Apparently the folks who pine for wholesome family TV, actually want it for other people, not for themselves. I found this very funny. I'm fond of Weeds, and Studio 60, and House, and other "unwholesome" TV shows- I'm very much looking forward to Dexter (not to mention all the nefarious BBC imports...) So I could not care less if a wholesome drama about football (ugh) crashes and burns. But you'd think the red states might have watched, but no, they are too busy watching Desperate Housewives.
..............
'Friday Night Lights': Game Subject to Blackout
By Lisa de Moraes
Thursday, October 5, 2006; C07
NBC's "Friday Night Lights" performed like the '76 Buccaneers in its premiere Tuesday night.
Yes, that bad.
Despite the fact that critics hailed the new drama as
(a) extraordinary in just about every conceivable way,
(b) great in the way of art with a single obsessive creator who doesn't have to consult with a committee and has months or years to go back and agonize over line breaks and the color red,
and
(c) [a] rewardingly seasoned new drama series that's practically indistinguishable from the acclaimed feature film, except that it's better,
all but 7.17 million viewers gave it a pass -- about as many as watched Meredith Vieira's second day on the "Today" show.
Anyway, that makes "Friday Night Lights" the worst ratings performance for any series premiere in the official 2006-07 TV season. True, Fox's new sitcom "Happy Hour" opened with just 6.965 million viewers but it debuted before the season officially started on Sept. 18. But, if you're not a stickler and want "Happy Hour" added to the mix, then "Friday Night Lights" is still the worst drama-series premiere this season, ratings-wise.
Even more embarrassing, NBC's football drama got crushed by the pantywaist ballroom dancers of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," which copped more than 18 million viewers Tuesday night.
NBC noted that its football drama finished first in its 8 p.m. hour among young men. But, in truth, more 18-to-34-year-old males were attracted to the combo of ABC's ballroom dancing and the CW's "Gilmore Girls."
In its review, trade paper Variety, which tends to review TV shows based not only on aesthetics but also on commercial viability, speculated that " 'Friday Night Lights' ultimately feels like one of those family programs middle America and conservatives pine for that too few of them actually bother to watch -- a portrait of decent, God-fearing folks wringing joy from America's game as an escape from their hardscrabble lives."
In an Internet poll about the show, one viewer (who gave "Friday Night Lights" a 10 out of 10) dismissed this review, saying, "That sentiment is why 'Friday Night Lights' will be a huge hit! America (middle or otherwise) is sick of crap TV!!"
Sorry, pookie."
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