Ratings Show Sad State of Network Sitcoms

[Kire]

Ratings Show Sad State of Network Sitcoms
By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer

NEW YORK - Viewers aren't doing much laughing these days — at least intentionally. Only two of Nielsen Media Research's top 30 programs last week were situation comedies and one of them — CBS' "Everybody Loves Raymond" — ends its network run next month. The only other top-rated sitcom: "Two and a Half Men."

Laughs aren't necessarily absent elsewhere: ABC's "Desperate Housewives" is classified as a comedy, and reality shows have some funny moments. And CBS' Sunday movie last week, "Locusts," had its camp appeal.

But the ratings are otherwise dominated by drama and reality, with comedy at a low ebb.

The top-rated non-CBS sitcom last week, ABC's "According to Jim," was No. 40 with roughly one-third of the viewers "American Idol" routinely gets. Once the gold standard, NBC's Thursday comedies finished even lower — "Will & Grace" (No. 45) and "Joey" (No. 55).

Several ABC comedies _"Hope & Faith," "George Lopez" and "Jake in Progress" — were among that network's lowest-rated offerings.

More: http://tinyurl.com/b7rnc

[lazarus]

1. The answer

Is the same reason people like reality TV.

Sitcoms simply rerun the same tired, stale jokes and situations, over and over and over. The rare sitcom that breaks out of the mold becomes a hit (Cheers, Seinfeld).

Reality TV offers something unexpected every episode. You never know what's going to happen. That's important to a lot of people.

[Kire]

2. You know, I've never actually seen an episode of 'Everybody Loves Raymond'

I don't even think I've ever seen a whole scene out of a single episode.

I wonder what that other Sitcom was.

[Longhorn]

4. Two and a Half Men

follows Everybody Loves Raymond and stars Charlie Sheen and John Cryer. It's riding on Ray's fumes.

[Kire]

6. THAT'S the other one?

Jeez, we are in trouble!

Where's Norman Lear when we need him?

[deadparrot]

3. Who the hell classifies ELR as a comedy?

That's an insult to a show like Cheers.

[Ravenseye]

5. The problem with 'Ratings'

I don't buy into Nielsen ratings. I don't buy into Billboard ratings. Why?

The stuff I watch is only rarely in the top ten. The stuff I listen to is even more rarely in the top ten. OK, so that's anectodal evidence. I have different tastes than the masses. Or do I?

Nielsen ratings as far as I know are still the key ratings indicator and they're still done by 'Nielsen' families. Through this group they statistically figure out who is watching what. When they say that 30 million Americans tuned in to watch a very special episode of 'Blossom' they don't actually know that it happened. They didn't call 200 million Americans and ask if they watched the episode of Blossom last night where Joey found out he had testicular cancer.

Nielsen ratings come from a select group of television watchers who probably put more time and efford into watching television than your average bear. A Nielsen family doesn't represent me. I represent me. When CBS declares that Everybody Loves Raymond is America's number one comedy I blink. I've watched it once and couldn't stand it. I don't know anyone who watches it. Anyone. That just seems odd. I guess that means that while most people on Monday night turn off the telvision, the Nielsen families pretty much just watch Everybody Loves Raymond, and during Football season they watch the game. They have to...They're Nielsen families. A rousing cheer for Ray Romano please.

Billboard ratings are even more absurd, though apparently they're trying to change that by figuring in online downloads. Since poeple don't buy singles in record stores anymore, they figure the top 100 songs by airtime. Hip hop stations have shorter play lists and repeat songs alot more than alternative stations, country stations, or what have you. So the billboard ratings saying 'hey Jay-Z has the top song in america' is really just saying that the hip hop stations are playing his song a hell of a lot more than anyone else. Not because of requests, but because the record companies pay the radio stations to play them more frequently. So it's crap.

I'm not saying you can't like Jay Z, or Ray Romano. I'm just saying that 'ratings' are bullshit and we need a new paradigm to gauge what people are watching, and listening to....if anything.

Turn off your television and radio's for a week. Talk to each other, sit on your porch and say hi to people walking by. Sing, play board games...Then tell me you'd rather watch American Idol than spend time with your friends and family.

Me....I'll be inside watching Survivor, but that's only because I don't like people.