Ratings & Scheduling: That's what more and more of you missed on Glee

[onthebrink03]

I think the cast would want out ASAP.  Wouldn't being associated with such a dud show have the potential to hurt their brand as well?  If the network wants to give a gift to the devoted few (and I do mean FEW) do a two hour movie (written by someone different, doesn't matter who, just different) and wrap things up.  No one needs 13 or 6 or even 1 more of the insipid trash that RIB have been churning out these last few seasons.  Stick a fork in her, she's done.

 

*mourns for such lost potential.  Season One was da bomb*

[bravelittletoaster]

I've never felt so personally validated by the death spiral of a show before.

[Cranberry]

Sweet, sweet schadenfreude. I haven't enjoyed watching this show (aside from a few moments) for at least two seasons now.

[heyerchick]

My current idle speculation on the shape of Glee Season Sux:

 

(1) 2-hour TV movie to tie up loose ends

 

(2) Brief miniseries-style "event" run

 

(3) Well, actually, we left the characters in a pretty good place at the end of S5...

[caracas1914]

You are sooo transparent Heyerchick...

No Klaine wedding is what you think is a good place...LOL

[heyerchick]

Ahem. Thought never crossed me devious mind.

[Joystickenvy]

I've been thinking I wish they'd just do a movie or a mini to wrap things up and be done. I can't see how even a half season happens after that .6 finale. Guess that Brittney/Blaine teaser really paid off lol

Being on this show has got to feel like playing for tips at an empty bar by now. Wonder how they will spin it. Maybe they will act like nothing happened and just forget to put Glee on at mid-season.

[tab19]

Before the ratings news, I realized my overriding thought was happiness that the show wouldn't be back until 2015, with the hope that Naya and Glee could work their shit out so Santana can return for Season 6. 

 

After the ratings, I'm thinking heyerchick's option (3) "Well, actually, we left the characters in a pretty good place at the end of S5..." is both quite true, and looking a lot more likely. 

 

Wow, that drop in ratings is just breath-taking.  

[Sara2009]

Is it any wonder Matt Morrison is desperate to get off this show? If he cries at night, I wouldn't blame him. LOL

I think Dianna Agron was the smartest cast member of all.

[tom87]

Dianna didn't choose to leave thought, none of then got that choice.  The choice they got was reg or guest.  So her and  Jayma did make the right choice to go with guest instead of regulars.

 

Some cast did not get that choice though and are stuck to the bitter end.   On the outside most are still yeah glee on the inside they are praying for cancellation at best at worse 13 episodes.

Edited May 14, 2014 by tom87

[Sara2009]

I don't think ALL of them are praying for the end. I think Lea and Darren would be happy to stick with the show for years to come.

[Joystickenvy]

Being on a critically acclaimed show hardly anybody watches might have some appeal, but I can't see how staying on a show that is almost universally panned and is pulling bad for CW numbers would appeal to any actor with other options and both Lea & Darren have other options.

[heyerchick]

There *is* a silver lining. The CW numbers crunchers were pretty happy about Glee's ratings :)

[indeed]

Final ratings for 5x20: Glee - Season Finale 0.6/2 1.87m

[tom87]

I don't think ALL of them are praying for the end. I think Lea and Darren would be happy to stick with the show for years to come.

I am not so sure about that.

 

Lea plays the good little loyal employee. Lea of all people can't even hint at dissatisfaction with glee.   She would be eaten alive.   Last season she was happy she had less work and more time to do other things, this year I think she was happy to have something to go to nearly every day and just work.      By her description of how she wants Rachel's story to end on Bway I can't see her being as happy as she pretends for next season.

 

Darren seems to want to other things as well.  Maybe actully get that album done instead of telling us why he hasn't done it yet.

 

Just becasue they still enjoy working doesn't mean they want to stick with a dying show.

Edited May 15, 2014 by tom87

[dizzyizzy01]

I agree with tom87.  Lea is business savvy and knows to stand by the network/show/party line.  She's not going to bite the hand that feeds her.  She's just constantly effusive when she's asked about anything she's involved in.  She knows she gets shit for even the smallest perceived slight and gets blamed for the most ridiculous things.  Even then, I feel like even she's been a little less of a cheerleader for Glee lately.  She didn't even tweet about the season finale until after it had aired...

[Hana Chan]

Just becasue they still enjoy working doesn't mean they want to stick with a dying show.

 

Lea hasn't exactly been shy about her future aspirations for mainstream success, nor has Darren. Yet these are the two who have benefited the most in regards to storylines and song distribution on Glee. And oddly enough, they're not having a huge amount of success outside the show.

 

It's going to be interesting to see how outside Glee careers really start shaking out now that the show is really on its last legs. For the current cast, there's really going to be a push to get some serious outside projects lined up because there's a final expiration date on just what kind of push they can expect to get from Glee. Especially now that a full final season seems out of the question and even a half season is looking like a long shot.

 

I have no doubt that everyone in the cast is hoping that Glee will launch their careers outside the show, but I think that this window is already closing and if they were going to get a big mainstream boost, it would have happened by now. Of the cast (focusing on the younger actors), the ones who seem to be doing really well right now are Chris, Diana, Max and Grant. Mark is getting work so I'd say he's doing pretty well. They seem to have had some good sense in picking the right projects, as well as some good luck and good timing.

[tom87]

I guess it  all relative.

 

Lea and Darren both are still getting outside projects.

 

It is debable how successful or not  they or other cast members have been so far.     Chris's books sure, his movie career yet to be determined.  Dianna has few parts and only one movie release since she left glee over 2 years ago now and it didn't do very well. 

 

Something on paper might look good but doesn't mean it will be a hit.

 

 

Yet these are the two who have benefited the most in regards to storylines and song distribution on Glee

 

Really are we sure it is a benefit?

Edited May 15, 2014 by tom87

[caracas1914]

Glee takes up so much time I wouldn't set too much store on who's done what on outside gigs until Glee closes shop and the actors have genuine options due to not having anymore schedule constraints.

Edited May 15, 2014 by caracas1914

[tom87]

Glee takes up so much time I wouldn't set too much store on who's done what on outside gigs until Glee closes shop and the actors have genuine options due to not having anymore schedule constraints.

Most of what they have done are things they can work around thier scheduels.   Sure Ryan has worked around them a bit but they can only accomadate so much.

[Florinaldo]

Being on a critically acclaimed show hardly anybody watches might have some appeal, but I can't see how staying on a show that is almost universally panned and is pulling bad for CW numbers would appeal to any actor with other options and both Lea & Darren have other options.

 

I think they and some other cast members may be of two minds about it. On the one hand it must be tempting for people with definite prospects such as those two you mention to finally have all the time necessary to really get involved in long-term projects other than Glee, instead of having to squeeze outside ventures in their limited periods of availability, LM did it with her album, DC with his sucessful tour last summer and his short stint on Broadway, but they did not have time for more sustained projects, which require a longer investment as far as time goes.

 

On the other hand there is the security of a guaranteed paycheck for another season and of the added infrastructure an association with a TV show and a network provides in the form of opportunites to network at various functions. The production does part of the leg work for you; when the show is over, you and your team are on your own.

 

As Shirley MacLaine replied to a comment about the Glee actors being free after the next season, "They'll be free to have lunch!". She knows full well how uncertain their profession is and that future prospects aren't assured for any of the cast once the show ends its run.

[dizzyizzy01]

Of the cast (focusing on the younger actors), the ones who seem to be doing really well right now are Chris, Diana, Max and Grant.

 

 

Success is all relative and it depends on what people have been pursuing.  Chris has done well with his books, and I think his future is probably more behind the scenes or a character actor rather than as a leading actor.  His Hot in Cleveland gig should be fun.  He's smart and talented so I think he'll find success in whatever he pursues.

 

Dianna I think has struggled a lot to find good projects since leaving Glee.  Her major studio releases both flopped pretty terribly and they were booked when she was still on Glee.  She has some smaller movies in 2014 in post-production.  I don't believe they are with any major studios (at least they're not projects I have heard of).

 

Grant has landed a lead in a CW show, which is pretty good considering he was just a guest star on Glee and hadn't done much before that.  That's a great job for him, but you can't compare what a guest star was able to do vs. what a regular cast member was going to do.  Lea, Chris, Darren, Chord etc. are obviously not going to go after auditions for network pilots.

 

The perceived success or non-success of Lea's album is still TBD.  Her second video is slated to come out next week so we don't quite now yet how that will all play out.  Her book is also coming out next week so that's another thing on the horizon.  So in the last year, she's recorded an album, written a book, and landed some pretty high profile endorsement deals and countless magazine covers.  That's pretty successful too.  Sure she hasn't been in any blockbuster movies, but none of this cast has been and most of them probably never will be.

 

I think the only absolute right now is the utter failure of Glee this season and probably next.  The future success (or not) of the cast members is still TBD.

[caracas1914]

I would think most of the actors on Glee would consider it win/win if they can manage to make a living in their chosen profession once Glee ends.

They may not get the spotlight as intensely focused as it was during Glee's peak, but that doesn't mean they won't be employed. Mark Hamill, of "Star Wars" fame, for example, has earned a very nice living through the decades with voice-over gigs on numerous TV shows.

The only "sure" thing IMO is Jane Lynch, she already has a TV show on NBC and her professional standing and rep is such that roles in TV and movies shouldn't be a problem for her. She's very well respected and she built up two decades of solid work before Glee.

With everyone else, it depends on a lot of factors. Though with Matt and Lea, it's hard to believe Broadway wouldn't be clamoring for their services, they have stage cred and name recognition due to Glee.

Edited May 15, 2014 by caracas1914

[Sara2009]

Does Lea want to return to Broadway? I know Matt does, and I think he'll return successfully. He proved himself before "Glee."

[Joystickenvy]

Most of the adult actors are pretty stolid character actors who will get plenty of work. Jane got elevated more to a household name by being on the show, but she definitely already had a very solid body of work and she's quite good on HGN.

I imagine Matt & Lea could return to B-Way and will probably get some film roles. I doubt Lea is destined to be a movie star, but I think she will work. Matt has a pretty enough face and he's not a bad actor. Don't think he'll blow up, but I could see him in some rom-coms.

The rest of the cast is a crap shoot. If Chris gets good reviews for his upcoming project, I could see him working steadily in a certain type of film and he has lots of irons in the fire. Darrin seems to be trying the broadway thing.

Of the rest....Kevin & Naya are the only ones who's acting doesn't seem kind of stilted to me, but maybe the others could do more with better material. Chord might be pretty enough for the CW.

[Sara2009]

I think Matt should stay away from rom-coms to avoid being typecast. Plus, they wouldn't allow him to show much range. I think he really wants something meaty.JMO

He's made it pretty clear that Broadway is his greatest love, though.

Edited May 15, 2014 by Sara2009

[tom87]

Does Lea want to return to Broadway? I know Matt does, and I think he'll return successfully. He proved himself before "Glee."

Yes Lea has always said she would like to  do Bway again someday.   She seems to be open to any possilbity.

 

I doubt Lea is destined to be a movie star,

 

Maybe not but you never know but being a movie star and having film roles are two different thing too.

 

There are many things to one can do, record, voice over work, character roles, tv guest spots, bway.  tv movies etc.

Edited May 15, 2014 by tom87

[caracas1914]

"Darrin seems to be trying the broadway thing."

I don't get that impression; it seems he's still trying to get his album released and as far as I know that 3 week gig on Broadway over 3 1/2 years ago has been his only stage work in 5 years.

[Joystickenvy]

"Darrin seems to be trying the broadway thing."I don't get that impression; it seems he's still trying to get his album released and as far as I know that 3 week gig on Broadway over 3 1/2 years ago has been his only stage work in 5 years.

Lol, well I guess the impression given by the Darren Stan who was arguing about Darren vs Lea as a b-way star might be a bit mis-leading ;).

[Sara2009]

I'm not really sure what Darren's plans are. I think he'll probably be successful since he has a big fan base.

I hope Matt gets something great to work on. He's one of my favorites he gets anything substantial to do on "Glee"(like in "Mattress), so I'd love to see what he's capable of when given consistently good material.

I think Chris has a really bright future ahead of him if he keeps making good choices.

I think Amber has the best chance for a successful music career.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Sara2009

[caracas1914]

"I think he'll probably be successful since he has a big fan base."

I think the fan base of any of the Glee actors is suspect as far as guaranteeing or sustaining success for anything they do post Glee. For example, Lea would appear to have the biggest fan base of all (something like 4.5 million twitter followers IIRC), so while her album domestically hasn't doing horribly, selling close already to a respectable 90,000 copies it hardly seem commensurate to her perceived fan base.

OTOH, I'm puzzled when people say Lea won't be a "movie star", 99.99 % of actors who have a successful movie career, being employed in roles big and small are not "movie stars" on the scale of a Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, or Leonard DeCaprio. Lea certainly has a shot at appearing in movie and TV roles even if she doesn't become a A-List actress.

[Joystickenvy]

OTOH, I'm puzzled when people say Lea won't be a "movie star", 99.99 % of actors who have a successful movie career, being employed in roles big and small are not "movie stars" on the scale of a Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, or Leonard DeCaprio. Lea certainly has a shot at appearing in movie and TV roles even if she doesn't become a A-List actress.

I can't speak for everyone, but when I say I don't think she'll be a movie star I mean, well she won't be a movie star. I think she will probably get some supporting roles, voice over work, etc, but I don't ever see her being an A lister. Personally, I don't think she's a particularly good actress, but that's a YMMV thing, but she's not so bad that I think she won't get roles.

I've never seen her b-way stuff, but I assume if she had success there before, she can again.

[Sara2009]

Typecasting could be another big issue for Lea.

[caracas1914]

OH I l get what you meant, and yes you did qualify it so it really wasn't a vent towards your statement. It's just that I read all the time the perception that Lea wants badly to be a "movie star" that sometimes I get the impression that if she doesn't become one it's some sort of failure on her part.

To me, most actors would love to become movie stars, but just because it isn't feasible for the most part doesn't mean they won't have successful careers.

[Joystickenvy]

OH I l get what you meant, and yes you did qualify it so it really wasn't a vent towards your statement. It's just that I read all the time the perception that Lea wants badly to be a "movie star" that sometimes I get the impression that if she doesn't become one it's some sort of failure on her part.To me, most actors would love to become movie stars, but just because it isn't feasible for the most part doesn't mean they won't have successful careers.

She seems fairly pragmatic about her career to me, but I don't follow her that closely so I could be wrong. I see that attitude all the time about contestants on singing shows. You don't have to be a "star" to make a living playing music and there are far more actors earning a decent living doing lower profile stuff than there are big time headline stars and there's nothing wrong with that.

[tom87]

She seems fairly pragmatic about her career to me, but I don't follow her that closely so I could be wrong. I see that attitude all the time about contestants on singing shows. You don't have to be a "star" to make a living playing music and there are far more actors earning a decent living doing lower profile stuff than there are big time headline stars and there's nothing wrong with that.

She seems to want to work.   She has done just about everything already. Movie, voice over work, endorsements, tv, stage, album, book, guest on comp reality show, guest spot on tv show, tour, Cabarets .    She doesn't seem to be putting her eggs in once basket.

 

 

I am no voice expert but I really  do wonder how long Darren could do a musical.   From what I read his voice was faultering after 3 weeks on Bway and after his tour.

Edited May 16, 2014 by tom87

[Hana Chan]

I am no voice expert but I really  do wonder how long Darren could do a musical.   From what I read his voice was faultering after 3 weeks on Bway and after his tour.

 

It was. Darren doesn't have the vocal strength or technique to be able to manage 8 shows a week over an extended period. I'm not a trained expert the way Glorifindel is, but I noticed a significant amount of strain in his voice after his BW run and even more so after his tour. I think it's because of the lack of strength and vocal flexibility (as well as poor singing technique) that really pushed his voice to the breaking point at times. Especially when he has to push himself to reach notes that aren't comfortably in his range.

[Glorfindel]

I am no voice expert but I really  do wonder how long Darren could do a musical.   From what I read his voice was faultering after 3 weeks on Bway and after his tour.

Darren will not be able to do a musical long term, not even medium term. His voice suffered a lot during only that 3 week Broadway stint, and it was also audible after his summer tour last year that he just doesn't have the voice nor the proper techniques to sing weeks, let alone months intensively day after day.

 

I could see a (modest) future for Darren as a singer/songwriter, with songs that fit his voice range, if he can keep his current fans by releasing his album before they lose interest and move on to the next hot thing. And maybe he'll get some guest/supporting roles here and there.

 

But a lot of the success of any of Glee's cast members future careers simply depends on being in the right place at the right time: to record that one big hit that gets a lot of radio play or to act in a movie that is the talk of Hollywood at Oscar time.

Chris seems to have landed a role that could further his career greatly, and he seems to make the right career choices with his team for a while now, but everything's still a lucky gamble at this point for all of them.

 

Fame and stardom isn't the be all and end all of working as an artist.

At least Lea, Matt and even Jenna can go back to Broadway (or musical theatre in general) quite easily, I think, as they were appreciated there for their craft before Glee. And Amber will always get work as a singer, even if she doesn't make it big herself. Harry and Heather will always get work as dancers (and so will Jacob Artist), and most of the other actors will probably find new jobs in the industry too.

 

Personally (besides my love for everything Chris Colfer of course) I hope Kevin will be able to continu singing professionally. If he'd release an album I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

[heyerchick]

I would definitely buy a Kevin McHale album. My partiality for Chris aside, Kevin has a strong, appealing and versatile voice. 

[caracas1914]

NGL, I think Kevin was screwed over major as far as song output on Glee . For his type of pop voice woefully underutilized. ( Both him and Matt Morrison)

I'm petty enough to want him to have an outside success as a singer.

[bravelittletoaster]

I think tv syndication residual checks are higher than y'all think they are.  None of these people should be wondering where their next meal is coming from for a while...

[caracas1914]

I don't think it's about financial security; it's about whether lightning will strike twice for any of the glee cast to get a comparable success in other projects.

Not the worse dilemma in the world for any of them I'll grant you. If they step out of the limelight some like Heather for example don't seem to mind at all.

Edited May 18, 2014 by caracas1914

[bravelittletoaster]

Yeah, I guess I'm just saying that it's pretty much par for the course for the vast majority of tv actors who've had successful runs with a tv ensemble to disappear, if you think about it.  Maybe a couple of stars from each show will resurface over time, but in terms of % of cast, most of them seem to remain out of the limelight but are no doubt happily cashing checks.  You can happily live off residuals from a syndicated show as I understand it.  I'm just saying the cast isn't fucked if the show's cancelled.  They're all probably better off, since perception/image is everything in this business.  'No work' can definitely be preferable to 'bad work' in the entertainment biz.

[SNeaker]

That really all depends on how well they manage their money and what their expectations for the future are. If they think they're going to automatically get steady work again because they were once on a hit show, and it doesn't pan out (as is usually the case), well...

[dizzyizzy01]

Also the residuals for the majority of the cast probably isn't great.  They were all basically unknowns when they signed on and obviously the production didn't care too much about them when they let most of them leave or pushed them out of the door.  Except for Lea, Chris, Jane, Matt and I guess Darren, they viewed the majority of them as disposable.  It's not like the cast of friends or something big like that.  I mean, I don't think they'd starve or anything, but they'd still probably need to work.  Most people don't realize how much management, agents, etc. take out of earnings.

[fakeempress]

 

Darren will not be able to do a musical long term, not even medium term. His voice suffered a lot during only that 3 week Broadway stint, and it was also audible after his summer tour last year that he just doesn't have the voice nor the proper techniques to sing weeks, let alone months intensively day after day.

This is less of an issue in pop/rock than on Broadway. Lots of pop/rock acts are not perfect every night on their tours, and some just sound crap live (e.g. Katy Perry) but if they have a fan base and reasonably deliver something to this fan base, they can sustain a longer tour. So, in Darren's case I don't see it as an issue outside Broadway. 

 

I don't think it's about financial security; it's about whether lightning will strike twice for any of the glee cast to get a comparable success in other projects.

 

Yeah, quite a few TV actors with iconic roles have a hard time with similarly successful follow-up projects, some even for years. And often it's not the expected ones that get the movie career, like I don't think people expected Amanda Seyfried to become the successful movie actress she is before Kristen Bell, etc. etc. 

 

But at least I find this cast, for the most part, to be very hard working to create opportunities for themselves, which includes not shying away from less "prestigious" projects. 

 

Since Kevin was mentioned, I doubt he'll have much of a success as a recording artist although he has a good voice (I can't provide enough reasons beyond gut feeling), but I think he'd make a great talk show host if such an opportunity presents itself. I vaguely remember when he and Ashley Fink were guests at a radio talk show around Glee Live, and were utterly hilarious and very quick on their feet. 

Edited May 19, 2014 by fakeempress

[Anna Yolei]

Final ratings for 5x20: Glee - Season Finale 0.6/2 1.87m

Wow. Just...what can be added to that? Even when UPN was around, I don't think any show, including Enterprise in its last season on Fridays, ever pulled those numbers. And to think this once knocked off American Idol for top show.

But all falls on RM and co. I feel for the actors, but I wouldn't be shocked if the show gets officially canned in the next few weeks.

[tab19]

So what are the actual deadlines that would affect whether the show gets renewed and for how long?  I thought I read somewhere (I believe it was in an article about the Naya excitement) that the deadline for renewing the actor contracts for Season 6 is June 30.  But if that means someone (RIB? FOX?) would be on the hook for whatever guarantees are in those contracts - then can we assume at least SOME decisions about the existence/length of Season 6 would come before then?

[heyerchick]

TV Line:

 

Question: Any word on how long Glee’s final season will be? —Terry
Ausiello: Discussions regarding the exact episode count continue, but I hear it’ll be roughly 13 episodes.

 

[bravelittletoaster]

Which is about 21 too many.