TV Ratings - October 1-7

[mswood]

I don't understand why CBS has decided to kill the Mentalist with that time slot. The same thing happened to CSI:Miami. Contract disputes?

No, its one of the few shows on CBS that isn't produced by CBS. Thus they earn nothing besides its initial run, since a good chuck of the profit of a series is its off market syndication run and to a lesser degree home market revenue, CBS has to give better slots for shows produced by CBS to thrive to get those syndication and home market dollars , like for example the Good Wife.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

I don't understand why CBS has decided to kill the Mentalist with that time slot. The same thing happened to CSI:Miami. Contract disputes?

CSI Miami lasted for 3 or 4 seasons on Sundays though. Not too shabby.

Actually it lasted two seasons on Sunday.

Really? Wow...what a sad commentary on that show because it sure seemed like 3 or 4 seasons...

 

[stj]

I don't understand why CBS has decided to kill the Mentalist with that time slot.

I don't watch the show, but I've heard fans complain about how it has become really bad lately with the Red John plot, whatever it means.

Patrick Jane's aka "The Mentalist" had his wife and young daughter killed by a serial killer known as Red John. Jane has been working as a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation consulting on cases, but the recurring story has been him trying to capture/kill Red John. Red John seems to have a cult following and he leaves clues for Jane, sends decoys, and a whole bunch of other random stuff.

It's REALLY hard to follow if you haven't seen almost every episode. I saw all of Season 1, but have become a casual viewer since then, watching the occasional episode with my mom. It's become too heavily serialized for it's own CBS good!

I don't understand why CBS has decided to kill the Mentalist with that time slot. The same thing happened to CSI:Miami. Contract disputes?

No, its one of the few shows on CBS that isn't produced by CBS. Thus they earn nothing besides its initial run, since a good chuck of the profit of a series is its off market syndication run and to a lesser degree home market revenue, CBS has to give better slots for shows produced by CBS to thrive to get those syndication and home market dollars , like for example the Good Wife.

I thought I was the only person who disliked the Red John serial. The problem for me is that Jane catching Red John means he goes to jail for killing Red John. He actually did that, except they finagled an excuse for it a) not to be the real Red John but a decoy and b) an excuse for him to get out of jail on grounds the decoy was actively committing a crime in holding a girl prisoner in his basement.

This is by my lights a terrific example of the self-disembowelment so typical of open-ended serialization. They can't just drop Red John because he's the reason why the mentalist is even there. Jane is only a semireformed criminal after all, law enforcement is not his natural milieu. Additionally Red John has semimagically planted a fake fiance on female coworker Van Pelt, whose angst over his betrayal hasn't been satisfied by killing him. The show is toying with her being an abusive cop. This is simultaneously too far fetched (Red John recruits from the FBI etc?) and too realistic (abusive cop.) Etc. Etc. Etc. They're toying with having Jane grow beyond the need for vengeance.

But kill Red John or merely arrest him, when Red John's fate is decided the overall storyline is over. Hence the interminable delays while Red John's abilities grow ever more god-like. By now a Red John reveal would be pretty much like showing us the real Satan. Anything is pretty much doomed to be a disappointment.

CSI was sent to Wednesdays not just as a move for strengthening Wednesday but more as a move for putting Person of Interest in a cushy slot. CBS will gladly settle for a huge audience with a slightly lower proportion of 18-54 but it's still trying to develop properties like Person of Interest. There are apparently a lot of militantly ignorant fucks who fear that old age will crawl out of the screen if they aren't watching trendy with the young stuff. Hence, The Mentalist was moved to Sunday also because CBS hoped the antihero version of Holmes on Elementary would go down better with the younger set.

As I recall, the pilot was touted precisely for raising that demographic. This isn't the first time CBS has cleaned out some relatively successful shows in pursuit of favored demographics. Shows like Beverly Hillbillies were not canceled for low ratings.

 

[selina]

It's REALLY hard to follow if you haven't seen almost every episode. I saw all of Season 1, but have become a casual viewer since then, watching the occasional episode with my mom. It's become too heavily serialized for it's own CBS good!

I just wanted to prove you wrong and argue that the Red John episodes are really just a few out of an overall number of 23 - 24 episodes per season. But then I looked at an episode guide and discovered that you're right. For example, in season four there were seven episodes addressing Red John. Personally, it really doesn’t bother me because the majority are still stand-alone episodes.

But kill Red John or merely arrest him, when Red John's fate is decided the overall storyline is over. Hence the interminable delays while Red John's abilities grow ever more god-like.

(Spoilers for season 4)

I agree. I’ve read somewhere on the Internet that people want the Red John plotline to end, but I don’t believe that this will happen before the series ends. The main character's desire for vengeance is what drives him. So once he has managed to solve the murder of his wife and daughter - however he does that - he can get an early retirement and leave the CBI. However, I find his motivation interesting. On the one hand, one can sympathize with Jane, but on the other hand, everyone knows that it's wrong to take the law into one's own hands. That being said I really think that he got off the hook too easy after shooting the "faked" Red John. I think there should be more severe consequences for Jane (and probably for Lisbon, too) and that is what bothers me about the show. It should not be so easy to get away with killing someone. From a dramatic and even philosophical point of view, it should make your life far more miserable to kill someone, especially when you killed the wrong person.

Yes, there were consequences like the fact that the FBI took over. But instead of coming forward with the truth, Jane manipulates and puts other people in danger. And even though his action jeopardized the life of FBI agent Darcy, Lisbon, who is still his boss, does absolutely nothing at that point. So, instead of trying to convince Jane to tell the truth, she should have told Darcy the truth herself. After all, she is still a CBI agent and a serial killer stalked Darcy. I sometimes wonder how Lisbon got her job. The other members of the team don’t look too good on their jobs, either, since they can't seem to solve a single case without Jane. So, that's what really bothers me, but apart from these annoyances, I really like the show and hope the new time slot won't kill it.