Glee fans are fanatical, it wasn't got for mass ratings, it was aqcuired to bring people into the channel, once they'd been hooked on E4.

Not sure how you can judge whether it's a success or not, unless you know how many people have subscibed though it.

Now that we're into February Sweeps, the "big 3" sitcoms will all be airing originals in the same weeks so we'll get an idea of whether or not TBBT is able to top Modern Family in the demo. Of course, if TBBT were airing at 9pm I think it might be going for 6's on a regular basis.

Rob down to a 3.4 which isn't great considering the slot it's in. Should be high 3's, IMO and CBS can be ruthless with sitcoms. Person of Interest on the other hand seems to have picked up a bit.

Shocking for 30 Rock which had just a 1.3! Just over 3m viewers as well.

Trouble is how many of Glee's fans would be the ones deciding whether or not the household got Sky. Sky though are wise to hold back the episodes airing stateside now so they can air them in one block from March - they're same week strategy wasn't helped at all by Glee being unable to go more than 3 or 4 weeks without a break in the autumn.

Bothers Bar now reporting ITV's next big hope - they're filming a pilot of My Man Can in Germany - which basically sees 4 couples competing with the wives betting on whether their blokes can complete challenges. http://www.bothersbar.co.uk/?p=5282

Mind you E4 hardly has done much since the Gleeks departed. Desperate Scousewives has bombed, people still think it's the Friends channel and the world's nastiest reality show, Shipwrecked, struggled.

Glee is doing alright for them but it's nothing special. I'd consider something like Modern Family's ratings to be more impressive for them (around 800-900k in a really tough Friday 8pm slot) as they've nurtured it somewhat and stuck with it even though it was only getting 300-400k to begin with. Hopefully it'll continue to grow as it really does deserve to be hitting 1m+ at least as it's brilliant.

I agree that they deserve to be applauded for their increased investment. Of the sitcoms they've launched so far, I'd only call The Cafe a flop (and that didn't even do that badly), with Trollied and Stella in particular doing really well, whilst Mount Pleasant and Spy were both solid hits. In terms of drama Mad Dogs is obviously great for them (and series 3 is already confirmed) and they're doing OK overall but they probably do need to work on that a bit (although I suppose Mount Pleasant and Stella are both comedy-dramas). Strike Back is definitely a hit for them, but whilst Thorne is coming back I believe it didn't do brilliantly last time, and whilst Treasure Island did really well there's obviously no returnable potential there. They've got their big new Sinbad series coming up later in the year and it's 13 episodes long so we'll see how that goes.

An Idiot Abroad is obviously their big entertainment show with massive numbers, and Got To Dance goes about its business pretty brilliantly in a tough slot. A League of Their Own does pretty well too and Ashley Banjo's new show started well too last week so they seem pretty sorted on the entertainment front. Imports are looking decent too with strong shows like Hawaii Five-O and Terra Nova (although the latter seems unlikely to return) being backed up by solid performers like Modern Family, Glee, House, NCIS: LA and of course The Simpsons.

So overall I think they're doing pretty well. Obviously there's work to do but with more dramas and sitcoms still to come and extended runs of the hits being commissioned they're making great progress, and whilst they've had a few duds (The Cafe, Must Be The Music, Gadget Geeks, Wall of Fame), that's what happens when you commission a load of new shows, and ultimately I definitely think they deserve credit for what they've achieved in the last year or two.

To be broadcast and rated in week commencing 18th February:

Castle
The gripping crime drama about a bestselling novelist who shadows a NYPD detective returns for a second series on Channel 5 this week. Castle joins Beckett on the case of a murder victim who had been trying to earn money using the most dubious methods.

Big Body Squad
This brand-new series follows the men and women tasked with looking after the ever growing needs of an ever-expanding nation. In this instalment, an ambulance team struggle to get a patient home following a stay in hospital, while another is rushed to casualty. Elsewhere, firefighters train for a unique rescue procedure.

Braveheart: The True Story
The Hollywood movie ‘Braveheart’, starring Mel Gibson, was one of the most iconic films of the 1990s. But in creating this epic blockbuster, how much of the truth about William Wallace, the central character in the film, was left on the cutting-room floor? This one-hour, part dramatised documentary sifts through the facts and fiction to get to the true story.

World’s Toughest Trucker: Final
This gruelling truck-driving competition reaches its final stage this week. The three remaining truckers race over some of the highest and most deadly roads on the planet to deliver a consignment of clay pots to an isolated monastery in the heart of the Himalayas. Who will be crowned winner and drive away with the £100,000 prize?

Europa League Football: Manchester United v Ajax
The Europa League knockout stage claims its first scalps tonight as the return legs take place. Tonight’s coverage comes from Old Trafford, as Dutch giants Ajax take on the might of Manchester United. The programme is presented by Jim Rosenthal, who is joined by Stan Collymore and Pat Nevin. Commentary by Dave Woods and Graham Taylor.

Live International Boxing
Locking horns in this exciting Men of Steel event at the Magna Centre in Rotherham for the vacant WBC International Super Bantamweight title are two exciting young British fighters: Kid Galahad and Jason Booth. On the undercard, middleweight Chris Eubank Jr continues his progress towards the top with his second professional fight.

Source: Channel 5 Press.

It'll definitely be a race over the next few weeks with Modern Family and TBBT for #1 scripted show, and with Idol not looking so hot I wonder how long it'll be before that race becomes for #1 show of the week. Of course The Voice could also be a challenger for the latter title, which would be quite something for NBC.

Speaking of NBC that 30 Rock rating is dire. What with Community rotting in that slot too it seems like the slot itself is an issue. Parks is actually doing alright at 8:30pm all things considered, but with The Office on the decline and Up All Night doing no better after it than it was on Wednesdays NBC's situation is looking increasingly desperate.

I can't see it being their next big hope, it might get a Saturday night slot in the summer but that's as far as it goes. Could do alright as long as it doesn't take itself seriously and makes viewers laugh. Sounds like Take Me Out/Mr & Mrs/Sing if You Can type tosh - but there's a 3m-4.5m audience out there for that kind of thing.

A misconception that Glee fans are that young, they aren't. That's why it gets good demo ratings. It's put on at 9pm after all, and always has been, and has adult themes. It's not the same audience as HSM.

I agree that waiting to March is the right thing though, it really does fall behind in filming. I think it's something Fox could look at too, but Yanks seem not to mind these incessant breaks, another big break coming up US pace.

Dancc
Should Man U progress in this trophy, then Channel 5 should get some of their biggest non BB audiences ever. If they reach the final, expect 10 million to tune in. Yet if they go out in the next round, and other English teams follow, then they're probably right to drop the contract as the trophy doesn't enthuse many people unless a big boy like MUFC is involved.

Looking forward to inflated ratings over the weekend following snow showers from tomorrow afternoon. Guess we may have some inflated figures like we did from Dec to early Jan last year.

I think they'd have maybe hoped for higher ratings than they've got but that's the case for FOX in the US as well.

I was just considering the ratings in that discussion but generally I agree with what you're saying - for the same reason I think Sky Atlantic is a good move by them. It's not always just about ratings.


I think The Voice has it sewn up for the next few weeks at least. Smash could be right up there as well next week for its premiere. But we could be looking at a top 5 of really strong shows all capable of beating each other and drawing 5.0 ratings.

8pm is always tough. You really see it with the 2 hour reality shows - they have a rubbish first 30 minutes, massive jump at 8.30pm and it's pretty steady from then on.

Going back to Wednesday

I wouldn't say Cowboy Builders struggled. It was a repeat of the episode that was first shown just 23 hours earlier (Tue 8pm) which got 1.41m - thats 1.41m viewers who almost certainly wouldn't watch again so soon

Also 0.6 million (inc +1) for the whole 7pm hour is quite good for C5 consdering the 7pm news used to just get about 0.2m and the the 7.30pm slot rarely went much above 0.6m

So Cowboy Builders is getting 2 million viewers a week between 2 primetime airings on C5. And then possibly a few extra if there are any weekend daytime/5* repeats. I'd say it's doing quite well And it's repeatable in the future on C5 daytime, C5 early evening and 5*

CBS might be the new NBC in sitcoms (in late 90s and early 2000s). Remember when NBC boasted their big guns like Seinfeld, Friends, Will & Grace, Fraiser and so forth? Well, here in 2012, CBS can boast this with 2 1/2 Men, 2 Broke Girls, HIMYM, Mike & Molly. TBBT might be the biggest sitcom hit since Friends since it manages to rate outstandingly well at 8pm. Sure, all have smaller numbers due to more competitions, but in today's ratings, they are hot. Something that hasn't been achieved in a long time. Come season finale, should we anticipate a 7.0+ and over 20m for TBBT or am I getting just too excited for that?

Rob may not be part of the big CBS big sitcom hits yet and we will have to wait and see in coming weeks. Their performances raises some questions.

1. If CBS does decide to renew Rob, will Rules of Engagement be dropped or be used as a reserve stash again (initially on Saturdays, replaced How to be a Gentleman this season)?

2. If CBS wants more new sitcoms next season, Rob and ROE aside, willl CBS go ruthless for other sitcoms too or open a new comedy block?

Any idea how or why Person of Interest's audience has gone up from c12.5m just before Christmas to c14.5m in recent weeks since it returned? Did the repeats over Christmas rate really well and possibly have introduced new viewers to the show. In terms of total viewers, it's rating fantastically at the moment, and even in A18-49 it's closing down the gap on Grey's Anatomy.


With The Big Bang Theory rating so well at the moment (and I think bound to hit a 6.0+ in the near future), surely CBS must be considering a 2-hour comedy block on Thursdays with TBBT at 9pm? 2BG is showing a lot of potential at the moment and is probably capable of starting off an evening, so why don't they go for:

20.00- 2BG, 20.30- ROB, 21.00- TBBT, 21.30- [New sitcom], 22.00- The Mentalist

I'm not sure where POI would go though. It's been doing well recently so maybe CBS won't risk moving it elsewhere because I can't see what other 9pm slots are available. At 10pm on another night like Tuesday, it would be more difficult for it to find an audience.

I didn't know it was a repeat -I shoudl've checked.

EastEnders hgad a good night share wise whereas Coronation Street did not which is a shame as it was a strong epsiode - it was only 0.5% ahead of Emmerdale's 7pm episode. Emmerdale itself it pretty consistent at the moment, with Tuesday nights being the only blip. Inside Man didn't perform briliantly but recorded a stronger figure than Eternal Law which is plodding towards a conclusion with poor figures. BBC Two had a quiet night, though it comfortably gained 1m+ viewers with soap opposition. Channel 4 had a good night though Hollyaoks did dip below 1m and Wintrer Road Rescue picked up a decent number of viewers and The World's Scariest Near Misses claimed an audience of above 1m.

I think PoI should remain on Thursday but perhaps at 10pm with The Mentalist moving to Tuesday or Sunday but it depends how it fares in the Spring, it seems to be hitting highs, wonder if any UK broadcaster will pick it up? If Channel 5 has room I think they should acquire it.

As for the CBS comedy, I think an expansion is likely, I still think Sunday would be a great day for comedy especially as they'd be less affected by overrun compared to drama.

Looking at Channel 5, I'm guessing Castle is back on Fridays but at 10pm after The Mentalist. What's this week's film selection Dancc? Still wondering where the other upcoming US imports will go?

10m - I doubt it. I think only Champions League finals have pulled in more than that in recent years - even semi-finals with much bigger opposition than they'd likely face in the Europa Final don't hit double figures.

I'd say C5 would be looking at 3-4m for the next couple of games, and then even if Man U make the final I can't see C5 getting much more than 6-7m - maybe 8m at a push, but certainly not 10m.

Even 6-7m would be highest rated broadcast ever territory for the channel.

We're getting ahead of ourselves though and United are the sort of team that might not take the tournament seriously. For now 3-4m sounds like a reasonable expectation to me, although I wouldn't be surprised if the first leg is in the high 2's considering the teatime kickoff and extended pre-match buildup.

Well they're out of all the other cups, so I don't think they'll take it too lightly, still in with a shot at the title though, so that will be their priority.

so United players how not the type who like to win?

The Europa league is still a high level of football, I find it hard to believe a team (or individual players) can rise to that level, if that players dont care about winning every time they get on the pitch.

When Liverpool were in the EL they did 2-3m with bigger matches peaking at 5m, what was the peak of the Fulham final in 2010? I think 6-7m with 8m peak would be even higher if it's an all English final with Man City,

It's funny to me how the most unfunniest (imo) sitcoms seems to be doing outstandingly in the US. I tried to watch TBBT, and I didn't laugh not once. TAAHM is the same... Charlie Sheen or no Charlie Sheen... Still not funny to me. Yet their ratings are fantastic.

Then you have 30 Rock and Community, clever written shows, witty... Yet their ratings are dismal.

But I wonder which one sells better on DVD/itunes? I would imagine TBBT is doing great in the overnights, but shows like 30 Rock might be doing even better when in correlation to PVR viewings etc. Someone needs to check up on that one. -Looks over to C14E lol

The problem is 30 Rock and Community are on NBC and also quite niche although TBH I don't think they would survived had they been on CBS or FOX, I think the traditional sitcom has made a comeback although i would argue it never went away, stuff like Modern Family is a traditional comedy in a non tradition style.

That's right. The Mentalist followed by Castle = awesome Friday night pairing. I'm pleased as punch with that scheduling!

Nothing special yet again films wise. Titles include Charlie's Angels (2000), The Transporter (2002) and the post-football Van Damme title this week is Maximum Risk (1996). Yawn. Just where are these premieres we've been expecting?