Everyone knows that 50 is the new 40.
The color-conscious declare aubergine to be the new black, and sensitive males contend that men are the new women. The revising of conventional wisdom continues apace.
In keeping with these updates, television watchers are on notice: Wednesday is the new Thursday.
Thursday, television’s original “must-see” night, the night for which advertisers pay a premium to reach the biggest primetime audiences, is still a very big deal. But this season, Wednesday is the traffic jam, where an unusual number of freshman shows are stacked up, vying for breakout status and demonstrating the health of the industry in general.
If they can make it there, they can make it anywhere, maybe even flexing enough ratings muscle for a promotion to Thursdays next season.
Jeff Lindsey, ABC vice president for ratings/viewership, agrees: “Wednesday is certainly going to give Thursday a run for its money in the press and among viewers.”
Tom Bierbaum, NBC vice president for ratings and program information, noted, “The networks are programming the night aggressively and have generated new interest on Wednesday nights.”
While CBS’s “Criminal Minds” was last Wednesday’s biggest winner, the industry is transfixed by the showdown of newcomers: “Bionic Woman” vs. “Private Practice,” action babe vs. passion babe, head to head on Wednesday nights.
Early Nielsen results indicate ABC’s “Private Practice” was the highest-rated new series in total viewers in its first week out, while NBC’s “Bionic Woman” was the top new show among advertisers’ coveted 18- to 49-year-olds. They reversed position on the second Wednesday of the season.
According to the Meyers Media Business Report, a trade publication, “What’s notable here is that these shows came instantly to life opposite each other, which pokes a hole in the overinflated idea that broadcast television is crumbling under the pressure of multiple media alternatives.”
Despite threats from premium cable, the Internet, iTunes downloads and more, the old-line networks are seeing that, given decent alternatives, viewers will still show up in droves.
This year TiVo and similar digital-video recorders are having a huge impact on the way the industry does business. Nielsen watchers are dealing with hyper-spin, now that new measuring procedures are in place, allowing “live + same day” and “live + 7 days” accounting to include DVR watching in the totals. DVR use was only at 9 percent for premiere week in 2006; it’s at 20 percent now. Complete ratings will be delayed by weeks as a result.
This week, on the second major showdown of the new season, Wednesday’s freshman face-off resulted in a win for ABC, a solid ratings start for “Pushing Daisies” and strong numbers for both “Bionic Woman” and “Private Practice.” To broadcasters, Wednesdays offer distinct signs of life in an otherwise lackluster season. There’s no single hit on the order of “Heroes,” “CSI,” “Lost” or “Desperate Housewives” but enough solid-ratings performers to refute the idea that broadcast TV is flailing. “Bionic” and “Private Practice” are considered breakout shows.
The logjam on Wednesdays starts locally at 7 p.m., where last week’s ratings for the premiere of “Pushing Daisies” on ABC overshadowed the controversial reality show “Kid Nation” on CBS and the Kelsey Grammer sitcom “Back to You” on Fox. In its third week, the sluggish “Kid Nation” finished third in the hour.
The key battle is 8 p.m. locally, when viewers choose among “Private Practice,” on ABC (Channel 7), “Bionic Woman” on NBC (Channel 9), “Gossip Girl” on CW (Channel 2), “Kitchen Nightmares” on Fox (Channel 31) and “Criminal Minds,” the kingpin procedural, on CBS (Channel 4).
That busy time slot holds one reality show, featuring ruthless chef Gordon Ramsay barking at competitors, and three dramas: the “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff starring Kate Walsh; the action/sci-fi remake starring Michelle Ryan; the teen soap; and the familiar whodunit.
“This year, I knew all eyes were going to be on that time period, just as last season I knew all eyes would be on Thursday and “Grey’s,” said ABC’s Lindsey.
At 9 p.m., newcomers “Dirty Sexy Money” on CBS and “Life” on NBC are head-to-head, although so far neither one is doing what you’d call breakout business.
Like color-coded real estate on the Monopoly board, most of the nights of the week belong to distinct networks.
ABC owns Sunday night, with “Desperate Housewives” last year typically pulling in 22 million viewers each week, although this season’s premiere was down a bit, to 19.3 million.
CBS claims Mondays, with “Two and a Half Men” and “CSI: Miami” nailing some 18 million viewers weekly.
Fox has locked up Tuesdays with “House.” ABC and CBS are battling for Thursdays with “Grey’s” vs. “CSI.” So far, “CSI” was able to open its lead over “Grey’s,” with 25.2 million tuning in for the premiere.
Fridays and Saturdays are rent-a-movie or get-a-babysitter night. The primetime audience is so small it’s scarcely worth the fight on weekend nights.
Wednesday, the new buzz night, is up for grabs.
For the first Wednesday of premiere season, ABC’s “Private Practice” (which clocked 14.4 million) edged out NBC’s “Bionic Woman” (a respectable 13.9 million). Of the two, according to early ratings results, “Private Practice” is the stronger chick magnet. “Bionic” turned in the best Wednesday premiere NBC has had since “The West Wing” in 1999.
This week “Criminal Minds” drew 14.4 million viewers, while “Private Practice” attracted 12.3 million, and “Bionic Women” declined to 10.9 million.
Thursday is still the most important night of the TV week, in terms of commanding premium rates from advertisers heading into the weekend. “From a competitive programming standpoint,” CBS spokesman Ed Harrison said, “with four dramas on Wednesday night, we knew that was the most competitive time period of the week.”
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
