Ratings, Scheduling, and Watching for Cancellation/Renewal

[Iamsweetdee]

This was the post by the same blog yesterday: http://brownsista.com/sexy-betsy-ross-is-coming-to-sleepy-hollow/

 

Ha at the tweets from the io9 recapper. 

[Trini]

This seemed the best place to bring this up. This could be nothing, but I noticed in the listings on The Futon Critic, the season premiere is labeled 302, while the second episode is 301. If they were filmed out of order, I wonder why?

Edited September 21, 2015 by Trini

[HalcyonDays]

This seemed the best place to bring this up. This could be nothing, but I noticed in the listings on The Futon Critic, the season premiere is labeled 302, while the second episode is 301. If they were filmed out of order, I wonder why?

 

I don't think it was filmed out of order. The show films two episodes at a time, for the most part. 301 I believe, means it was the first script written and finalized, 302 after. They filmed both at the same time, but just decided to air it in that particular order...I wouldn't worry....yet.

[possibilities]

Shows often shuffle order of airing, but I agree it's unusual to see that happen for a season premiere. I wouldn't necessarily worry about it, but it seems odd.

[HalcyonDays]

Is it wrong to be kinda happy about this?

 

TVLines ratings for FOX Monday. Minority Report took over SH's timespot.
 

FOX | Gotham (4.5 mil/1.6) was down sharply from its year-ago launch (8.2 mil/3.2) but was on par with its freshman finale (4.9 mil/1.7). Minority Report debuted to 3.1 mil/1.1, below any of Sleepy Hollow‘s Season 2 numbers.

 

I realize MR could still improve, but FOX, you are morons. You had something good. You should have left the timespot and promoted Sleepy. And think, that those numbers are lower than the worst mess episode of SH. Idiots (Fox is)

[phoenics]

Is it wrong to be kinda happy about this?

 

TVLines ratings for FOX Monday. Minority Report took over SH's timespot.

 

 

I realize MR could still improve, but FOX, you are morons. You had something good. You should have left the timespot and promoted Sleepy. And think, that those numbers are lower than the worst mess episode of SH. Idiots (Fox is)

After reading about how MR basically tried to copy Sleepy Hollow's formula by casting a black female lead and a white male lead and pushing that rather than the lightning in the bottle magic they have/had with Ichabbie and Sleepy Hollow, I feel vindicated.

I like Megan Goode - but nope. Most fans probably stayed away because it felt like an Almost Human (or whatever that show was called) repeat, with the futuristic stuff. The promos felt bland and all I could see when I looked at Megan Good was Nicole Beharie's Abbie, who I think is better anyway. And the male co-star on MR just seemed bland to me.

Nice try FOX. Now why don't you try actively promoting Sleepy Hollow and restoring that show to greatness?

Idiots.

Also - Gotham is on a path to end up where Sleepy Hollow was at the end of it's S2 as well. Fox needs to get it together. I really hope SH opens to big numbers on Thursday. I'm skipping Scandal (DVR'ing it) and watching SH.

Ya'll know how big that is for me, lol.

Edited September 22, 2015 by phoenics

[jhlipton]

Is it wrong to be kinda happy about this?

 

TVLines ratings for FOX Monday. Minority Report took over SH's timespot.

 

No, I'm not happy, an neither should anyone else be

 

After reading about how MR basically tried to copy Sleepy Hollow's formula by casting a black female lead and a white male lead 

 

Other than the BFWM leads, I didn't think MR was anything like SH.  Nor did I think it was like AH.  I loved the characters, the story worked for me, and we could use more WOC leads (and, for once, it's clear the WOCe is the lead).  It had a light air to it, and I liked that it's a stop-the-murder mystery.  The male co-lead was gawky and interesting and the supporting characters are also better than AH.

 

No reason we can't root for both!

 

=====================================================================

ETA: There is no, zero, zilch chance of a She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named character sucking (up airtime).  Dash has only his brother and sisteras family so no DFD, either.  That means that all the focus will be on the lead pair.

Edited September 24, 2015 by jhlipton

[phoenics]

No reason we can't root for both!

I can root for MG and still be angry at Fox suits for running the same con that they did with SH. I love MG, but I don't like how they've set it up with a "No we will NEVER go there!" attitude toward the two leads. I watched Roeswood last night and it wasn't good either - and worse, clearly they are setting up the black male lead to lust after his white/passes for white latina female lead.

I hate the message it sends. When it's a black female lead - no way does she get to be paired with her costar. Unless Shonda is writing.

I know the shows are theoretically different from SH, but they still tried the same FORMULA - straight laced cop paired with quirky weird out of time guy.

It bothers me that they promoted this show - and seem to be trying to "do over" SH and kill off any shipping at all - rather than work with the cash cow they HAD with SH, but killed by trying to kill interest in the insane chemistry of its leads.

That is what my comparison was about.

ETA: There is no, zero, zilch chance of a She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named character sucking (up airtime).  Dash has only his brother and sisteras family so no DFD, either.  That means that all the focus will be on the lead pair.

Let's not be naive. There are plenty of ways to disrupt this and bring in a Katrina character. Especially if the suits get the idea that the fans are shipping to two leads.

[jhlipton]

1) I know the shows are theoretically different from SH, but they still tried the same FORMULA - straight laced cop paired with quirky weird out of time guy.

2) the cash cow they HAD with SH.

3) Let's not be naive. There are plenty of ways to disrupt this and bring in a Katrina character. Especially if the suits get the idea that the fans are shipping to two leads.

 

1) Dash is not an out-of-time guy.  He is a guy from his own time who has just been isolated.  It's the visions that set him apart more than the "it's the FUTURE!!!!" (it's only been 20 years since he was removed from the world).  Arthur and Agatha were also isolated, but because they don't see the "What", they are coping with the future better.

 

2) SH is a cash cow?  Sorry, but not that I see.  The comic is being done by a small independent company (Dark Horse is the "official" company for TV series).  I don't see Ich and Abbie "pop" dolls or bobble-heads.  So where is this "cash" flowing in?

 

3) I guess. But while some random woman could sideline Vega, it would be much more random, rather than a character they set up at the get-go.  Moreover, I don't know who the suits behind this show are -- they may have a totally different agenda than what you think.

 

I'm certainly willing to give another [hot] black actress a try.

 

(It just occurred to me that Sands isn't "hot" like Mison.  Could that be coloring your opinion, just a little?)

[phoenics]

1) Dash is not an out-of-time guy.  He is a guy from his own time who has just been isolated.  It's the visions that set him apart more than the "it's the FUTURE!!!!" (it's only been 20 years since he was removed from the world).  Arthur and Agatha were also isolated, but because they don't see the "What", they are coping with the future better.

I think when we make that comparison - we mean someone who lost time and has to readjust to everything being different and the world moving on without you. Plus, he spent all that time being isolated anyway, so he kinda is like a man out of time. He has to adjust to a new world and has his sassy black female helper to help him. It really is similar in that regard.

2) SH is a cash cow?  Sorry, but not that I see.  The comic is being done by a small independent company (Dark Horse is the "official" company for TV series).  I don't see Ich and Abbie "pop" dolls or bobble-heads.  So where is this "cash" flowing in?

*sighs* You know I meant cash cow symbolically - as in most shows would KILL to have their two leads with chemistry like that. Instead they spit on it. It probably could have become a real cash cow if they'd actually let it do its thing instead of trying to destroy it with adding random cock blocking insurance to the show (that tanked the show instead).

3) I guess. But while some random woman could sideline Vega, it would be much more random, rather than a character they set up at the get-go.  Moreover, I don't know who the suits behind this show are -- they may have a totally different agenda than what you think.

They're from Hollywood. And where Hollywood is concerned with black female actresses - the agenda is always what I think. Unless it's produced in the UK (Merlin), or based in comic canon (The Flash - although I still think they'd throw Iris West over in a heartbeat if they thought they could get away with it). You can call me cynical or not - for me it's just the reality.

I'm certainly willing to give another [hot] black actress a try.

 

Exactly! So why wouldn't they "go there" with their two leads?

(It just occurred to me that Sands isn't "hot" like Mison.  Could that be coloring your opinion, just a little?)

I wouldn't call Mison hot, lol. He has a certain charm. So does Sands. And I'm not against the show, please understand. What I'm against is the blatant attitude the suits seem to take with shows with black female leads with white co-stars unless it happens to be a Shonda produced show. They really don't get it and seem actively engaged in trying to kill it - all the while pretending to recreate it.

My beef with MR isn't about Megan or Sands. It's more the mindset behind it. They refused to promote Sleepy Hollow - probably because the fanbase has too many Ichabbie shippers, which they CLEARLY don't want. And then they try to recreate the partner chemistry with MR, using a similar "man having to readjust to a strange time with a trusty helper at his side", but then they want to MAKE SURE no one ships them, so they preemptively squash that notion as quickly as possible in the press.

Contrast that to the obvious "we want them to be a couple!" roving eyes stuff in the Rosewood premiere, where clearly they are okay with us shipping that and you might understand where I'm coming from. Black men are okay as being involved in tv - when they are with other non-black women (unless it's a black produced show like Empire). But black women don't get the same treatment. It's frustrating and it still supports a tropey black woman narrative (too busy for a man, too strong for a man, too much for a man) that I'm sick of.

God I'm so exhausted.

Btw, Rosewood really sucked. Which was a shame because I love Morris Chestnut.

[jhlipton]

1) I think when we make that comparison - we mean someone who lost time and has to readjust to everything being different and the world moving on without you. Plus, he spent all that time being isolated anyway, so he kinda is like a man out of time. He has to adjust to a new world and has his sassy black female helper to help him. It really is similar in that regard.

2) *sighs* You know I meant cash cow symbolically - as in most shows would KILL to have their two leads with chemistry like that. Instead they spit on it. It probably could have become a real cash cow if they'd actually let it do its thing instead of trying to destroy it with adding random cock blocking insurance to the show (that tanked the show instead).

3) They're from Hollywood. And where Hollywood is concerned with black female actresses - the agenda is always what I think. Unless it's produced in the UK (Merlin), or based in comic canon (The Flash - although I still think they'd throw Iris West over in a heartbeat if they thought they could get away with it). You can call me cynical or not - for me it's just the reality.

4) Black men are okay as being involved in tv - when they are with other non-black women (unless it's a black produced show like Empire).

1) Ok, I can see that. I still don't think Crane and Dash are all that similar, and Vega is certainly lighter than Abby. If this show goes down, we're just going to get two bland white leads like the Blindspot [ugh].  ["sassy" has such a history -- I'd never use it, myself.  I'd not describe Abby or Vega as "sassy".  Wanda Sykes is the prototype for that role, I think.]

2) Sorry, but no I didn't. I've never heard "cash cow" like before -- it's reserved for something like Empire that generates a ton of money for the studio.  I'm not sure what word or phrase I'd use for Mison and Beharie's amazing chemistry but "cash cow" isn't one of them.

 

3) I took a look at the producers. Minority Report shares three Executive Producers with Extant -- a show that not only was extremely diverse, but also had a black woman who had romantic relations with 4 men (1 black, 3 white):  Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank and some nobody named Steven Spielberg...  With "Hollywood suits" like these, I'm willing to give it a chance. 

[phoenics]

1) Ok, I can see that. I still don't think Crane and Dash are all that similar, and Vega is certainly lighter than Abby. If this show goes down, we're just going to get two bland white leads like the Blindspot [ugh].  ["sassy" has such a history -- I'd never use it, myself.  I'd not describe Abby or Vega as "sassy".  Wanda Sykes is the prototype for that role, I think.]

2) Sorry, but no I didn't. I've never heard "cash cow" like before -- it's reserved for something like Empire that generates a ton of money for the studio.  I'm not sure what word or phrase I'd use for Mison and Beharie's amazing chemistry but "cash cow" isn't one of them.

 

3) I took a look at the producers. Minority Report shares three Executive Producers with Extant -- a show that not only was extremely diverse, but also had a black woman who had romantic relations with 4 men (1 black, 3 white):  Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank and some nobody named Steven Spielberg...  With "Hollywood suits" like these, I'm willing to give it a chance.

Isn't Steven Spielberg on it because he produced the MR movie? And Halle Berry has already crossed over - she's done so much already in Hollywood that she's transcended the limitations usually ascribed to Black women.

Edited September 25, 2015 by phoenics

[jhlipton]

Isn't Steven Spielberg on it because he produced the MR movie? And Halle Berry has already crossed over - she's done so much already in Hollywood that she's transcended the limitations usually ascribed to Black women.

 

I don't know how much Spielberg will be involved...  Hard to say.  The point is that these "suits" are used to a black woman with a normal sex life.  These are not Mark Guffman.  I am going to "hope for the best; prepare for less".  

 

Of course, if all people hear is negative ("it's a bad copy of Sleepy Hollow" for example, then we'll never know will we.  And the other suits will say "Another cancelled because of a black female lead.  Maybe we can get ==bland blonde== to be the star of our next show!"

 

===================================================================

 

ETA:  I Tweeted this to Executive Producer Max Borenstein  (@MAXBORENSTEIN):

Please, please PLEASE give Ms Vega some romance!  We **NEVER** see black women with normal sex lives.  Time to break the mold

 

 

And he favorited it! Maybe there is some hope!

Edited September 25, 2015 by jhlipton

[phoenics]

Awwwww that was sweet of you! I hope he listens!!

[jhlipton]

Awwwww that was sweet of you! I hope he listens!!

Thanks -- me, too!

[CabotCove]

The promos felt bland and all I could see when I looked at Megan Good was Nicole Beharie's Abbie, who I think is better anyway.

 

I thought she looked familiar.

 

Also - Gotham is on a path to end up where Sleepy Hollow was at the end of it's S2 as well. Fox needs to get it together.

 

Why move SH to Thursday when it was  struggling  last season in a less competitive slot , why would you have 2 DC comics shows, Gotham and Supergirl clash on Monday. It almost seem like the big networks sabotage themselves on purpose. They give very little support/promotion to their shows, they think of pulling the plug before a show has a chance to find its feet. Its funny when CW  has become the smartest network around. 

Edited September 26, 2015 by WildcardC

[allyw]

Megan Good and Necole Beharie looks nothing alike so I don't see why there's a comparison and being happy that Minority Report started bad. Anyway both shows will be cancelled seeing as Sleepy Hollow only got a 1.0

[benteen]

I had a feeling.  Once you bleed off ratings like that, you never recover from it.

[Morrigan2575]

Yep.  It's very hard to get viewers back once you bleed them off the way they did in S2.  

[Ann Mack]

I'm still saying FOX needs to move Sleepy Hollow to Tuesday in "Scream Queens" slot but I know they won't. It's like the network is trying to have Sleepy Hollow fail. You don't put a show that was struggling in its second season up against such stables as "Scandal" and "Blacklist" who have solid fanbases. Doesn't look good for a fourth season for Sleepy Hollow if they don't pull up these numbers: http://headlineplanet.com/home/2015/10/02/overnight-ratings-foxs-bones-returns-sleepy-hollow-struggles/

 

Scream Queens started off bad and is still doing bad but the network is doing all it can to spin their numbers, I wonder if they are going to put as much effort and spin into Sleepy Hollow?

 

This just pisses me off because the show seems to be on the path to recovery but when you're up against ABC's "TGIT" and NBC with "Blacklist" that path get harder to tow!

 

BTW these snotty little comments are also pissing me off. I'm just pissed because I know Sleepy Hollow deserves better than what they got from FOX in promotion and the time slot they gave them. Ugh the struggle to maintain my composure is real: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/10/02/tv-ratings-thursday-sleepy-hollow-premieres-way-down-bones-the-blacklist-climb/474974/

Edited October 2, 2015 by Ann Mack

[Miss Dee]

Dammit, dammit, dammit. I did allow myself to hope. I can only cross fingers that enough shows on Fox do worse and/or enough people hung back to get the general consensus and/or the DVR numbers are huge and/or there's a scheduling change for the better.

Dammit.

[Morrigan2575]

I'm still saying FOX needs to move Sleepy Hollow to Tuesday in "Scream Queens" slot but I know they want. It's like the network is trying to have Sleepy Hollow fail. You don't put a show that was struggling in its second season up against such stables as "Scandal" and "Blacklist" who have solid fanbases. Doesn't look good for a fourth season for Sleepy Hollow if they don't pull up these numbers: http://headlineplane...llow-struggles/

 

You think putting it on Tuesdays against genre shows like  iZombie and Agents of SHIELD is giving Sleepy Hollow a chance to thrive?

 

Blacklist is struggling, it was struggling last season, so I wouldn't exactly call it a powerhouse. Scandal might be a powerhouse but it's not a genre show.  They have a better shot against a drama than they do against AoS and iZombie, IMO

Edited October 2, 2015 by Morrigan2575

[icewolf]

From Marc Berman:

8:00 p.m.

Fox – Bones (season premiere)

Viewers: 6.01 million (#3), A18-49: 1.3/ 5 (#4)

8:30 p.m.

Fox – Bones (season premiere)

Viewers: 6.11 million (#3), A18-49: 1.3/ 4 (#4)

———-

9:00 p.m.

ABC – Scandal

Viewers: 9.01 million (#2), A18-49: 2.8/ 9 (#2)

CBS – NFL Thursday Night Football (Baltimore Ravens at the Pittsburgh Steelers)

Viewers: 15.43 million (#1), A18-49: 5.1/16 (#1)

NBC – The Blacklist (season premiere)

Viewers: 7.73 million (#3), A18-49: 1.9/ 6 (#3)

Fox – Sleepy Hollow (season premiere)

Viewers: 3.72 million (#4), A18-49: 1.1/ 3 (#4)

CW – Arrow ®

Viewers: 898,000 (#5), A18-49: 0.3/ 1 (#5)

———-

9:30 p.m.

ABC – Scandal

Viewers: 9.17 million (#2), A18-49: 2.9/ 9 (#2)

CBS – NFL Thursday Night Football (Baltimore Ravens at the Pittsburgh Steelers)

Viewers: 14.48 million (#1), A18-49: 5.0/15 (#1)

NBC – The Blacklist (season premiere)

Viewers: 7.46 million (#3), A18-49: 1.7/ 3 (#3)

Fox – Sleepy Hollow (season premiere)

Viewers: 3.39 million (#4), A18-49: 0.9/ 3 (#4)

CW – Arrow ®

Viewers: 884,000 (#5), A18-49: 0.3/ 1 (#5)

———-

http://www.tvmediainsights.com/forum/topic/thursday-100115-4/

That 0.2 demo decease during the second half hour of Sleepy Hollow was huge. People just left for some reason.

[Enero]

That 0.2 demo decease during the second half hour of Sleepy Hollow was huge. People just left for some reason.

The some reason was that the premiere just wasn't that great. It wasn't a bad episode, but nothing about it would get viewers pumped for the rest of the season. I don't think banishing the horseman in the first 5 minutes helped matters either.

[Morrigan2575]

That 0.2 demo decease during the second half hour of Sleepy Hollow was huge. People just left for some reason.

That's is an unusually high drop. I actually wonder if the 1.1 in the first half hour was due to over run? Anyone know if Bones went to 9:01? If not then yeah it seems like people gave it a shot and lost interest. Not a good sign at al.

Edited October 2, 2015 by Morrigan2575

[Ann Mack]

You think putting it on Tuesdays against genre shows like  iZombie and Agents of SHIELD is giving Sleepy Hollow a chance to thrive?

 

Blacklist is struggling, it was struggling last season, so I wouldn't exactly call it a powerhouse. Scandal might be a powerhouse but it's not a genre show.  They have a better shot against a drama than they do against AoS and iZombie, IMO

I forgot AoS returned. I need to watch the premiere.I haven't watched an episode of IZombie I didn't know it had a huge fan base. But yes, this is true because I definitely would watch AoS over Scream Queens. So maybe not Scream Queens time slot. I guess when all is said and done its best to hope it regains some of its fan base. I think I may also just be pissed at the amount of promotion the network has given Scream Queens even with an additional night of viewing, spinning the numbers and all and very little of that to Sleepy Hollow I'm not sure about any other FOX show promotion. However, I did read somewhere wish I could find that article were someone stated "Fox spent an ungodly amount of money on promoting Scream Queens" I guess now they are just trying to get some return on all of their output dollars. Here's to hoping Sleepy Hollow numbers rises, the fan base returns, and if it continues to be as good as the premiere they get a fourth season!

Edited October 2, 2015 by Ann Mack

[icewolf]

That's is an unusually high drop. I actually wonder if the 1.1 in the first half hour was due to over run? Anyone know if Bones went to 9:01? If not then yeah it seems like people gave it a shot and lost interest. Not a good sign at al.

Bones isn't listed as going to 9:01 according to Tvbythenumbers.

Actually Bones did pretty well, down 0.3 from last premiere but up 0.2 from it's last season finale. It is one of FOX's most consistent rated shows, even though they keep moving it all over the schedule, not surprised it is in its 11th season now. Maybe it was all the blood David Boreanaz drank while he was a vampire that led to the show to get such good luck?

[HalcyonDays]

Fox – Sleepy Hollow (season premiere)

Viewers: 3.39 million (#4), A18-49: 0.9/ 3 (#4)

 

Not as bad as I thought it would be, considering the competition and the lack of promotion. I've seen tons of comments in posts linking to promos, that were essentially "Wait, the show is not cancelled??" I think lots of people thought it was cancelled. Plus the lack of promo and negative feelings over season 2 and the pre-set notions of the first episode probably made people not want to watch live. Also, some people probably chose Scandal over SH, so I will be interested to see what the Live +3 and Live +7 numbers will be.

 

And I'll admit it - I started watching the show at 9:40 pm, after the first two quarters of Football. Granted, my TV doesn't contribute to those TV numbers, but you know what I mean.

[Julia]

Did you DVR the Blacklist last night? Because if that many people are still watching the Blacklist, they won't be soon.

[HalcyonDays]

Did you DVR the Blacklist last night? Because if that many people are still watching the Blacklist, they won't be soon.

 

Are you asking me, or someone else? No, I didn't DVR The Blacklist. I never watched it, and never watched Bones or Scandal either (but I'll watch the Bones crossover). I guess something happened on that show that people will stop watching now?

[icewolf]

I wonder when FOX will announce that Sleepy Hollow will move to Fridays?

Being on Fridays means less pressure to get high ratings. FOX managed to get 2 extra seasons out of Fridge after the move, and Grimm will hit 100 episodes this season with so and so ratings on Fridays that would have been unacceptable any other day of the week.

I imagine FOX will try to save this show instead of just letting it sink since they have a stake in it, they are making the show.

[Amethyst]

However, I did read somewhere wish I could find that article were someone stated "Fox spent an ungodly amount of money on promoting Scream Queens" I guess now they are just trying to get some return on all of their output dollars. 

 

I believe it without even seeing the article.  The promo for Scream Queens was insane.  I honestly can't remember a recent show that got this much hype.  There were round-the-clock ads and interviews on Fox and its affiliates, billboards, and posters.  They ran that godawful interview with Jamie Lee Curtis on VoD at least once an hour.  I went from being "Eh, who cares" about SQ to "Screw this" just based on the obnoxious ads alone.  I figured the premiere of SQ would do well even without the promo because it's a Ryan Murphy vehicle.  Whether it would sustain high numbers I can't say, but I wasn't worried about the opener.

 

Yet Sleepy Hollow, which was miraculously renewed at the 11th hour, gets no hype until the very last minute, no publicized interviews with the new showrunner or cast, and then they wonder why people didn't tune in?  Why look forward to it when the public doesn't even know it's coming back?  The new time slot is bad enough.  I know Scandal had a big night last night, so I'm guessing people won't be turning away for a few weeks.  

 

Fox could afford to spread some of those advertising dollars around but once again, SH got the shaft.

[fantique]

Question:

If Sleepy Hollow could be picked up by another network (broadcast, cable, streaming service, whatever), where would you want it to be? And the showrunner could be whoever you want it to be as well.

 

I have been thinking about this for a while. I don't know networks too well and I rarely know what show is on which network unless it's  an HBO show since I have HBO now. 

[Iamsweetdee]

Fox could afford to spread some of those advertising dollars around but once again, SH got the shaft.

 

How did a three year old show which shot itself in the foot get the shaft?  The idiots that ran SH did this to the show, no one else. 

[Julia]

Are you asking me, or someone else? No, I didn't DVR The Blacklist. I never watched it, and never watched Bones or Scandal either (but I'll watch the Bones crossover). I guess something happened on that show that people will stop watching now?

 

I just think a lot of people are going to stop watching the Blacklist, at least on broadcast, because the premiere was even more impenetrable and pointless than last season.

[DJG1122]

I've talked to several Sleepyheads who didn't watch last night because they didn't know it was on.

Wonder if FOX was waiting to see how SH would do last night before spending money promoting it.

Edited October 2, 2015 by DJG1122

[HalcyonDays]

Question:

If Sleepy Hollow could be picked up by another network (broadcast, cable, streaming service, whatever), where would you want it to be? And the showrunner could be whoever you want it to be as well.

 

I have been thinking about this for a while. I don't know networks too well and I rarely know what show is on which network unless it's  an HBO show since I have HBO now. 

 

Hands down, AMC. They won't be hobbled by regular network censorship, so they can be as scary and gory as possible (a la Walking Dead), and also allow for more crude language to be used (like, a demon's coming for ya, it's "Holy Shit!", not "Oh damn"). Also, AMC promotes its show well, so SH could use that.

 

I just think a lot of people are going to stop watching the Blacklist, at least on broadcast, because the premiere was even more impenetrable and pointless than last season.

 

From reading some comments elsewhere, I can see this actually. Same with Scandal, if it goes off the rails, people will bail.

 

And you never know. Ratings may slowly go up, like what happened with Empire last year. Word of mouth gets out that the show is still around, and the episode reviews are positive, that maybe some people will come back, or choose SH instead of the other shows.

[Amethyst]

How did a three year old show which shot itself in the foot get the shaft?  The idiots that ran SH did this to the show, no one else. 

 

I'm not solely blaming Fox for what's happened to SH, but ignoring the show until a week before the season opener doesn't help, either.  I've been reading comments like "I didn't know it was back on" and "I didn't even know it had been renewed!" and so forth.  If nothing else, viewers needed reminders that SH was moved to Thursdays since that's such a competitive time slot.  If last season had been a raging success, then I would say ads and etc really wouldn't be necessary, but it was a shitty season, so the show needs all the help it can get.  

[Rina99]

It wasn't one thing, but a combination of factors.  Many people not liking Season 2, it being off the air since February, moving it to a new night, a lack of promotion...

 

Maybe the show could have survived one, but not all of them.  

[benteen]

I wonder when FOX will announce that Sleepy Hollow will move to Fridays?

Being on Fridays means less pressure to get high ratings. FOX managed to get 2 extra seasons out of Fridge after the move, and Grimm will hit 100 episodes this season with so and so ratings on Fridays that would have been unacceptable any other day of the week.

I imagine FOX will try to save this show instead of just letting it sink since they have a stake in it, they are making the show.

 

Speaking of shows I thought were cancelled, Grimm is still on?

 

AMC picking up Sleepy Hollow would be nice but a pipedream.  I could see TNT or even an online distributor like Amazon.

[icewolf]

Speaking of shows I thought were cancelled, Grimm is still on?

Yes, even though the previous Grimm season was horrible. Their writers also did the whole lead female character turns evil plot, and the writers and actress completely botched it.

The SH and Grimm group of writers both apparently went to the school of crappy writing last year.

[Watermelon]

Actually I could absolutely see TNT picking up Sleepy Hollow, and putting it with the Librarians.

[Moonsky]

The season 3 premiere ratings are realistic considering that FOX didn’t do much of anything to help promote SH during the long off season. FOX should be content with the 3.6 million live viewers & 1.0 demo.  It’s what I expected the ratings to be like after they didn’t even do what would be considered adequate promo for a show coming off a bad season & that was also moving to a new day. After hardly any promo, I thought the live viewers would be around 3.2 million viewers. I did expect the 1.0 demo though. 

 

SH is the only show that I’ve watched over the last few years where people continuously think the show has been cancelled. It happened when the show was still on Monday & it continues with the show being on Thursday because the promo for this show gets worse with each season that goes by.  It’s not just about how much money you spend on promo but how you do it. FOX & TPTB at SH for the most part don’t promote this show in the proper ways.

 

The days of SH having the chance to be a hit fantasy show with mainstream appeal ended during the first half of season 2. After a bad season 2 though, FOX still had a chance to get what would be good ratings for them if they did a better job through proper promo by notifying people that the show had not been cancelled & that it was on a new night. If FOX had promoted the show over the last few months by doing some combination of traditional & social media promotion, then the ratings would’ve been better. For example months leading up to the season 3 premiere, they could have done a few of the following:

 

1.) Run radio spots on local/national stations.
2.) Run commercials on their own damn network, the SYFY network, & other cable channels.
3.) Put up some billboards at bus/train stations.
4.) Place ads on websites like yahoo (SH did this during season 1 & other shows still continue to do it years after their shows debut season) so that when people sign in for their email they see a reminder to watch SH on Thursdays.
5.) Interviews with the cast in magazines geared towards women & men.
6.) Interviews with the cast on morning talk shows closer to the premiere date (it would've probably been harder to book them on late night talk shows after a bad season 2)

 

If some of the above examples were done consistently throughout the long offseason then I could have pictured the season 3 premiere pulling in anywhere from 4 to 4.5 million live viewers & demos of 1.2-1.4.  However, a media push a week before the season 3 premiere after a terrible season 2 (plus a lot of people had already set their viewing schedule by then) isn’t going to cut it if you have serious expectations for the type of ratings that would be considered good for a FOX show. After seeing the effort that FOX put into promo during the offseason, they would’ve been absolute fools if they really expected better ratings than what they got for the SH season 3 premiere. However some of the good reviews from the press & fans after the premiere (plus if they get good DVR numbers for it) might lead them to increase their promo a bit more to help bring up the ratings for future episodes.

[stealinghome]

tbh I can't imagine TPTB at Fox were expecting much better ratings than what the premiere got. They put it up against FOOTBALL and Shondaland, ffs. Any show on Fox is not going to thrive in that timeslot. I think the question is really, did they put SH on Thursdays to bury it, or because they're okay with it not doing so hot and wanted a lower-expectations time slot?

 

I'm curious to see what the ratings will do when CBS stops carrying Thursday Night Football at the end of the month. I'm wondering if it's those ratings that determine whether a show comes back or not.

[possibilities]

The only reason I caught this episode was because my DVR picked it up automatically. I've been waiting for it, and watching for ads, but I had not seen any-- not a single promo! I think once word gets out that the show is back, maybe more people will watch it. I also think they should re-air the season premiere at another time, and also promote its availability on-line, so people can catch up.

[vanarnd1]

I will admit I though the Thursday move would benefit the show or at least be neutral, but losing Gotham as a lead in and the fact that Scandal has bounced back in the ratings has not helped things. Still, I was hoping for around a 1.4 to match the season 2 finale and was dissapointed with the result for the first episode.

 

Like others have said, I think the hope is that due to the lack of promotion and the timeslot change, there is actually room to grow from the premiere if people get back into the show. Even if it mostly can stay stable for a while, that could give it a chance considering the rest of FOX dramas. Only Empire is really a lock for renewal at this point, and a network produced show like Sleepy Hollow in its third season could still be an attractive option at season's end if the show can improve.

 

I do think though it is worthwhile to assume there is a good chance that this could be the last season. And if this does end up being the case, at least the show should get a chance to air all of the episodes due to the lack of replacement options FOX has to air in its place. If the writers have advance knowledge, hopefully they can write a satisfactory ending to the series.

[HalcyonDays]

Whoa! That's a helluva jump! Bodes well for Sleepy, especially those who may now actually realize the show is back! Excellent!!

 

[Miss Dee]

*breathes sigh of relief*

[DeLurker]

Would you please translate what that means (use small words) for me?  I gather it is a good thing about the ratings, but not sure how to interpret the secret code.

[phoenics]

Whoa! That's a helluva jump! Bodes well for Sleepy, especially those who may now actually realize the show is back! Excellent!!

 

HOLY CRAP!

WOW!

ETA: I literally started bopping around and somehow ended up whipping and nae nae-ing.

Edited October 6, 2015 by phoenics