Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Network Ratings and Me

We used to be a Nielsen family! Recently, they took our little box away, so now I'm no longer forbidden from mentioning it in public. And I'm telling you! Did you ever wonder why a show you hate stays on the air? Perhaps I'm to blame.

I lackadaisically follow a couple of HGTV shows and record The Daily Show (which I enjoy though I rarely get around to watching it lately). I like House (and met one of the lead writers at Love Is Murder!) and Grey's Anatomy. When it's on, I really enjoy Project Runway. I also watch Private Practice, Monk, Law & Order, and Lost. Once I start watching a show, I have a hard time quitting even after the love is gone. I'm sure that's shocking and all.

Paul adds on Battlestar Gallactica and 24. The girls watch Playhouse Disney and Dora the Explorer.

So, have I ruined your life? What do you watch? And what that you used to watch has been canceled because I didn't watch it?

10 comments:

Topher said...

Pushing Daisies, curse you!!

:)

steph said...

Oooh. Topher, you beat me to it.
I miss the pieman.

Orange said...

Arrested Development, Sports Night. I blame you. Unless you watched them, in which case I blame your Nielsen brethren.

Jessica said...

Leave it to you, Sarahlynn, to assume you are to blame rather than thank ;)

Sarahlynn said...

Topher and Steph, I am GUILTY! Kristen came over and watched the pilot episode here, so I helped a little bit. But after that, if I recall correctly, it interfered with something far more critical. Like maybe America's Next Top Model or something. So I am guilty as charged, and feel especially bad for Kristen Chenowith! (Particularly because I just butchered her name and am too lazy to go look it up.)

Orange, I never watched Arrested Development, it's true. But the show was almost over when we became a Nielsen family, so you can blame my brethren. As for Sports Night, I was a devoted fan, and own all the episodes on DVD! (I want Sorkin to write more of them, even if just for me to read.)

Jessica, well, it's true that I cannot be blamed for the current reality TV craze! (Except for Design Star, Last Comic Standing, and Project Runway. But those are different.)

Sarahlynn said...

And I believe that I am personally to blame that Seventh Heaven went on as long as it did. I apologize to the American TV-viewing public.

flatflo said...

Let see, our DVR gets hit with:
-House (almost caught up on these)
-Heroes (I have a lot of catching up since the abbreviated season)
-Chuck
-Good Eats
-Battlestar Galactica (haven't started the most recent season yet)
-Eureka
-CSI (Vegas & NY, NEVER Miami)
-Dirty Jobs
-A bunch of anime that Dave watches
-This Old House & Ask This Old House
-Firefly (well not really, but we wish!)

Sarahlynn said...

Flatflo, have you started his new show? Dollhouse (on Fox, starring Eliza Dushku-sp?, formerly Faith the Slayer) is the first thing Whedon's done for television since Firefly. The pilot aired last week, and I think the premise looks intriguing. I could do without some of the gratuitous nudity, though (e.g. in the cut-scenes to commerical) and the way female "Actives" are shown to be "carefree" by flouncing around on their tippy toes and tossing their hair from side to side.

Unknown said...

I didn't get a box...I got a timetable booklet to fill out.

Sarahlynn said...

Joann, as I understand it, Nielsen collects data both ways. One of the differences, I believe, is duration. Our little household represented about 500 local households with similar demographic profiles, and we were part of the program for a few years. It was incredibly specific, actually. They kept track of how many and what sort of pets we had, whenever we had a new baby, etc.