Variety is up with a piece today discussing the ratings for Modern Family’s sophomore season, and the show’s potential to become ABC’s version of The Cosby Show. Back in the 80’s, the success of Cosby gave NBC its first huge comedy hit in decades. The aura around the show cast ratings warmth onto other NBC comedies that were scheduled around it. The Peacock Network became the place for hit comedies, and spawned NBC’s “Must-See TV” comedy block that dominated the 80’s, 90’s, and into the 00’s with shows like Cheers, Seinfeld, Frasier, Friends, Will and Grace, and The Office.
Today, Modern Family, this year’s Emmy Award-winning Best Comedy, is thriving on Wednesday nights, and has done what very few returning shows have done this season: improved its ratings. Modern Family is up 20% in viewers compared to its premiere season, and this month, became Number One in the all-important advertising demographic of 18-49 year olds. Any way you slice it, Modern Family is booming. The question remains, though, does Modern Family’s ratings success mean the shows scheduled around it will thrive as well? Moreover, can Modern Family be the new Cosby? Can any show? Does today’s audience watch that way anymore?
Modern Family is currently scheduled in a comedy block with sophomore series The Middle at 8:00pm, freshman series Better With You at 8:30pm and the very hysterical (and poorly-named) Cougar Town at 9:30pm (seriously, watch this show. It has nothing to do with women pursuing younger men at all. Not since episode three of its first season. Seriously. Watch it!).
The Middle and Cougar Town were not ratings successes last year, but since Cougar Town followed Modern Family, its ratings were better than the other freshman series. Further, Cougar Town was plagued by development problems as the series tried to figure out what it wanted to be. It is not implausible that Modern Family’s glow helped protect Cougar Town during that time. The Middle struggled more that the others last year, but when it was sandwiched between a rerun of Modern Family and a new episode of the hit series, viewers gave it a second chance and ratings improved. Now, The Middle is up 10% over last year.
So, at first blush, it appears Modern Family does have some long coattails; but what about launching a new show with Modern Family? There, the results are a bit murkier. Better With You is the worst-performing of the four ABC comedies that air on Wednesday night, despite being the lead-in to Modern Family. While one example does not a trend make, this situation is not exactly encouraging. It may take the launch of one of ABC’s midseason comedies (Mr. Sunshine or Happy Endings (talk about a terrible title)) with Modern Family to see if the hit series will be the Cosby-type show for which ABC is hoping.
My question, however, is whether you watch television like this? If you like one show, are you willing to sit through something else just to get to that show? Are you willing to just leave the same channel on after your favorite show regardless of the following programming? Do you make some association with your favorite shows that the others around it must be of the same quality? Thinking on my own viewing habits, I find that there is just too much on the myriad of channels on my cable box (except currently Fox. Thanks a lot Fox and Cablevision!!!) for me to be “lazy” with my remote control. Further, I can’t think of a time when I thought, “Well, since I think Lost is so great, The Evidence must be awesome!”
Do you watch TV like this? Are there any programs you have found and stuck with simply because they aired before or after a show you already loved? Please drop your comments below. Be sure to get ready for tonight’s Halloween episode of Modern Family by checking out some Sneak Peeks here. I’ll be up with a review tonight after the episode airs.
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I watch The Middle. It's a great show, and it is under-rated. As soon as The Middle is over, I change the channel. To what? Anything, doesn't matter, as long as it isn't Better With You. Usually, I'll just watch some news or play X Box. Then, as soon as that half hour is up, I'm back to ABC for Modern Family.
While Better With You is the worst ABC comedy, it still has enough laughs to keep me satisfied until Modern Family. Middle ,Cougar Town and the law show Whole Truth deserve more viewers.
I definitely watch shows based on quality now – not according to their lines up anymore. Perhaps during the Cosby era that was factor, but not since the dawn of the DVR. Excellent observation.
True, but if the lineup is pretty solid like ABC's Wednesday Night, its usually worth it to watch and/or record it all. During the Cosby Show era, I was using my VCR to tape the entire NBC line up if I wasn't watching it live. BTW I still use a VCR in addition to ON DEMAND and ON-LINE. Don't want to pay for DVR service.
The entire ABC Wednesday Night line-up is entertaining. From The Middle through The Whole Truth. My grades; Middle A- , Better With You B, Modern Family A , Cougar Town A- and Whole Truth B+. Now thats 3 hours of above average programing for me.