2522 replies to this topic

[Miss Alli]

Bring your ratings and scheduling issues here.

[auntlada]

I like the move to 10 p.m., but then, it's only to 9 p.m. for me. Now I don't have to figure out what to do when American Idol goes to 2 hours, since I tape both shows for someone else. Unless there are two-hour episodes of both on the same night. Crap. I didn't think of that.

[Soupy Drek]

I just don't understand networks at all.

You finally build up a strong audience for the show during TAR7, then you follow that with the abomination of TAR:FE where the bottom fell back out of the ratings. So what is your next move? Switch timeslots! That's brilliant.

Now me, the viewer, has a problem: If I'm already watching something at 10 p.m., do I still watch that show or do I follow the show that is moving? Since I'm already invested in the 10 p.m. show, I'll be forced to tape the show that is moving.

For me a 10 p.m. show doesn't work, so I'll be forced to tape TAR. But then I can't watch until the next evening and will I be able to go all day without being spoiled? One of the pleasures of watching a show like this is coming here the next morning and seeing what everyone has to say. Once I know the result, will I still be interested in watching that night?

Just an ass move and I don't see any benefit to it.

[Lantern7]

I agree with Drek...how good a show can The Unit be if it bumps TAR back an hour? Would CBS ever pull this shit on Survivor? Yes, TAR8 was bad all around, but I don't see why it should be moved to 10 p.m. It would lose in the ratings to House, but isn't it strong against the other shows?

[Mama Tiger]

New shows are traditionally put after strong shows or before strong shows -- in this case, I'm sure they hope that people who were watching AI will just turn to CBS when AI is done and let it run for The Unit. Their logic is flawed, however, since if The Unit is the crapola that I suspect it will be, people may just turn off their TVs and go to bed.

Here's hoping TAR9 is such a good show that it not only keeps previous fans but draws in some new one. That's where casting and the race course and tasks will be critical. A good show can overcome crappy scheduling if it's good enough.

[mtlchickie]

Ah gracias, Miss Alli.

Time to analyze this puppy.

So in this detour, fans have to decide which time slot is better for TAR, each with its own pros and cons. The choice we weren't given: Tuesday at 9 to Tuesday at 10 PM.

In Tuesday at 9 PM, TAR was facing the following in the fall:

House, Commander in Chief, My Name Is Earl/Office, Supernatural, and whatever was on UPN. Lead In: NCIS, which like TAR, really broke out in the summer.

With the major improvement in House even without the AI lead in the fall, Commander in Chief becoming the biggest show of the fall (until it hit the skids), Earl becoming a big show in the 18-49 demo, TAR:FE was not doing as well as it could. (Well that was partly due just because it was TAR:FE.) It was doing ok, and it's ranked around 30th for the season....which is where TAR6 ended up last season (TAR7 ranked about 26th.) That said, it was still doing well in the 18-49 demo which CBS loves. With Commander In Chief in timeout mode until April (replaced by Sons and Daughers), and Earl/Office on Thursday (now double dose of Scrubs), this should have provided some help to TAR, as it is now in "rebulding" mode.

As of yesterday, TAR is now at 10 PM which now leads to this scenario:

Lead in: The Unit being produced by David Mamet (which says something to some people, but to the mainstream, it's more "Who? What? I should care about him WHY?"

Now against: Law and Order: SVU (the biggest out of the 3), Boston Legal. Because L+O will not be back until after the Olympics and leading off with a show that will signal Mariska Hargitay's materiny leave, this may be an interesting case of "if a star is replaced for several weeks, will they still watch?" Boston Legal has the Shatner/Spader Emmy combo dish. Still, both have been doing quite well in their slots where CBS have been having problems, both with Close to Home and Love Monkey.

So, what does it mean for TAR?

Good and bad news: Good because now if Idol goes into overtime, it can avoid it. House gained its biggest audience ever with 22 million so CBS is not going to give up one of their more potent demo friendly shows to the slaughter. Bad because of benefitting of NCIS's lead in (average of around 17 million), it will have to hope that The Unit gets a good sampling and that people stick around for it. CBS is banking that putting TAR here is enough of a counterprogramming move versus a crime drama and legal dramedy.

As for moving it to another night...there is no real place to put it. Monday and Thursday isn't even a thought as CBS do well on those nights. No way are they placing in on Saturday as no one watches TV anymore on that night and Friday isn't much better. Sunday and Wednesdays are too risky because of ABC shows.

So what is boils down to is this: CBS has enough faith in TAR to sell the reruns on Comcast and eventually with the Google partnership. It has the Emmy cred (which they seem to be FORGETTING in the promo for this season. Yet it was all over the TAR:FE promos. Shocking I know.) So they feel that with the pairing of NCIS, The Unit is matched well, and that TAR will be able to stick it out. Worse case, The Unit gets axed, TAR is moved back to where it was and face off with old foes. If it's a exciting season (which is what I'M hoping for), the fans will follow.

Whew! I feel like Will Ferrell in Old School when he blanked out after the debate.

[Gentian root]

I finally get to watch House! Huzzah!

[SeaBreeze341]

I saw the CTV promo for TAR last night after Lost. The CTV announcer: "The Amazing Race is back with teams of two in its Emmy-winning form."

I think CTV is throwing a hint that 1) TAR9 is back to normal and 2) telling CBS not submit TAR:FE for Emmy consideration.

And 3) Sadly, when it said that it's going back to its roots, it meant that it's going back to #1 (with its format). No way is it going back to the glory days of the first 3-4 TAR's (via the rules and stuff related), other than the countries and cities it might visit if they go there.

Don't like the Unit bumping back TAR, but in the longrun, Lantern, it might be the best move, even if it gets cancelled prior to the end of TAR. I agree that while House won in ratings, it did beat out other shows, but from my end, several TAR7 viewers jumped over to House last fall, and from there, some of them could be there on a more permanent basis, even with TAR9 going from White back to Red.

Someone said that Wednesdays at 8 would be more fitting. I'm not sure what airs opposite that, but while Wednesday nights work better for me, I don't think having the show jump around like that is the best move. Maybe for TAR10 and TAR11, but it might be too late for TAR9.

So, as mentioned, I'm with the group that assumes that TAR9 will be back to 9:00 in no time. Even if the Unit doesn't get cancelled, it'll could move back there. Basically the Unit has about a 3-week period to shine, assuming that the mid season 2-hour TAR Special is around the same time as last year. Then the Unit dies, TAR works its way back to 9 with a 2-hour episode, and then it stays with 60-minute episodes at 9:00 up until the Finale. The Unit remains dead, or the Unit actually returns, but to 10:00 on Tuesdays, because the 10:00 TAR was a plan to bring back the old viewers, and to bring in some new ones too!

[twinmom]

I still think they should air TAR at 8 and push back NCIS and The Unit one hour.

[Racerex]

Taped it when it was at 9, will tape it when it's at 10...

Only advantage before was I could set it to start with NCIS and end after TAR, now I have to go and program in 2 shows.

One of these days I'm going to get one of those TiVo thingies (but I'll wait until we get cable - about the same time as we win the lottery and retire young. Sigh.)

ETA - Are the network execs afraid of Geena Davis?

Edited by Racerex, Feb 9, 2006 @ 4:45 PM.

[Calreusop]

It's moving to 10? Crap. I have to get up early, so I would usually watch at 9, and go to bed right after. It's very unlikely I can stay up until 11 and still function in the morning! And when it's finally back to normal, too.

[theschnauzers]

I think we now have an explanation for the move to 10pm. CBS announced today that they are putting "Love Monkey" on hiatus, effective immediately. Since the plans had been to air "Love Monkey" after TAR, it now makes sense to put another new show inbetween NCIS and TAR, given the AI?House juggernaut on Tuesday between 8pm and 10pm.

I'm hopeful that moving the show to 10pm will help bring back viewers who went elsewhere at 9pm during the TAR:FE season. It also means (for me, anyhow) that if Commander In Chief does return in April, I'll be able to watch both that and TAR without any conflict.

[fashionista79]

Ten is perfect for me. I'd like to think that TPTB knew about my evening classes this semester and decided to give me a break. Mondays and Tuesdays, directly after work, I go to school. My class is from 6 p.m. to 8:45 on Tuesday (and because it's a workshop class, sometimes we go over). By the time I get home, it's maybe 9:20. So, yeah, 10 o'clock is good. (The 9 o'clock timeslot from last semester is the reason why I never saw TAR: FE; didn't feel like recording it, and didn't feel like jumping in half way through an ep.)

Also, didn't TAR air at ten during one season (maybe during season one?)? All the various season's air times are running together in my mind.

Edited by fashionista79, Feb 9, 2006 @ 9:38 PM.

[bssc]

Nine is fine but then TAR is the only show I watch

[SeaBreeze341]

Also, didn't TAR air at ten during one season (maybe during season one?)? All the various season's air times are running together in my mind.

Yep. It was TAR5. However, it was preceded by another reality show (BB5), and it aired in the summer.

[Kyranthia]

I'm not happy about the move to 10PM. But I like Boston Legal, so I already had a show in that slot that I watched. I know, this is why VCRs were invented.

I don't quite see the move to 10 working for the demos. In the summer, this would work since families stay up later then.

We'll see, I guess.

[Pedaler]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

TAR7 began March 1, 2005 and ended in May. It was against basically the same competition as today. Ratings wise, TAR7 was one of the most successful Amazing Race seasons.

Some one had the great idea to do a family version for season 8.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Some one had the great idea to start season 9 one hour later than season 7.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[iMissEthan]

8:00 would be a disaster ratings-wise because of the juggernaut that is American Idol. 10:00 is better for me personally, and I hope the ratings are there for the sake of the show.

As for kids who love the show, tape it for them and let them watch it the next afternoon. If they're too young to stay up until 11:00, chances are they should be in bed by 10:00 anyway. That's my mother's voice coming out in me since I had a 10:00 bedtime until high school.

[Machiabelly]

Stupid Atlantic Time Zone. 10:00 PM is 11:00PM for me. Arghhhh

Here's hoping Global airs it an hour early instead of The Unit (Which sounds like a porn show/actor)

[mtlchickie]

Here's hoping Global airs it an hour early instead of The Unit (Which sounds like a porn show/actor)

It's CTV that airs it and only in REALLY rare cases they will not air the program at the same time as the U.S.

[Racerex]

I had a 10:00 bedtime until high school.

WOW, I finally got a 10:00am bedtime IN high school. Tell your mum she rocks.

[sakurajade]

Personally, this move works great for me since, now, I can tape Idol, watch Top Model, once Top Model is finished, watch the Idol tape, and then finally finish up the evening with TAR, my favorite of the trio.

However, when I consider this move in a broader, less me centered context, I don't really think that it's the smartest move. While significance of the fact that shows like House, and their TAR audience stealing powers are no longer an issue can't be emphasized enough, it seems to me to be a sole positive against all to numerous negatives. One, 10 p.m. is late for a lot of people, especially families and students. While yes, some of these people will watch the show even if it is late for them and others will tape, in my opinion, a pretty sizable amount of people may just slip away. Two, in the move to 10 p.m., TAR loses the ratings boost a successful lead-in like NCIS provides, something that after TAR:FE, the show could really use in trying to return to it's TAR7 ratings. Sure, The Unit could manage to not tank and possibilty even succeed in giving TAR a lead that equals or surpases what NCIS provided, but that's a highly unlikely scenario. Three, if The Unit does tank, TAR faces the possibililty of a second timeslot move in less than season (if CBS, in it's quest for ratings, decideds to move TAR back to 9 p.m) and thus, risks the possibility of losing even more viewers in the move, either through the viewer losing track of the show or picking another show over it, and thus, this could create a situation where an even further weakened TAR is put up against the very competition that it's trying to avoid right now.

I think typing this made me depressed although, yays, I finally dragged myself out of lurkdome.

Edited by sakurajade, Feb 13, 2006 @ 5:49 PM.

[pipe]

Folks -- You've gotta invest in TiVo. You quickly learn that it just doesn't matter when a show comes on, because you can watch it at anytime! (after it airs, of course.)

Low end TiVo systems are available on amazon.com for $165 (this isn't a plug) and I've seen them on sale at the stores for less than half that. Shop around. It's the best thing this TV junkie ever invested in!

(Note that the one negative about watching TAR next day, however, is that you have to stay away from this chatroom (and others like it) if you want to be surprised about the outcome.)

[Miss Alli]

This is not a chat room, not all DVRs can record one thing while you watch another, and pimping electronics is off-topic.

[skeb]

Note that the one negative about watching TAR next day, however, is that you have to stay away from this chatroom (and others like it) if you want to be surprised about the outcome.)

It would be really hard for me to stay away from the boards the day after TAR. I guess I'm going to have to get a nap in on Tuesday afternoons! But, I still hate the move and agree with the poster above : "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

[hancox17]

I'm not happy about the time change. We already tape Boston Legal, followed by The Shield. I'm glad I don't have to start taping House but still...

While I'm sure Shawn Ryan didn't want to go up against his own show, I don't think enough people watch The Shield that he should be worried. 10:00 for TAR is just annoying. And it's practically the only night we watch TV-nothing like having all the shows you like on at one time! I hate CBS. Time to write another letter.

[ashfett]

Their logic is flawed, however, since if The Unit is the crapola that I suspect it will be, people may just turn off their TVs and go to bed.

Why the negative thoughts on The Unit? I certainly hope you're wrong: As a huge fan of The Shield, I'm interested in anything Shawn Ryan does, and I love Dennis Haysbert, Scott Foley and Robert Patrick. I've been looking forward to this show since last summer actually, though I was sad when Amy Acker was replaced (I was fanboying out over seeing Noel married to Fred).

While I'm sure Shawn Ryan didn't want to go up against his own show, I don't think enough people watch The Shield that he should be worried.

Wow, I hadn't even thought about how if The Unit was on at 10pm, it would be up against The Shield. While The Shield does get (relative to network) low ratings, I gotta say, I have several friends who watch it, and all of them intend to check out The Unit for that reason. And either way, I would think politcally, it would be a highly quesitionable thing for CBS to put a new show on against that same producers other show. That being said, I do hate TAR being on at 10, and think it's just an odd place to put it, since I know a lot of kids/families watch the show. Others have speculated that CBS thinks it makes sense demographically to put The Unit on after Navy NCIS, and I can see that logic, but again, TAR at 10 is not a smart move, and I'd rather it switch nights then be on at that time.

Not that I won't be watching it either way.

[hazza123]

The TAR9 premiere has been confirmed for March 2nd, Thursday 9.30pm here in Australia. Only a 1 day difference to America this year!

[Emeraldfire]

Isn't that great news? I just saw the ad on 7 during the Winter Olympics show. Started out with however many miles and contestants there have been so far, [warning location spoiler] then Phil saying they are coming to Australia, with a teaser as to which city, with scenes totally unrelated to each city as it was said though then some sound bites from contestants, locations shots, Phil at the start and then Phil closing it out with 7's "Amazing Thursday" comment.

Brought tears to my eyes. Why does this show get to me so much? I so can't wait for 2 March. And to think we will be seeing it so soon after the US. When it goes to air on the east coast of the US on Tuesday night, it is midday Wednesday on the east coast of Australia. It means I can discuss in real time with everyone here.

Edited by Emeraldfire, Feb 18, 2006 @ 9:33 PM.