quote:

Originally posted by pisher:

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I actually prefered the second episode of SCC to the first. There was a lot more character developement, and it gave a better idea of where the series is going. I laughed at a few parts too, there was a lack of comedy in the first episode. I like where things are going.

Yeah. Right down the crapper. I like that too.

Yawn.
You still here?

Exactly. I watched the show for the first time in a long time last week because of this gimmick.

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Originally posted by College Basketball Fan:

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Originally posted by xwiseguyx:
I think the reason DOND is doing so well these days is due to their latest gimmick where they are adding a new Million Dollar Suitcase each time a contestant loses until someone wins the million.

I think you are on to something. I caught the last five minutes last night and when Howie mentioned at sign-off they were adding another million dollar case next time for a total of 7 million dollar cases, I actually checked my programming guide to see when it aired next. I never do that for DOND.

quote:

Originally posted by a-mad:

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Originally posted by gdfriends:

for all the talk of how "dance wars" is holding up, may i remind you all that it was 4th in the demos and lost to cbs comedies no less?

Dance Wars retained 96% of viewers from last week's heavily promoted premiere, and 97% of 18-49. I think its "holding up" quite well...

yup, holding up in 4th... sorry, but that isnt so hot...

of course abc is in more trouble elsewhere so im sure this is good enough for them...

quote:

Yawn.
You still here?

You the same Lost_Dom who said SCC would average 16mil viewers a week?

I agree about the "Million Dollar Mission" helping DOND. They started one earlier in the season when ratings for the franchise were at an all-time low and it really caused an uptick. Of course, they "aborted" that mission before giving away the million, so don't get your hopes up.

But those ratings really are surprising. Not only is this the first time Deal's broken 5.0 this season, it's also the first time it's broken 4.0, which is really a big leap.

Also surprising is the BBT repeat number, which is even higher than the repeats were getting the first time around, just after originals stopped. I think the previous series high for a repeat was a 2.9. So that's very good news for that show, since most newbies struggle to find 3.0 in originals.

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Originally posted by pisher:
You considered PRE-24 Kiefer Sutherland a huge star?

Lena Headey was in 300--not a big star, certainly, but not a nobody. In any event, you keep assuming star salaries are the only thing that can drive up the budget of an SFX-heavy network drama, and I can't for the life of me figure out why you assume that.

I mean, if you compare SCC actors to the cast of BS or DSM for example, I can see Fox saving some money there.

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The pilot premiered to 18mil viewers. They spent a fortune promoting it. They spent a fortune MAKING it. They gave it a dream lead-in.

And you're saying it MIGHT be a MODEST success?

See you at the funeral.

It is unlikely Fox ever dreamt of reaching the pilot numbers for SCC on a regular basis; sci-fi is not mainstream. If it gets PB ratings or a bit better, that should be good enough.

And unless you have some numbers for the "fortune" Fox spent on this series, stop always bringing up the budget of shows to deem them financial failures. The action scenes are actually rather old-school, with a few plastic-robot-arms here and there.

The Big Bang Theory (Viewers: #3, 8.16 million; A18-49: #3, 3.2/ 8)

WOW! 8.16 million for a repeat? Thats only about 1-2 million less then a new episodes numbers. It looks like people (and me) like to see the episodes again

Welcome to the Captain is going to have to pull some good numbers to beat that.

can I ask a favor? Please don't respond to the troll. I have him on ignore but they are not hidden when someone responds to him.

quote:

Originally posted by Lost_Dom:

quote:

Originally posted by pisher:

quote:

I actually prefered the second episode of SCC to the first. There was a lot more character developement, and it gave a better idea of where the series is going. I laughed at a few parts too, there was a lack of comedy in the first episode. I like where things are going.

Yeah. Right down the crapper. I like that too.

Yawn.
You still here?

quote:

I mean, if you compare SCC actors to the cast of BS or DSM for example, I can see Fox saving some money there.

Sure, but that doesn't automatically prove SCC doesn't cost as much or more--it just proves the CAST costs less. The cast is not where most of the money goes, for most TV shows. Sure, if the whole show is built around a particular actor, his or her share of the loot is likely to be formidable, but you really think Peter Krause can command a record-breaking salary on the basis of Six Feet Under and Sports Night? The biggest star in that cast is Donald Sutherland, and The Donald is a little past his prime earning days, wouldn't you say?

The primary expense of making a drama is SHOOTING said drama. And the more action-heavy it is, and the more SFX-heavy it is, the more it costs to shoot.

Even trying to achieve something distantly approaching movie-level cinematography is very expensive to pull off on network TV, where you need to produce 20odd hours of it a year.

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It is unlikely Fox ever dreamt of reaching the pilot numbers for SCC on a regular basis;

I don't think we want to know what FOX dreams about, Z.

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sci-fi is not mainstream.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=terminator.htm

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And unless you have some numbers for the "fortune" Fox spent on this series, stop always bringing up the budget of shows to deem them financial failures.

I'm terribly sorry. I should never have raised the subject of how much SCC might cost per ep without knowing the exact budget.

Hey wait a minute, YOU did that!

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The action scenes are actually rather old-school, with a few plastic-robot-arms here and there.

Hey, FOX should hire you to write the promotion for this show.

I've spent the last half hour reading the ten pages of replies, and I'm shocked. I agree that SCC did not do as well as I hoped, but as much as I expected. SCC is overall a character development series with action in it... similar to shows like Buffy & Firefly. I can't remember the last time when a pilot wasn't dry- there's just so much info to cram into an hour... but, once that's done, it gets better. Buffy did its best in Season 3, and those results carried into Season 4. If you re-watch those first 11 episodes, there're pretty dull and lacking. The point is, SCC needs a chance to build that; now that the pilot and the follow-up are out of the way, the pressure is on Ep 3- if the viewers can't be engaged through it, it's lost. At least FOX is giving it the chance and not slicing and dicing like it did to Firefly...

If SCC is cancelled, and the writer's strike isn't dissolved, what are viewers supposed to do who want to watch action/dramas? DOND? AI?? Is there no hope?

quote:

Originally posted by pisher:

quote:

sci-fi is not mainstream.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=terminator.htm

Sure, but on TV? In the recent years only Heroes and Lost have been hits, and both of those series are not even really sci-fi.

(edit: I didn't remember T1 was only a cult movie, compared to the blockbuster T2)

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I'm terribly sorry. I should never have raised the subject of how much SCC might cost per ep without knowing the exact budget.

Well it would be interesting to know the budget for this show, compared to PB or 24 for example. Anyone from FOX here?

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I've spent the last half hour reading the ten pages of replies, and I'm shocked.

Me too. I'm shocked there aren't 20 pages of replies.

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I agree that SCC did not do as well as I hoped, but as much as I expected.

And reading over all the replies from YESTERDAY's thread, I'm a little shocked that nobody will admit to being shocked.

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SCC is overall a character development series with action in it

Yes. Crap characters, developed crappily, with crap action between the crap development, just to keep people watching the same old predictable cookie-cutter CRAP.

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... similar to shows like Buffy & Firefly.

1)Buffy got MORE viewers as it went on, not fewer.

2)I'll give you Firefly.

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I can't remember the last time when a pilot wasn't dry- there's just so much info to cram into an hour... but, once that's done, it gets better.

"Dry"?

And btw--how much information did they really need to give us, when WE'VE ALL SEEN THE FRAKKIN' MOVIES!!!!???

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Buffy did its best in Season 3, and those results carried into Season 4.

1)I agree about season 3 (mainly).

2)Season four SUCKED. They graduate high school, the show is over, THE END.

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If you re-watch those first 11 episodes, there're pretty dull and lacking.

1)The word is spelled 'they're'.

2)I like every single season one ep, which is more than I can say about most of seasons four, five, and six. In any event, BTVS was based on a FLOP movie, not one of the biggest and best-known action movie franchises of the last three decades--I mean, that franchise elected a GOVERNOR, fercryinoutloud. And not for one of the little podunk states, either.

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The point is, SCC needs a chance to build that;

Yeah, but suppose it doesn't? Are you the same person I was arguing about Bionic Woman with a few months back? You guys all tend to blur together after a while.

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now that the pilot and the follow-up are out of the way, the pressure is on Ep 3-

Hey, you should be a political pundit. "Now that Clinton has won New Hampshire, the pressure is on Obama to win something else." Thanks for the keen insights, dude.

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if the viewers can't be engaged through it, it's lost. At least FOX is giving it the chance and not slicing and dicing like it did to Firefly...

Which would have flopped if it had major NFL playoff games as the lead-in every single night for a year. Did you not see the box office for Serenity?

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If SCC is cancelled, and the writer's strike isn't dissolved, what are viewers supposed to do who want to watch action/dramas? DOND? AI?? Is there no hope?

There's always Bob Hope. Rent some of the Road movies he did with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour (now THAT's an action-babe).

Why do you guys make it so easy?

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Sure, but on TV? In the recent years only Heroes and Lost have been hits, and both of those series are not even really sci-fi.

They aren't real science fiction, and neither is Terminator. But they are all scifi, yes, absolutely. Science fiction is marginal, SciFi is about as mainstream as mainstream gets.

Oh but I'm sure you're right. So you want to break the news to Will Smith that he's a cult movie actor?

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Well it would be interesting to know the budget for this show, compared to PB or 24 for example. Anyone from FOX here?

No, they're too busy weeping over SCC's ratings last night.

The correct comparison would be to how much 24 or PB cost in their first seasons.

Btw--major stars in PB? Drawing a blank.

quote:

Originally posted by pisher:
Certainly less so than 24's CURRENT budget, but if SCC ran that long, it'd cost as much or more to make. I don't think we really need to discuss that eventuality, though.....

An episode of 24 did cost 1.5 Mio. Dollars in it's first season. I bet it's much higher now, but I have only the numbers from Season 1.

quote:

Originally posted by yankeesrj12:
The Big Bang Theory (Viewers: #3, 8.16 million; A18-49: #3, 3.2/ 8)

WOW! 8.16 million for a repeat? Thats only about 1-2 million less then a new episodes numbers. It looks like people (and me) like to see the episodes again

Welcome to the Captain is going to have to pull some good numbers to beat that.

mark my words...by next year at this time BBT will be easily cbs' 2nd strongest comedy and heir to the 9pm throne...