NBC renews
'Parks' for third season
Other shorts: Programming notes: 'Berkus Show' a go
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Feb 1, 2010
NBC renews 'Parks and Recreation' for third season
So what exactly does it mean that one of the lowest-rated comedies on television has secured a third-season order? NBC has renewed "Parks and Recreation," the second-year show starring Amy Poehler as a local bureaucrat, for a third year, despite the fact that the show is averaging a mere 2.1 adults 18-49 Nielsen rating, tied for No. 52 this season on broadcast. It is the lowest rated of NBC's foursome of Thursday comedies. Thus there are probably several things to take away from the renewal, and the first is that the other programs--"The Office," "30 Rock" and "Community"--will likely be back as well. Secondly, NBC seems encouraged by "Parks'" sudden rise to critical hit, with many praising the show for finding its creative footing after an uneven first season. The network may hope it follows the path of "The Office," an early critical hit that took several years before becoming a ratings hit as well. But perhaps most of all, "Parks'" renewal speaks volumes about the state of NBC. It's difficult to envision any of the other Big Four networks renewing a show with such low ratings this far in advance of the upfront.
Programming notes: 'Berkus Show' a go
What had been rumored for months is now official: design expert Nate Berkus is becoming the latest Oprah Winfrey disciple to get his own show, following "Dr. Phil" and "Dr. Oz." The syndicated “Nate Berkus Show” is set to premiere this fall and has been cleared on NBC’s 10 owned-and-operated stations. The daily show will feature the frequent “Oprah” guest in segments about lifestyle and entertainment. Meanwhile, in other programming, Spike TV has picked up two reality series: “Scrappers,” about a group of scrap-metal workers in Brooklyn, and “Half Pint Brawlers,” about little person wrestling. The network is already shooting “Half Pint” and will begin shooting “Scrappers” in March. Syfy will roll out a series of movies that put new spins on classic fairy tales such as “Hansel & Gretel” and “Little Red Riding Hood.” The series will start on Feb. 27 with a new twist on “Beauty and the Beast.” ABC Family has ordered 10 episodes of “Melissa and Joey,” a comedy series starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. There’s no word yet on when the sitcom will premiere. G4 has renewed four of its original series: “Web Soup,” “The International Sexy Ladies Show,” “Campus PD” and “American Ninja Warrior.” And MTV has picked up a second season of “Jersey Shore,” although the new season won’t actually take place in New Jersey. The 12-episode season will send the current cast to an as-yet undecided city, although there are rumors that South Beach is the most likely location.
Anheuser-Busch to viewers: Do you want the Clydesdales?
While certainly not as engaging an issue as who will win Sunday's game, this contest is getting lots of press, and that's certainly a tribute to Anheuser-Busch, a longtime top Super Bowl advertiser and home of the iconic Clydesdale horses. Up until late last week, it looked as though Anheuser-Busch would not be running an ad during the game featuring the horses, for years a sentimental favorite among viewers. It seems the creative forces at DDB couldn't come up with ad and that passed muster among the beer-maker's top marketing executives. In all, Anheuser-Busch will air five full minutes of ads. But then last week an ad sent over from DDB with the horses drew some interest in St. Louis, and top marketing executive Keith Levy decided to let fans vote on whether to include it. Today the company put up three ads on Facebook.com/Budweiser, including one featuring a young Clydesdale, and invited fans to vote on which one they liked most. The last time AB dropped the horses from Super Bowl was 2001. Each year as the game is a approaching, AB tests a range of ads with focus groups to pick which will run on game day. But this is the first year the company is inviting the public to have a say.
Report: Actually, Super Bowl is world's No. 2 sports event
The NFL and every sports outlet in the country is hyping this Sunday's Super Bowl as though it's the biggest sports event in the world, but that's no longer quite accurate. The UEFA's Champions League final, which pits Europe's top professional soccer clubs against one another, has overtaken the Super Bowl to become the world's most-watched event, according to a report from Initiative Futures Sports and Entertainment, a London-based outfit. Last May's UEFA final between Barcelona and Manchester United drew 109 million viewers, 3 million more than global viewership for last year's Super Bowl between the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers. The report credits a worldwide rise in interest in soccer games. While the Super Bowl audience has been rising domestically for years, it does not have nearly the global appeal of soccer, which draws viewers from around the world. The third-most-watched sporting event was well behind the first two; Formula One's Bahrain Grand Prix drew 54 million viewers.
Friday overnights: CBS struts to victory
CBS maintained its winning edge on Friday, taking two of three hours en route to an easy nightly victory among adults 18-49.
The network averaged a 1.8 rating and 6 share, according to Nielsen overnights, well ahead of second-place ABC's 1.5/5. NBC and Univision tied for third at 1.4/4, Fox was fifth at 1.1/4 and the CW was sixth at 0.8/3.
As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Thirty-four percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.
At 8 p.m., CBS's "Ghost Whisperer" led with a 1.9 rating, the highest of the night for any show. Univision's "Hasta que el Dinero Nos Separe" was second at 1.4, followed by ABC's "Supernanny" and NBC's "Law & Order" tied for third at 1.3. The CW's "Smallville" was fifth at 1.1, followed by the series finale of "Dollhouse" at 0.8, about what it's been averaging the past few weeks.
At 9 p.m., CBS's "Medium" and Univision's "Sortilegio" tied for the lead at 1.8, followed by ABC's "Shark Tank" at 1.5. NBC's "Dateline NBC" and Fox's season premiere of "Kitchen Nightmares" tied for fourth at 1.4, followed by the CW's "Smallville" repeat at 0.6.
At 10 p.m., ABC moved into the lead with a 1.8 for "20/20," followed by CBS's "Numb3rs" at 1.7. NBC's "The Jay Leno Show" was third at 1.4, with Univision's "Rosa de Guadalupe" fourth at 1.4.
Among households, CBS also won the night easily, averaging a 5.2/9. NBC was second at 4.2/7, ABC third at 3.8/7, Univision fourth at 1.8/3, Fox fifth at 1.7/3 and the CW sixth at 1.3/2.
Saturday overnights: Fox dominates in 18-49s
Fox’s law enforcement lineup was more than enough to lead the network to a first-place finish among viewers 18-49 on another slow Saturday night.
Fox averaged a 1.9 Nielsen overnight rating and 6 share for the night, easily ahead of second-place CBS’s 1.1/4. NBC was third for the night at 0.8/3, with Univision and ABC tied for fourth at 0.8/2.
As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Thirty-four percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.
At 8 p.m. Fox led with a 2.0 for “Cops,” while CBS and Univision tied for second at 0.8, CBS for the first half of the movie “The Magic of Ordinary Days” and Univision for the first of three hours of “Sabado Gigante.” ABC was fourth with a 0.7 for a repeat of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and NBC fifth with a 0.4 for the documentary “Truth in Motion: The U.S. Ski Team’s Road to Vancouver.”
Fox was first again at 9 p.m. with a 1.8 for “America’s Most Wanted,” followed by CBS with a 1.2 for the second half of its movie. ABC was third with a 0.9 for another hour of “Home Edition,” while NBC and Univision tied for fourth at 0.8, NBC for a repeat of “Law & Order” and Univision for more “Sabado.”
At 10 p.m. CBS was first with a 1.4 for “48 Hours Mystery,” with NBC second with a 1.2 for a repeat of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and ABC and Univision tied for third at 0.8, ABC for a “Castle” rerun and Univision for its final hour of “Sabado.”
CBS led the night among households with a 4.8 average overnight rating and an 8 share. Fox was second at 3.6/6, NBC third at 2.4/4, ABC fourth at 2.1/4 and Univision fifth at 1.4/2.
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