There are those shows that suddenly take off as great and novel concepts, only to later (sometimes soon after) tumble as they go from novel to too familiar. The latest of that ilk is Bravo’s “Queer Eye For the Straight Guy.”
   When it launched in 2003, “Queer Eye” set ratings records for Bravo, in a blink pushing it up to a mid-tier network. Its second season launched even stronger.
   But the thrill is gone. The third season premiered last week to 1.2 million total viewers, down 27 percent from the 1.6 million for season one’s premiere and down 45 percent from last year’s 2.2 million.
   In truth, the gay-guy makeover crew began tumbling not much longer after last year's impressive debut. It was a precipitous drop. Its season average fell to 1.3 million, a 42 percent decline from season one's 2.3 million. So season three's 1.2 million debut is hardly surprising.
   The fact is, early on in season two “Queer Eye's” creative minds were cooking up gimmicks to revive interest, none with any success. There was “Queer Eye for the Texan Guy,” and another that involved making over an entire frat house. This new season kicked off with a similar gimmick, a makeover of five Boston Red Sox players.
   Why the relatively quick fizzle for "Queer Eye?"
   Over-exposure, in a word. There were the book deals and myriad promotional tie-ins, putting the Fab Five in front of viewers far more than was good for the brand, and soon viewers had their fill of all things “Queer Eye.” That explains the thud launch and brief life of last year's spinoff, “Queer Eye for the Straight Girl.” 
   But that doesn’t mean that “Queer Eye” is a goner. More probably, its audience will shrink back to the loyalists and the still-considerable audience for makeover shows. And even with its shrunken viewer base, "Queer Eye" remains one of Bravo’s top performers. 
   Still, expect lots of tweaking as its creators try to recapture that initial thrill. In one such tweaking, the show's very title has been trimmed. It's just "Queer Eye" this season. They might also cut back on its exposure. 
   The worry, of course, is that season three suddenly drops off the way season two did.

   In other cable ratings for the week ended June 12:

Top five networks in primetime (18-49s): TNT, USA, TBS, MTV, Spike

Top five networks in primetime (total viewers): TNT, USA, TBS, Nick at Nite, MTV

Top movie (18-49s): TNT’s “Gladiator” (Saturday 10 p.m.) 1.74 million

Top sporting event (total viewers): TNT’s NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Pistons v. Heat (Monday, 8:22 p.m.) 9.1 million

Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s: TNT’s NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Pistons v. Heat (Monday, 8:22 p.m.); MTV’s 2005 Movie Awards (Thursday, 8:30 p.m.); Spike’s WWE Entertainment (Monday, 10 p.m.); USA’s “The 4400” (Sunday, 9 p.m.); Spike’s WWE Entertainment (Monday, 9 p.m.); TNT’s “Inside The NBA” (Monday, 11:03 p.m.)

Show on the rise: “Strong Medicine,” Lifetime, Sunday 9 p.m. Back for its sixth season, "Medicine’s" premiere drew an average 2.9 million total viewers, up 25 percent compared with last June's debut. Among households, the show posted an 18 percent jump compared with last year’s to a 2.6 rating versus a 2.2. The show also showed gains among women 18-34 and 18-49. 

Show on the decline: “The 4400,” USA, Sunday 9 p.m. Last week’s episode averaged 4.4 million total viewers, 800,000 fewer than for its second-season premiere the week before. This season’s average so far, for two episodes, is 22 percent less than last year’s 6.2 million average.