TV Ratings (Wednesday 11th February)

[John Picard]

bigdaddy wrote:

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See? People are stupid and have a memory of a gold fish.

It's really not that confusing, it's rather easy to fallow really.

Unless someone devotes a lot of time and thought to LOST, the show can be very confusing and many details can be forgotten. TPTB didn't do the show any favors early on by re-running episodes as well as moving the schedule from February through May. Having the season interrupted/shortened by the writer's strike didn't help either.

[Mr Light]

I'm sure if I just watched LOST once and didn't look at websites I would forget things and find it really confusing. But I peruse Lostpedia all the time and talk about them here and usually re-watch the previous season before the new one starts. I know when a show comes back from a break that I only watch once and don't read about, I can never remember what was going on. When BSG or Heroes restarts I have to go on wiki and read the synopses of the last few episodes because I don't remember who lost their powers or who regained their powers or who did what or who's President at the moment or who's sleeping with who, etc...

[rac76]

Jax wrote:

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Lost is the number 1 DVR/Tivo show so its not all bad I guess and finals will probably push it over 10 million...Still while Idol is now using the Wed 9pm slot, I guess ABC could move it to 10pm since LoM is dead. Am going to stop watching LoM since ABC will kill it...Cannot believe I said Lost should go back to 10

I wouldn't stop watching LoM, that will just drive it further into the hole. Please try to stay on to watch, which may help with the ratings. I don't think that ABC has killed in anyway, it just takes time for some shows to find their footing. Remember that it took "Cheers" a second season for it to become popular, and with "Seinfield" too.

Also there are many Americans that don't know about the British version that are watching the show. Just remember that "Three's Company" was a British import, and that worked out fine here for a few seasons. It's just that nobody in the television business gives anyone the chance to make it anymore.

This is the only show that is on broadcast television that I watch, I don't watch anything else that are on ABC, FOX, CBS, NBC. I lost interest in the Office, and I'll just buy the Scrubs dvds. LoM is the only show that I have made the effort to remember to watch, and if it goes, then I just go back to watching cable.

[Jax]

rac76 wrote:

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I wouldn't stop watching LoM, that will just drive it further into the hole. Please try to stay on to watch, which may help with the ratings.

Not being in the USA, my viewing does not count but the show is virtually dead, ABC will probably announce it before end of the months. The Feb sweeps normally make or break a show and 5 million for quite an expensive show is 100% for the axe. ABC did little wrong, the show just did not catch on, a real pity.

[bigdaddy]

Mr Light wrote:

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I'm sure if I just watched LOST once and didn't look at websites I would forget things and find it really confusing.

I watch the show, once every few months in the summer I go into the Lost forum, that's rare. I remember the little facts just fine. There are French people who landed on the island? Must be the crazy French lady!

I mean really, every little thing doesn't have to me remember to enjoy the show, but you have to have some memory of the past.

[rac76]

Jax wrote:

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Not being in the USA, my viewing does not count but the show is virtually dead, ABC will probably announce it before end of the months. The Feb sweeps normally make or break a show and 5 million for quite an expensive show is 100% for the axe. ABC did little wrong, the show just did not catch on, a real pity.

That stinks that your viewing will not count. We could be surprised, and they decide to keep the thing..or at least allow them to go to another network. I know that I'm naive by keeping my hopes up for this show to continue onto another season.

[cardinal biggles]

rac76 wrote:

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I don't think that ABC has killed in anyway, it just takes time for some shows to find their footing. Remember that it took "Cheers" a second season for it to become popular, and with "Seinfield" too.

Networks don't usually show that kind of patience these days. Every so often you'll find an exception like The Office or Old Christine where they give a show a chance to build an audience, but then there's usually Emmy nominations tied in with it, and it would look bad to shit-can a show that's been nominated for a bunch of Emmys.

This year, it's probably only because the WGA strike fouled things up so much that some of these shows (Knight Rider, Life on Mars) haven't already been cancelled; there simply isn't anything else waiting in the wings. The sad part is that Knight Rider actually has gotten better since its mid-season retool, but now that it's up against American Idol, it's "game over."

[SJA]

I guess American Idol dented Lost's ratings a bit for the night - over at Tv by the Numbers I think they have the DVR numbers for the Lost season premiere - around 3m bump I think - maybe somebody who understands these the workings of Amercian tv better than me can shed a more illumianting light on the subject!

[Temis the Vorta]

bigdaddy wrote:

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American people are too stupid to see the awesomeness that is time travel and they don't understand what is going on. Case in point, I have to explain everything to my mom afterwards.

"Americans" are stupid? Maybe it's just...oh forget it. Never insult anyone's Mom, even on teh internets.

Unless someone devotes a lot of time and thought to LOST, the show can be very confusing and many details can be forgotten.

Most people don't see the point of investing a lot of time and effort in remembering obscure details of some frakkin' TV show. I can't say I blame them: it's a fairly stupid thing to do. The fact that I like doing it doesn't make it any less silly. I'm certainly not going to stick my nose in the air and look down on those who perfer to invest their energies in more important things.

it would look bad to shit-can a show that's been nominated for a bunch of Emmys.

Pushing Daisies was nominated for Emmys and that didn't save it. It's a heartless business.

maybe somebody who understands these the workings of Amercian tv better than me can shed a more illumianting light on the subject!

Lost is safe for this season and next, and that's all there's going to be anyway.

The Renew/Cancel Index is a good resource for trying to predict what gets the axe. There are so many interrelating factors that it's hard to generalize.