several thousand fans, and she started crying.

So, the raw numbers from Sci-Fi are just part of the bigger picture. And actually, they don't mean anything anymore. The season will have 20 episodes, no matter what the ratings. They'll make the last episode here in a few weeks.

TheMasterOfOrion wrote:

---

Skiffy is showing little enthusiasm for Caprica but it might support Tinman, which pulled 4.2 in the ratings

And exactly, what, would be the continuation of that story? (saw the mini; it's coming out in England here very soon, good stuff). Please tell us, Master, your inside sources. Or are these Oz monkeys flying out of something personal?

[Temis the Vorta]

Therefore it is not ludicrous to assume the battlestar writers and the scifi channel have been doing something wrong

The storyline is complex, the villains are inexplicable and the heroes aren't very likeable. That adds up to viewers leaving in droves. Whether it adds up to poor quality is another matter. I'd say that could describe a high-quality show (assuming the villains are inexplicable only because the time to fully and adequately explain them has not yet arrived).

Hirogen Alpha wrote:

---

That's completely nonsensical. Sci-fi has ordered the Caprica pilot, and it's being made. Where's the Tin Man series?

I've been wondering about that, too. I'd expected to hear something about Tin Man by now.

Dark & dismal sci fi isn't necessarily the issue. Lost has been getting about 15M viewers if you count DVR viewing, and it can be pretty dark and dismal. The same week that Cally met her grim fate, Lost did something even more gut-wrenchingly shocking than that (and a whole lot less expected)! It was like they were competing. And Lost is no slouch at brain-twisting plotlines.

The main difference is the large number of protagonists we can root for. Even when Jack gets on our nerves, we can root for Hurley. You can play around with a lot of stuff in a story, but when you deprive people of characters that make them care if they live or die, you lose your audience. I've noticed that the Lost writers are very savvy about their crowd-pleasing elements - they might off a fan-fave every so often just to keep things unpredictable but they know which characters to keep hands off.

[sidious618]

BSG is ten times darker than LOST, I feel. LOST can be dark but its got nothing on my ol' pal Galactica when it comes to the doom and gloom.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about that. Hell, I think its fantastic.

[TheMasterOfOrion]

MrLuisSantiago wrote:

---

Episode Title...........................Ep#..........Airda te.......Rating

BSG Mini-Series part 1....................12/08/2003......3.2
BSG Mini-Series part 2....................12/09/2003......3.8
33 and Water..................101/102....01/14/2005......2.6
Bastille Day.......................103........01/21/2005......2.3
Act of Contrition.................104........01/28/2005......2.5
You Can't Go Home Again......105......02/04/2005.....2.5
Litmus...............................106........02/11/2005......2.5
Six Degrees of Separation......107......02/18/2005.....2.2
Flesh and Bone.....................108.......02/25/2005.....2.5
Tigh Me Up Tigh Me Down......109......03/04/2005......2.1
Hand of God........................110.......03/11/2005......2.2
Colonial Day........................111.......03/18/2005......2.3
Kobol's Last Gleaming part 1.....112.....03/25/2005....2.2
Kobol's Last Gleaming part 2.....113.....04/01/2005....2.5


SEASON 2

Episode Title........................Ep#..........Airdate. .......Rating

Scattered............................201........07/15/2005.......2.6
Valley of Darkness.................202.......07/22/2005......2.0
Fragged..................................203.....0 7/29/2005.......2.0
Resistance.............................204......08/05/2005.......1.9
The Farm..............................205.......08/12/2005.......2.0
Home, part 1..........................206.......08/19/2005......2.1
Home, part 2..........................207.......08/26/2005......2.1
Final Cut................................208.......09/09/2005......2.0
Flight of the Phoenix................209.......09/16/2005......1.9
Pegasus................................210.......0 9/23/2005.......2.0
Resurrection Ship, part 1.........211.......01/06/2006......2.1
Resurrection Ship, part 2.........212.......01/13/2006......1.9
Epiphanies............................213.......01/20/2006........1.9
Black Market.........................214........01/27/2006.......1.8
Scar.....................................215...... .02/03/2006........1.9
Sacrifice................................216...... 02/10/2006........1.8
The Captain's Hand..................217......02/17/2006.......1.7
Downloaded...........................218......02/24/2006........1.8
Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 1...219.....03/03/2006......1.8
Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2...220.....03/10/2006......1.9


SEASON 3

Episode Title.........................Ep#.........Airdate. ..........Rating

The Occupation.......................301......10/06/2006.......1.8
Precipice................................302...... 10/06/2006........1.8
Exodus part 1.........................303.......10/13/2006.......1.6
Exodus part 2.........................304........10/20/2006.......1.5
Collaborators.........................305.......10/27/2006........1.4
Torn.......................................306.... ..11/03/2006........1.5
A Measure of Salvation..............307.......11/10/2006......1.5
Hero......................................308..... ..11/17/2006........1.3
Unfinished Business.................309.......12/01/2006........1.3
The Passage...........................310........12/09/2006.......1.3
The Eye of Jupiter.....................311........12/15/2006.....1.4
Rapture..................................312...... .01/21/2007........1.4
Taking a Break........................313........01/28/2007......1.5
The Woman, King.....................314.........02/11/2007.....1.2
A Day in the Life........................315........02/18/2007.....1.2
Dirty Hands...........................316..........02/25/2007.......1.1
Maelstrom...............................317....... .03/04/2007.......1.1
The Son Also Rises..................318.........03/11/2007......1.2
Crossroads, Part 1.....................319.........03/18/2007....1.4
Crossroads, Part 2.................320.........03/25/2007.......1.2

from Skiffy

[archeryguy1701]

TheMasterOfOrion wrote:

---

from Skiffy

TMoO, you've posted this once or twice before, and it means absolutely nothing for BSG. BSG is on SciFi, which, since it's on cable, naturally gets less viewers anyways. These other seven shows are on:
Medium: NBC
Eli Stone: ABC
Ghost Whisperer: CBS
New Amsterdam: FOX
Smallville: The CW
Reaper:ABC
Supernatural: The CW

All of those are readily available to almost everyone with a TV. I fail to see the point of this diagram which keeps popping up. Want to make a point? Show a diagram of all Sci-fi shows on cable, and how they compare to BSG.

[EstoniaKat]

Interesting that "Master" never bothers to respond when his comments are challenged.

[Samuel T. Cogley]

Oh, he responds. But the responses are either non-sequiturs, or just more of the same.

[archeryguy1701]

Well, the last time I mentioned this one to him, I was flat-out ignored, but I wasn't very direct about it, so I was kinda hoping that if I came straight out and called him on it, I might get a real response. Not likely, but I can always hope.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Samuel T. Cogley wrote:

---

Oh, he responds. But the responses are either non-sequiturs, or just more of the same.

He does the same when it's pointed out that his other claims - that the script for the mini was influenced by the DeSanto thing, or that oldBSG fans on certain other boards gave this series a fair chance - are fabrications.

[Gregsmack]

When a show like BSG begins, the fans rant and rave about how "mainstream" audiences are missing out and how ratings don't mean anything because most mainstreamers wouldn't know quality if it bit them in the ass. But then when they start to see flaws in their show, they use declining ratings as an indicator that the writers can't write.

It doesn't make any sense.

And I also laugh out loud when I see a guy promoting an original series sequel talking about ratings. Like that piece of garbage would ever see the light of day, let alone get any sort of ratings.

Ratings, ratings, ratings. Whatever happened to enjoying something? Why does anyone need the opinions of others to validate their own tastes? For fans of something as niche as this show, they seem to put a lot of stock in the opinions of a TV-viewing population that would rather watch CSI or American Idol.

[TheMasterOfOrion]

Skiffy has the ratings numbers, BSG getting beat by reruns of Ghost Hunters

Ghost Hunters 1.6
Warbirds 1.5
Battlestar Galactica 1.4
ECW 1.3
Doctor Who 1.1
The Stand part four 1.1
The Stand part three 1.0
Kaw 0.9
The Stand part one 0.9
The Stand part two 0.9

Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, 4/14/08 -- 4/20/08

Quote
Episode Title...........................Ep#..........Airda te.......Rating

BSG Mini-Series part 1....................12/08/2003......3.2
BSG Mini-Series part 2....................12/09/2003......3.8
33 and Water..................101/102....01/14/2005......2.6
Bastille Day.......................103........01/21/2005......2.3
Act of Contrition.................104........01/28/2005......2.5
You Can't Go Home Again......105......02/04/2005.....2.5
Litmus...............................106........02/11/2005......2.5
Six Degrees of Separation......107......02/18/2005.....2.2
Flesh and Bone.....................108.......02/25/2005.....2.5
Tigh Me Up Tigh Me Down......109......03/04/2005......2.1
Hand of God........................110.......03/11/2005......2.2
Colonial Day........................111.......03/18/2005......2.3
Kobol's Last Gleaming part 1.....112.....03/25/2005....2.2
Kobol's Last Gleaming part 2.....113.....04/01/2005....2.5


SEASON 2

Episode Title........................Ep#..........Airdate. .......Rating

Scattered............................201........07/15/2005.......2.6
Valley of Darkness.................202.......07/22/2005......2.0
Fragged..................................203.....0 7/29/2005.......2.0
Resistance.............................204......08/05/2005.......1.9
The Farm..............................205.......08/12/2005.......2.0
Home, part 1..........................206.......08/19/2005......2.1
Home, part 2..........................207.......08/26/2005......2.1
Final Cut................................208.......09/09/2005......2.0
Flight of the Phoenix................209.......09/16/2005......1.9
Pegasus................................210.......0 9/23/2005.......2.0
Resurrection Ship, part 1.........211.......01/06/2006......2.1
Resurrection Ship, part 2.........212.......01/13/2006......1.9
Epiphanies............................213.......01/20/2006........1.9
Black Market.........................214........01/27/2006.......1.8
Scar.....................................215...... .02/03/2006........1.9
Sacrifice................................216...... 02/10/2006........1.8
The Captain's Hand..................217......02/17/2006.......1.7
Downloaded...........................218......02/24/2006........1.8
Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 1...219.....03/03/2006......1.8
Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2...220.....03/10/2006......1.9


SEASON 3

Episode Title.........................Ep#.........Airdate. ..........Rating

The Occupation.......................301......10/06/2006.......1.8
Precipice................................302...... 10/06/2006........1.8
Exodus part 1.........................303.......10/13/2006.......1.6
Exodus part 2.........................304........10/20/2006.......1.5
Collaborators.........................305.......10/27/2006........1.4
Torn.......................................306.... ..11/03/2006........1.5
A Measure of Salvation..............307.......11/10/2006......1.5
Hero......................................308..... ..11/17/2006........1.3
Unfinished Business.................309.......12/01/2006........1.3
The Passage...........................310........12/09/2006.......1.3
The Eye of Jupiter.....................311........12/15/2006.....1.4
Rapture..................................312...... .01/21/2007........1.4
Taking a Break........................313........01/28/2007......1.5
The Woman, King.....................314.........02/11/2007.....1.2
A Day in the Life........................315........02/18/2007.....1.2
Dirty Hands...........................316..........02/25/2007.......1.1
Maelstrom...............................317....... .03/04/2007.......1.1
The Son Also Rises..................318.........03/11/2007......1.2
Crossroads, Part 1.....................319.........03/18/2007....1.4
Crossroads, Part 2.................320.........03/25/2007.......1.2

updating the list
Season 4

He That Believeth in Me.........301.........04/04/2008......1.6
Six of One........................ 302.........04/11/2008......1.4
Ties that Bind.....................303........04/20/08......1.4

[stonester1]

Don't care.

[archeryguy1701]

It's getting beaten by Ghost Hunters, but look, it's still the third highest show that week!

[Warp Coil]

So long it can beat ECW I'll be happy. I don't understand how wrestling fits into Sci-Fi's target audience or why they air it, but BSG deserves better. And it looks like BSG is doing better than Stargate: Atlantis.

But in the end, it doesn't matter. This is the final season anyway, so it's not like ratings mean much now.

[TheMasterOfOrion]

Warp Coil wrote:

---

And it looks like BSG is doing better than Stargate: Atlantis.

That's hard to confirm, BSG is only starting its fourth and thanks to Skiffy dragging out the season breaks it won't finish until another 2 years or so. I know Atlantis is now broadcast as reruns but I have not been following Stargate Atlantis so much and it looks like Brad Wright, Joseph Mallozzi and other screwed things up by killing off Weir and replacing her with Sam Carter only to send the Sam character packing a few episodes later. Atlantis went to lows of 1.0 or lower but that was its fourth season and even though it is not heavily advertised on Skiffy it still got ratings of 1.5 in some of its other episodes.

Stargate Atlantis season 5 does not air until late Summer. Back in March 2005 both SGA and nuBSG aired together, both shows were pulling figures close to 2.3. Sometimes BSG would win over SGA and vice versa.

I think the only way to compare both shows fairly is to look at the figures for each season and compare their averages once the seasons have finished. Ratings wise SGA is doing very bad now so IMO setting the bar at SGA levels is not something BSG producers/writers should be aiming for. The reimagined BSG show once got ratings of 3.2 or higher