Rueben's Ramblings
The Winners and Losers of the 2009-2010 TV Season
The 2009-2010 television season has come to an end for the major networks (except for a few shows that returned late in the season) and many bloggers as well as critics have posted their winners and losers for the past season. Like many of my peers, I have created my own list, focusing mainly on dramatic programming (since that is my genre of choice).
Here are the winners for the past TV season:
1. CBS – The network, once again, was the most watched network, averaging 11.77 million viewers. The Eye network can also boast that it had 7 of the top 10 most watched shows as part of its programming. And, the network’s Tuesday night line-up, which consists of NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife can easily be considered the most successful night on television.
Cast of Glee
2. Glee – This unique, musicomedy became the breakout sensation of the season, garnering a loyal following all over the world and building on its viewers (thanks to being programmed after American Idol). The songs featured in the series are now encompassed in four albums, which have been downloaded at iTunes over 2 million times. The cast has appeared live in a four-city tour, performed at the White House and been profiled on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
The Cast of The Vampire Diaries
3. The Vampire Diaries – While many other new shows failed to connect with the viewers, the CW drama The Vampire Diaries (based on the novels by L. J. Smith) succeeded. Thanks can be given to the current vampire craze (in great part due to the success of the Twilight novels and movie franchise as well as the True Blood series on HBO). The series garnered an average of 3.66 million viewers and for the last-placed network that is rather stellar.
5. Chuck – While the series may be experiencing its lowest ratings to date (mainly due to viewers giving up too early on the show because the storylines were not going in the direction THEY wanted – shame on you viewers!), NBC actually gave the series another renewal before the season wrapped on May 24. The show also gave the fans exactly what they wanted – Chuck and Sarah together as a couple without their relationship imploding ala-Moonlighting.
The Cast of Drop Dead Diva
6. Drop Dead Diva – The premise behind this Lifetime series – a vapid aspiring model killed in a car crash gets brought back to life as an intelligent, overweight lawyer, hoping to find the meaning of inner beauty – may have seemed ridiculous when the show was presented to viewers; but thanks to the effervescent charm of lead Brooke Elliott and the winning appeal of the rest of the cast, this summer series became a big hit.
Meanwhile, here are the losers for the past TV season:
1. NBC – Not only is the network still struggling in the ratings (so much for its once great standing with viewers), but it also just barely survived a bona-fide failure: the fiasco that was the 10 PM programming of the Jay Leno Show, which effectively neutered the network. Now that Leno has been removed from that timeslot, the network will have a long way to go to get back its former glory.
2. New Medical Dramas – This past season saw NBC and CBS introduce new medical dramas – Trauma and Mercy (on NBC) and Miami Medical and Three Rivers (on CBS) – that each network seemed to believe would capture their viewers’ interests but seemed to have the opposite effect. It would seem both networks hoped for a Grey’s Anatomy success only to fall far short.
The Cast of Lost
3. Lost – The popular six season series came to an end on ABC on May 23, leaving viewers (fans and critics alike) scratching their heads over all the unanswered questions and the rather unexpected religious-laden final moments. Some fans hated those last moments while others loved it – the ensuing debate over those ending scenes will be argued for what could easily be millennia – but the real losers are the fans of this unprecedented series who will find it difficult to locate a replacement.
4. 24 – Much the same can be said about the long-running FOX drama 24, which was also a groundbreaking series, and has – for the most part – captured the attention of viewers since its debut eight seasons ago. However, not only is it sad that the series was brought to an end by the network but it was also closed at the culmination of what can easily be deemed its most disappointing season. This season was poorly executed with convoluted storylines and contained one of the most irritating characters that rankled viewers in droves.
The Cast of FlashForward
5. FlashForward – The most buzzed-about new series for the past season was the ABC drama FlashForward, which not only featured an incredible cast but also had a presumed 5-year plan set by the creators and executive producers. While the series opened strong in the ratings, viewers started to abandon ship as the show tended to repeat itself too much throughout the first 10 episodes without giving new revelations fast enough.
6. Once Great Hits – A number of former network hits – such as the CSI franchise, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy and House – have experienced a downturn in viewership with these shows losing up to 10 percent or more of their viewership. With viewers having so many alternatives to network television, viewer erosion can only broaden and affect countless more popular, well-received series.
There you have it – my list of winners and losers for the 2009-2010 season. Do you agree? Are there any shows that you feel should have been included? Please share your thoughts.
NOTE: One year ago this month, I joined the staff of NiceGirlsTV and what a year it has been!! I cannot begin to express my gratitude to both Melissa and BethAnne for adding me to the staff. This has been one of the best years of my writing life and I look forward to an interesting future at the site.
The Cast of Moonlight
SECOND NOTE: Fans of the short-lived CBS series Moonlight have been buzzing for several weeks now with the news that repeats of the show will be broadcast this summer on the CW (of all places), following repeats of The Vampire Diaries starting on June 3. While this is great news for the rapid fans of the series, it has left a lot of people wondering about the motives behind this broadcast deal. Since the original announcement was made I have been skeptical at best of the intentions while also fearful that the more avarice fans of Moonlight will see this as a potential for a series comeback or perhaps even a chance at getting a much-hoped for movie by that faction of fans. Neither is a possibility – since this is more a marketing ploy than anything else (at least in my opinion) – and while it will be great to revisit the show (since I am a fan of the series), this could have a negative impact even while garnering more viewers for the network and helping move along the vampire craze that has taken over the country (nee the world). I may be viewing this scheduling decision a little too negatively, but since it is an unusual decision and rather unprecedented, I have reasons to be concerned and apprehensive. The slightly optimistic side of my personality wants to believe this will be a good thing for the CW and Moonlight and perhaps give the other major networks an excuse to follow suit with their future programming options.
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