DVR: TV Network’s New Best Friend?

A recent Nielsen report on DVR viewing habits, discussed in this New York Times article, shows that 46 percent of the coveted 18-49 demographic still sits through ads when watching shows on DVR. Wait, what? Wasn’t DVR supposed to kill network television because viewers could skip the ads? That was the cry from the networks when DVR usage really took off a couple of years ago, but the numbers coming out now are painting a much better picture.

Nielsen now reports the Live +3 (live viewings plus DVR playback over the following 3 days when commercials are watched) in their final ratings reports, and it’s boosting the numbers of most shows. Grey’s Anatomy and House see the biggest increase in viewership, but shows that have middling (How I Met Your Mother) or struggling (Heroes) ratings are seeing significant increases that add value and keep them on the air. Whether it will be enough for Heroes looks iffy right now, but at least NBC has some good news from the Nielsen report, because “the Leno effect” is dragging them down five nights a week. According to the report, The Jay Leno Show is one of the few shows who’s +3 rating is actually lower than the Live rating. In other words, no one’s watching live and no one’s DVRing. Ouch.

And just why are shows getting such an increase from the +3 data? Why are 46% of viewers not taking advantage of the technology to skip the ads? Analysts say it’s force of habit/laziness. We’re used to sitting through commercials, and televison is a passive activity, so it takes an active choice to fast forward. Makes sense. I also posit that for some, just being able to watch a show on their schedule, rather than the network’s, is enough of a convenience that skipping the commercials is an afterthought.

On the other hand, I want both. I like being able to watch a show when I want to watch it, and I’m squarely in the 54% who do fast forward.  Most of the time. I have been known to go back and watch an ad that looks intriguing, like the new Apple commercial with PC touting Windows 7 and Mac taking us back in time to all the other Windows OS claims. I had to go back and find out why PC had a mullet and flip up sunglasses. It made me chuckle.

What about you? Are you a DVR addict? Do you fast forward through the ads, or is getting to watch a show when you want enough for you? Have you ever gone back to watch an ad that looked interesting?

Is ABC The New Lifetime?

While putting together the TV Guide over the past couple of weeks, I’ve noticed that ABC is suddenly on our radar again with several new shows that appeal to the Nice Girls. Of the 19 scripted shows on the network, seven have females as the lead character (Cougar Town, Eastwick, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, The Middle, Private Practice, Ugly Betty) while three are ensembles/co-leads with prominent female characters  (Brothers & Sisters, Castle, Modern Family). Even sci-fi offerings FlashForward, V, and Lost feature strong women in prominent roles. When did ABC become the modern woman’s network?

It would be easy to point at Anne Sweeney, Co-Chair/Disney Media Networks President of Disney/ABC Television Group, as the source of these programming decisions. Sweeney was appointed to her post in 2004, and since then ABC has become a force to be reckoned with in the ratings and in terms of buzzworthy shows. She helped launch Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and Dancing With The Stars. Her vision for quality programming has seen Sweeney repeatedly been named the “Most Powerful Woman in Entertainment” by The Hollywood Reporter, one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” by Fortune and one of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” by Forbes.

On the other hand, Stephen McPherson, President of ABC Entertainment Group, deserves a lot of credit for ABC’s current lineup. McPherson answers to Sweeney and is responsible for all development and current programming at ABC. He brought Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy and Lost from his previous job in development for Touchstone, giving ABC show that brought ratings, critical acclaim and pop culture cachet. McPherson also developed series like Alias for ABC at his previous job, showing a knack for finding strong, female-centric shows.

ABC has evolved from a discordant lineup of movies, game shows, sitcoms fronted by men, and a few cop & lawyer shows at the beginning of the decade to the current fairly consistent lineup of strong, female-centric shows. Even their reality offerings – Dancing With The Stars, Supernanny, Wife Swap – seem designed to appeal to women. As a branding idea, it’s not a bad move. Studies show that women, particularly Moms, are the ones in charge of the budget now, so advertisers want to buy ad time on shows aimed at that demographic.

As it turns out, the answer to my titular question is “No”. ABC is earning a reputation for quality series featuring modern women in all our incarnations, not the movie-of-the-week victims and vixens on Lifetime. Maybe the cable network needs to start paying attention to ABC’s model.

Devils with Pretty Faces

As I was watching last week’s premiere of The Vampire Diaries, I got to thinking about all the good looking men that are on television today playing villains. I felt that a convenient list might be a good idea to serve as a reminder that although they make us a tad warm under the collar, they are playing really bad guys.

Ian Somerhalder – “Damon” on The Vampire Diaries: our Nice Boy of the week is not so nice on the show. He’s clearly devious and sinister and just up to no good. Difficult as this may be, we’ll have to keep an eye on this one.

Alexander Skarsgard – “Eric Northman” on True Blood: this one is not so clearly a bad boy. However, he is conniving, sneaky and enjoys when a good pair of pumps is ruined while doing a job that he delegated. In our world, that is cruelty in the extreme. it would be wise not to turn one’s back to him.

Paul Gross – “Darryl” on Eastwick: or “Devil” when you really get to know him. He’s the really dangerous kind, because he covers his evilness with layers of charm, cool and drop dead gorgeous. You’s want to meet him in a dark alley, but you’d be sorry.

Eric Dane – “Dr. Mark ‘McSteamy’ Sloan” on Grey’s Anatomy: let’s call him what he is; a man-slut. Sure, he’ll make you fall for him like U.S. dollar, but he’ll do a tap dance on your heart and walk off without a care in the world. Pure evil.

Zachary Quinto – “Sylar” on Heroes: he’s evil, cold-hearted and twisted, and has serious parental issues. And give him a sharp metal object? Well, don’t get me started.

Matthew Bomer – “Neal Caffrey” on White Collar: sure, he’s just a thief, but stealing is still bad, right? Even if his crystal blue eyes can turn a woman to slush in a New York minute, hold on to your jewelry, ladies.

There are more, I’m sure, and by the end of the fall television season, I’m sure even more pretty bad boys will surface. Until then, who is not on this list but most definitely should be?

What I’m Excited About for Fall TV

Tonight is the start of the new fall season with the debut of Melrose Place on the CW and the returns of 90210 on the CW and Sons of Anarchy on FX. While none of these shows are of interest to me, there are a number of new and returning shows that I am eager to see over the next few months.

Starting with the new shows, I look forward to the debut of Glee on FOX tomorrow night (Sept. 9 at 9 PM). Even though I’ve seen the debut episode twice and got to see the 2nd episode at Comic Con, I cannot wait for this unique musicomedy (musical/comedy) to air. And, I really hope that the viewing audience will tune in and enjoy the silliness (and the terrific musical numbers).

The series premiere of The Vampire Diaries on the CW will air at 9 PM on Thursday (Sept. 10) – based on the books by L.J. Smith – is another new series I have been anticipating. I had the chance to see the debut episode at Comic Con and really enjoyed what I saw. Yes, it is reminiscent of Twilight (which was published AFTER The Vampire Diaries books); features vampires which, for now, seems to be the hot “theme” of the past year or so, and had many images that reminded me of scenes from Roswell and Smallville; but I still enjoyed it. I would like to see this show succeed and garner an audience at least close to that of True Blood (if not better).

Not quite two weeks later on Tuesday, Sept. 22, the spin-off series NCIS: Los Angeles will air (CBS at 9 PM) following its namesake series. While I started out as a JAG fan and followed by being a loyal fan of its spin-off series NCIS (because I really enjoyed the stories and the cast), I want to believe this new show will also perform well, but I am slightly uncertain if the viewing audience and the loyal followers of NCIS will become attached to the cast.

The following night, Wednesday, Sept. 23, the debut of Eastwick on ABC at 10 PM will air. This was another new show that I was able to see at Comic Con and while I had my doubts about the cast (I couldn’t buy Paul Gross as the “heavy” or really see the pairing of the three ‘witches’ – Rebecca Romijn, Jaime Ray Newman and Lindsey Price) and the storyline, I was pleasantly surprised at how convincing Paul Gross was as Darryl Van Horn and how likeable the leading ladies are in their roles. This show may not win over the audience right away, but I believe that it will work on the hearts of viewers and slowly but surely become the guilty pleasure of the fall.

One of the most anticipated new shows of the fall will air on ABC on Thursday, Sept. 24: FlashForward (at 8 PM). A worldwide event takes place with everyone in the world blacking out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds with nearly everyone having visions of their life 6 months in the future. Being touted as the new Lost, FlashForward could, indeed, be just that. Only the first two acts of the series were debuted at Comic Con, but if the audience reaction from that panel is any indication of how the show will be received, then this is the show to watch.

Jumping over to cable, Stargate Universe will debt on Syfy on October 2 at 9 PM; and while this new series is not like its predecessors SG1 or Atlantis, it will reveal a new, darker side to the well-known storyline and world of the Stargates. I, for one, am really looking forward to it. I was unable to attend the presentation for the series at Comic Con so my anticipation level is at an all-time high, especially the more I read about the show and the more clips I see.

Sticking with cable for one other new show on cable, White Collar will debut on the USA Network on Oct. 23 at 10 PM. It stars Matthew Bomer (Chuck) and Tim DeKay in roles that are tailor-made for both of them. This ‘to catch a thief’-inspired series is sure to please audiences who have come to expect nothing but thrilling series from this network. It will also be entertaining to see Tiffany Thiessen in a respectable role where she can show that she is more than just a pretty face.

Lastly, the remake of the 80’s mini-series (and short-lived TV show) V will debut on ABC at 8 PM on November 3. While I was a fan of the mini-series, looking back on it now it seems pretty cheesy; but from what I know of the debut this newly-minted version is going to be cutting edge, thrilling and engaging. The terrific cast doesn’t hurt either.

SIDEBAR: While I want to be excited about the debut of the medical drama Three Rivers (CBS at 9 PM on October 4) – mainly because it stars a personal favorite of mine, Alex O’Loughlin – I am doubtful about the longevity of this series for a number of reasons: the timeslot competition, the fact the pilot was recast and completely reshot (which is an exact repeat of Alex’s former show Moonlight) and all the negative reviews that I have read. I will tune in for a few episodes, but if it doesn’t catch my attention and hold it, I will have to bid the show adieu.

As for the returning shows this fall, I am anxiously awaiting Supernatural (The CW, Sept. 10 at 9 PM), Bones (FOX, Sept. 17 at 8 PM), Heroes (NBC Sept. 21 at 8 PM), Castle (ABC, Sept. 21 at 10 PM), NCIS (CBS, Sept. 22 at 8 PM), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, Sept. 24 at 9 PM), Dollhouse (FOX, Sept. 25 at 8 PM), Smallville (The CW, Sept. 25 at 8 PM), Brothers & Sisters (ABC, Sept. 27 at 10 PM), Sanctuary (Syfy, Oct. 9 at 10 PM) and Legend of the Seeker (Syndication, Nov. 7).

SIDEBAR: Of course, I am anxious for the returns of Chuck and 24 and the final season of Lost; but we all have to wait for those in 2010.

What new shows are you looking forward to and which returning shows are your favorites? Please share them with us.

Photos and Preview: The Ex List

So we kind of didn’t want to like The Ex List since it’s taking over the former home of Moonlight, another Nice Girls favorite. We also didn’t love Elizabeth Reaser’s Ava on Grey’s Anatomy the way so many other viewers did. But folks, The Ex List is GOOD. We can’t say too much because what we’ve seen may not be the final version of the pilot, but we loved it and we’ll be covering it here at NGTV. To start off our coverage, we’ve added cast photos and pics from the pilot episode to the Gallery and included a behind-the-scenes video from CBS below:

If only CBS had found a way to put both The Ex List and Moonlight on their schedule, this Nice Girl would be one happy camper.