Ratings Results for the Week of Nov 8th: Numbers for V Take a Dive for Second Episode
November 15th, 2009Categories: John J. Joex, Ratings Results
By John J. Joex
After a huge premiere episode, V came back down to earth this past week and ABC has to be a bit discouraged by what it sees in the latest numbers. The show’s rating in the 18-49 demographic dropped by 29% (from a 5.0 to a 3.7) and total viewers slacked off by over 24%. That’s the largest drop-off from a premiere of a scripted show so far this season and if V follows the trend of ABC’s other two genre shows, Eastwick and FlashForward, the numbers will continue to head south. On top of that, the series will take a three month break after airing its initial four episodes and not return until March. That will definitely lead to additional viewer drop-off. It’s hard to tell for certain after two episodes, but this one could be following the pattern of other recent remakes like Knight Rider and Bionic Woman where viewers tuned in early out of curiosity then quickly lost interest.
ABC’s other Science Fiction show, FlashForward, turned around its attrition in the ratings this week a bit as it posted a 2.7, up from last week’s season low of 2.6. Still these numbers are considerably off from where the show started and it is unlikely ABC will greenlight the show for a second season without some improvement.
Heroes dropped off in the ratings this past week after several weeks of stable numbers and even some slight growth. The show posted a series low of a 2.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic, almost assuring that this will indeed be the last season for the ensemble drama.
Fringe managed to rebound from the drop-off it experienced last week as it pulled its rating up to a 2.2 in the 18-49 demographic. The extremely poor numbers from the prior week appear to be the result of scheduling snafus where many markets listed game seven of the Word Series as airing that night. Still, Fringe’s numbers don’t look great but all indications are that FOX will remain patient with the show for now.
Here is the full breakdown of the numbers for all of the Science Fiction and Fantasy shows that aired on the broadcast networks this past week:
| Title | Night/Time (EST) | Net | TS Rank | Repeat | Rating (18-49 Demo) | STD Avg | Total Viewers (Millions) | Cancellation Alert |
| Heroes | Monday 8 PM | NBC | 4th | No | 2.3 | 2.5 | 5.35 | Elevated |
| V | Tuesday 8 PM | ABC | 2nd | No | 3.7 | 4.4 | 10.56 | Low |
| Eastwick | Wednesday 10 PM | ABC | n/a | No | Preempted | 2.0 | n/a | Cancelled |
| FlashForward | Thursday 8 PM | ABC | 3rd | No | 2.7 | 3.1 | 8.33 | Low |
| Vampire Diaries | Thursday 8 PM | CW | 5th | No | 2.0 | 1.9 | 4.31 | Low |
| Fringe | Thursday 9 PM | FOX | 4th | No | 2.2 | 2.2 | 5.95 | Low |
| Supernatural | Thursday 9 PM | CW | 5th | No | 1.4 | 1.3 | 2.77 | Low |
| Ghost Whisperer | Friday 8 PM | CBS | 1st | No | 2.0 | 2.0 | 8.01 | Low |
| Smallville | Friday 8 PM | CW | 5th | No | 1.2 | 1.1 | 2.70 | Low |
| Dollhouse | Friday 9 PM | FOX | n/a | No | On Hiatus | 0.9 | n/a | Cancelled |
| Medium | Friday 9 PM | CBS | 1st | No | 1.9 | 1.9 | 8.16 | Low |
Source: TV by the Numbers
Previous Results: V Premiere Pulls Big Numbers; FlashForward and Fringe are Slipping
For more on the Cancellation Alert for each show, see our Cancellation Watch column
