medialifemagazine.com
'Amne$ia,' easily forgettable, actually
By Diego Vasquez
Feb 22, 2008 - 1:10:30 AM
With the writers’ strike forcing many scripted shows into reruns, there are a number of new shows premiering at midseason.
This is one in a series of Media Life previews of those programs.
Name of show
“Amne$ia”
Timeslot
NBC, Friday 8 p.m. (tonight’s premiere airs at 9 p.m.)
Plot synopsis
"Amne$ia” takes the place of “1 vs. 100,” a game show that has its season finale tonight.
The premise is simple: Contestants win money for answering questions correctly. The catch: They're asked questions about their own lives, things like “What was the next line in your wedding vows?”
The fun should come when contestants can't remember details of important personal events, or so NBC hopes.
But just in case the network has hired on Dennis Miller as the show’s emcee. The job of the five-time Emmy-winning talk show host and comedian will be to keep the laughs coming when the contestants experience moments of crystal-clear recall, or so NBC hopes.
Outlook
Tonight at 9, “Amne$ia” airs against repeats of Fox’s “House” and CBS’s “Ghost Whisperer,” as well as ABC’s newsmagazine “20/20.”
When it moves to 8 p.m. next week, the show will face repeats of Fox’s “Bones” and ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” along with a primetime edition of CBS’s game “The Price is Right.”
“Amne$ia” should get some boost tonight airing after the finale of “1 vs. 100,” with at least some viewers hanging around to sample. But it likely won't be much, considering “1 vs. 100” has been averaging only a 2.0 rating in 18-49s.
Further, it's facing decent competition. Even in reruns “House” and “Ghost Whisperer” draw respectable audiences. Last Friday's “House” repeat averaged a 2.9 in 18-49s, making it the top program of the night in the demo, while the “Ghost Whisperer” rerun pulled a 1.8.
“Amne$ia” faces lesser competition next week against “Bones” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” neither of which repeat well, but it will also be airing against “The Price is Right,” the long-established top daytime game show, and here it will struggle to woo away game fans.
The buzz
“Amne$ia” fits snuggly in NBC’s strategy, rolled out last year, of airing low-cost reality and game shows in the 8 p.m. hour. The network has had perhaps more game shows than any other network since the successful debut of “Deal or No Deal” two years ago.
That's not to say it will do well in the ratings. With the exception of "Deal," NBC's game shows have not done all that well. And it's airing on Friday night, where viewership is already low.
But that's not to write off “Amne$ia” entirely. It's always hard to say which game shows will connect with viewers.
To work, “Amne$ia” needs to be simple, media buyers say.
“I think since ‘Millionaire’ and the reality craze, the simpler it is, the better,” says John Padgett, media director at Hauser Group in Atlanta.
It also must connect with viewers, having a human element, or some sort of family-friendliness a la “Deal or No Deal” or “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?”
In its premise, “Amne$ia” seems simple enough. Whether it has that the human element won't be known until after a few airings.
What critics are saying
“For all we know, ‘Amne$ia’ might be the next ‘American Idol’ (but probably not). Still, there will be some viewers (but probably not enough) who hope NBC doesn’t forget the little show that ‘Amne$ia’ is replacing in the lineup, ‘Friday Night Lights.’” – Chuck Barney, Contra Costa Times
© 2008 Media Life
