The Storybrooke Daily Mirror: OUaT in the Media, Cons and Other Real Life Encounters

[Free]

4 hours ago, maryle said:

Not sure if rating still go here, but 2,47 viewers and stay at .5 for a very hype episode! I really dont see how that can be a good news! 

It's not, not to mention that these hype episodes are happening within the first few episodes, not leaving much for the rest of the season.

[Camera One]

Maybe they should had Rumbelle as Episode 3.  "A Path of Forking Mess" or whatever that was called really ruined the momentum.  That could have delayed the ratings plunge for one week, maybe?

Edited October 28, 2017 by Camera One

[ParadoxLost]

21 hours ago, Free said:

It's not, not to mention that these hype episodes are happening within the first few episodes, not leaving much for the rest of the season.

There aren't hype episodes any more.  No one really cares enough to promote it.  The only viewers figuring out that their are episodes featuring former cast are people that still care enough to go on line or read articles about the show, actively seeking them out.  I haven't really randomly stumbled across any promotion since S7EP1.

Realistically, the show probably alienated all of Rumbelle's fans long ago and there weren't many who would watch to see how Belle and Rumple parted that weren't already watching the show because Rumple is still on it.

I think they are losing two types of viewers, Captain Swan and people who stuck around because Regina, Hook, and Rumple were still on.  I doubt there were very many new viewers that sampled the show again because they were rebooting.

Captain Swan fans got closure.  Fans of Regina, Hook, and Rumple are likley baffled that that they are getting the Snowing treatment.  In that A&E have a shiny new toy and are mostly ignoring the fan favorites.  Neither group have been given an alternate reason to stick around with Henry and Cinderella and the other newbies.

Frankly, the fact that they have decided to make Regina a background player for the majority of episodes so far with no story besides Henry/Cinderella cheerleader is as baffling as when they did it to Snow White.  Maybe more baffling because they did it to Snow White to favor Regina.

[KingOfHearts]

Quote

Frankly, the fact that they have decided to make Regina a background player for the majority of episodes so far with no story besides Henry/Cinderella cheerleader is as baffling as when they did it to Snow White.  Maybe more baffling because they did it to Snow White to favor Regina.

Making Regina a background player was a big mistake, imo. She has the biggest fanbase other than Captain Swan, and she has always competed with Emma to be the show's protagonist. She has enough going for her to pick up the reins and lead with a co-star (like Henry), but now she's just serving bad cocktails. As horribly written Regina has been over the years, she's way more popular than Jacinda will ever be.

[Rumsy4]

They sort of made Regina the unofficial lead in Season 6 with the amount of screen-time she got. And that didn't do anything for the season. As long as the storylines are terrible, not even the original cast can save the show.

[Camera One]

At this point, all they can do is to re-gain the fans who basically left after the CS episode.  One would think Regina fans would have hung on after that, but the ratings for "The Garden of Forking Paths" was low and it stayed low for Rumbelle.  Unless a lot of people are waiting to binge watch on Netflix.  One would think that Netflix is paying attention to ABC audience reaction since that would impact how many people would actually binge watch this season after the season premiere, and how many people would give up because they don't like what they see.

[KAOS Agent]

I was curious what the actual viewer number was on the half hour breakdown for "Beauty" since it's hard to evaluate what a .11 drop in the demo means in terms of total viewers changing channels. Once started with 2.78 million and dropped to 2.15 million in the second half. Over 600,000 viewers stopped watching mid show. Ouch. That also means that while the demo dropped 19%, the percentage of total viewers lost was higher at over 22%. 

Interestingly, last week started with roughly the same number of viewers and only dropped 400,000 in show. Who knows what people are thinking while watching the show. Whatever it is, people aren't being drawn in enough to care how the story is resolved. This has been a problem for more than this season, but at least previous seasons had higher audience numbers making the loss a little less obvious.

[orza]

Last week was not the world series. Some people changed channels to catch the last few innings of the game and the post-game coverage. Sports, especially big events, have an enormous impact on ratings. Shows like this one that are available within hours on Amazon, for example, pick up viewers in delayed viewing. So far OUAT has gotten a good lift in live+7 ratings.

Amazon, Netflix and foreign broadcasters don't publish their viewing numbers so it's hard for outsiders to get an accurate picture of how a show is really doing. There are shows like Quantico that are just limping along in network broadcast but are successful enough in other parts of the world and on other platforms that it is profitable and worthwhile to keep them in production.

[Free]

20 hours ago, ParadoxLost said:

There aren't hype episodes any more.  No one really cares enough to promote it.  The only viewers figuring out that their are episodes featuring former cast are people that still care enough to go on line or read articles about the show, actively seeking them out.  I haven't really randomly stumbled across any promotion since S7EP1.

Realistically, the show probably alienated all of Rumbelle's fans long ago and there weren't many who would watch to see how Belle and Rumple parted that weren't already watching the show because Rumple is still on it.

I think they are losing two types of viewers, Captain Swan and people who stuck around because Regina, Hook, and Rumple were still on.  I doubt there were very many new viewers that sampled the show again because they were rebooting.

Captain Swan fans got closure.  Fans of Regina, Hook, and Rumple are likley baffled that that they are getting the Snowing treatment.  In that A&E have a shiny new toy and are mostly ignoring the fan favorites.  Neither group have been given an alternate reason to stick around with Henry and Cinderella and the other newbies.

Frankly, the fact that they have decided to make Regina a background player for the majority of episodes so far with no story besides Henry/Cinderella cheerleader is as baffling as when they did it to Snow White.  Maybe more baffling because they did it to Snow White to favor Regina.

OuaT has always been a character centric show, so having a reboot that got rid of most of the cast was always a terrible idea from the very start since it's obvious they're the reason why most people even stuck around, especially for a series that was already declining.

Quote

I was curious what the actual viewer number was on the half hour breakdown for "Beauty" since it's hard to evaluate what a .11 drop in the demo means in terms of total viewers changing channels. Once started with 2.78 million and dropped to 2.15 million in the second half. Over 600,000 viewers stopped watching mid show. Ouch. That also means that while the demo dropped 19%, the percentage of total viewers lost was higher at over 22%. 

Interestingly, last week started with roughly the same number of viewers and only dropped 400,000 in show. Who knows what people are thinking while watching the show. Whatever it is, people aren't being drawn in enough to care how the story is resolved. This has been a problem for more than this season, but at least previous seasons had higher audience numbers making the loss a little less obvious.

It's been really bleeding out in terms of viewers, the half hours have been atrocious to say the least.

Edited October 30, 2017 by Free

[cappoe]

Want to see something attrocious, wait till the filler Tiana episodes ratings come in. It's a 0.4/0.3 for sure.

And also OUAT is getting a 2 hr episode, that is not gonna do well. People can't even handle one hour of this trash with tuning out after the first 30 minutes, 2 hrs, lol yikes.

[RulerofallIsurvey]

Two hours?  Two hours?  When?  What are they going to do for two hours?  Unless it's a parade of past characters (except Emma, of course.  :( )

[KingOfHearts]

On 10/29/2017 at 5:21 PM, Rumsy4 said:

They sort of made Regina the unofficial lead in Season 6 with the amount of screen-time she got. And that didn't do anything for the season. As long as the storylines are terrible, not even the original cast can save the show.

I disagree, since Regina didn't have an arc at all. (Other than the Robin grief.) The Evil Queen felt like her own character and while she had an arc, Regina fans couldn't really appreciate it. Absolutely everyone from every corner of the fandom hated Golden Queen, and Wish!Robin failed to impress Outlaw Queen shippers. I think S6 was the season A&E stopped caring about Current!Regina. They've given her nothing to do for herself in S7. With Emma out of the picture, there's room to make her more of a well-rounded, likable protagonist, but the writers have not taken the time nor effort.

[Rumsy4]

29 minutes ago, KingOfHearts said:

I disagree, since Regina didn't have an arc at all. (Other than the Robin grief.) The Evil Queen felt like her own character and while she had an arc, Regina fans couldn't really appreciate it.

Taking this to the all seasons thread.

[Souris]

7 hours ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

Two hours?  Two hours?  When?  What are they going to do for two hours?  Unless it's a parade of past characters (except Emma, of course.  :( )

Burning off eps?

[Shanna Marie]

9 hours ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

Two hours?  Two hours?  When?  What are they going to do for two hours?

Based on their prior patterns, either they'll severely pad an episode, throwing in leisurely walks and conversations, even though they're in mid-crisis, or they'll do a random one-off episode involving all guest characters, in spite of the first hour having been a major cliffhanger involving the main characters.

I'm looking forward to Henry and Roni having a leisurely chat about whether or not he should date Jacinda as they stroll toward desperately rescuing Lucy from imminent death at the hands of Victoria. Or else a day in the life of those cops who tease Rogers about being an Eagle Scout (or possibly Gideon's adventures at Not!Hogwarts) in an episode following one that ends with Rogers having discovered that his partner sees him as a mortal enemy and is about to hand him over to Victoria for leverage.

Edited October 31, 2017 by Shanna Marie
had another thought

[RolloTomasi]

They’ve done this before the week before the Thanksgiving break. In season 4 it was the two hour Snow Queen episode (featuring the brilliant scene where Snow makes Regina feel better about adultery) and season 5 aired Birth and whatever that awful Merida episode was (effectively killing any momentum the show might have gained from the Birth cliffhanger) together. 

[cappoe]

Yeah but back then they actually had a decent audience. Doing a 2 hr episode now is so risky because people are leaving the show in droves in a hour show by the half point, hows that gonna look in a 2 hr episode? They could easily be looking at a 0.3 by the mid season finale and that is god awful.

 

But this Tiana episode coming up which screams filler is probabl gonna get a 0.4.

[ParadoxLost]

5 hours ago, Souris said:

Burning off eps?

Probably making time for a longer winter break or maybe trying to wrap things up faster to put something else in one of the sweeps periods.

They've got a backlog of reality competitions on deck which seemed like enough to populate an entire second schedule.  No idea when they are supposed to be on.  But I know at least some of them are supposed to counter program the winter Olympics, like the Winter Games version of Bachelor. There is also a Jr version of Dancing with the Stars,  American Idol. Both the Bachelor and the Bachelorette, I think.  To Tell the Truth in the Spring some time.  Quantico at some point.  And Agents of Shield.  I know that wasn't all but that's all I remember.

Its going to require that full season fall shows leave the schedule for significant chunks of time.  More than the usual, mid season /award season breaks.  The limited series leaving aren't going to open enough slots with a lot of those competition shows typically having multiple hours or airings per week.

[RolloTomasi]

1 hour ago, cappoe said:

Yeah but back then they actually had a decent audience. Doing a 2 hr episode now is so risky because people are leaving the show in droves in a hour show by the half point, hows that gonna look in a 2 hr episode? They could easily be looking at a 0.3 by the mid season finale and that is god awful.

 

But this Tiana episode coming up which screams filler is probabl gonna get a 0.4.

Yes, I understand the ratings are bad. You mention it in every single post. Regardless, this isn’t about burning off episodes. They aren’t airing a  new episode the day after Thanksgiving. This isn’t anything new. It happens every single year. The schedule gets wacky this time of year due to awards shows, mid season breaks, etc. The ratings have nothing to do with the two hour episode. 

[MadyGirl1987]

Grown-up Baby Robin has been cast.

[Writing Wrongs]

Ugh. This whole Once Upon A Time: The Next Generation is getting annoying. It's like Disney's The Descendants. If they wanted to do that, they should've just shown the old cast in flashbacks and had the new curse be done by someone of the new generation. Then they wouldn't have to try to explain all the age differences.

[RedKeep]

On 1.11.2017 at 3:56 AM, RolloTomasi said:

Yes, I understand the ratings are bad. You mention it in every single post. Regardless, this isn’t about burning off episodes. They aren’t airing a  new episode the day after Thanksgiving. This isn’t anything new. It happens every single year. The schedule gets wacky this time of year due to awards shows, mid season breaks, etc. The ratings have nothing to do with the two hour episode. 

Thanks. I get the frustration over the show being renewed after s6 and the state it's now in. I really do. But there's no need to get unreasonable over small things like such scheduling decisions because of a desire to see everything as proof of how much it's failing.

Edited November 2, 2017 by RedKeep

[maryle]

For now still .5 but viewers is 2,36.

[cappoe]

So it's still bleeding viewers slowly. I'd estimate by the 2 hr episode it'll drop to a 0.4 or 0.3.

 

Once Upon a Time .................. 0.486 ... (0.515 ... 0.457)"

The unroundeds so it's basically at a 0.4 right now. It'll be likely at that level next week which is Regina's centric episode which is hilarious.

[KAOS Agent]

Half hour breakdown of total viewership for "Greenbacks": 2.63 ... 2.09. They started out with about a quarter million fewer viewers than last week and lost almost the same amount they did last week in the back half. They're going to drop below a two million viewers in the next week or two. I don't know where all these viewers are going, but MacGyver picked up viewers in its back half of the same time slot, so it's not like all shows lose over a half million viewers mid episode. Even Inhumans managed to retain most of its audience, only losing 100,000.

I know that Live+7 isn't all that important, but it's something people often claim helps Once a lot, so I looked at Once's Live+7 comparison and while it's true that percentage-wise, it's near the top in terms of audience gain, that's only because it starts with such a low audience number compared to other shows. Every other show is picking up the same number or much more audience than Once in its Live+7 numbers, so it's not like Once is this huge performer in non-live viewing. For October 16-22, Once only makes the top list in Adults 18-49 – Percentage gain (the top performers in this category are almost all very low rated shows), it does not make any other list in terms of Viewers – Total gain, Adults 18-49 – Total gain and the numbers for those other shows completely crush Once. Some of them even double Once's total Live+7 audience just in the viewers added after same day viewing. 

Edited November 4, 2017 by KAOS Agent

[Camera One]

The social media presence for this show is misleading.  You'd think a lot of fans are Regina fans, but it looks like they've abandoned the show too.  I doubt there will be an uptick next week for her centric.  I can see Hook fans bailing because CS is out and it's actually Whook, or Rumbelle fans bailing, but Regina/Roni still has more significant screentime than Snow did.

[Rumsy4]

2 minutes ago, Camera One said:

Regina/Roni still has more significant screentime than Snow did.

Yeah. But I bet neither Lana nor her diehard fans imagined most of her screentime to revolve around serving alcohol to a mopey adult Henry and making hope-speeches.

[cappoe]

This is just hilarious. The irony that the potential new series low will be set by a Regina centric is delicious. God help the 2 hr episode. That is gonna be a bloodbath in terms of viewership. The people are leaving this show by the droves.

5 episodes in and we're already almost at less then 2 million viewers. When the premiere was 3.2 million? That is freaking horrendous to lose that many all within the span of 5 episodes.

[scenicbyway]

The problem with the whole season for me is that Henry and Cinderella are not being portrayed as a believable pairing.  They are supposed to have had this epic romance with the product of Lucy as the result but in their interactions thus far (and I stopped watching when Emma left so correct me if I'm wrong), Henry appears googly eyed and love struck whenever he sees her, while she is grumpy and annoyed at his presence.  They needed to show them happy and in love in the Wish?Enchanted forest to get the audience to buy and root for the relationship.  The show has always been about relationships.  They've dismissed the favorites and left us with cheap imitations.

[PixiePaws1]

At the Burbank Con, Jen and Colin apparently said they'd be on board for a CS spinoff movie....

I wish....

[daxx]

7 hours ago, PixiePaws1 said:

At the Burbank Con, Jen and Colin apparently said they'd be on board for a CS spinoff movie....

I wish....

I wouldn't be surprised if A&E try something like that once Once is cancelled.

[Camera One]

A&E: "That was in our plans all along."

[KingOfHearts]

It's interesting that Jen would say that. I guess she would like a CS movie better than whatever else OUAT has going on story-wise.

Edited November 5, 2017 by KingOfHearts

[scenicbyway]

4 hours ago, KingOfHearts said:

It's interesting that Jen would say that. I guess she would like a CS movie better than whatever else OUAT has going on story-wise.

She'd probably like to work with Colin again.  I'm sure they were just being polite for the fans.

[daxx]

The con this weekend was so much fun. Interesting though that Adam showed up but stayed far away from the masses and didn't come out to even say hi to the crowd. The grumbling and quiet when the creation representative talked about how fantastic it is that they completely revamped the show was telling.

Michael Coleman is a born entertainer, Beverly, Chris Gauthier, Lee and Gil McKinney are awesome singers. 

I just loved being able to see JMo and Colin in person. Jen did say she was open to more cons depending on her schedule. 

After being there in person I have a better idea of why we get the kinds of questions we do. A lot of very young girls, children and quite a few mentally challenged folk get in the line early and are the ones that get to ask questions. Some literally using the characters names instead of the actors names when asking. 

I love all the merchandise I was able to get this time. (I won a trivia contest and got a $200 gift certificate, which was totally awesome.) 

[Camera One]

There is no Production thread anymore, so here's a TV Guide video posted last week about the costumes of Season 7.

[KingOfHearts]

It's cool that they reused an underdress from The Huntsman. Fairy tale continuity!... not really, but still.

I'm digging Rumple's new FTL costume. It's very reminiscent of Sparkly!Rumple, but with a new iteration of the character wearing it. 

[Shanna Marie]

It's weird how much better the Cinderella dress looks on the mannequin than on the actual person. It seems to have been tailored to fit the mannequin rather than the person because it just doesn't fit right. It's not even sexy, attractive cleavage, just straining across the bustline.

[KAOS Agent]

Some off screen drama from Once has made its way into the tabloids and while I have zero interest in discussing the actual content of the rumors, I laughed really hard at this photo and caption. Yes, Belle releasing Robin after he was repeatedly flayed alive by Rumpel totally equals love scene.

[Rumsy4]

50 Shades of Robin, from the looks of the picture. ;-)

[Shanna Marie]

Interview with Lana about her role in developing the reboot, presented without comment because I can't even. I don't think there are any spoilers for future episodes, except for the vaguest bit about the next episode, less than you'd get from the promo, and it's in the last paragraph if you want to stop reading there.

[CCTC]

That interview really makes me not want to watch the Regina-centric episode tomorrow.

[Rumsy4]

She's starting to sound like Joey on Friends, before the Elevator Shaft incident for Dr. Drake Ramoray.

Quote

but when it came time to pitch the "requel" idea to leading lady Lana Parrilla, they flew up to Vancouver, where the series has filmed for more than six years, to do it in person.

I'm sure Eddy, especially, was eager for her blessing.

Quote

Showrunners Horowitz and Kitsis tell THR that they're thrilled with how Parrilla has led the new members of the cast.

I can tell from all the instagram pictures. 

Quote

And, as Horowitz and Kitsis promised her when they pitched their idea for season seven, there should be a love interest and a happy ending coming as well.

Looks like Lana's just not given up on a Love Interest for Regina, despite the Robin Hood disaster. I wonder if she asked for a LGBT love interest, becasue the majority of her fanbase seem to clamor for it, and in one of the recent cons, she actually said she had wanted SQ to happen, but the creators didn't.

[cappoe]

Lana you can take all the credit you want for the reboot.

1.2 Million Viewers left from premiere to now. You dropped to a 0.5 3 episodes in and are likely facing another drop in the next episode.

This reboot is almost universally panned, it's now sitting at almost 2.5 stars on Amazon and other sites, while the other seasons are at a 5 stars or 4.5. No one likes this reboot.

More power to you to take the credit, so when tomorrows episode gets a series low not only in ratings but viewership you can take that bow you deserve. Cause you're SO popular.

[Shanna Marie]

I just love how she decided Regina had to be maternal because she's so maternal, never mind that Regina spent season one gaslighting her son and prioritizing her curse over his well being, and then there was sending all those kids off to be killed by the blind witch. Then there was the time she was so maternal that she tried to hold a kid prisoner to force him to be her child and murdered his father.

I think we've got another case of "you keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Most actors prefer to play characters who are different from the way they really are. They don't talk the writers into making characters more like they are.

[Rumsy4]

2 hours ago, Shanna Marie said:

Most actors prefer to play characters who are different from the way they really are. They don't talk the writers into making characters more like they are.

I think Lana, like the writers, lost their perspective a long time ago when it comes to Regina. 

[VoicePlaya]

That interview. Wow.  Just...wow.

Quote

I've met a lot of people who have learned a lot from Regina's decisions and mistakes and have chosen a different path in their lives

Yeah, that's exactly what the world needs. More people like Regina. 

Quote

Besides, she posits, "Who is the Evil Queen without Snow White? This is really an ensemble show. You need all these characters to tell these stories. I feel very lucky that Regina is one of the most beloved characters on this show, but it does take a village."

Again I say wow. This comment just rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. 

Quote

One common trait, though, is an underlying maternal instinct — something Parrilla says she has had her whole life.

Right, because nothing says maternal instinct like gaslighting your child. So your son feels completely insane, the important thing is that you get what you want. Am I right? And only someone with a strong...maternal instinct like Regina would want to murder their own stepdaughter. For something that Regina's own mother did. 

Too bad that great maternal instinct didn't extend to all the children that Regina sent to their deaths. 

Quote

And, as Horowitz and Kitsis promised her when they pitched their idea for season seven, there should be a love interest and a happy ending coming as well.

Anyone remember when they said that Regina's story has never revolved around a man? Yeah.

I suppose they could get around that comment if they had her love interest be a woman. Though that makes me wonder how the SQ fandom would react to her getting a female love interest. I feel like that could possibly make that fandom implode. Would they accept Regina in a relationship with another woman? Because I'm thinking not. Maybe some would. But I think most of the more, um, rabid part of the fanbase would be livid because it's not Emma. 

5 hours ago, Shanna Marie said:

Most actors prefer to play characters who are different from the way they really are. They don't talk the writers into making characters more like they are.

I don't usually read Lana's interviews, but this one really highlighted the difference between her and Colin to me. I know most actors are like that, but he's who came to mind when I read your comment. He's constantly saying how different he is from Hook when asked and always talks about how much he enjoys playing the villain. It's interesting hearing how each of them talk about and approach their characters. Now I'm wondering if part of my issue with Regina is that she's a weird hybrid of Regina and Lana instead of her own character. Whereas with Colin, I never see Colin when I watch Hook. I just see Hook. 

Odd that reading a Lana interview could end up giving me a greater appreciation for Colin, but that's oddly what happened. 

[Souris]

1 hour ago, VoicePlaya said:

I suppose they could get around that comment if they had her love interest be a woman. Though that makes me wonder how the SQ fandom would react to her getting a female love interest. I feel like that could possibly make that fandom implode. Would they accept Regina in a relationship with another woman? Because I'm thinking not. Maybe some would. But I think most of the more, um, rabid part of the fanbase would be livid because it's not Emma. 

Oh, I think most would be more than fine with it. On the whole, SQers never showed much concern for Emma's character or her happiness -- she was just a stand-in prize for Regina. I think they'd get behind Regina with a different woman, any woman. From what I've seen, the majority of SQers have always been only about Regina. And, bonus, the more, um, rabid faction could use it to bag on JMo and blame her for SQ not happening some more. 

I had thought that they might pair up Regina and Lady Tremaine. But now I'm not so sure they'll have Regina end up with a woman, since they've already indicated that Alice is gay (or bi) and she'll no doubt get a love interest. Would they do two same-sex romances in one season? And if they do, why not have one of them be two men?? (I know why, because they'd be thinking only of SQers, not LGBTQ as a whole.)

[Camera One]

I wonder if they're even watching the show anymore.  One would think that fanbase would keep the numbers at a stable level at least.

[VoicePlaya]

25 minutes ago, Souris said:

And, bonus, the more, um, rabid faction could use it to bag on JMo and blame her for SQ not happening some more. 

I didn't even think about that, but that's a very good point. They do seem to love finding excuses to insult Jmo. And yeah, SQers do always seem to be Regina fans while not caring about Emma. I don't know if I've come across an SQ fan who genuinely likes Emma. So maybe more would be okay with it than not. Assuming that they're still watching that is. 

That said, I don't really think that they'll go there. Just because it doesn't seem likely that they would have two same-sex couples in one season.