 |
 |
[07/02/03 - 12:00 AM] Cable Originals Battling for the Spotlight By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC) |
|
|
CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- With the June ratings period (May 26-June 29) officially a wrap, some basic cable networks are finding their original offerings are fighting an uphill battle to attract viewers.
Here's a breakdown of the latest rumblings:
-- FX is probably having the toughest time out of all of the basic cable networks. Its two latest originals: "Lucky" and "The Orlando Jones Show" have not been the ratings grabbers the network had hoped. Particularly disappointing has been "Lucky" which many expected to rebound this past month with the broadcast networks having wrapped their regular season. That hasn't been the case as the comedy saw its adults 18-49 average drop to a 0.55 rating during the period, lowering its season-to-date average to a 0.77 rating. The same bad news applies to "Jones," as the late-night talk show fell more than 60% from its opening week numbers by the end of June in the key demographic (0.24 vs. 0.60 rating). The series only saving grace has been its performance among African-American viewers where it scores a 0.66 rating among the 18-49 demographic.
-- USA on the other hand has had better, albeit mixed, results thanks to its original series "Monk." The second season bow of the drama was the most-watched episode of the series to date, securing a 4.1 household rating. Nevertheless, week two of its new season saw its viewership fall by 1.4 million total viewers (4.0 million vs. 5.4 million). Further complicating matters is the lack of another fresh installment of the series until July 11 due to the national holiday this Friday. Despite such dark clouds, "Monk" remains a key component to USA's original series strategy. A new drama, "Peacemakers," kicks off on July 30 and "The Dead Zone" returns for seven new episodes this Sunday.
-- MTV's June offerings also garnered a mixed bag of results. New Sunday series "Doggy Fizzle Televizzle" and "Who's Got Game" scored respectable numbers, topping the network's previous time slot average by 30%. Returning series "The Real World" and "The Osbournes" however weren't so lucky as both were off from year-to-year comparisions. Nevertheless, MTV's new late-night series "The New Tom Green Show" has been a surprise hit for the network, posting a strong 1.1 rating among MTV's target demographic of persons 12-34.
-- Game Show Network has seen its aggressive Sunday night lineup fail to meet expectations. After two weeks, neither "Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned" nor its lead-out, "Funny Money," topped the network's projected 0.8 household rating for the series.
-- TNT, which doesn't carry original series, has pulled lukewarm responses for its latest batch of original telefilms. This past weekend, the network's mini-series "Caesar" averaged 3.36 million total viewers, 1,553,000 of which were among the coveted adults 18-49 demographic. That's up 23% from TNT's primetime average as of late with Sunday's installment bringing in 3.6 million viewers (1.6 million in adults 18-49) and 3.1 million viewers (1.4 million in adults 18-49) for its conclusion on Monday.
|
|
|
 [july 2003]  |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
[08/11/26 - 07:16 AM] Netflix's "A Different World" Reveals Brandy Theme Song Today, Netflix announced that Grammy Award winner, Brandy Norwood, is bringing her voice to the theme song for "A Different World," releasing September 24, only on Netflix.
|
[08/11/26 - 06:57 AM] Disney+ Revs Up as the Global Streaming Home of Formula E Spanning 21 rounds across 13 events in some of the most iconic cities around the world, the upcoming season kicks off on December 18 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and with stops in Austin, Miami, Monaco and Mexico City, culminating in the final round on July 25, 2027, in Tokyo.
|
[08/11/26 - 06:46 AM] Video: "Gentle Monster" - Official Teaser - Netflix When a police raid shatters her life, concert pianist Lucy (Léa Seydoux) must protect her son and confront how little she knows her husband after he is accused of an unspeakable crime in this tense thriller about trust and survival.
|
[08/11/26 - 06:31 AM] First Look: Netflix's "The Body" Premieres on November 11 The upcoming eight-episode series is created by Quinn Shephard and follows a group of badly behaved Catholic school girls who begin having prophetic visions that set off mass hysteria in their town after a dance-team initiation goes wrong.
|
[08/11/26 - 06:01 AM] Video: Apple TV Debuts Trailer for New Thriller "Last Seen" Starring Patrick Brammall "Last Seen" will make its global debut on Wednesday, September 9 with two episodes, followed by a new episode every Wednesday until October 7, 2026.
|
[08/11/26 - 05:03 AM] ESPN and ABC Unveil American Express NBA Tip-Off and NBA Christmas Day Presented by State Farm Broadcast Schedules for the 2026-27 Regular Season ESPN tips off its 2026-27 NBA regular season coverage on Wednesday, October 21, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET as the Minnesota Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards, along with newly acquired LaMelo Ball, visit the Miami Heat and two-time Kia NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who makes his Heat debut.
|
[08/11/26 - 04:49 AM] Jalen Brunson and Defending NBA Champion New York Knicks, LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum, and Cade Cunningham Headline First-Ever American Express NBA Tip-Off Tripleheader on Tuesday, Oct. 20, on NBC and Peacock This will be the first time that a network has ever broadcast three NBA Tip-Off games.
|
[08/10/26 - 05:00 PM] She's Really Good! Demi Lovato Makes Surprise Cameo as Mitchie Torres in "Camp Rock 3" Cameo Lovato returns to the beloved franchise as both an executive producer and will make a cameo in the new film.
|
[08/10/26 - 01:46 PM] Damon Wayans Reunites with "In Living Color" Castmate David Alan Grier on the Season Three Premiere of NBC's "St. Denis Medical" Wayans will guest star in the role of Dr. Highland, a charming but pompous new doctor at St. Denis.
|
[08/10/26 - 01:30 PM] "Big Brother" Celebrates Historic 1,000th Primetime Episode with Surprise Guests, Fan Votes and the Summer's Biggest Twist The historic night will feature surprise appearances from former Houseguests determined by interactive fan votes and kick off the biggest twist of the summer.
|
[08/10/26 - 12:16 PM] Grammy Award-Winning Singer and Actress Brandy Norwood Returns to Lifetime to Star in and Executive Produce Sequel to Holiday Movie, "Christmas Everyday" Norwood reprises her role as Francine "Fancy" Ballantine, which garnered her an NAACP award nomination, alongside real-life daughter Sy'rai Smith who stars as Fancy's younger sister, Belle; Debbi Morgan as their mother, Evelyn; and Robert C. Riley as Fancy's fiancé, Jaylen.
|
[08/10/26 - 12:01 PM] NBC to Air Sept. 10 "Law & Order: SVU" Marathon Featuring Best of Mariska Hargitay The episodes will feature Hargitay's Emmy-winning performance (Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series) as well as two of her nominated performances.
|
[08/10/26 - 10:37 AM] Discovery's Shark Week Delivers Best Ratings in Seven Years Primetime telecasts averaged a 0.77 L3 rating among Adults 25-54, marking the largest year-over-year increase in 13 years and the first year of ratings growth since 2023.
|
[08/10/26 - 10:01 AM] Apple TV Reteams with Alfonso Cuaron on New Series "Ascension" Inspired by the novel "Last Days" by Adam Nevill, "Ascension" is a one-hour psychological horror thriller following Rose, a relentless documentary filmmaker and recently divorced mother who is brilliant at uncovering others' truths but struggling to resolve her own.
|
[08/10/26 - 10:00 AM] New Interactive Game "Public Eye" from Wolf Games Now Available in Peacock's Mobile App Players are Officer Logan Dine, a patrol cop secretly investigating his uncle's murder in the crime-ridden streets of Caldera City.
|
|
|
|