From Deadline Hollywood Daily:

This is great news to that small but passionate audience for the best TV series you're not watching. I'm told that Jeff Zucker, Marc Graboff and Ben Silverman had been searching for a way to renew the critically acclaimed but low-rated Friday Night Lights for a 3rd season in a way that would still make financial sense. The answer came in a deal with DirecTV, now owned by John Malone's Liberty Media. Clearly Malone is looking to offer exclusive content to his satellite subscribers to distinguish DirecTV from its rivals on a content as well as price basis. "It's an innovative deal where NBC found a partner who will share costs and exhibition windows," an insider explained to me. So both NBC and DirecTV will be airing Friday Night Lights across multipurpose platforms.

I'm a big fan of hour-long high school football drama (which is really about horny teens and their hornswoggled parents) so I say hooray. NBC aired the last completed episode of Friday Night Lights on February 8th, but until now there's been no word on the fate of the seven remaining episodes that have been written but not produced. I can report now that the third season is saved. Even though it usually ends up last in its time slot, the show does OK in the 18-to-49 demos and often wins the 18-to-34 demos. But FNL's Season One only averaged 6.1 million viewers a week, making it something like the 95th-highest rated show on network primetime TV, and Season Two averaged 6.2 million viewers a week but still came in at 101th.

I can't say whether the fans' campaign to save the show by sending all those mini- footballs to NBC bigwigs worked the magic. But I do know the execs got them.

quote:

But FNL's Season One only averaged 6.1 million viewers a week, making it something like the 95th-highest rated show on network primetime TV, and Season Two averaged 6.2 million viewers a week but still came in at 101th.

fuzzy math?

Weekly Ratings Trend

Week Viewers Demo
-----------------------------------------------
10/05/07 6.37 M 2.1
10/12/07 5.46 M 1.7
10/19/07 5.37 M 1.9
10/26/07 5.81 M 1.9
11/02/07 5.40 M 1.8
11/09/07 5.56 M 1.9
11/16/07 5.96 M 2.1
11/30/07 5.47 M 1.7
12/07/07 5.14 M 1.7
01/04/08 5.52 M 1.8
01/11/08 5.80 M 1.9
01/18/08 5.33 M 1.8
01/25/08 5.37 M 1.9
02/01/08 5.65 M 1.9
02/08/08 5.19 M 1.7

The 'fuzzy math' is probably the result of the article using Live+7 data rather than the industry 'standard' Live+Same Day data.

How long it will be before the details of this deal come out? Does NBC air episodes first or does Direct TV? Will they air them in the same week (even same night) or will it be like the Criminal intent deal with one network getting the episodes months later than first aired?

It seems like NBC renews shows that perform badly and cancels shows that have good ratings. I don't get it!

It hasnt been officially renewed...yet.

NBC's The Under 7 million Club

- 30 Rock
- Friday Night Lights
- Scrubs (May tranfer to ABC)
- Football Night in America
- Life
- Lipstick Jungle
- Amne$ia

Most of these shows have a very good chance at being on the 2008-09 TV Schedule.

Well football night in America returns regardless of ratings. Life had a wonderful lead in thanks to Bionic Woman..not. Friday Night Lights never belonged on Fridays. Agreed that 30 Rock and Scubs shouldn't be back. Ditto for Amnesia and Lipstick Jungle.

Why do you guys think Amne$ia will be back? Its performing horribly and NBC didnt renew Identity or Phenomenon when they did badly. Football Night In America is a deal that NBC made so that has to air along with Sunday Night Football. NBC has already been advertising all the eps of Scrubs as its final season and ABC will likely take it from them. And with low ratings for Lipstick Jungle, there has been nothing to suggest that NBC will renew it. They did order six scripts, but those are scripts not episodes. They may never even be produced.

FNL does really well among affluent viewers and is rather cheap to produce. If DirectTV pays a fraction of the cost, it would be even cheaper. NBC's problem is just getting people to actually watch. My best suggestion is Sundays after football and if that doesnt work, then it should be axed.

Life is returning and 30 Rock probably will too, but Life was on the verge of doing better but that was thwarted due to the strike; Bionic Woman did screw it over and critics were finally starting to get behind it. And I've mentioned this before, critical acclaim does have impact on a lot shows; if it didnt, for example, CBS would have never axed Close To Home and try to make "out of the box" shows this season.

Good for FNL and NBC finding a way to keep it around. If it was for a show that didn't receive any kind of critic praise, it wouldn't have happened. At least someone took a chance to keep quality around.

It will be a very interesting business model. If it works, it could lead to more stuff like this to keep around low rated, but quality recognized products.

quote:

Originally posted by TV-aholic:
NBC's The Under 7 million Club

- 30 Rock
- Friday Night Lights
- Scrubs (May tranfer to ABC)
- Football Night in America
- Life
- Lipstick Jungle
- Amne$ia

Most of these shows have a very good chance at being on the 2008-09 TV Schedule.

I'll put My Name Is Earl and Chuck, both shows have a slightly average over the 7 million, on the list as well. On the other hand NBC cancels Las Vegas and 1 vs 100 who have more than 7 millions viewers on Friday. Granted they are expensive to produce, put it on another night than Friday. The boost in the ratings will be worth the investment.

How does NBC think it can compete against ABC, CBS and FOX with these shows.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CaseyM,

What the....

Why can't NBC just let this show DIE already? They've cancelled MUCH better shows than this crap (IMO, of course). What's the real deal here? If NBC REALLY thinks its such a high quality program, why was it shoved into a Friday night timeslot? I'm kinda lost here...

Ok, who has sold their soul on behalf of this show?

quote:

Originally posted by Obveeus:
The 'fuzzy math' is probably the result of the article using Live+7 data rather than the industry 'standard' Live+Same Day data.

How long it will be before the details of this deal come out? Does NBC air episodes first or does Direct TV? Will they air them in the same week (even same night) or will it be like the Criminal intent deal with one network getting the episodes months later than first aired?

Right on the fuzzy math. A release on CHUCK's renewal as well showed an increase over the live+same day numbers used in this forum.

quote:

Originally posted by TV-aholic:
NBC's The Under 7 million Club

- 30 Rock
- Friday Night Lights
- Scrubs (May tranfer to ABC)
- Football Night in America
- Life
- Lipstick Jungle
- Amne$ia

Most of these shows have a very good chance at being on the 2008-09 TV Schedule.

I think 30 Rock, Scrubs, and Amnesia will not be back.

However I think Lipstick Jungle will, because it brings in good women ratings for them. It always is number 1 in it's timeslot in women.

Life has already been given a season for next year (right?) and Football in America will never be gone.

That leaves Friday Night Lights, which I think should be saved, but perhaps on the Direct TV channel or USA, not NBC.

One more thing about this FNL possibly to Direct tv. If it is like the Law and Order: CI on USA to NBC, wont most FNL fans not pay just possibly wait for the repeats on NBC?

Plus I agree with this article that maybe it's just for money?!?!?