NO WONDER NBC IS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE RATING BARREL...

[sdwulfdawg]

Johnny Carson always used to make fun of the programming decisions of the powers that be at NBC, and so has Jay Leno. The other night I started thinking what they would say about the current showcase of shows at NBC...and no wonder they are at the bottom of the ratings barrel.

"Grimm," the dark fantasy is, by and large, reasonably entertaining. But the MOST ATROCIOUS show ever (after Dana Carvey's short season on ABC) has to be the show that NBC hope to drag on the coattails of the flukey popularity of octogenarian, Betty White, and her show, "Off Your Rocker."

Notwithstanding the whole premise of the show is very weak, the way they attempt to pull it off is even worse. The pranks don't even approach sophomoric. They are downright stupid. There is no sense of suspense, anticipation, or denouement (conclusion) which you need in this kind of show. All it comes down to being are lengths of video stretched long enough for a block of commercials. Betty's own standups are so forced that it makes you want to cringe...and you actually (scary) want to watch how bad is the going to get.

NBC Universal keeps touting itself as the "green" environmentally conscious network. The most environmentally conscious thing they can do is just turn off their load on the Southern California power grid.

 

[gregg75]

Betty's show seems to have a good idea, but they have trouble pulling it off. Some of the
pranks are dull and some are not very tasteful...............usually something better on.

 

[MarcB]

Maybe NBC needs to go back to the old day and air Dateline several nights a week. There certainly plenty out there as they farm this show out to TLC (and other Discovery owned networks). And maybe with their marriage to Universal they could show a movie one or two nights a week. Universal has a huge film library. Maybe one movie could even be geared towards children and families. Their sister network Telemundo does this.

 

[ansky212]

My wife and I love Off Their Rockers. I agree, some of the jokes/stunts are not that funny. And they seem to be overusing a lot of them in various episodes. But overall I find the show entertaining for what it is.

The best show on NBC is Parenthood. The worst has to be The Biggest Loser - that show should have ended years ago.

 

[teevee]

Putting howard stern on broadcast tv really stains their reputation it was a terrible decision.

 

[F.M.Hertz]

I think that the only times I watch NBC anymore are the occasional nights that I watch Brian Williams and the Nightly News, and for "The Office," which I am glad that the season has just wrapped up. Something needs to be done to make it funnier. Plus there is is SNL. So for me that's about 2 hours and 30 minutes a week.

Here's an idea, why not bring back the old Mystery Movie concept on Sunday nights? I would imaging that there are a lot of writers out there that have a couple of scripts that could combine their efforts for a season's worth of movies.

Or how about bringing back a show about Private Investigators, ala "The Rockford Files," "Magnum, P.I.," or "Moonlighting." I think we're due for a show like that now.

Just an idea. [throwing things up against the wall to see if if sticks]

 

[Darth_vader]

Re: NO WONDER NBC IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RATINGS BARREL

"Here's an idea: why not bring back the old Mystery Movie concept on Sunday nights? I would imagine there are a lot of writers out there who have written scripts, and whose efforts could be combined for a season's worth of movies."

You answered your own question with the second sentence. That's why it'll never happen. More people they'll actually have to pay.

 

[ansky212]

I agree movies could be good. I like CBS's Jesse Stone movies starring Tom Seleck. I wish they aired more often. But obviously movies take longer and are more expensive to produce.

 

[Markxxx]

Shows like Cheers, Family Ties, Night Court were all at the bottom. Designing Women was cancelled and Dick Van Dyke was nearly cancelled after season one.

NBC got Cosby, Designing Women was put back on Mondays and Dick Van Dyke moved to after the Beverly Hillbillies.

It is about location. All it takes is one show to revamp a network. I recall how on this same board people bemoaned about ABC then came Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty and that talked ended.

Things go in cycles, though I will say now the TV networks need to work hard on finding their space in a new world of broadcasting.

 

[DToTheJ]

So much for Wednesdays getting a "news attitude": NBC is putting Brian Williams' "Rock Center" on hiatus:
http://tv.broadwayworld.com/article...-Williams-ROCK-CENTER-For-May-Sweeps-20120511

 

[Mr. X]

I agree movies could be good. I like CBS's Jesse Stone movies starring Tom Seleck. I wish they aired more often. But obviously movies take longer and are more expensive to produce.

There's a new one on May 20.

 

[arnoldevns]

So much for Wednesdays getting a "news attitude": NBC is putting Brian Williams' "Rock Center" on hiatus:
http://tv.broadwayworld.com/article...-Williams-ROCK-CENTER-For-May-Sweeps-20120511

This was done at the demand of the affiliates. The ratings have been an absolute embarrassment.
I agree with others who point out that things go in cycles. All NBC needs to find is a few good shows that hit with the audience and they can return to the top.

 

[TVCOOL]

they cancelled Are You There ,Chelsea (i liked that show) ,but they keeping Whitney & Up All Night i like those shows theyre funny.

 

[benwolf]

So much for Wednesdays getting a "news attitude": NBC is putting Brian Williams' "Rock Center" on hiatus:
http://tv.broadwayworld.com/article...-Williams-ROCK-CENTER-For-May-Sweeps-20120511

This was done at the demand of the affiliates. The ratings have been an absolute embarrassment.
I agree with others who point out that things go in cycles. All NBC needs to find is a few good shows that hit with the audience and they can return to the top.

Typically ratings crowns do go in cycles, but not in NBC's case. I remember years ago when they said they were going in a more reality- show direction. Now they're so low that hit show producers avoid them...they get pitched the leftovers from CBS and ABC. And somehow they seem to have lost their taste for comedy...the last good one they had was Seinfeld. An example is Whitney and 2 Broke Girls from the same writer...NBC got the unfunny one.

Anyway, there's not one show I find worth watching on NBC, and it's a first for me.

 

[LKellerIII]

So much for Wednesdays getting a "news attitude": NBC is putting Brian Williams' "Rock Center" on hiatus:
http://tv.broadwayworld.com/article...-Williams-ROCK-CENTER-For-May-Sweeps-20120511

This was done at the demand of the affiliates. The ratings have been an absolute embarrassment.
I agree with others who point out that things go in cycles. All NBC needs to find is a few good shows that hit with the audience and they can return to the top.

Typically ratings crowns do go in cycles, but not in NBC's case. I remember years ago when they said they were going in a more reality- show direction. Now they're so low that hit show producers avoid them...they get pitched the leftovers from CBS and ABC. And somehow they seem to have lost their taste for comedy...the last good one they had was Seinfeld. An example is Whitney and 2 Broke Girls from the same writer...NBC got the unfunny one.

Anyway, there's not one show I find worth watching on NBC, and it's a first for me.

All this is a matter of taste, of course. First, I'd disagree that NBC hasn't had any good comedies since Seinfeld. To my taste, 30 Rock is brilliant, and The Office used to be brilliant, and that's just two current examples.

I'd also personally disagree with your views on the 2 Whitney Cummings shows. To my taste, Whitney is not a classic, but is watchable and amusing, but 2 Broke Girls is intolerably awful - and I tried to stick with it thru a few episodes because I like Kat Dennings, but the show is rancid and Dennings is awful in it - she acts like she's reading off cue cards.

Again - a matter of taste, though in this case, it looks like the majority of Americans agree with you, if the ratings are any indication.

 

[dtuba]

I greatly enjoy both Community and Parks and Recreation. Luckily, NBC has renewed both shows for the 2013 season. They are not completely clueless.

 

[spencerkarter85]

they cancelled Are You There ,Chelsea (i liked that show) ,but they keeping Whitney & Up All Night i like those shows theyre funny.

Don't forget they axed Harry's Law! This reminds everybody of NBC in the late 1970s when it was in third place before the Proud N logo was introduced in September 1979.

 

[benwolf]

So much for Wednesdays getting a "news attitude": NBC is putting Brian Williams' "Rock Center" on hiatus:
http://tv.broadwayworld.com/article...-Williams-ROCK-CENTER-For-May-Sweeps-20120511

This was done at the demand of the affiliates. The ratings have been an absolute embarrassment.
I agree with others who point out that things go in cycles. All NBC needs to find is a few good shows that hit with the audience and they can return to the top.

Typically ratings crowns do go in cycles, but not in NBC's case. I remember years ago when they said they were going in a more reality- show direction. Now they're so low that hit show producers avoid them...they get pitched the leftovers from CBS and ABC. And somehow they seem to have lost their taste for comedy...the last good one they had was Seinfeld. An example is Whitney and 2 Broke Girls from the same writer...NBC got the unfunny one.

Anyway, there's not one show I find worth watching on NBC, and it's a first for me.

All this is a matter of taste, of course. First, I'd disagree that NBC hasn't had any good comedies since Seinfeld. To my taste, 30 Rock is brilliant, and The Office used to be brilliant, and that's just two current examples.

I'd also personally disagree with your views on the 2 Whitney Cummings shows. To my taste, Whitney is not a classic, but is watchable and amusing, but 2 Broke Girls is intolerably awful - and I tried to stick with it thru a few episodes because I like Kat Dennings, but the show is rancid and Dennings is awful in it - she acts like she's reading off cue cards.

Again - a matter of taste, though in this case, it looks like the majority of Americans agree with you, if the ratings are any indication.

Not so much a matter of taste...Whitney is bombing in the ratings and 2 Broke Girls is a hit. And 30 Rock and The Office regularly come in 3rd or 4th in its time slot...they always have.

 

[LKellerIII]

So much for Wednesdays getting a "news attitude": NBC is putting Brian Williams' "Rock Center" on hiatus:
http://tv.broadwayworld.com/article...-Williams-ROCK-CENTER-For-May-Sweeps-20120511

This was done at the demand of the affiliates. The ratings have been an absolute embarrassment.
I agree with others who point out that things go in cycles. All NBC needs to find is a few good shows that hit with the audience and they can return to the top.

Typically ratings crowns do go in cycles, but not in NBC's case. I remember years ago when they said they were going in a more reality- show direction. Now they're so low that hit show producers avoid them...they get pitched the leftovers from CBS and ABC. And somehow they seem to have lost their taste for comedy...the last good one they had was Seinfeld. An example is Whitney and 2 Broke Girls from the same writer...NBC got the unfunny one.

Anyway, there's not one show I find worth watching on NBC, and it's a first for me.

All this is a matter of taste, of course. First, I'd disagree that NBC hasn't had any good comedies since Seinfeld. To my taste, 30 Rock is brilliant, and The Office used to be brilliant, and that's just two current examples.

I'd also personally disagree with your views on the 2 Whitney Cummings shows. To my taste, Whitney is not a classic, but is watchable and amusing, but 2 Broke Girls is intolerably awful - and I tried to stick with it thru a few episodes because I like Kat Dennings, but the show is rancid and Dennings is awful in it - she acts like she's reading off cue cards.

Again - a matter of taste, though in this case, it looks like the majority of Americans agree with you, if the ratings are any indication.

Not so much a matter of taste...Whitney is bombing in the ratings and 2 Broke Girls is a hit. And 30 Rock and The Office regularly come in 3rd or 4th in its time slot...they always have.

Yes, I believe I said that in my last sentence. But in your original post, you used phrases like 2 Broke Girls was "the"funny one" compared to Whitney, and Seinfeld was NBC's "last good comedy."

Those words suggest a subjective statement of your opinions. If you were talking about ratings, you should have indicated that 2 Broke Girls was the more popular one, and Seinfeld was NBC's last high rated comedy. Of course, that last statement isn't true given that Friends lasted until 2004, 5 or 6 years after Seinfeld left the air. But I likely wouldn't have responded to that.

I was responding to your apparent statements that 2 Broke Girls was the superior show, and NBC no longer runs "good" comedies, neither or which is true, in my opinion.

 

[benwolf]

So much for Wednesdays getting a "news attitude": NBC is putting Brian Williams' "Rock Center" on hiatus:
http://tv.broadwayworld.com/article...-Williams-ROCK-CENTER-For-May-Sweeps-20120511

This was done at the demand of the affiliates. The ratings have been an absolute embarrassment.
I agree with others who point out that things go in cycles. All NBC needs to find is a few good shows that hit with the audience and they can return to the top.

Typically ratings crowns do go in cycles, but not in NBC's case. I remember years ago when they said they were going in a more reality- show direction. Now they're so low that hit show producers avoid them...they get pitched the leftovers from CBS and ABC. And somehow they seem to have lost their taste for comedy...the last good one they had was Seinfeld. An example is Whitney and 2 Broke Girls from the same writer...NBC got the unfunny one.

Anyway, there's not one show I find worth watching on NBC, and it's a first for me.

All this is a matter of taste, of course. First, I'd disagree that NBC hasn't had any good comedies since Seinfeld. To my taste, 30 Rock is brilliant, and The Office used to be brilliant, and that's just two current examples.

I'd also personally disagree with your views on the 2 Whitney Cummings shows. To my taste, Whitney is not a classic, but is watchable and amusing, but 2 Broke Girls is intolerably awful - and I tried to stick with it thru a few episodes because I like Kat Dennings, but the show is rancid and Dennings is awful in it - she acts like she's reading off cue cards.

Again - a matter of taste, though in this case, it looks like the majority of Americans agree with you, if the ratings are any indication.

Not so much a matter of taste...Whitney is bombing in the ratings and 2 Broke Girls is a hit. And 30 Rock and The Office regularly come in 3rd or 4th in its time slot...they always have.

Yes, I believe I said that in my last sentence. But in your original post, you used phrases like 2 Broke Girls was "the"funny one" compared to Whitney, and Seinfeld was NBC's "last good comedy."

Those words suggest a subjective statement of your opinions. If you were talking about ratings, you should have indicated that 2 Broke Girls was the more popular one, and Seinfeld was NBC's last high rated comedy. Of course, that last statement isn't true given that Friends lasted until 2004, 5 or 6 years after Seinfeld left the air. But I likely wouldn't have responded to that.

I was responding to your apparent statements that 2 Broke Girls was the superior show, and NBC no longer runs "good" comedies, neither or which is true, in my opinion.

Well, I guess we're both being subjective here, but the main point is that, as the ratings show, it isn't just me that finds the shows unfunny. If they actually were, we wouldn't be talking about NBC being at the bottom of the barrel.