It’s been a long, cold winter for the broadcast television networks, for which almost every new series has been met with an equally chilly reception in the ratings.
Start with NBC. Its Jekyll and Hyde medical drama “Do No Harm†was canceled this month after only two episodes because of dismal ratings. If you blinked, you probably missed it. But its other new show, “Deception,†is dangerously close to matching that performance. “Do No Harm’s†premiere drew 3.1 million viewers, compared with 3.2 million for the most recent episode of “Deception.â€
On ABC, “Zero Hour†starring Anthony Edwards, opened Feb. 14 with 6.4 million total viewers, but that number is already falling fast, with 5.3 milliontuning in for the episode on Thursday night, accompanied by a low rating in the 18-to-49 category. The network will hope for better results when its next drama, “Red Widow,†starts March 3.
On the CW, “Cult†could not even garner 1 million total viewers for its premiere last Tuesday and “The Carrie Diaries†has averaged 1.3 million viewers over six episodes.
Even CBS has not been immune. Its new reality series, “The Job†was pulled from the schedule this week after it averaged just 3.7 million viewers over two episodes.
Of course, there is always the exception to the rule: “The Following†on Fox, which stars Kevin Bacon, made its debut on Jan. 21 with 10.4 million total viewers and has held a large portion of that initial audi! ence. The most Feb. 18 episode was watched by 8.4 million viewers.
