Last year’s experiment with running Jay Leno five nights a week in primetime on NBC was a disaster. But starting fresh to fill those five hours hasn’t worked out so well yet, either.
The Peacock Network has spent a lot more money for its Fall 2010 shows running in the 10-11 pm ET/PT slot. Most are scripted dramas, other than the return of Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice” reality show. None is setting the world on fire and already one, “Outlaw,” has been canceled. For now, the Friday slot is being filled by extending “Dateline” to two hours.
Our friends at TV by the Numbers have crunched the numbers and determined that the 18-49 average rating for the new lineup vs. “The Jay Leno Show” is a tie. Leno actually posted better ratings on two of the five nights and tied for a third. Click here to read the story and ratings numbers at TV by the Numbers.
Deadline Hollywood has weighed in with its own story, reaching pretty much the same conclusions as TV by the Numbers about the weakness of NBC’s new 10-11 pm lineup. Click here to read it.
RBR-TVBR observation: The more holes you have to fill in your schedule the less likely you are to find enough real hit shows to fill those holes. NBC had more holes than anyone else to fill this Fall – and so far most of those holes are still holes.
