How Many Viewers did "Voyager" Lose?

[Warp Coil]

Why did Paramount think they could chain their successful franchise to such a patchy network, when the franchise did very well in syndication? Broadcast television was already well into its drawn out decline by the mid 1990s.

Paramount had been thinking about launching its own network for quite some time. Warner Bros. were thinking of doing the same thing - hence UPN and the WB, two tiny little networks that ultimately failed and then merged into one even smaller, more pathetic network that's failing called the CW.

Star Trek seemed like a perfect launching pad for UPN. In January 1995, when the network launched, Trek was at the height of its popularity. TNG had just wound down a very successful seven-year run and had transitioned into feature films. DS9 was on the air and doing well. The studio wanted to use a new Trek series to help lure in viewers. And let's face it - VOY was the only series to really survive on UPN. It's one of their only success stories. Nearly everything else they attempted failed miserably.

It's just unfortunate that the network - and ultimately the producers - forced the series to abandon its premise and become "TNG lite".

 

[Withers]

The studio wanted to use a new Trek series to help lure in viewers. And let's face it - VOY was the only series to really survive on UPN. It's one of their only success stories. Nearly everything else they attempted failed miserably.

It's just unfortunate that the network - and ultimately the producers - forced the series to abandon its premise and become "TNG lite".

Voyager is the longest running show UPN ever had. I read that on the Wikipedia page. I've also read that it had the highest ratings any UPN show ever had as well though the source on that one is a little more dubious (though I believe it.) That being the case I hope someone somewhere along the line sent an e-mail to the former execs saying something to the effect of "Dear Jackass, just imagine how awesome it would have been if you'd let us make the show we wanted to make. You might still have a Network."

-Withers-​

 

[seigezunt]

Interesting thread. Thanks for all the history. I've always wondered why Voyager seems so brain-dead when compared with DS9 (and even ENT, with which it shares some flaws). It makes sense now. It's too bad the network interfered.

 

[SpyOne]

Re: UPN not having stations in all markets.

I believe "share" in those ratings is the percentage of household that could be watching that show that were. Thus, it should be adjusted for the fact that the show did not air in all markets.
For the seasons covered by the data in that link, Voyager didn't get above a 10 after season one.
Sadly, the data for DS9 is from a different format, and cannot be compared. That comparison is something I'd really like to see.

 

[TedShatner10]

I heard that there was a sci-fi show launched alongside Voyager known as Nowhere Man, I heard it was a sci-fi thriller with a few good ideas but it lacked the staying power due to not having as mainstream appeal as Star Trek (worn thin at is was past DS9) and got bogged down under its convoluted story arc.

 

[SpyOne]

"Nowhere Man" (1995)
Bruce Greenwood stars as documentary photographer Thomas Veil who, in the course of one evening, seemingly has his whole existence erased, in the compelling one-hour drama Nowhere Man. It appears as if some mysterious and powerful entity has coerced Veil's family and friends into cooperating in a clandestine plan to annul every trace of him. Veil is all alone with no option but to begin a desperate, dangerous quest to find out how and why this has happened and most importantly, who is behind this torturous scheme.

It lasted 25 episodes (exactly one season).

IIRC, he spent the first season operating on the premise that a photo he had taken was the motive for his erasure, but at the end of the season it is revealed that the photo is not what he thought it was: that it wasn't taken where he thought it was, and doesn't show what he thinks it does, and therefore his own memories have been tampered with.