Ratings and Scheduling: Who's the fairest of them all?

[cappoe]

ABC's Pilot list leaves a lot to be desired. None of those new dramas sound gripping at all or even remotely interesting. They all sound like practically the same thing.

[Tiger]

2 hours ago, cappoe said:

ABC's Pilot list leaves a lot to be desired. None of those new dramas sound gripping at all or even remotely interesting. They all sound like practically the same thing.

I agree on their drama pilots, though the Marc Cherry/Reba may have potential.

But think a lot of the comedies sound fantastic.  It seems the last several years that ABC comedy development has been significanrly stronger than its drama development.

Which is probably why their are rumours flying that ABC will only debut 1 new drama in the fall and up to 4 new comedies.

[oncebluethrone]

5 hours ago, cappoe said:

ABC's Pilot list leaves a lot to be desired. None of those new dramas sound gripping at all or even remotely interesting. They all sound like practically the same thing.

The only one I'm even remotely interested in is Marvel's Inhumans, but since Iwan Rheon's starring in it, I'm not sure I want to watch it because I have too many horrifying memories associated with his character on Game of Thrones.

[jhlipton]

On 4/21/2017 at 2:04 PM, KingOfHearts said:

If anyone needs to get caught up, I doubt they're even aware of the musical episode. It hasn't been promoted much at all outside of the fandom that's still watching.

This is the first I've heard of it.

[maryle]

Happy to see Once back at .8!! 

Even, if at the stade don't think it matters. I think they will stay in the o.8-1.0 range til the end. The extra promo will help them.

 

Still believe thehe rating for the wedding (musical) and final could be back in the 1.1 but not indicate the rating for the spin off about the new guy and the little girl.

[TheGreenKnight]

I was hoping the ratings would go up a tad for the Zelena episode. I expect they'll be up for the musical and the finale, too.

[AnotherCastle]

Unrounded half-hours: Once Upon a Time ............... 0.814 ... (0.870 ... 0.757)

http://www.spottedratings.com/2017/04/spotted-ratings-sunday-42317.html

[Souris]

There's been a trend lately of big in-ep tune-outs.

[jjjmoss]

It's actually a really bad data point, given that it dropped multiple tenths from America's Funniest Home Videos. I believe for the first time ever.

[Tiger]

20 minutes ago, jjjmoss said:

It's actually a really bad data point, given that it dropped multiple tenths from America's Funniest Home Videos. I believe for the first time ever.

It's being falling from AFV for quite some time in both total viewers and adults 18-49, among other demos.

[jjjmoss]

Multiple tenths.

ETA: And now make that 3 tenths as AFHV adjusted up to a 1.1.

Edited April 26, 2017 by jjjmoss

[General Days]

On 4/21/2017 at 8:45 PM, Tiger said:

I agree on their drama pilots, though the Marc Cherry/Reba may have potential.

But think a lot of the comedies sound fantastic.  It seems the last several years that ABC comedy development has been significanrly stronger than its drama development.

Which is probably why their are rumours flying that ABC will only debut 1 new drama in the fall and up to 4 new comedies.

Well, there's room in the schedule for four new comedies. While it's not official, both Notorious and Conviction are cancelled. It seems they've been stripped from the Disney-ABC press site. Time after Time is already cancelled and I can't imagine Secrets and Lies will get renewed.

I do think Once will get that seventh season, assuming they can come to terms on the actors' contracts. The ABC May Upfronts are on Tuesday, 5/16 this year. The season six finale is scheduled for May 14th, so I expect we'll hear before then. 

[Tiger]

With the writers strike now a very really possibility, I think we're going to see ABC steer into more steeply into its plan to ramp up comedy and alternative, as the former is the quickest to get going again, especially returning shows, and the latter can continue to be produced.   

Based on everything I've read and things my friend is hearing at ABC Studios, I really think ABC is going to announce a fall schedule (which would ultimately be different in the event of a strike) that comedy 4X blocks Tue, Wed, Fri, another hour on Sun, Shark on Sun, and drama limited to Thu + Mon-Wed at 10.  

This would allow them to air comedy repeats which repeat well, and plug-and-play with alternsative in limited drama slots.  For example, in place of TGIT they could do a fall edition of Bachelor.

[cappoe]

I'm pretty sure we're definitely looking at renewal. What with the upfronts skit filmed and the poster appearing at ABC lot.

And we're likely looking at Colin, JMO, and Lana back.

BTW there's a blind item for a drama so bad that the network TV tried to kill it but it's airing within the next 7 months.

My money is on Still Star Crossed. ABC wanted to kill it but couldn't because it's a Shonda show.

[Tiger]

1 hour ago, cappoe said:

I'm pretty sure we're definitely looking at renewal. What with the upfronts skit filmed and the poster appearing at ABC lot.

And we're likely looking at Colin, JMO, and Lana back.

BTW there's a blind item for a drama so bad that the network TV tried to kill it but it's airing within the next 7 months.

My money is on Still Star Crossed. ABC wanted to kill it but couldn't because it's a Shonda show.

What skit are you talking?

And any on-lot poster has probably been up for a while.  

Colin remains the only actor under contract for a theoretical season 8.  I know for a FACT that Jen, etx havent even been approached for negotiations.

[sharky]

Lana posted a picture of her with Kerry Washington filming something together for upfronts. Then add to that the screening the network is hosting with fans for the musical episode -- that's not something you do for a show you're about to cancel.

As for the writers strike, a lot can happen between when their contract is up and when upfronts start. If this strike lingers, it works in Once's favor. During the strike, new shows can't start building a writers room while Once already has writers hired. So it will be much easier to get Once back up and running than a brand new comedy.

[Tiger]

1 hour ago, sharky said:

Lana posted a picture of her with Kerry Washington filming something together for upfronts. Then add to that the screening the network is hosting with fans for the musical episode -- that's not something you do for a show you're about to cancel.

As for the writers strike, a lot can happen between when their contract is up and when upfronts start. If this strike lingers, it works in Once's favor. During the strike, new shows can't start building a writers room while Once already has writers hired. So it will be much easier to get Once back up and running than a brand new comedy.

I'm pretty sure that was for Scandal's 100th episode a couple of weeks ago.

They havent created any marketing materials for the upfronts yet.

And nope, doesnt change the fact that everyone but Colin is no longer on contract.  And dramas, even existing ones, for whatever reason take a while to start cranking out new episodes.  

[Souris]

3 hours ago, Tiger said:

Colin remains the only actor under contract for a theoretical season 8. 

Do you mean season 7?

[Inquirer]

Saying it is a surefire renewal or a surefire cancellation is premature.  I believe that they are deliberately creating and stoking hype for the musical episode and "the final battle", and waiting to see what kind of numbers that effort pulls in.  Their decision will probably a very last-minute one.

[maryle]

So many rumors, gossip that I can't keep up!

At this point I take everything with suspicious and basically wait for the official announcement. But, I can't help to compare to Castle last year it was  a last minutes decision. 

[cappoe]

You will never not convince me that the reason the ratings are rising is because Captain Swan is getting married, never. 0.9 tonight. Let's see what happens for the wedding next week. Could it go to a 1.0 or higher?

[sharky]

Oh hey, if you write the thing people want to see, then people watch the thing they want to see. I would hope this clues A&E into what the focus of next season should be but I think it would take an anvil dropped on their heads by ABC suits for that to happen.

BTW with the musical screening tomorrow night do you think we could get an announcement about a possible renewal then? Seems like it would be the perfect event for something like that. 

Edited May 1, 2017 by sharky

[maryle]

I do believe cs back together with more light moment with all the Charming clan  did contribe but all the promo for the wedding musical and the atmosphere of end of era are at play here also

Adding, that for the first time in forever the second half seems to me a bit better overall.  But, the first half was so pointless and without any direction that doesn't say much.

[Souris]

Come on, clearly everybody tuned in to see the Black Fairy's backstory! ;-)

[RulerofallIsurvey]

3 hours ago, Souris said:

Come on, clearly everybody tuned in to see the Black Fairy's backstory! ;-)

I'm sure that's exactly what A&E are telling themselves.

[scarynikki12]

The ratings may also be rising because viewers are assuming this is the final season. They talk about The Final Battle over and over and the average viewer is going to assume that this would only happen in the last season. So people may be tuning in so that the presumed series finale makes sense. 

[jjjmoss]

They're going up because AFHV's are going up. Prelims, 80% retention last week, 80% this week.

[Camera One]

People are tuning in for the great writing and hard-hitting stories about motherhood.  Mother's Day is coming up, and what mother doesn't want to watch their life story unfold onscreen.

[Tiger]

The potential writers strike has been averted. 

[jjjmoss]

AFHV adjusted up again. So it went 1.2/0.9/0.8. Makes me wonder if Match Game would have gotten the 0.9 if it got the AFHV direct lead-in.

[Tiger]

Make of this what you will, but allegedly like Castle last season, both Once and Quantico were asked to produce alternate endings, whereas Shield and Designated were not and producers of those shows are on record that they end on multiple cliffhangers.

[Inquirer]

Interesting. I would think the recent ratings bump would be a good thing for Once, but maybe ABC knows the bump is only because people truly think that it's going to be THE END and want to watch as a result, and if it wasn't THE END than the numbers would go right back to where they were.

Edited May 3, 2017 by Inquirer

[TheGreenKnight]

Do the average viewers know it's going to be the end? I don't think Internet message boards would have that much effect on the ratings. I'm guessing it'll go up again the next three episodes because one's the musical ep and the other is the finale.

[Inquirer]

55 minutes ago, TheGreenKnight said:

Do the average viewers know it's going to be the end?

They're promoting the FINAL battle.  When you hear something like that, you think "series finale".

[cappoe]

Actually the creator of Shield said that if this is the last season it actually ends at a good point. I also have a hard time with the comparison between OUAT and Quantico or Shield.

It got a 0.9 last episode and who knows what the musical episode will get. Meanwhile Shield fights for a 0.7 and Quantico is abysmal. 

I have a hard time believing that.

Edited May 3, 2017 by cappoe

[TheGreenKnight]

6 hours ago, Inquirer said:

They're promoting the FINAL battle.  When you hear something like that, you think "series finale".

I don’t know, to me the commercials don’t sound very different from the usual overdramatics used to advertise the latest villain showdown.

[cappoe]

Disney is also promoting the heck out of this episode, that to me doesn't say oh it's ending this season. Maybe for some characters but not for all.

[sharky]

21 minutes ago, cappoe said:

Disney is also promoting the heck out of this episode, that to me doesn't say oh it's ending this season. Maybe for some characters but not for all.

That's how I feel as well. You don't have a preview screening for fans if it's the second to last episode of the series and you're about to cancel it. And for a show with this kind of following and longevity, you would either be promoting the hell out of the final episodes or they would be some indication that things could end. Castle was officially cancelled the week of its finale, sure, but Stana Katic got fired in mid-April.

And I highly doubt ABC would keep Quantico but cancel Once. Quantico is pulling a season average 0.69 -- and that includes their move to Monday to try and boost ratings. Agents may have a better chance, but they're still pulling an average 0.74 for the season. They had a 0.7 on Tuesday with 2.1 million viewers. Once has a 0.94 with 3 million viewers on a night that is becoming another dead zone on network schedules now. Masked Scheduler did an interesting write-up on Sundays becoming a tough night for networks.

[Inquirer]

16 hours ago, cappoe said:

I also have a hard time with the comparison between OUAT and Quantico or Shield.

It got a 0.9 last episode and who knows what the musical episode will get. Meanwhile Shield fights for a 0.7 and Quantico is abysmal. 

Quantico is one thing, but with S.H.I.E.L.D the live ratings don't matter as much due to syndication and foreign revenue.

Quote

And I highly doubt ABC would keep Quantico but cancel Once.

Tiger didn't say they would, he said both Once and Quantico looked to be possibly ending compared to S.H.I.E.L.D and Designated Survivor.

Edited May 4, 2017 by Inquirer

[Tiger]

21 hours ago, cappoe said:

Actually the creator of Shield said that if this is the last season it actually ends at a good point. I also have a hard time with the comparison between OUAT and Quantico or Shield.

It got a 0.9 last episode and who knows what the musical episode will get. Meanwhile Shield fights for a 0.7 and Quantico is abysmal. 

I have a hard time believing that.

Jed & Mo are on record that AoS ends the season with several cliffhangers.  

[cappoe]

And now Designated has crashed to a 0.9. The same ratings as OUAT. I'm sorry but I don't believe the show is ending especially if this Sunday gets an increase as well.

TV Line also did an update and OUAT is a safe bet while AOS can go either way and Quantico is likely cancelled.

ABC is promoting the heck out of this episode.

Edited May 4, 2017 by cappoe

[sharky]

8 minutes ago, cappoe said:

ABC is promoting the heck out of this episode.

They posted the episode on their media site today -- something they only do with major episodes like premieres and finales. And they have lots of B roll and cast interviews for media to pull from as well.

[maryle]

For the better or worse I do believe Once will be renewing. But, we will probably find out somewhere next week.

I only wish we learn about the cast as well or the contradictory rumors has me exhausted a long time ago!

[KingOfHearts]

Quote

For the better or worse I do believe Once will be renewing

This is my consensus as well. I think now it's just a question of who is or isn't coming back, and to what capacity.

[Souris]

3 hours ago, KingOfHearts said:

This is my consensus as well. I think now it's just a question of who is or isn't coming back, and to what capacity.

Same here.

There has to be more characters around than just the new guy and the little girl. Will the rebooted cast be mostly new (cheaper) actors? Will current cast members be only occasional guest stars? Will one or two be regulars?

Personally, I don't see more than a couple of current regulars being around much next season. There was way too much goodbye vibe from the cast and crew at the end of filming.

Edited May 5, 2017 by Souris

[General Days]

On 5/2/2017 at 10:58 AM, jjjmoss said:

AFHV adjusted up again. So it went 1.2/0.9/0.8. Makes me wonder if Match Game would have gotten the 0.9 if it got the AFHV direct lead-in.

Honestly, your insistence that Channing Dugey wouldn't cancel Merrin's show has made your assertions improbable to me. I'm glad you have a contact at ABC Studios, but I do not think you have any real info, above and beyond what we get from Deadline. 

[cappoe]

I think the only locks for next season are Colin, JMO, and Lana. And I'm fine with that. Easily the three most popular characters and CS make up the main couple of OUAT. Jared of course as well as probably Bex though I think she may be recurring.

Edited May 5, 2017 by cappoe

[jhlipton]

I wouldn't watch the REC Hour.  Blergh.

[Curio]

4 minutes ago, jhlipton said:

I wouldn't watch the REC Hour.  Blergh.

That's what the majority of Season 6 has been.

[jhlipton]

Exactly why I don't want it to continue.  If Lana is in Season 7 (regardless of who else is there), that's what it will be.