599 replies to this topic

[folktale]

This is the thread for discussing the show on the CBS schedule, as well as how it is faring in the ratings.

Season Three premieres this Monday, September 24th, and we are assured of at least 6 new episodes in a row prior to November sweeps.

[shadowmagist]

Just to see how much we grow by, here are the final summer ratings from pifeeback:

How I Met Your Mother (Viewers: #3, 6.07 million; A18-49: #3, 2.1/ 6)

[Kel Varnsen]

Just to see how much we grow by, here are the final summer ratings from pifeeback:

How I Met Your Mother (Viewers: #3, 6.07 million; A18-49: #3, 2.1/ 6)

Correct me if I am wrong, but 6 million viewers is pretty good for a show in summer re-runs, is it not? If it is wouldn't that be a good sign to keep this show around?

[cagedstupidity]

Correct me if I am wrong, but 6 million viewers is pretty good for a show in summer re-runs, is it not? If it is wouldn't that be a good sign to keep this show around?

I'd say it's pretty good. I think the season finale was right around 8 million.

[gcmtech]

The CBS site lists the premier tonight at both 8 and 8:30. Anyone have a sense which of those is right?

Edited by gcmtech, Sep 24, 2007 @ 6:04 PM.

[nme525]

My guide has it at 8pm.

[2MuchTV]

From Mediaweek/PIfeedback.com:

Over at CBS, the third-season premiere of How I Met Your Mother took a tumble, with a third-place finish in both total viewers (8.27 million) and adults 18-49 (3.2/ 9) at 8 p.m (5.6/ 9 in the overnights). Former failed time period occupant The Class kicked-off the 2006-07 season (on Sept. 18, 2006) with a heftier 10.48 million viewers and a 3.6/10 among adults 18-49 (overnights: 7.0/11) (leading into the second season-premiere of How I Met Your Mother at 10.48 million viewers and a 3.8/10 in the demo) (overnights: 6.7/10).[/quote]

Grrr...why aren't people watching this show??? Stupid Dancing with the Stars.

And Zap2It:

[quote]CBS' "How I Met Your Mother," 5.3/8, and "The Big Bang Theory," 6.0/9, tied for second in households with the premiere of NBC's "Chuck," which had a slight edge in total viewers and the 18-49 demo.[/quote]

Edited by 2MuchTV, Sep 25, 2007 @ 12:00 PM.

[nme525]

According to pifeedback.com, total viewers was 8.27M. Does anyone know how that compares to last year? I can't remember if we were hitting 7 or 8M.

[2MuchTV]

Updated above post. Last year's premiere had 10.48 million viewers.

[seffina]

And the troubling thing is that more people watched The Big Bang Theory than HIMYM. The new comedy actually built on the show. Not good news at all.

Also from PI-Feedback:

How I Met Your Mother led into the debut of sitcom The Big Bang Theory (Viewers: #3, 9.57 million; A18-49: #3, 3.7/ 9), which managed to build out of How I Met Your Mother by 1.30 million viewers and 16 percent in the demo. That’s a positive

Edited by seffina, Sep 25, 2007 @ 12:04 PM.

[Kel Varnsen]

And the troubling thing is that more people watched The Big Bang Theory than HIMYM. The new comedy actually built on the show. Not good news at all.

I watched Big Bang Theory and thought it was really really bad. I would not be surprised if it took a severe drop next week.

[surfsup79]

I cannot deal with the show being cancelled. This was supposed to be HIMYM's time to shine and instead it did worse than overly done, geeky guy and beautfiul girl snorefest.

I am really hoping it does better next week.

[Drew T.]

Eh, I wouldn't worry about cancellation just yet. There's a lot of time left for BBT to shrink. Anything with Chuck Lorre's name on it is going to draw good numbers -- the key is whether or not they can actually hold the viewers. The Class did similarly last year and then ended up crumbling quickly. If HIMYM can stay consistent and continue to deliver in the under 35 demo, it'll be fine, at least for the season.

[seffina]

HIMYM didn't have to compete with DWtS last year, so I think the drop is just because of that. It's hard to compete with a show that is live, when you can just tape a comedy.

And I agree with everyone else that BBT should drop. But... I thought the same would happen to RoE.. but that seems to be surviving. That might just be the goodwill of TaaHM.

[TWoP Barnes]

What?

[BStu]

While DWtS would be potent competition, its not because you can't tape it.

Speaking of which, though does anyone know, though, how HIMYM does in the "live plus seven" DVR ratings.

[Drew T.]

Rules of Engagement has mainstream appeal, but it's success is very dependent on Two and a Half Men.

HIMYM's in a very, very tricky spot, as it's asked to kick-off a night a comedy that skews much older than it does. As noted in the media thread, this show is CBS's youngest skewing one, and I'd imagine that presents problems.

The fact that the show improved on its summer numbers is a good sign (doesn't sound like much of a feat, but considering it reran behind Two and a Half Men, which reruns fairly well, I think it's okay), and that it only dropped a slight margin against one of television's highest rated shows is pretty impressive. I think 8:00 is a more competitive time slot this year, so I hope that CBS hopes the show stays consistent.

Also, The Class started off well last year, and then HIMYM basically had to save the hour for CBS after its numbers declined, so it's very much up in the air as to how this will play out. The worst scenario that I see is that BBT is a major hit, and they switch it with HIMYM.

[AngleMan]

I think honestly a lot of people turned into the start of dancing with the stars, and then probably left it after they saw who it was. I'm sure they are expecting the bigger competition

[Toast8]

This is a little bit off-topic but for ratings do they count everyone who has a DVR or just Nielsen families? I've always wondered that.

[seffina]

This is a little bit off-topic but for ratings do they count everyone who has a DVR or just Nielsen families? I've always wondered that.

Just Nielsen families with DVRs. Otherwise it wouldn't be a fair sample. Those ratings haven't come out yet.

HIMYM might be younger skewing, but it had the lowest demo rating of the four comedies.

[uncommonwoman]

Also, don't Nielson family DVRs and the like only count if people watch the commercials too? I'm rather ratings clueless but I remember hearing that on Definitely Not the Opera.

[cagedstupidity]

According to what I read on wikipedia, HIMYM had 7.70 million viewers for the season finale. So weren't we up from that?

[Drew T.]

Yeah, I just went and confirmed that on Marc Berman's website. It was 7.7 for the finale, so to improve by 500,000 is not a bad thing at all.

[surfsup79]

Plus we did better than the Office season premiere which everyone had high hopes for too. We may have got the worse ratings out the CBS comedy night but not worse out of all comedies. And I am expecting the Big Bang Theory to have a major drop next week.

[Zero Hour]

Plus we did better than the Office season premiere which everyone had high hopes for too.

How so? The Office did better in both total viewers and the demo compared to HIMYM.

[surfsup79]

Well maybe they changed from Fast to Final numbers but we had 5.3/8 and the Office had 5.2/8. I guess then that changed and ended having the Office with better ratings. My bad.

[adri278]

From here:

CBS was close to opening week levels from one week earlier (again, in these 25 markets) with its combination of How I Met Your Mother (#3, 5.8/ 9), The Big Bang Theory (#2, 5.9/ 9), Two and a Half Men (#2: 9.3/13), Rules of Engagement (#3: 7.1/10), and CSI: Miami (#1: 11.0/17). Although week two of sitcom The Big Bang Theory dipped by only five percent from its debut (6.2/ 9 on Sept. 24), the Monday weak link for CBS remains the 8-9 p.m. comedy block. Say what you want, but How I Met Your Mother is not, and never will be, a hit. Even if it was not facing Dancing With the Stars, I personally doubt the ratings would be much higher.

Hmph. The show didn't do too shabby though.

[surfsup79]

I seriously doubt that it'll never be a hit. Remember when it followed Two and Half Men in the summer? The repeats were getting in the double digits. It really just needs the extra little thing to kickstart it.

[linz15]

From PI Feedback:

CBS was close to opening week levels from one week earlier with its combination of How I Met Your Mother (Viewers: #2, 7.88 million; A18-49: #2t, 3.0/ 8), The Big Bang Theory (Viewers: #2, 8.58 million; A18-49: #2, 3.4/ 8), Two and a Half Men (Viewers: #2, 13.38 million; A18-49: #3, 4.6/11), Rules of Engagement (Viewers: #3, 10.54 million; A18-49: #3, 3.9/ 9), and CSI: Miami (Viewers: #1, 14.88 million; A18-49: #1, 4.6/11). The positive news for The Big Bang Theory was growth out of lead-in How I Met Your Mother of 700,000 viewers and 13 percent among adults 18-49, and a performance close to its week-ago debut. One year earlier, former occupant How I Met Your Mother (out of failed comedy The Class) was slightly higher at 9.32 million viewers and a 3.6/ 9 in the demo (based on the final nationals on Oct. 2, 2006). Retention for Rules of Engagement out of Two and a Half Men, meanwhile, was 79 percent in viewers and 85 percent among adults 18-49.

[msrayrudd]

I seriously doubt that it'll never be a hit. Remember when it followed Two and Half Men in the summer? The repeats were getting in the double digits. It really just needs the extra little thing to kickstart it.

The problem is the show is now in its third season. If CBS was considering cutting it last year, they are not going to be patient this year. Especially when it's even getting beaten by the crapfest that is Big Bang Theory. The ratings are not good for a third season critically acclaimed series.

But I don't know the solution. There is no reason why the only worthwhile comedy CBS has to offer is doing so poorly. Yes, you can say the ratings aren't horrible, but they are down considerably from where they were at this time last season and it wasn't considered a hit then either. Granted the whole line-up is down and they weren't facing DWTS at the beginning of last season.

I agree that this show skews younger, so maybe the CBS viewers just can't find themselves getting attached. Then again I know people my age who refuse to watch CBS due to its reputation as the old people's network, as much as I try to convince them to tune in for HIMYM.

I think this show doesn't fit in with the rest of its CBS counterparts and probably was a better match with last season's Class which at least was about twenty somethings interacting with each other.