Ratings - October 24, 2010

Week 2 Ratings, October 3, 2010

Premiere Week Ratings, Sep. 26, 2010

Raising Hope - FOX

One Man and a Baby.

Raising Hope is strange enough that it almost works. Early 20-something Jimmy quits his job as pool boy, comes home to make a life plan, then is contacted by a one night stand from a few months previous.

Did I mention that the one nighter is pregnant and on death row for murdering her boyfriends? So all of a sudden Jimmy is the full-time father of his baby daughter, Princess Beyonce. His parents recommend dropping her off at the fire station, but Jimmy has nothing else to do anyway so why not care for a baby... even though he has no clue how.

Hope does bring a few laughs, most notably when Jimmy throws up on the baby while changing his first stinky diaper.

It's not Three Men and a Baby, but it is a cute show worth a few laughs. Enough to keep it around for a season? Count on it dropping half of lead-in Glee's audience.

Can FOX do anything funny without animation?

Running Wilde - FOX

Dumb & Richer.

Super wealthy Steve Wilde (Will Arnett) has no friends, but is in love with himself. He's giving himself a humanitarian award and trying to keep up with the Jones' complete with a mini horse. The show is running at a double digit IQ before the 'plot' even develops.

Suddenly Wilde's old love, played by Keri Russell, shows up and they are reunited... well sort of. They are two different people from extremely different worlds. She's going to make him a better man, unless he can make her a worse woman first.

How can I explain how lame Running Wilde is? The storyline features a young girl (who can't/won't speak) as narrator, an Amazon tribe in the mansion swimming pool, a mini horse in a limo, and a beautiful mother and daughter living in a tree house.

The only saving grace to Running Wilde is Keri Russell. In spite of her role as eye candy, Wilde will be a ratings flop from day one. It's only hope is that Glee's teen audience will sit through lead-in Raising Hope, then enjoy the immature humor fitting their age.

A disaster for FOX.

Lone Star - FOX

Can a tiger change his stripes?

Set in Texas, Lone Star is about an oil and gas investment salesman who is actually a con-man. There are no real oil wells, but there are real marriages and real love. Or are they real?

Bob has grown up a con-man, taught by his proud father. He has two lives, complete with wives and in-laws. No wait, he has three wives. Wait, is he proposing to a fourth? Talk about the ultimate ponzi scheme... even more so in love than money!

Now that he is maturing and feeling true love he's looking for something real for the first time in his life. Is he growing a conscience too?

Star isn't a bad show, but it also isn't compelling. Fox has given it a decent Monday night lead-in with a slowly dying 'House.' Unfortunately it has tough competition in Football, 2 1/2 Men, The Event, and Dancing With The Stars.

It's not strong enough to survive.

Blue Bloods - CBS

Magnum takes New York.

OK, that's really not fair, but to me Tom Selleck will always be Magnum, which makes it extra weird to see him playing a straight-laced police chief in New York City.

Blue Bloods follows the Reagans, a family of NY flat-foots for 3 generations. Grandpa, Dad (Selleck), and two sons are cops. Sister is an assistant district attorney. They work together and fight each other during the week with hopes of making up during Sunday family dinner.

This is the toughest premiere of 2010 to predict because the show doesn't fit the regular mold of anything we have seen on TV. It's family, it's cops, it's court room, and even the hint of a possible double agent in the family.

So what does CBS do with Bloods? They put it on Friday nights against weak competition and hope it becomes the new 'Numbers.' But will it? With the network's prime history the last few years how can we doubt?

Bloods takes Friday nights.

The Defenders - CBS

A legal drama that doesn't take itself too seriously.

While most legal dramas are serious and deep, The Defenders is neither. Can Jim Belushi really play a dramatic role? And can legal issues in Sin City not border on the farcical? Remember O.J.? Legal prostitution?

Belushi and Jerry O'Connell play two defense lawyers working together in a small Las Vegas legal office. Their clientele includes everything Vegas has to offer, from porn stars to (alleged) murderers.

So is America ready for a feel-good, light legal 'drama' set in the neon jungle? Why not... it's different. Are we ready for a Belushi in a dramatic roll? Again why not. He still can't act, but he's so likable we don't really care. And he does naturally look like a gangster anyway... when he doesn't smile.

No Emmys for Defender, but CBS has placed it Wednesday nights up against two heavy legals. So for those looking for something a little different, nearly mocking legal dramas, it has a niche.

Expect just OK ratings, hopefully good enough to keep it around for a year or so.

$#*! my dad says - CBS

If you like William Shatner, you'll enjoy Bleep My Dad Says. If you don't, then you'll likely hate it.

I happen to love old Bill. His Denny Crane is one of my all-time favorite tv characters... and of course there's only one Captain Kirk.

But this is a comedy, so is Kirk a fish out of water? Bleep is based on the Twitter sensation of the same name. Lots of absurd lines come out of Dad's mouth and not many actors could pull them off as well as Bill does. He can literally say anything with a straight face.

Like Mike & Molley, CBS proves they give a bleep about Bleep by providing a super strong lead-in, Big Bang Theory. This advantage, combined with weak Thursday night competition, will quickly make Bleep a ratings success.

When it comes to prime time, CBS does it again and again.

Mike & Molly - CBS

All the world loves a couple of gregarious roley poleys!

Mike and Molley are two singles who meet at OA (Overeaters Anonymous). They are both happy, funny people who just happen to be dealing with weight issues and looking for love.

Molley is an elementary school teacher of a room full of disrespectful students. Mike is a Chicago Police Officer with a skinny black partner. They look like an urban Laurel & Hardy.

Funniest line of the pilot: "Is your finger supposed to be pointing in that direction?"

Exec Producer Chuck Lorre (2 1/2 Men, Big Bang Theory) is on an incredible hot streak. M&M is no 2.5 Men, but it is a cute, funny show. And with it's 'Men' lead-in on Monday nights, it should do just fine.

Another keeper for CBS.

The Whole Truth - ABC

The Whole Truth tries to do exactly that; it's a legal drama telling both sides of a story until you know the whole truth.

In the pilot we see a case from the prosecution's perspective, the defense's angle, then we witness the trial. And even though we hear the jury's verdict, we still have doubt until the last second of the show.

Truth is fast moving, well written, produced and acted. Rob Morrow (Numbers, Northern Exposure) seems to have a hit every time he gets in front of a camera and he's done it again with this new drama. His maverick character is the most lovable lawyer since Denny Crane.

The Whole Truth looks like a seasoned, successful show already.
A winner for ABC!

Detroit 1-8-7 - ABC

Dark Cop Drama.

Detroit has one of the highest homicide rates in the country. Detroit 1-8-7 is ABC's new copy show about this city's homicide unit.

Much of 1-8-7 is shot at night, thus dark on purpose. But the weird thing is that even the daytime and indoor shots are dark. Maybe it's just the screener I viewed, maybe I'm going blind, all I know is that the visuals of this show are so dark that it's really hard to watch. And the plot isn't any brighter.

ABC has gone crazy this season with artsy-fartsy camera work. Detroit features lots of hand-held, occasional time-lapse, rough focus, etc. I have a novel idea, how about just coming up with a strong story line instead.

And the ending? I won't give it away. Let's just say that's it's a surprise, and completely fits 1-8-7, dark and sad.

Detroit 1-8-7 is highly anticipated, but falls flat. Will it make it through the season without being canceled? Simply depends on the competition and if ABC has anything to replace it. My guess is it will limp along then not be renewed.

My Generation - ABC

I don't get it.

Have you ever been to a film festival and viewed a new "experimental" film? If you have been in this situation, sitting with that deer-in-the-headlights expression, wondering what and why you are watching this horrible piece of "art," then you are ready for My Generation.

Imagine a documentary team interviews 9 high school students shortly before graduation. Then the same doc crew catches up with the young adults 10 years later. Imagine this with hand-held, sometimes shaky cameras, wacky focus, video shrunk down to half the size of your tv screen, then big, then somewhere in between. Imagine no plot, no interesting characters, not even the high school nerd who still rides his Schwinn everywhere.

Maybe twenty-somethings will relate to Generation. Maybe crack-heads will.

I understand producers who want to create something edgy, new and out-of-the-box. But I don't understand creating crap. My Generation is sad and painful to watch. Just shoot it now and put it (and us) out of it's misery. Even the logo is bad.

WORST new TV show of 2010.

No Ordinary Family - ABC

I admit I was looking forward to watching this one. The premise of an ordinary family that survives a plane crash in the Brazilian rain forest, only to realize their new super powers on their return home, sounded fun to me.

Don't we all wish we had super powers? "No Ordinary Family" gives us the chance to sit back, relax and imagine ourselves in a similar predicament. Catching bullets, jumping a quarter of a mile, running 600 mph, hearing people's thoughts, it's all part of an ordinary day for a no longer ordinary family.

The actors' chemistry isn't great, but the writing is just quirky enough to keep me wanting more. As the plane was going down, the daughter exclaims, "I'm gonna die and I haven't even done it yet!" And when the newly super strong dad's friend sets him up with tons of hi-tech police equipment, we hear "what every super crime fighter needs: a lair - with WiFi."

It's a fun show, I would watch it again. The question is, will the premise become old and boring as fast as the not ordinary mom can run? Depends on the writing. The pilot set the stage, now the story from week to week has to keep us interested.

A hit? No. A keeper? Probably. In the fall of 2010, ABC's dramas are a whole lot better than their comedies.

Body of Proof - ABC

Female 'House.' In ABC's new drama "Body of Proof," Dana Delaney plays a Hugh Laurie-esque neurosurgeon four years post auto accident that has left her unable to practice. She is now a medical examiner with a bedside manner perfect for her patients.

Dana's character, Dr. Megan Hunt, is abrasive yet lovable - and very smart. As with other M.E. shows, Dr. Hunt is a better cop than the cops and solves the murder through her brilliance and perserverance in and out of the autopsy room.

Body of Proof is nothing new in TV. It's a pretty good show, but moves slowly enough some folks may not make it through... depends on the new Friday night competition. In this day and age when viewers want action action and more action, Body may fall short. But that would be too bad because it's a good story. The only question remaining, is will an action-craving America have the patience to enjoy a well acted, well written, slow moving drama.

Don't expect 10 million viewers, but Body should make it through season one and gain momentum from there.

Hawaii Five-0 - CBS

This is not your father's Five-0!

As a kid growing up in Hawaii and loving every episode of the original Hawaii Five-0, I was either going to love or hate the new model. How could you ever improve on the theme music, McGarrett's black Lincoln, and great cop action?

Well, CBS has done it, I love the new Five-0! This version is a modern prequel to the old classic. We learn how McGarrett first becomes a cop, how he meets Dano, and we love their strained relationship. The new Five-0 also includes Chin Ho (Jin, straight off the set of 'Lost') and a young woman.

Five-0 remembers that it is set in Hawaii and includes just enough bikinis, surfing, and abs to quench the tropical thirst. Lots of action, lots of shooting, and oh ya, the new McGarrett knows martial arts.

CBS has another new hit on their hands. If you're scheduling new shows to watch, or setting the DVR, Book 'em Dano!

Mr. Sunshine - ABC

Oh no, 'Mr. Sunshine' is the worst of the bad new ABC comedies.

Matthew Perry plays Ben, manager of the Sunshine Center, a run down basketball arena. Doesn't that just sound hilarious already?! As far as a storyline... OK there isn't one, but Seinfeld didn't have one either, right? Problem is Mr. Sunshine doesn't have Jerry, just Matt. Poor Matt, he can't carry a show all by himself. And with horrendously awful writing, Sunshine has two strikes before the opening sequence even begins.

If I had to sum up this show in one word it would be WEAK. It's like the 98 pound weakling just kicked sand in his own face. Oh wait, that would be funnier than Mr. Sunshine.

Scoreboard for ABC comedies: 0-3.

Happy Endings - ABC

Of ABC's three new comedies premiering September 2010, 'Happy Endings' if the best.

The pilot's opening scene finds Dave getting dumped by Alex at the alter. The wedding video becomes famous on YouTube. Dave hooks up with a young bimbo, then Alex comes home from her solo honeymoon wanting him back. But the crux of the story is really the group of friends who don't know how to all be together anymore due to the awkward situations.

ABC is hoping for a new version of 'Friends,' but this one falls short. I was bored. I kept wanting 'Happy Endings' to be funny, but instead it just laid down like a cold pancake. The ending was kind of fun, but you'll either be clipping your nails or running down the batteries on the remote long before you get to minute 22.

Scorecard for ABC comedies: 0-2.

Better Together/Better With You - ABC

ABC has three new comedies this season and all three are duds. The best part of 'Better With You' is seeing the mom from That 70's Show on TV again. Yes, that's the highlight!

The storyline is based on a modern New York family... never mind, it's just not worth trying to explain.

The low points are dumb, stupid, and just not funny. The sad part is ABC must know it because they have doomed it to a Friday night time slot and they can't even make up their mind on the title of the show. Is it "Better Together" or "Better With You?" Oh wait, now it's slated for Wednesday nights. Either way it won't matter, 'Better' is a bomb.

Score for ABC's new comedies 0-1.

Melissa & Joey - ABC Family

ABC Family has done it again, formula tv at it's finest. They know their tweener audience and know how to deliver just what they want.

In this case it's a former tv witch, Melissa Joan Hart, in a 'Who's The Boss' remake. She's a successful City Councilwoman with a stalled love life. Joey is a washed up financier turned nanny of her live-in niece and nephew. Elementary jokes abound and the canned laughter was purchased in bulk.

Cute? Yes. Would I ever watch it again? No.
Great for tweens and teens? Yes, with the exception of a few inappropriate (for the target age) remarks. Did he say "vaginal Americans?"

Melissa Joan, will you ever land a good show? Will you lose 30 pounds and become a babe again?

Bottom Line. If you're over 17, don't waste your time.
Will the show last? If it was on a broadcast network it would be canceled within 3 episodes. On ABC Family it will do just fine.

View Pilot http://abcfamily.go.com/watch/melissa-joey/SH5547502/VD5580517/pilot

2010 Pilots

Every year broadcast and cable networks roll out their new pilots, then cross their fingers, toes, and anything else possible. Prior to this they have spent months in production and millions of dollars to see if their new programs will be hits or a misses.

Too many misses and heads roll. A couple of hits and producers & network execs can be set for life.

Barefoot Potato will give our two cents worth on whether new programs will make buckoo millions or be the kiss of death... before they ever air.

Should you spend 30 or 60 minutes viewing a new program? You'll get the head's up on whether or not to plan your evening around the newest sitcom, or if your time would be better spent rearranging your sock drawer.

Blunt, raw opinions will abound.