Showing posts with label New Releases. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Releases. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Social Network Rankings: GetGlue Off the Grid?

Not certain what is going on over at GetGlue these days (other than them pissing people off by changing their sticker policy), but they never posted the Top 10 lists for Dec 2nd through 8th and I haven't seen anything for last week yet either.  I'm trying to find out more information, but I don't know if they have suspended posting the rankings for now.  They have had them available for at least a year, so I don't know why they would stop, though the site was recently acquired by i.TV last month, so maybe they are in the process of restructuring right now.  If I get any more information or see the Top 10s get posted, I will pass that along.

As far as Nielsen's Twitter Rankings, American Horror Story: Coven has been the only entry there for the last two weeks with The Walking Dead now on its winter hiatus.  AHS ranked at the Number 5 slot for the week of Dec 2nd through 8th and at Number 8 last week. That will likely be it for genre shows on that list until AHS returns in January.



Sci Fi TV and Movies in Comics (Due out Dec 18th):

Star Trek Ongoing #28
IDW Publishing

Description: The climactic chapter of the Klingon-Romulan War! Kirk and the Enterprise have one last chance to prevent galaxy-wide cataclysm... but at what cost to the crew?

Star Trek Into Darkness writer/producer Roberto Orci oversees this all-new story set in the aftermath of the blockbuster film!

By: Mike Johnson, Erfan Fajar


Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows #1
Dark Horse

Description: During the Clone Wars, a single trooper-left for dead during battle-comes to hate the Jedi generals who abandoned him. Years later, he lives on, bitter and angry, until hearing tales of a great warrior. Now, this clone believes he may have found the leader he should have been following all along . . . Darth Vader!

* All-new series starring Darth Vader!

* Tim Siedell (@badbanana) has one of Time's 140 Best Twitter Feeds!

"A fine example of what Vader can and should be all about."-Comic Book Resources



Samurai Jack #3
IDW Publishing

Description: Jack's travels bring him to a village filled with tension and mystery.

Can he discover the town's strange secret before Aku's robotic army invades? Our samurai hero's quest to gather the Threads of Time continues.

By: Jim Zub, Andy Suriano


Doctor Who Prisoners Of Time TPB Vol. 03

Description: The conclusion to the year-long event celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who! The 9th through 11th Doctors are showcased in a story leading up to the final issue with all 11 Doctors.

By: Scott Tipton, David Messina, Francesco Francavilla

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Sci Fi TV in Comics: The X-Files, Battlestar Galactica, Grimm, and More

Due Out on About December 11th:

X-Files Season 10 #7
IDW Publishing

Description: Hosts, Part 2 of 2: Missing persons reports point to the return of the 'giant, bloodsucking worm' known as the Flukeman, sending Mulder to Martha's Vineyard to invesigate and Scully to Quantico to examine the supposed remains of the creature.

And what they both discover lies beyond belief and terror!

By: Joe Harris, Elena Casagrande, Carlos Valenzuela


Battlestar Galactica Starbuck #2 (of 4)
Dynamite Entertainment

Description: The origin of Lt. Starbuck continues, told by #1 New York Times best-selling author Tony Lee! Two years before the attack on Cimtar and Starbuck has hit rock bottom - But when a clue to the Cylon spy behind the attack on Umbra appears, Starbuck finally has a chance to gain justice for his parents - but can Starbuck and Apollo find the spy before the Cylons stop them?

By: Tony Lee, Eman Casallos, Sean Chen


Grimm #8
Dynamite Entertainment

Description: We flashback to Aunt Marie as she spends her final Christmas battling the cancer that is rapidly ravaging her body while a sinister force battles for her soul.

Face to face with her mortality, she reflects on her own choices as a Grimm and learns that not everything is jolly during the holidays.

By: Marc Gaffen, Rod Rodolfo, Lucio Parillo


Grimm Warlock #1 (of 5)
Dynamite Entertainment

Description: Check out this new mini-series based on the hit NBC show! Follow Portland Detective Nick Burkhardt on his adventures as a cop and as a monster-hunting Grimm.

Nick and his partner Hank have to put the stop to a fixed basketball game that will keep the hometown team out of the playoffs.

But the stakes are even higher when Nick finds the dangerous Wesen at the heart of the case.

By: Jai Nitz, Jose Malaga, Greg Smallwood


Smallville Season 11 Alien #1 (of 4)
DC Comics

Description: A new SMALLVILLE miniseries begins! Superman has barely adjusted to his new status quo when he finds himself racing against time (and Lex Luthor!) to uncover the secret behind a Russian meteor strike.

Something has fallen from space - and it looks an awful lot like a Monitor! Don't miss 'Alien' part 1 of 4!

By: Bryan Q. Miller, Edgar Salazar, Cat Staggs


Honey West & T.H.E. Cat #1 (of 2)
Moonstone

Description: Two cult TV icons heat it up together for the first time! Ex-cat burglar and aerialist Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat is back for the first time in 45 years!

He puts his skills to good use as a professional bodyguard - primitive and in love with danger!

Now he teams up with TV's first lead-female private eye. In 'Death in the Desert', 1960's mob infested Las Vegas, they investigate a series of accidents - but will the attraction between the two cause the case to overheat?

By: Trina Robbins, Silvestre Szilagyi, Valarie Jones


More of This Week's Comics at This Link  

Sunday, December 8, 2013

New on DVD: Salvage 1, Doctor Who 50th Anniversary and More

Salvage 1: The Golden Orbit and Hard Water

Way back in 1979, this odd little series showed up on television about a salvage man named Harry Broderick (played by Andy Griffith) who gets the crazy idea of building his own spaceship and flying it to the moon to salvage the gear that the Apollo missions left behind (moon buggies, etc.) which is worth millions. And in the pilot episode of the series, he actually does it with the help of former astronaut Skip Carmichael and NASA fuel expert Mel Slozar. Then in subsequent episodes, this team went on wild adventures across the world salvaging crazier and crazier items. It wasn't quite classic sci fi, but it was a fun and whimsical little show that completely fell off the radar after its short, two-season run. Warner Archives is finally giving the series the DVD treatment, though oddly enough they are currently only offering two of the two-part episodes the showed aired but not the pilot that introduced the series. In the episode "The Golden Orbit", Skip is called back into service by NASA and sent into space, but Harry must come to his rescue when his mission runs into trouble (note that the synopsis given for the DVD is actually for the pilot episode which would make things that much more confusing for anybody who orders it). In "Hard Water", Harry and the others (along with an annoyingly cute kid now along for the ride) tow an iceberg to a drought-stricken area. These should provide a blast-from-the-past for fans of the show and also introduce the curious to this series, but it would have been nice if they had included the pilot among the DVD offerings. Maybe that is on the way with a complete series set as well. In the mean time, these should provide some good cheesy fun for those who like their 70's sci fi on the absurd side.

Order The Golden Orbit at This Link

Order Hard Water at This Link

More Rare Sci Fi on DVD from Warner Archives at this Link

New on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.com the week of December 10th:





More New and Recent Releases at This Link

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Social Network Rankings: Almost Human Still in the Top 10, Agents of SHIELD Creeping Up

FOX's Almost Human may be currently experiencing a ratings dive, but it's still getting some heavy activity tracking from the GetGlue broadcast network charts.  It slipped to the Number 4 slot for this last week which is a much smaller drop than what its ratings saw.  Whether that can help keep the show afloat, though, remains to be seen.  Agents of SHIELD continues its rise up the GetGlue broadcast network charts as it improved to the Number 3 slot this past week.  That show has also been enjoying a ratings resurgence so it looks like it could be getting itself back on track.  There were only six total genre shows in the broadcast net Top 10 this past week (instead of the usual seven to eight), but that was because two of the CW regulars (Arrow and Vampire Diaries) were preempted for holiday programming.  FX's American Horror Story was also preempted last week, but it still showed up in the GetGlue cable Top 10 though it disappeared from the Nielsen Twitter Rankings..  And Syfy's Haven was preempted leading it to drop out of the GetGlue cable Top 10.  So do these numbers impact network decision making when it comes to renewing or cancelling a show?  I discuss that in more detail at this link.


November 25-December 1




GetGlue Broadcast Nets




Series Network Rerun Rank Prior Rank Move -ment
Supernatural CW N 1 3 Up
The Originals CW N 2
Up
Agents of SHIELD ABC N 3 4 Up
Almost Human FOX N 4 1 Down
Sleepy Hollow FOX N 5 6 Up
Once Upon A Time ABC N 6 2 Down






GetGlue Cable




Series Network Rerun Rank Prior Rank Move -ment
Doctor Who BBCA N 1 1 Same
The Walkind Dead AMC N 2 2 Same
American Horror Story FX N 3 3 Same
The Witches of East End LIFE N 5 7 Up






Nielsen Twitter Rankings




Series Network Rerun Rank Prior Rank Move -ment
The Walking Dead AMC N 1 3 Up

See the full GetGlue Top 10 Charts at this link

See the full Nielsen Twitter Rankings as this link



New on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.com:


More New and Recent Releases at This Link

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Sci Fi TV in Comics: Battlestar Galactica, Samurai Jack, True Blood, and More

Due out November 20th (note that some of these release dates are tentative):

Battlestar Galactica TPB Vol. 01 Memorial
Dynamite Entertainment

Description: The original Battlestar Galactica returns in an all-new, star-spanning adventure, celebrating the 35th anniversary of its original sci-fi TV airing! Overwhelmed by a surprise Cylon assault, the crew of the Battlestar Galactica turns to forbidden temporal weapons as their desperate last resort. However, the experimental technology backfires, throwing two Viper pilots, Apollo and Starbuck, into an alternate reality where their beloved capital ship never existed. In a universe without the Galactica... the Cylons rule supreme! Can Apollo and Starbuck survive the brutality of the Cylon overlords and return home?

By: Dan Abnett, Cezar Razek, Alex Ross


Samurai Jack #2
IDW Publishing

Description: Jack can defeat almost any foe in single combat, but how will he fare against a pair of perfectly synchronized warriors who can exploit his every weakness? Cartoon Network's hit animated series is back at IDW and bigger than ever.

By: Jim Zub, Andy Suriano


True Blood TPB Vol. 02 Tainted Love
IDW Publishing

Description: A sweet gesture by Hoyt to surprise Jessica with the prom night she never had goes awry when Tru Blood served turns out to be part of a poisoned batch-and Jessica becomes its first victim! Sookie, Bill, and Eric race to track down the culprits responsible, and find it's all part of a nefarious plot. Now there are mere hours to locate Jessica... before the maddening effects of the tainted elixir drive her to the true death!

By: Marc Andreyko, Stephen Molnar, J. Scott Campbell


Ben 10 #1
IDW Publishing

Description: Who knew vacation could be this exciting? Ben Tennyson and his teammates kick off a maelstrom of action when an ocean cruise brings Ben in the cross hairs of Ssserpent, who's out to find a long-lost underwater society. But does Ben's new, slightly oddball love interest harbor dark secrets of her own? Aliens, superpowers, ships and swimsuits: the perfect ingredients for high-seas adventure.

More of This Week's Comics at This Link  

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Numbers Overload: Agents of SHIELD Still in the Top 25, for Now at Least

ABC’s Agents of SHIELD may be on a dangerous slide based on its overnight numbers, but it is still managing to stay in the broadcast network Top 25 even if it is slipping down the ranks.  For the week of November 4th through 10th, that show landed at the Number 19 slot on the list (after dropping out the prior week with a repeat episode).  And based on this week’s ratings, it looks like it should stay there next week, though it will be right at the edge.  The show is still scoring well in the GetGlue Top 10 for the broadcast networks, so it has that in its favor as well.  But its continued ratings downfall needs to turnaround if this show wants to stick around past its freshman season.

Sleepy Hollow also returned to the broadcast net Top 25 after being out two weeks because of repeats and preemptions.  Once Upon A Time slipped out for the week, though.  For the cable shows, The Walking Dead took the Number 2 slot based on total viewers, losing out only to football.  That show still had the highest rating (a 6.2 score) in the 18-49 demo for any non-sports programming on either the cable or broadcast networks.   Grimm and Dracula both made appearances in the Top DVR gains chart with their premiere episodes.  The latter show is probably going to drop out pretty quick, though, based on its ratings slide since its initial episode. 

Top 25 Nov 4th to Nov 10th  

Cable Networks

Total Viewers:  Live + Same Day viewing from the overnights
2. The Walking Dead (AMC) 12.2 Million (Prior Week - #1, 13.3 MM)
9. The Talking Dead (AMC) 4.3 Million (Prior Week - #5, 4.3 MM)
12. American Horror Story: Coven (FX) 3.8 Million (Prior Week - #11, 3.7 MM)

Broadcast Networks

Ratings:  18-49 demographic in Live + Same Day viewing from the overnights
19. Agents of SHIELD (ABC) 2.5 Rating (Prior Week - Not in Top 25)
20. Sleepy Hollow (FOX) 2.5 Rating (Prior Week - Not in Top 25)

Dropping Out: Once Upon A Time (ABC) (Prior Week - #22, 2.3 Rating)

Total Viewers:  Live + Same Day viewing from the overnights
9. Person of Interest (CBS) 11.8 million (Prior Week – #9, 12.0 MM)

Live+7 Day DVR Ratings: Top 25 Ratings Increase for the Week of October 21st to 27th 
4. Agents of SHIELD: Rating Increase - 1.7, Final Rating - 4.4
11. Grimm: Rating Increase - 1.2, Final Rating – 3.0
12. Dracula: Rating Increase - 1.2, Final Rating - 3.0
16. Once Upon A Time: Rating Increase - 1.2, Final Rating - 3.4
19. Person of Interest: Rating Increase - 1.1, Final Rating - 3.3
21. Revolution: Rating Increase - 1.0, Final Rating - 2.4

Dropping Out: Sleepy Hollow (In Repeats that Week)



New on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.com on November 19th:



More New and Recent Releases at This Link

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Cancellation Watch: The Originals and Tomorrow People Get Full Season Orders, Dracula and Once Upon A Time in Wonderland are Sinking Fast

The CW announced Monday that freshman shows The Originals and The Tomorrow People will be getting full season orders meaning that their "Back 9" episodes have been picked up and they will each have twenty two total eps for their first seasons.  For The Originals, that comes as no shock as it counts as a true hit by CW standards and is currently the third highest rated scripted show on the network.  The Tomorrow People is a bit more surprising seeing as that show has dropped notably since its debut, but then this is not unprecedented for The CW as they did the same with The Secret Circle and Beauty and the Beast.  The fifth place network tends to have more patience with shows that are pulling mediocre ratings, and they give them a chance to see if they can build up their audience (sadly, it has not panned out too well in recent seasons).  The full season order is not the same as a renewal, though, but it still means that the network hasn't given up on the show yet.  At this point, The Originals looks to be in good shape to ride into a second season renewal, but we will have to see how The Tomorrow People tracks through the rest of the season to make a better determination on it.

Last Friday, NBC's Dracula continued its ratings slide which has now turned into an all out death spiral.  That show debuted just a few weeks ago to a 1.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic which was an impressive achievement for its late Friday night timeslot.  But it dropped by five ticks the next week then four this last to see its ratings numbers cut in half to only a 0.9 score.  Based on these numbers, this show has almost no chance of surviving past its initial ten episode run short of a miraculous ratings turn around, so I am bumping up its Cancellation Alert to Elevated.  Also in trouble is ABC's Once Upon A Time in Wonderland which slipped yet again last Thursday, this time to a 0.9 rating with 3.6 million total viewers and came in fifth place among the broadcast networks in its timeslot.  The network hasn't pulled it from the schedule or kicked it to Fridays yet, so they may ride it out through its limited run, but don't expect any sort continuation for the series beyond its initial order.  And The Beauty and the Beast continued to fly low on Mondays as it pulled another 0.3 rating with just 900k total viewers.  It was not among the shows that The CW gave full season orders to which almost assures that it will be gone by mid-season to make room for the other shows that network has waiting in the wings.

In other ratings news, Sleepy Hollow improved its numbers a bit as it pulled a 2.6 rating in the 18-49 demo (based on the final numbers) with 7 million total viewers.  Expect this one to hover in this area throughout the rest of its initial season.  On Sunday AMC's The Walking Dead experienced a notable drop as it pulled "only" a 6.2 rating with 12.2 million total viewers.  That just means that the show's ratings are coming back down to Earth a bit, but it still outpaced all non-sports related programming on cable or the broadcast nets for the past week in the 18-49 demographic. ABC's Once Upon A Time fell to a 2.1 rating with 6.7 million total viewers which matched its season low.  It's still doing well enough on Sundays where the broadcast nets are struggling in general and its in its third season, so it is still safe for now.  On Lifetime, The Witches of East End pulled a 0.6 score with one and a half million total viewers which counts as a decent performance for that network.

On Friday, Grimm took a hit as is slipped to a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demo with 4.9 million total viewers.  That show tends to fluctuate with its numbers, though, and I would expect to see it rebound with its next airing.  The Neighbors held steadily low with a 1.0 rating (adjusted down from the preliminarily reported 1.1 score) with 4.5 million total viewers.  And that was despite the fact that the episode delivered a cross-over with ABC's popular reality series Shark Tank so consider it still very much in trouble.  Syfy's Haven actually improved its numbers on that night to a 0.5 rating with 1.7 million total viewers.  It's going to have to stay at that level or perhaps even higher if it wants to win a fifth season, though. And on Thursday, Vampire Diaries improved its numbers (after taking a dive on Halloween) to a 1.3 score with 2.6 million total viewers.  It beat out The X-Factor on FOX and Once Upon A Time in Wonderland on ABC to take third place in its timeslot, a rarity for a show on the fifth place network.   

Here are the season to date numbers and standings through November 11th for all the shows that have bowed so far (sorted by most likely to get cancelled).


Series Network / Airs (EST) Cancel- lation Alert StD Rating StD Eps Tracking
Once Upon A Time in Wonderland ABC / Thu 8 PM High 1.2 4 Down
Revolution NBC / Wed 8 PM Elevated 1.5 7 Low
The Neighbors ABC / Fri 8:30 PM Elevated 1.0 7 Low
Beauty and the Beast CW / Mon 9 PM Elevated 0.3 6 Low
Dracula NBC / Fri 10 PM Elevated 1.3 3 Down
Haven Syfy / Fri 9 PM Moderate 0.4 9 Up
The Tomorrow People CW / Wed 9 PM Moderate 0.7 5 Down
Person of Interest CBS / Tue 10 PM Low 2.1 7 Steady
Once Upon A Time ABC / Sun 8 PM Low 2.3 7 Down
The Originals CW / Tue 8 PM Low 1.0 6 Steady
Vampire Diaries CW / Thu 8 PM Low 1.2 6 Up
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ABC / Tue 8 PM Low 3.2 6 Down
Witches of East End Life / Sun 9 PM Low 0.7 6 Decent
Arrow CW / Wed 8 PM Low 0.9 5 Up
Supernatural CW / Tue 9 PM Low 1.1 5 Steady
Grimm NBC / Fri 9 PM Low 1.5 3 Down
Sleepy Hollow FOX / Mon 9 PM Renewed 2.9 7 Steady
American Horror Story: Coven FX / Wed 10 PM Renewed 2.4 5 Decent
The Walking Dead AMC / Sun 9 PM Renewed 7.0 5 Strong

The preliminary numbers for the Tuesday night shows will be available later this morning, so keep an eye on the Cancellation Watch Twitter Site for those and other ratings-related news.  You can see the current status for all this season's genre show at this link.  And for more information on the ratings numbers and how I determine the Cancellation Alert status of a show, see the Cancellation Watch FAQ.

Ratings Source: TV by the Numbers

Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2013 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.



Sci Fi / Fantasy TV in Comics Due Out November 14th:

Grimm #7
Dynamite Entertainment

Description: Coming out in November -- Look! Up in the Portland air... It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... A superhero?! When a teenage Wesen decides to use his abilities to become a real life superhero, Nick is forced into protecting the protector who finds himself over his head.

By: Marc Gaffen, Jose Malaga, Lucio Parillo


Battlestar Galactica Starbuck #1 (of 4)
Dynamite Entertainment

Description: Finally, the origin of Lt. Starbuck is told by #1 New York Times best-selling author Tony Lee! See how Starbuck became a Viper pilot, his first meeting with Apollo and why Adama treats him like a son - as he pieces together what really happened the night he was orphaned, and the name of the traitor who ordered it...

By: Tony Lee, Eman Casallos, Sean Chen



Star Trek Khan #2 (of 5)
IDW Publishing

Description: The origin of STAR TREK's greatest villain continues here, in this all-new mini-series overseen by STAR TREK writer/producer Roberto Orci! Witness the never-before-seen outbreak of the legendary Eugenics Wars and behold Khan Noonien Singh's brutal rise to power, as the secret history of the future is finally revealed!



Star Trek Stardate Coll HC Vol. 01
IDW Publishing

Description: The comic book tales of Star Trek have roamed the universe and spanned publishers, but now Star Trek: The Stardate Collection collects the many iterations of Trek in order . . . by stardate! Helmed by Star Trek experts Scott and David Tipton, and featuring special commentary and creator interviews, volume 1 starts at the beginning to reveal the motives, machinations and decisions that shaped the intrepid crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. For new and old fans alike, there's never been a Star Trek collection like this!

By: John Byrne, et al

More of This Week's Comics at This Link  

Monday, November 11, 2013

Can Agents of SHIELD Turn Around its Ratings Slide or Will It Become the Next Sci Fi Show to Succumb to Cancellation Following a Nielsen Death Spiral

Over the past few seasons, we have seen quite a number of high-profile, broadcast network sci fi shows debut to high ratings only to fall into a death spiral that has led to their eventual cancellation. Shows like FlashForward, V, The Event, Terra Nova, and more have followed this path an become classic examples of the failure of the genre on the old-school television networks (and I will be looking at them in more detail in an upcoming post).  And this current season, we have seen Avengers spin-off series Agents of SHIELD debut to huge ratings but then experience a quick drop-off and continued ratings slide that currently seems to be suggesting that it could fall victim to the same death spiral that claimed the shows mentioned above.  SHIELD bowed in September to a 4.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic based on the overnights which was the highest score for a sci fi show on the broadcast networks since the premiere of V in 2009 drew a 5.0 mark (before heading on its own death spiral).  SHIELD dropped notably with its second episode to a 3.3 rating and has continued to slide since then, down to a 2.5 score with its latest outing last week.  As it stands, its numbers are still okay and it has landed in the Top 20 for broadcast network shows every week that it has aired a new episode so far.  But it is an expensive show to produce, and the level it is currently at in the Nielsens is probably the lowest that ABC network execs will accept before they start reconsidering its future or stepping in and demanding some retooling to bolster the ratings.   

So with all this in mind, Is Agents of SHIELD on the verge of following the same path to failure as V, FlashForward, The Event, Terra Nova, and others?  It’s too soon to say for sure, but the show definitely needs to make some course adjustments if it wants to stop its ratings declines, or the network has to reconsider their expectations of the show.  The fact is that SHIELD is certainly an expensive show to produce with its airplane base and ultra-high-tech visuals.  But it still doesn’t come anywhere close to the level of spectacle of The Avengers (which it spun-off from) or the other Marvel superhero movies which is apparently what the initial audience was looking for.  In the show's favor, it does appeal to the core sci fi fanbase because Joss Whedon and his troupe are helming it and often infuse their trademark cleverness into the scripts.  But--mostly likely driven by corporate network mandates--it tries to tread the line between wide appeal and cult show and may not be doing good enough on either side.  We saw a similar thing happen with Whedon’s Dollhouse on FOX as the network execs tinkered with that show creatively and it felt disjointed during the early part of its run.

Personally, I have enjoyed Agents of SHIELD and it has mostly lived up to my expectations, though I have noticed a drop in quality with the last couple of episodes.  But it still has plenty of opportunity to course correct at this point and any of a number of options to select that would appeal to the network execs.  One thing it needs to do is embrace its comic book roots and start drawing in other characters from the Marvel Universe.  Arrow has been doing this quite successfully over on The CW, and there are literally hundreds of characters from the comics that SHIELD could work into its stories.  Also, I think the show should also start playing up the humor angle more heavily as well.  Sfx cost money, but laughs can come on the cheap, so if you can’t wow the audience then keep them laughing.  The first few episodes had a palpable sense of fun about them and the series really needs to keep that as one of its primary driving forces.  And maybe they need to shake up the team a bit.  The group we have now is decent, but the writers already seem to have run out of ideas for these characters.  And this youth-skewing group seems more appropriate for a CW show so maybe they need to bring in a new member or two that will up the average age a bit and possibly bring in some intensity to balance out the levity.

The good news is that Agents of SHIELD is not in the danger zone yet, though its latest numbers have it right on the edge.  The show should get a boost from Thor: The Dark World’s performance at the Box Office and the November 19th episode actually deals directly with the fallout from that movie.  But any benefits from that will fade quickly so the show needs to have a few more tricks up its sleeve to keep viewers engaged.  SHIELD has received a full season order meaning that it has time to build back up its audience, but if its numbers don’t hold steady or trend back up, then ABC will be doing some long and hard looking at this one as May approaches and they have to set their schedules for the 2014-15 season.  Since it is part of the high-profile Marvel franchise, there’s a good chance they could still keep it going short of a ratings collapse in the second half of the current season.  But without improvement in the Nieslen results, they may go for a complete re-tooling of the show and eject Joss Whedon from helming it going forward.  For me, that would be a disappointment because I believe that he and his crew can help make this a great show if the network will let them do what they do best.  But then network execs often have little patience and may not be willing to look at this big-name entry as the cult-type series Whedon is better known for, with the lower ratings that usually entails. 

At this point, we can only wait and see.  But for my money, I’d rather see this show stick with the pep and energy of the its early episodes with maybe a few tweaks to give it a shot in the arm going forward.  With Joss Whedon guiding the show, it can tread that fine line between cult show and broader appeal (as we saw with The Avengers), but the network execs have to give him the freedom to run with that and also tender their expectations some when reviewing those overnight Nielson results.  Agents of SHIELD is not yet part of the dubious club the currently includes V, FlashForward, The Event, Terra Nova and more (and which could be shortly welcoming Revolution into its ranks), and hopefully it will steer clear of following that path.  But at this point it looks like it is going to need to course correct at least a bit if wants to keep its ratings slide from turning into an all-out death spiral.    



New on DVD and Blu-ray on November 12th:



More New and Recent Releases at This Link

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Sci Fi TV in Comics: Grimm TPB Vol. 01, Bionic Man vs. The Bionic Woman TPB, and More

Science Fiction and Fantasy Television in Comics Due Out On or About November 6th:

Grimm TPB Vol. 01
Dynamite Entertainment

Description: Set in the world of the acclaimed NBC series, Grimm, by the show creators themselves! Homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt, joined by his mother Kelly, Hank, and Monroe, uncover family secrets long buried during their adventure in Europe. Hunted by Verrat soldiers, their quest to destroy the Coins of Zakynthos reveals dark secrets and promises death for a member of the cast!

By: David Greenwalt, Jose Malaga


Bionic Man vs. The Bionic Woman TPB
Dynamite Entertainment

Description: Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers, the iconic heroes of THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN and THE BIONIC WOMAN, are together again... and at each other's throats! The FBI recruits Austin to capture the serial killer Trench, who targets accident survivors gifted with bionic limbs and organs. But Austin disappears, and only Jaime Sommers has any hope of tracking him down. When their paths cross, will their tragic past and different tactics pit them against one another?

By: Keith Champagne, Jose Luis


Doctor Who Prisoners Of Time #10 (of 12)
IDW Publishing

Description: Our yearlong celebration of Doctor Who's 50th anniversary continues! Brilliant! The Tenth Doctor takes the spotlight in this issue of a 12-part epic adventure featuring all 11 incarnations of the Doctor. The Doctor brings Martha to 1950s Los Angeles and the Griffith Observatory to give her a glimpse of Gallifrey, but soon encounters a film crew whose members are mysteriously disappearing!

By: David Tipton, Elena Casagrande, Francesco Francavilla


Steed & Mrs Peel TPB Vol. 02 Secret History Of Space
Boom! Studios

Description: Caleb Monroe and Yasmin Liang bring you all-­new stories of the original Avengers, as the super-­spy duo face a murderous conductor, crack the case of the Suicide Town, and get into a literal race against time. Collecting issues 4-­7.

By: Caleb Monroe, Yasmin Liang, Joseph Michael Linsner

More of This Week's Comics at This Link  

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Cancellation Watch: NBC’s Dracula Has a Grimm Debut, Which is a Good Thing; Beauty and the Beast and Once Upon A Time in Wonderland Still in Trouble

We saw two late season bows this last week as NBC kicked off its two hour supernatural block which will run on Fridays for the next few months.  In the 9 PM EST timeslot, Grimm had its Season 3 debut which was up from where it ended last year pulling a 1.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 6.2 million total viewers.  That’s a good return for that show on that night and--after the expected post-premiere dip--it will likely hold steady with its numbers through the rest of the year as it coasts into a Season 4 renewal.  In the lead-out slot for the night, new series Dracula got off to a strong start as it pulled a 1.8 rating with 5.3 million total viewers and also won its timeslot among the broadcast nets.  That’s a heck of a debut for a new show bowing on Friday at 10 PM EST, but then it has some name recognition because of its title character and NBC promoted it pretty heavily.  Next week’s numbers will gauge if the premiere drew mostly curious onlookers and how many will actually stick with the show (especially considering that the critics were less than thrilled by it).  And this one has been billed as a limited-run “event” series with only ten episodes currently planned, so theoretically it will wrap up its story at that time.  But if it does keep up decent ratings (and in this timeslot, a score as low as a 1.2 to 1.3 could still count), I’m sure they will find a way to keep it going.  And the guys over at TV by the Numbers pointed out that Grimm and Dracula scored better ratings than any other NBC scripted show that did not have The Voice as a lead-in--and these are Friday shows!--so that counts as a heck of a win for the network on this night at this point.

Last Night, Sleepy Hollow was preempted by Baseball, and Beauty and the Beast again delivered another paltry 0.3 score with less than 900k total viewers.  I don’t expect this show to still be on the schedule by mid-season, but then you never know with The CW.  On Sunday night, The Walking Dead pulled a 6.8 score with 12.9 million total viewers.  That’s another drop for the show but still well above any other non-sporting broadcasts on cable or the broadcast nets this past week and it even outscored Sunday Night Football on NBC.  Over on Lifetime, The Witches of East End edged up a bit to a 0.7 rating with 1.8 million total viewers, as that one still performas well for its network.  Also on Sunday, Once Upon A Time held its own against the Game 4 of the World Series and football as it actually improved its numbers from last week by a tick to a 2.2 rating with seven million total viewers.  It was also the top non-sports program on the broadcast networks for the night, so despite its overall numbers drop from last year, it still appears safe for now.

Last Friday’s Haven continued to hover low at a 0.4 rating in the 18-49 demo with 1.5 million total viewers.  That one has reached the mid-point of its fourth season and doesn’t look likely to see an upswing in its numbers over the next few weeks, so it still remains on the bubble for its network.  Also on Friday, The Neighbors was in repeats so we will have to check next week’s numbers to see if its decline will continue.

On Thursday, Once Upon A Time in Wonderland sunk yet again, pulling only a 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demo with 4.4 million total viewers.  That put it at fifth place in the 8 PM EST timeslot again, behind The CW’s Vampire Diaries which enjoyed a 1.3 rating with 2.6 million total viewers.  By this point last Spring, ABC had yanked Zero Hour from the schedule after underperforming in that hour across three episodes.  No word yet on Wonderland, though, so maybe they are giving it a bit more leeway.  That show did slip out of the GetGlue Top 10 this past week, though, so its social network presence is definitely waning.  Fans should keep their eyes open for any announcements concerning the show, but should almost certainly not count on it returning for a second season. 

Here are the season to date numbers and standings through October 28th for all the shows that have bowed so far (sorted by most likely to get cancelled):


Series Network / Airs (EST) Cancel- lation Alert StD Rating StD Eps Tracking
Beauty and the Beast CW / Mon 9 PM Elevated 0.3 4 Low
Revolution NBC / Wed 8 PM Elevated 1.5 5 Down
The Neighbors ABC / Fri 8:30 PM Elevated 1.0 5 Low
Once Upon A Time in Wonderland ABC / Thu 8 PM Elevated 1.3 3 Down
Haven Syfy / Fri 9 PM Moderate 0.4 7 Low
Arrow CW / Wed 8 PM Low 1.0 3 Steady
Supernatural CW / Tue 9 PM Low 1.1 3 Steady
The Tomorrow People CW / Wed 9 PM Low 0.8 3 Down
The Originals CW / Tue 8 PM Low 1.0 4 Steady
Vampire Diaries CW / Thu 8 PM Low 1.2 4 Up
Witches of East End Life / Sun 9 PM Low 0.7 4 Up
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ABC / Tue 8 PM Low 3.3 5 Down
Once Upon A Time ABC / Sun 8 PM Low 2.4 5 Up
Person of Interest CBS / Tue 10 PM Low 2.2 5 Steady
Dracula NBC / Fri 10 PM Low 1.8 1 Strong
Grimm NBC / Fri 9 PM Low 1.8 1 Up
The Walking Dead AMC / Sun 9 PM Low 7.4 3 Strong
American Horror Story: Coven FX / Wed 10 PM Low 2.5 3 Down
Sleepy Hollow FOX / Mon 9 PM Renewed 3.0 5 Down

Keep an eye on the Cancellation Watch Twitter Site for the latest numbers as well as any other ratings-related news.  You can see the current status for all this season's genre show at this link.  And for more information on the ratings numbers and how I determine the Cancellation Alert status of a show, see the Cancellation Watch FAQ.

Ratings Source: TV by the Numbers

Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2013 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.



New on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.com On or About October 29th:


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