![](/images/spacer.gif) |
![](/images/global/header_news.jpg) |
[07/02/03 - 12:00 AM] Cable Originals Battling for the Spotlight By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC) |
|
CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- With the June ratings period (May 26-June 29) officially a wrap, some basic cable networks are finding their original offerings are fighting an uphill battle to attract viewers.
Here's a breakdown of the latest rumblings:
-- FX is probably having the toughest time out of all of the basic cable networks. Its two latest originals: "Lucky" and "The Orlando Jones Show" have not been the ratings grabbers the network had hoped. Particularly disappointing has been "Lucky" which many expected to rebound this past month with the broadcast networks having wrapped their regular season. That hasn't been the case as the comedy saw its adults 18-49 average drop to a 0.55 rating during the period, lowering its season-to-date average to a 0.77 rating. The same bad news applies to "Jones," as the late-night talk show fell more than 60% from its opening week numbers by the end of June in the key demographic (0.24 vs. 0.60 rating). The series only saving grace has been its performance among African-American viewers where it scores a 0.66 rating among the 18-49 demographic.
-- USA on the other hand has had better, albeit mixed, results thanks to its original series "Monk." The second season bow of the drama was the most-watched episode of the series to date, securing a 4.1 household rating. Nevertheless, week two of its new season saw its viewership fall by 1.4 million total viewers (4.0 million vs. 5.4 million). Further complicating matters is the lack of another fresh installment of the series until July 11 due to the national holiday this Friday. Despite such dark clouds, "Monk" remains a key component to USA's original series strategy. A new drama, "Peacemakers," kicks off on July 30 and "The Dead Zone" returns for seven new episodes this Sunday.
-- MTV's June offerings also garnered a mixed bag of results. New Sunday series "Doggy Fizzle Televizzle" and "Who's Got Game" scored respectable numbers, topping the network's previous time slot average by 30%. Returning series "The Real World" and "The Osbournes" however weren't so lucky as both were off from year-to-year comparisions. Nevertheless, MTV's new late-night series "The New Tom Green Show" has been a surprise hit for the network, posting a strong 1.1 rating among MTV's target demographic of persons 12-34.
-- Game Show Network has seen its aggressive Sunday night lineup fail to meet expectations. After two weeks, neither "Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned" nor its lead-out, "Funny Money," topped the network's projected 0.8 household rating for the series.
-- TNT, which doesn't carry original series, has pulled lukewarm responses for its latest batch of original telefilms. This past weekend, the network's mini-series "Caesar" averaged 3.36 million total viewers, 1,553,000 of which were among the coveted adults 18-49 demographic. That's up 23% from TNT's primetime average as of late with Sunday's installment bringing in 3.6 million viewers (1.6 million in adults 18-49) and 3.1 million viewers (1.4 million in adults 18-49) for its conclusion on Monday.
|
|
|
![](/images/arrow-double-left.gif) [july 2003] ![](/images/arrow-double-right.gif) |
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
![](/images/related-showpages.jpg) |
![](/images/right-breaking-news.jpg) |
|
[02/14/25 - 01:01 PM] Max Renews "The Pitt," Starring Noah Wyle, for a Second Season New episodes of the 15-episode first season debut on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET leading up to the season finale on April 10.
|
[02/14/25 - 01:01 PM] "XO, Kitty" Renewed for a Third Season at Netflix Season 2 premiered on January 16, 2025 and debuted at #2 on the English TV List with 14.2 million views.
|
[02/14/25 - 11:01 AM] HBO Original Six-Part Documentary Series "Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015" Debuts February 25 Inspired by Henry Hampton's legendary documentary series "Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Movement," this new installment of the groundbreaking 1987 series illuminates the bold stories of people and communities who continue to work for equity and racial justice in the years since the birth of the American civil rights movement.
|
[02/14/25 - 10:06 AM] "Farmer Wants a Wife" - Are You DTF? Meet the 32 Women Ready to Saddle Up and Take on the Farm Life, Premiering Thursday, 3/20 at 9/8c on FOX This season, four new farmers - Matt Warren, Jay Woods, John Sansone and Colton Hendricks - bring the heat as all-new daters look to leave behind city life for the charm of the country as they embark on an adventure that could change the course of their lives forever.
|
[02/14/25 - 10:01 AM] HBO Announces Returning Main Cast and New Cast Starring in Season Three of the Emmy-Winning Drama Series "Euphoria," As Well As New and Returning Key Crew Members Returning series regulars include Emmy winner Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, SAG Awards winner Eric Dane, BAFTA Film Award nominee Jacob Elordi, Emmy nominee Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, and Maude Apatow.
|
[02/14/25 - 10:01 AM] Love Is in the Air! New Reality Dating Series "Bravo's Love Hotel" Coming Soon The new reality dating series brings together some of "The Real Housewives" franchise fan favorites, including Shannon Storms Beador, Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby and Luann de Lesseps for the ultimate luxurious getaway in the hopes of finding true love.
|
[02/14/25 - 08:01 AM] The Latest Season of "Yellowstone" Heads Exclusively to Peacock - Season 5: Part 2 Arrives March 16 The Dutton family fights to defend their ranch and way of life from an Indian reservation and land developers.
|
[02/14/25 - 08:01 AM] Video: "Bridgerton" Season 4 - Sneak Peek - Netflix To celebrate the Season of Love, Netflix takes you behind the scenes of filming "Bridgerton" Season 4 with Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton) and Yerin Ha (Sophie Baek).
|
[02/14/25 - 07:01 AM] Peacock Exclusively Streams Focus Features' Gothic Tale "Nosferatu" Beginning February 21 From acclaimed director Robert Eggers, the film stars Bill SkarsgÄrd, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe and more.
|
[02/14/25 - 12:01 AM] Video: "My Family" - Official Trailer - Netflix A terminally ill father prepares his chaotic family to care for his two young kids and face life without him - but they must put old quarrels to rest.
|
[02/13/25 - 03:23 PM] BYUtv Premieres Powerful, Fantastical New Zealand-Set Family Series "Secrets at Red Rocks" The series follows the journey of Jake, an eccentric boy struggling to find belonging whose life is profoundly impacted by his discovery of mythical selkies who shapeshift from seal to human form.
|
[02/13/25 - 01:42 PM] ESPN NBA Schedule Update: Memphis Grizzlies Visit Cleveland Cavaliers on February 23 This matchup replaces the previously scheduled Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks game.
|
[02/13/25 - 01:15 PM] Showtime Original Series "Dexter: Resurrection" Adds Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Kadia Saraf, Dominic Fumusa and Emilia Suarez Production kicked off in January 2025 in New York and the series is set to launch in summer of 2025 on Paramount+ with Showtime.
|
[02/13/25 - 01:00 PM] Video: "O'Dessa" - Official Trailer - Hulu Set in a post-apocalyptic future, "O'Dessa" is an original rock opera about a farm girl on an epic quest to recover a cherished family heirloom.
|
[02/13/25 - 12:01 PM] Legendary Lineup Grows as "Saturday Night Live" Announces More Musical Guests and Comedians for "SNL50: The Homecoming Concert" Streaming Live on Peacock from Radio City Music Hall on February 14 at 8ET/5PT The event celebrating 50 years of legendary "SNL" musical and comedy performances will also feature special appearances by Ana Gasteyer, Andy Samberg, Maya Rudolph, Paul Shaffer, Tracy Morgan, Will Ferrell, and more surprise guests.
|
|
|
|