ABC may axe Push, Nevada
The Girl Connor
By BILL CARTER, NY Times
The ratings for television's premiere week provoked grins and worry lines in
about equal numbers for network programmers. But the number of facial
contortions were greatest at ABC, where early promise ran headlong into
late-week disaster.
Two comedies - "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" on Tuesday
and "My Wife and Kids" on Wednesday - gave strong initial indications that
ABC might be reversing its bad ratings karma. Yet on Thursday night the
network's most talked-about new drama, "Push, Nevada," came as close as a
network show can come to ratings invisibility.
"Push" was seen by just 4.4 million people, and it scored a minuscule 1.3
rating in the 18-to-49-year-old audience ABC most desires.
Already ABC executives are talking about pulling the show. "We're taking a
hard look at it," said Lloyd Braun, the chairman of ABC Entertainment. "We
were ready to live with a small but growing audience. But one thing we can't
have is one night pulling down our whole week."
In most circumstances, cancellation would be all but automatic for a show
with the numbers "Push" drew. But "Push" incorporates an audience game
promising to give away more than $1 million. The show's producers said last
summer that even if it were canceled they would still give away the money.
Thursday had some remarkable results in the other direction, led by NBC's
"Friends" which reached 34 million people, its third-best showing ever.
Though NBC had its usual potent Thursday over all, the network did not
dominate. From 8:30 to 10 p.m., CBS now owns Thursday, beating NBC thanks to
the second half of "Survivor" and the mighty drama, "CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation."
NBC has some cause for worry at 8:30. "Scrubs" had fewer viewers than
"Survivor" despite the "Friends" lead-in. It even fell short of the premiere
of last-year's ill-fated entrant in that time period, "Inside Schwartz."
And while "Will & Grace" was competitive with "CSI" at 9, NBC's new comedy,
"Good Morning, Miami" slid to a distant second at 9:30.
NBC bounced back as always with "ER" at 10, though its margin over CBS's new
drama "Without a Trace" was the smallest it has had over a competitor in
eight years.
The good news for Fox was a new drama, "John Doe," on Friday and a
reasonably steadfast Wednesday night with "Cedric the Entertainer Presents"
and "Fastlane."
But Fox now faces a monthlong interruption for baseball's post-season, and
the network will need to reintroduce audiences to its new shows in November.
Connor
--
"Why can't they use real numbers instead of
this Roman numeral crap. I mean, look, it's
one minute past X."
~Ozzy Osbourne
Default User
>
> ABC's Early Hopes Don't Last a Week
> By BILL CARTER, NY Times
> "Push" was seen by just 4.4 million people, and it scored a minuscule 1.3
> rating in the 18-to-49-year-old audience ABC most desires.
>
> Already ABC executives are talking about pulling the show. "We're taking a
> hard look at it," said Lloyd Braun, the chairman of ABC Entertainment. "We
> were ready to live with a small but growing audience. But one thing we can't
> have is one night pulling down our whole week."
The problem for ABC is, what could they put in that slot that would do
any better? Thursday is such a rough night, anything they put there will
get hammered. Some things might be cheaper, like a news magazine or
Who's Line, but nothing will make a ratings dent.
I assume that due to the game aspect and the short number of episodes
that they've probably shot all or most of Push. They ought to just shrug
and let it run out it's time in the slot. Pulling it now and trying to
run it in the summer would probably be less welcome than when they did
that with The Mole.
Brian Rodenborn
mat...@vax.hanford.org
Default User <first...@company.com> wrote:
>The Girl Connor wrote:
>>
>> ABC's Early Hopes Don't Last a Week
>> By BILL CARTER, NY Times
>
>> "Push" was seen by just 4.4 million people, and it scored a minuscule 1.3
>> rating in the 18-to-49-year-old audience ABC most desires.
Well, I watched the first one, expected to see the 2nd episode on a
rerun they had scheduled (replaced by that NYPD Blue 10th Anniversary Show)..
and forgot to record the 3rd episode.. (I was already Tivo-ing something
else..)
I wish they'd put it in some other timeslot, or change ABC Family into
an "ABC repurposing" channel. (Though they've had a few reruns lately,
unfortunately they bleeped a few things out of That was Then.)
Otter Author
<click...@hotmail.comNOSPAM> wrote:
>Already ABC executives are talking about pulling the show. "We're taking a
>hard look at it," said Lloyd Braun, the chairman of ABC Entertainment. "We
>were ready to live with a small but growing audience. But one thing we can't
>have is one night pulling down our whole week."
Lloyd Braun?! No wonder ABC's in trouble! Didn't anybody there know
he's insane?
What's Scally Watching?
Scally: They've only filmed 7 episodes I think. That'll get them to the week
before sweeps. I can't imagine how or why ABC would still be letting it run
after that. 3 episodes and they were done with "Wasteland" ... and at least that
was (sorta) watchable.
What's Scally Watching's Golden Shower Site of the Month for September, 2002:
"TightRope" (Hey, guys, how's it... hanging. LOL?)
http://www.tightrope.cc/index.htm
What's Scally Watching's Cinematic Review of the Month for September, 2002:
"Chinese Boxes" (1984) - OK, I "liked" the part where Will Patton was playing
Spike on his Vectrex, but can any of yous explain to me why it's called
"Chinese Boxes" if he's in, like, Germany? If they did a sequel, you suppose
they'd send him to China and call it "German Boxes?" This movie was neat, but
the title just doesn't make any "sense."
Parto the Parrot
> ABC's Early Hopes Don't Last a Week
> By BILL CARTER, NY Times
>
>
> network's most talked-about new drama, "Push, Nevada," came as close as a
> network show can come to ratings invisibility.
>
> "Push" was seen by just 4.4 million people, and it scored a minuscule 1.3
> rating in the 18-to-49-year-old audience ABC most desires.
>
> Already ABC executives are talking about pulling the show. "We're taking a
> hard look at it," said Lloyd Braun, the chairman of ABC Entertainment. "We
> were ready to live with a small but growing audience. But one thing we can't
> have is one night pulling down our whole week."
>
> In most circumstances, cancellation would be all but automatic for a show
> with the numbers "Push" drew. But "Push" incorporates an audience game
> promising to give away more than $1 million. The show's producers said last
> summer that even if it were canceled they would still give away the money.
>
>
I really wanted to like "Push", but after seeing the initial two
episodes, it was just leaving me cold. It was *so* derivative, I could
feel them sssstraining for each and every reference. One review I read
used the term "warmed over" and I can't think of a more apt phrase.
When your sources of "inspiration" (and in this case I couldn't use
the word more loosely) are two phenomally brilliant shows like "Twin
Peaks" and, more distantly, "The X-Files", you better be damn sure
you've got the chops to play the tune. Unfortunately, the makers of
"Push" are more like high school piano teachers trying to be Thelonius
Monk.
Parto the P
Morehits4u
>From: "The Girl Connor" click...@hotmail.comNOSP
>wo comedies - "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" on Tuesday
>and "My Wife and Kids" on Wednesday - gave strong initial indications that
>ABC might be reversing its bad ratings karma. Yet on Thursda
Please if there is a God.. dont let me meet
the folks who are watching the above
mentioned shows..thank you amen
Daniel
They ought to air each episode more than once a week, too. I missed
most of the first episode, and the "previously on"s don't really help
in this continuous and somewhat nonsensical show.
David B.
Mayb you already have...
Default User
> Well, I watched the first one, expected to see the 2nd episode on a
> rerun they had scheduled (replaced by that NYPD Blue 10th Anniversary Show)..
> and forgot to record the 3rd episode.. (I was already Tivo-ing something
> else..)
I liked the third episode better than the second, and either of those
two better than the premiere, which I thought was quite weak. However,
I'm at a point where I'll stick with something like this to see where
they go with it.
> I wish they'd put it in some other timeslot, or change ABC Family into
> an "ABC repurposing" channel. (Though they've had a few reruns lately,
> unfortunately they bleeped a few things out of That was Then.)
Hmmm, I guess Family is also a possibility if it's yanked from
broadcast. They've pretty much blown the whole family thing with reruns
of Alias anyway. Since they claim they are committed to finishing the
game, they could dump it over there. They'd have to finish the rest of
the episodes though, Scally says they've only done seven.
I guess we'll see.
Brian Rodenborn