No surprise, Mercy and Trauma cancelled by NBC.

Let's face it. This season's drama ratings was disappointing. It didn't completely sucked, since the first half of the season pulled in decent ratings for veteran dramas: Housewives, CSI, Grey's, NCIS, Private Practice, Brothers & Sisters and The Mentalist. It started slumping dramatically after the winter Olympics. Almost all veteran dramas were falling to their series lows and stuff. Let's hope next season's ratings will improve and get back on track. It might take some time, or will it?

Ranting aside, Shonda Rhimes dramas (Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice) have performed well for 18-49. The total numbers for Grey's is rather depressing though. ANTM is the most-watched programme for CW this week. With Steve Carell not returning to The Office next season, how will the ratings fare? 30 Rock is the runner-up amongst the NBC Thursday sitcoms. Other than that, all programmes received similar numbers as last week except Private Practice (which went up, since it was the season finale).

On a related news, ABC has picked up two new dramas: Body of Proof, starring Dana Delany (Katherine Mayfair from Desperate Housewives) and Off the Map, from the creators of Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice. (Link: http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/05/...p-off-the-map/)

My guess is that these will wrap up their drama orders.

Body of Proof is a procedural that follows a brilliant female medical examiner, with a repuatation for being difficult, whose background as a neurosurgeon givers her a unique crime-solving perspective.

Off The Map stars Enrique Murciano (Without a Trace) and is from Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes. It sounds a bit like Grey's Anatomy... Jungle Edition.


http://thefutoncritic.com/devwatch.a...=drama&studio=

The "idealistic young doctors" is a regular theme of medical dramas but this does at least provide a different background. It and No Ordinary Family are probably the only ABC series I'd consider checking out.

ABC Line-Up 2010/11:

Returning Drama:
Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Castle, V, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice

Returning Comedy:
Modern Family, The Middle, Cougar Town

New Drama:
No Ordinary Family, Off The Map, Body of Proof, 187 Detroit, Generation Y, The Whole Truth

New Comedy:
Mr Sunshine, Happy Endings, Better Together

Not for the established shows anyway. They'll keep falling though maybe not as fast. Desperate Housewives, CSI and Grey's Anatomy are in their twilight years, it's all downhill now. Indeed, CBS might shift around the CSI franchise a bit to slots where it definitely won't do any better.

I think we'll see the same as we have this season. New series (like Glee and Modern Family) beating the old giants (like House and Grey's Anatomy).

Wow, very good ratings for Outnumbered, 5.7m is a lot for a comedyTV show!!! That may get around 6.3m in the officials. Its been such a big hit!
Annoyed because i missed it last night!!

Just noticed the ratings for You Have Been Watching and they're really poor. IIRC, the first series didn't do that well but it stayed over 1m. Last night was only the second episode I've seen this series and much as anything with Victoria Coren deserves some praise, the format just doesn't work that well.

It's really bad. I love Brooker but he doesn't suit this type of format at all. He excels when he's off on a rant not asking inane questions (which are mostly pointless with points awarded on a subjective basis).

It's just not working really that show. I like Charlie Brooker and I actually think he's quite good in a studio environment, but its not funny enough and drags on for too long.

Charlie Brooker is a niche TV personality imo. I think his wit is lost on a mainstream audience hence that show doesn't really work. He would be far better suited to a TV Burp style show on More4 which is basically Screenwipe.

Channel 4 seem to be past caring, I can't see it being renewed again. The episode on 27th May has been bumped to 11.05pm to accommodate Million Pound Drop. How are people expecting that to rate by the way? Its on Monday-Friday 10pm-11.05pm. Saturday's time hasn't been confirmed yet. I think it will start really strong around 4m, remain about 3m for the middle of the week and tail off to about 2m by the end. 6 shows just seems too much for an 'event'. Monday-Friday should've been the maximum and I can't see Saturdays being a success especially if it goes out at 10pm. It would probably be enough to grant a recommission though.

With ABC picking up Off The Map (Shonda Rhimes' new show), will they put it on Thursday at 8/7c, followed by Greys, and then PP? Could become a power night for medical dramas

Or it could be overkill. She's spreading herself too thin - no wonder Grey's Anatomy has gone down the pan.

I actually thought that after I posted it! People will watch Off The Map, just out of curiosity, then Grey's, and by 10pm they'll be zonked out by medical dramas.

I love Grey's, but this series isn't one of the best, at all.

They could maybe work out a way of having it share Thursday nights (9-11pm) with Grey's & Private Practice (afterall, neither of them do well in repeats). But I do think all 3 in a row would be too much. I also think ABC need to launch something out of Grey's now because it's time as a ratings hit is coming to an end (and Private Practice won't last after Grey's finishes). That doesn't have to be Off The Map, though obviously the medical link & Shonda Rhimes connection makes it a candidate for the 10pm hour.

Deadline are picking up on rumours that American Idol is on the move and the results shows would be against Grey's Anatomy (new plan is Wednesdays @ 9pm and Thursdays @ 9pm). However, Deadline do point out that FOX have a track record of dropping hints like that to rattle the competition just before the upfronts (indeed, news of Idol moving to Thursday has been a regular feature for several years now).

Not sure it'll rattle anyone as much as it used to. It's still a huge show, but its clearly declining and with Cowell leaving next year doesn't seem the optimum time to start shifting it around the schedule. Also, Modern Family's terrific performances over the past few weeks must be heartening for the networks - I was concerned (and I bet ABC were too) that it'd get squashed, but its done superbly.

Looking forward to the upfronts - particularly on NBC and ABC where there's big changes to be made. I agree with your point about using the lead-ins better. ABC have 4 big hits - DWTS, Greys, Housewives and Modern Family - all with established, returning partner shows following them. I think they ought to clear at least 2 of those slots for new stuff next year, because the dramas are declining and they need something new to stick.

judging by this

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2...11-shows/8675/

I would say that NBC has not picked up all its going to, worth noting that the US remake of Prime Suspect failed to make the list.

So many British shows get pilots, yet so few actually get picked up.

I only got watching Modern Family a few weeks ago and it's really good. In finals it actually hit a new series high on Wednesday (a 4.3). To do that in May is impressive enough, let alone doing it against American Idol. I'd not be surprised to see it moving nearer a 5.0 for its fall premiere when it should have easier opposition from FOX.

The big concern with Idol is mainly the January/February episodes where it was all over 9.0's this year. Since March, it has averaged less than 7.0. Though as you say, even the Jan/Feb episodes might not be so strong next year.


I think Castle has shown an ability to perform with or without the DWTS lead-in so it might be a candidate for a move.

Brothers & Sisters has to move, IMO. Dana Delaney's "Body Of Proof" seems an obvious candidate for the post Desperate Housewives slot even though it's not something which appeals to me.

All the scheduling, all the new series announced in a week but then it's summer and everything is dead for a few months!

EDIT: Charnham, everything in those pictures is already confirmed to have been picked up, AFAIK. Prime Suspect shoots its pilot next month, with the hope of a midseason order.

I know everything in the article has been picked up, im saying they probaly would not put the article out if there was any more new shows to come.

Didnt know about Prime Suspect filming a pilot, do we know who the lead is yet?

Ah, sorry, must have misread your post.


Nothing announced yet, which probably isn't a good sign. But they will now be able to consider all the actresses in failed pilots.

A good night for BBC1 - Outnumbered is building on the Have I Got News For You lead in, but I think the latter is the wrong night. Thursday's episode was weak because the political landscape was in a state of flux and the comparison to the episode which was filmed on Friday (the week before's) just promoted what a 24 hour gap could do.

ITV need to swap Coronation Street and Emmerdale around. Coronation Street can work at 8.30 on Monday and Friday because BBC1 have a junction then, but running hour longs on Thursday nights mean that the 8.30pm show would be hit. It makes more sense to have the bigger show at the top ofthe hour, providing a bigger lead in at 8.30pm to the secondary show. Saying that, it would make it a bit messy with Emmerdale airing at 7pm as well but maybe ITV shouldn't be filling nearly every slot with them.

From DomeOfStars (Ashes to Ashes fansite) forum:

BBC One
21:00 - Ashes to Ashes: 5.2m (22.8%)
* including HD

Before we go into discussion on this can we please avoid spoilers because I'm yet to see it!

If the BBC had any sense (and we all know they don't) they'd be getting a full rerun of the first and second series into the schedules before the next series - I'm sure I'm not the only one who's got into this in series 3 - and for me that's unusual. Generally if I miss series 1, episode 1, I'm never tempted to tune into latter episodes.


I'd hardly say it's really bad - but it does just seem to be Screenwipe with guests. It's true though that some formats and personalities will always be far more successful on the digital offshoots, however talented and excellent they may be. And with C4 if this had been commissioned for More4 or E4 it would probably have rated just as well and be deemed a massive hit.

It also comes back to what we were talking about earlier in the week and C4 scheduling, especially comedy. It's all over the place now and frankly it's all flopping - The Ricky Gervais Show is the only thing he's ever done which is any good, but is lucky to get 1m. They'd probably both perform better if the Friday night strand was still established because it's about the only night of the week when people might stick with C4 for more than just the one show.

Let's hope once Big Brother is out of the way C4 set out to reclaim Fridays - and indeed with Jonathan Ross out of the way there is no excuse not to put shows like Alan Carr: Chatty Man back in the Friday slot too.

I absolutely agree!! Never watched it before this series, but if the first two were repeated I for one would tune in!

or you could buy the DVDs...

Competely agree, I only started watching it this series and the same as the above posters, thats rare, i cant get into shows especially after a whole season or two. But im addicted to it, and they need to do reruns because audience is really building now.

The same is for The inbetweeners, the first series got around 300,000 average, and then they re run it after word of mouth and got around 700-800,000, and the the second series was getting 1.2m.