Top 5 TV Shows of Fall 2013

[matt1]

Neither of the fall shows I watch are an option in the poll: Blue Bloods nor Revenge. So I opted for "Other."

It is not asking what you will be watching, but, rather, what the ratings will be. Blue Bloods is a Friday show that will be good for a low-1's average (still, possibly good enough for a renewal). Revenge should average high 1's to low 2's, and is a lock for a renewal (shows that are airing a third FULL season are almost never canceled for syndication purposes, as four seasons are necessary for syndication).

I am probably the only one in this poll who watches/ will watch all five of his/her selections.

[matt1]

Just a reminder:
Today and tomorrow are the last two days to vote on this poll, as the season begins with The Million Second Quiz on NBC tomorrow night. It will not be in the Top Five, but it is only fair to stop the voting then (actually, you have until about 2 AM on Tuesday).

[Jarhead]

What is this? Is it something like the preseason poll in basketball? Why bother?

[camion]

I ended up going with the majority on the top 5 even though I generally think reality bites. The only reality show I watch is Hillbilly Handfishing and I pull for the fish.

One mostly irrelevant question: What are the odds that all four guys on The Big Bang Theory end up in relationships at the end of the show?

[JasonEvans]

What are the odds that all four guys on The Big Bang Theory end up in relationships at the end of the show?

About 100%. We are 3/4 of the way there and Raj is too loveable for the show not to give him a happy ending.

The current contracts for the actors and creative team behind the show go through the end of this coming season (2013-14). Johnny Galeki (Leonard), Jim Parsons (Sheldon) and Kaley Cuoco (Penny) will each make $350k/episode this coming season. Simon Helberg (Howard)and Kunal Nayyar (Raj) are in the $125-$150k per episode range as is Mayim Bialik (Amy Farah Fowler). Melissa Rauch (Bernadette) is just under $100k per episode.

My point in writing that is to note that all of the contracts will be up for re-negotiation after this coming season and you can bet they are going to want more. This coming season is the 7th one for Big Bang and, at a certain point, the salary of the actors will make it hard to continue making the show. That is what happened to Friends (the production company that made Friends actually lost money on the final 2 seasons of that show, though they have made it back through syndication). I suspect we will get no more than maybe 3 more seasons of Big Bang before it simply becomes tiresome for the writers/producers/actors and becomes too expensive for everyone else.

So, with that kind of time frame in mind, I bet Penny and Leonard get married at the end of the 2014-15 season and they move in together. Raj becomes Sheldon's new roommate. But, after a season of dealing with Sheldon, Raj will move out and Sheldon, in a shocking move to everyone, will invite Amy to move in with him as their relationship actually starts to become physical. The final season, 2016-17, will conclude with Sheldon and Amy at the altar getting ready to get married when a very pregnant Penny goes into labor with Leonard's baby. Sheldon won't understand why the baby can't wait and Amy will be distraught over her big day being ruined, but they will rush through the vows so they can all get to the hospital to greet Penny and Leonard's new baby. A new baby means Penny and Leonard moving into a house. Howard will be given a big job with NASA or the government that requires him to move to Houston or DC. Raj is offered a teaching position at Harvard or MIT that he simply cannot turn down. And the show will conclude with Amy and Sheldon awkwardly laying in bed. Amy asks Sheldon when they are going to have babies and he says, "when pigs fly!"

-Jason "at least that is my Big Bang theory" Evans

[throatybeard]

I think this thread demonstrates how almost all the decent shows aren't on network TV anymore. And how the sitcom was moribund a decade ago.

[Duvall]

I think this thread demonstrates how almost all the decent shows aren't on network TV anymore. And how the sitcom was moribund a decade ago.

I don't think that's true at all. The popular sitcom may well be moribund, but the unpopular sitcom has been as vibrant and creative as ever in recent years, even on network. Especially on network.

[matt1]

The X Factor premiered to a 2.2 for both nights and will probably drop against more competition in coming weeks. The Million Second quiz initially scored a 1.7, but fell below a 1.0 by the end of its first week. Neither of those two will be in the top five, although The X Factor may still be renewed.

This week brings a few premieres, but I do not expect to see any top five hits out of this week. Survivor is the best bet, but I see it premiering to right around a 3.0 and dropping into the mid-to-upper 2's for most of the season. Next week, the heavy hitters start.

Good luck!

[Channing]

they will never make a top 5, or even a top 10 list for ratings, but does anyone else enjoy Hell on Wheels (AMC) or Copper (BBC America)as much as me? I'm also really looking forward to the return of Vikings (clearly I like historical dramas).

[matt1]

We had two surprises last night. Sleepy Hollow premiered to a big 3.5, but new shows tend to fall substantially from their premieres. If it can maintain that 3.5, it could flirt with the Top Five. Also, Dancing With the Stars notched a 3.1, which is surprising because it was actually up 6 tenths year to year, when most recent seasons have dropped by about 25%. Bones also had a 2.3 rating, even with last year's premiere.

The ratings are surprisingly strong in the early going this year. It may take a little more than I initially thought to crack the Top Five.

[aimo]

Wow. I watch none of these shows. The only ones on the list that I have EVER watched are Criminal Minds (which I simply tired of) and Two and a Half Men which sucks now.

Cable summer shows seem to be my favorites, though most are now gone, ie Leverage, The Closer, Burn Notice. The only thing I will plan on watching this fall is PBS's four-episode Genealogy Roadshow. Otherwise I will watch oldies on MeTV and AntennaTV. Or better yet, read.

[PSurprise]

Or better yet, read.

Hmmm, what's this, a new network? Kind of a funny name...

[matt1]

Current Standings:

1. The Big Bang Theory- 5.60- lock
2. The Voice- 4.75- lock
3. Modern Family- 4.20- virtual lock
4. Marvel's Agents of SHIELD- 4.00- It will probably be passed over. It got a 4.7 in Week One and a 3.3 in Week Two.
5. Scandal- 3.60- has only aired one episode and is at a slight disadvantage over those having aired two
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T-6. NCIS and The Blacklist- 3.55
8. How I Met Your Mother- 3.50
9. The Crazy Ones- 3.40 (but may not be finished dropping)
10. The Millers- 3.30 (but we only have premiere ratings so far)
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Also averaging above a 3.00:
Grey's Anatomy (3.25), Sleepy Hollow (3.20), Super Fun Night (3.20)

[Olympic Fan]

Wow ... what a terrible group of new shows.

I really wanted to like Sleepy Hollow and Blacklist ... I won't watch the second episode of either show. Hostages has absolutely no appeal.

I love sitcoms, but I've already written off The Crazy Ones (another show I wanted to like), Mom, the Millers and the Goldbergs.

Agents of Shield is so-so ... I've watched the first two episodes and I'll probably watch the third, but I can't say I'm excited about it.

The only positive so far -- the last season of How I Met You Mother is off to a great start IMHO.

[JasonEvans]

I sorta agree and sorta disagree with Oly.

I really like The Blacklist. The WSJ has me recapping it -- you can read last night's recap here -- and I really enjoy the show. Spader is great fun and there are a couple decent ongoing mysteries right now to keep you coming back for each episode. Aside from those, if it is mostly just a thinly disguised procedural. But, it is watchable.

I watched the first episode of Hostages and never watched again. Same with the sad and pathetic Michael J Fox show... whew, that was awful! My wife wanted to watch Lucky 7 (we only watched 10 minutes before giving up) and Back in the Game. Neither of those made the DVR list for week #2.

The Goldbergs has had some funny elements and I largely enjoy nostalgia shows about the 80s, so I'll stick with that one. Plus, my wife knows the family upon whom it is based so she has an extra connection to it. We watched Ep 1 of The Crazy Ones but still have not caught up with ep 2 yet.

Like every year, there are hits and misses. The ones that miss tend to be pretty bad.

-Jason "oh, and HIMYM is limping to the finish, IMO -- meeting the mom has somehow slowed all momentum" Evans

[Olympic Fan]

I sorta agree and sorta disagree with Oly.

I really like The Blacklist. The WSJ has me recapping it -- you can read last night's recap here -- and I really enjoy the show. Spader is great fun and there are a couple decent ongoing mysteries right now to keep you coming back for each episode. Aside from those, if it is mostly just a thinly disguised procedural. But, it is watchable.

I watched the first episode of Hostages and never watched again. Same with the sad and pathetic Michael J Fox show... whew, that was awful! My wife wanted to watch Lucky 7 (we only watched 10 minutes before giving up) and Back in the Game. Neither of those made the DVR list for week #2.

The Goldbergs has had some funny elements and I largely enjoy nostalgia shows about the 80s, so I'll stick with that one. Plus, my wife knows the family upon whom it is based so she has an extra connection to it. We watched Ep 1 of The Crazy Ones but still have not caught up with ep 2 yet.

Like every year, there are hits and misses. The ones that miss tend to be pretty bad.

-Jason "oh, and HIMYM is limping to the finish, IMO -- meeting the mom has somehow slowed all momentum" Evans

Didn't we once have a contest to pick the first new show cancelled? Lucky Seven -- which drew the smallest premiere audience in ABC history -- was axed after one episode:

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/10/04/lucky7-cancelled/

I think that puts it in "My Mother the Car" territory. And think, Jason, you got to see 10 minutes of it.

BTW -- disagree about HIMYM ... so far, Lily is the only character who has met the mother ... I think we're five shows in and we're still on the first day of the weekend ... and I love the return of William Zabka (are they setting up an episode where he goes after Ted?).

[Duvall]

I sorta agree and sorta disagree with Oly.

I really like The Blacklist. The WSJ has me recapping it -- you can read last night's recap here -- and I really enjoy the show. Spader is great fun and there are a couple decent ongoing mysteries right now to keep you coming back for each episode. Aside from those, if it is mostly just a thinly disguised procedural. But, it is watchable.

"Tune in to NBC's new hit series The Blacklist! The Wall Street Journal calls it 'watchable'."

That's surprising. All of the show's promotional material made it look unbelievably stupid.

[matt1]

Didn't we once have a contest to pick the first new show cancelled? Lucky Seven -- which drew the smallest premiere audience in ABC history -- was axed after one episode:

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/10/04/lucky7-cancelled/

I think that puts it in "My Mother the Car" territory. And think, Jason, you got to see 10 minutes of it.

BTW -- disagree about HIMYM ... so far, Lily is the only character who has met the mother ... I think we're five shows in and we're still on the first day of the weekend ... and I love the return of William Zabka (are they setting up an episode where he goes after Ted?).

Lucky 7 did air two episodes before its cancellation, so it is not quite in the "hall of fame" for quick cancellations.

[Duvall]

We Are Men Is Cancelled. Two episodes.