How We Doin'?

Well, after having barely survived the fall premiere schedule, my posting might be a bit on the sparser side for the next few weeks (or at least until V premieres...) Overall, I'd say it was a fairly disappointing fall, with only a few glimmers of goodness among the muck. Here's how things stacked up after all was said and done.

THE KEEPERS

• The Good Wife
  I'm as shocked as you are. Never did I dream that this would be among the top shows to premiere. Not only is it one of the strongest pilots of the season, but in a delightful and all too uncommon turn of events, its ratings are awesome. The pilot drew pretty big numbers (just over 13 million, as I recall), which is good news, but in even better news, its numbers for the second week were near identical. It's very rare that there's no drop off from the pilot to episode 2, so if The Good Wife can maintain close to this momentum, it's almost assured a pick-up.
  
  
• Community
  I'm totally enjoying this new comedy, and while I'm not sure how much longevity a concept and cast like this might have, so far so good (entertainment-wise, that is). The show started off strong in the ratings, but dipped quite a bit week-to-week. If it can maintain its current numbers, it should be okay, but if the slide continues, I don't think it'll survive...
  
  
• Modern Family
  Much like Community, I'm really enjoying this show so far, but I'm not sure how it's going to fare in the long run. It's holding strong in the ratings and I think it'll get picked up. Its companion comedy Cougar Town is also doing well in the ratings, but that's neither here nor there...
  
  
• FlashForward
  To be honest, I actually haven't seen week two yet (I was on a beach at the time, give me a break), but the pilot was solid and the ratings are very good. I should finally get time to watch the second episode tonight and if it's anywhere near as good as the pilot, I think we might have a winner on our hands. Not perfect, by any means, but I'm intrigued...

THE NON-KEEPERS

• Mercy
  The ratings aren't terrible, but the show certainly is. I actually tried to give the second week a chance, but it was just too god awful. The ratings are okay, but are slipping more week-to-week than the show would hope. Personally, I hope they keep on slipping...
  
  
• Eastwick
  Never have I been so bored during a show that features magic (and that includes what's-her-face's brother who wore a cape all the time and was only ever able to make the audience disappear). And according to the ratings, a lot of people agree with me. The show's week-to-week ratings slipped over 20%, so at this rate, this turkey will hopefully be cancelled here pretty soon.
  
  
• Accidentally On Purpose
  I enjoy Jenna Elfman to some extent, but this ill-conceived (ooh, no pun intended), unfunny farce is just plain bad. The ratings haven't been very good, and there's little to no buzz about the show, so here's hoping it gets the axe. Half-hour comedies tend to get a little more leeway in the ratings department due to their lower budget, so it'll likely stick around longer than it should, but that doesn't mean it doesn't suck.
  
  
• The Beautiful Life
  ...has already been cancelled. That's right, folks, the CW cancelled a show after only two airings. The new gold standard in bad ratings has officially been set (although it's looking Dollhouse is currently gunning for the title...) The Beautiful Life won't be missed. Poor Mischa...
  
  
• Trauma
  Well, it was big on explosions, but sadly lacking in actual story or character development... If you like to see things crash and burn, you might like watching this show, but the ratings portend that the next thing to crash and burn will be the show itself, so don't get too attached...
  
  
• Three Rivers
  Once again, I was sitting on a beach when this premiered and simply haven't gotten around to it yet... Then how can it already be in my "axed" pile, you ask? Well, if the previews for the show weren't enough to kill it, the ratings certainly are. The pilot kinda flopped and odds are episode two will be even worse. I'm also hearing that there are already plans for a replacement, so long story short? All you Alex O'Loughlin fans out there had better ready your hankies once again... I don't think this show is long for this world.
  
  
• The Forgotten
  It's not good peeps. And neither are the ratings. I don't expect this turkey to make the cut, so I'd start saying your goodbyes sooner than later...

STILL ON THE FENCE

• The Vampire Diaries
  I haven't seen the third episode yet, but the only real redeeming quality of the first two was Ian Somerhalder. I'll keep up with this one until I see exactly how much screen time he'll be getting and if the story ever ventures out of angsty teen crap, but it's touch and go at this point. The ratings are excellent (for CW standards), so fear not, fans of the show, it'll definitely be sticking around.

IN OTHER RATINGS NEWS

• Castle
  Finally I have some good news for Nathan Fillion. After a long line of shows that just didn't quite make it, Castle's ratings are solid and consistent. It's not a runaway hit with insanely high viewership, but the numbers are good and Castle has proven to be a contender week-to-week. It's not a lock yet, but I think Castle will definitely be getting the back nine. Yay!
  
  
• Dollhouse
  Ratings in the rest of the Whedonverse are no where near as comforting... Just when you thought Dollhouse's numbers could possibly get worse, somehow the show hit bottom, punched through the bottom, and found some new and depressing realm of network TV ratings that mean the show will certainly get the axe pretty soon... I enjoy the show, don't get me wrong, but it's pretty wildly inconsistent and the A-plots week-to-week are eroding my interest in the show overall... I just don't really care about what wacky hijinx Echo is dealing with or what imprint she has unless it affects the overall narrative. I love Joss Whedon, and it pains me to be critical, but Dollhouse just didn't come together quite as one would have hoped... Having the Friday night death slot certainly isn't helping matters either...
  
  
• Glee
  The first couple of episodes back (after the pilot, which premiered in the spring) were a little rocky for me, but the show seems to have really hit its stride now. To match my enthusiasm for the show, its ratings are solid and it has already been granted the back nine. Yay! I loves me some musical numbers and Glee has all that and more. I think Fox's marketing of the show was excellent and premiering the pilot several months before the show actually started was a great move. So yes, in a very strange turn of events, I'm actually praising the Fox network. I think I'll go throw up now...
  
  
• Heroes
  I stopped watching this sucker ages ago, but I like to watch its precipitous decline nonetheless. The premiere was down something like 46% from last season's premiere, so that was awful to begin with, but add to that a week-to-week slide that just won't stop and I think this old dog might just be ready to be put out of its misery. It won't be missed. AND, if it continues to tank (and it will), it just might get taken out back in time for Chuck to return and hopefully NBC will be so desperate for programming that it won't get cancelled. Fingers crossed! Heroes' loss is our gain. :)