04-11-2015, 09:07 PM
For those of you interested in such things (and the rest of you will just have to suffer), here are some Demo numbers on a lurid graph. I find Demo numbers and same day viewers more helpful than overall ratings in understanding the televisual zeitgeist. (And just pretend I didn't type that incredibly wanky phrase.)
![[Image: 2lcqv6s.jpg]](http://i58.tinypic.com/2lcqv6s.jpg)
We’ve always maintained that the permanent introduction of two extra cast members in Season 4 (and ones specifically crafted to be girlfriends rather than characters for their own sake) initially knocked the wind out of the show, and these graphs do seem to support that. Season 4 began ominously with Sheldon on a date, of all things, and ended with a barrage of girls' nights, dinner parties and relationship business. Some brilliantly written episodes and Sheldon still behaving like Sheldon keeps Season 4 in the Vintage years in my wonky, wine-stained book, but even I don't watch about half of it.
Certainly, through the inherent high quality of its writers, and charm of its actors, the show swiftly clawed its way back up after this loss in ratings, and has maintained (up until now) a steady level of popularity.
But what I suspect happened, (and am about to completely unqualifiedly expound on) is that Season 4 lost a portion of the more geek-minded crowd, the purists in particular, who fled once they caught wind of change. The subsequent three years gained back these lost numbers (plus some) in the form of Rom-com viewers, and these new additions jostled uneasily with the original loyal fanbase, who had become fond of the characters, and stuck by them regardless of this considerable change in tone to the whole show. Loyalty and comfort of habit will keep people watching a show long past their delight in it dimming.
Over these three years, more purists dropped out to be replaced with Rom-commers, keeping the ratings on an even keel.
What is occurring now, and what I suspect will continue to occur, is that this core, loyal fanbase who has put up with three years of relationships they didn’t ask for, are now growing very tired of it, and are beginning to grumble and desert. Eventually this will only leave the Rom-com “shipping” crowd of Season 5 and beyond. The problem is that I understand this Rom-com crowd is still less than half of the total audience.
So if they lose the geeks and friendship/character fans whilst catering to the “shippers”, then the whole boat might fall off the map.
My question is why was it necessary to alter what was working perfectly in the first place?
Between Season 2 and 3, TBBT gained roughly five million viewers. In one year. It took another FOUR years to gain the next few million. Yet Season 3 is still higher in the overall Demo than Seasons 5, 7 & 8. So I just wonder if they might not have gained more viewers, and FASTER, if they'd stuck to the same formula of Season 2 and 3.
Which was;
Five cast members with occasional supporting characters.
Fewer and longer scenes.
Three main types of storyline:
1) Sheldon/Penny A Plot, Leonard/Howard/Raj B Plot.
2) Leonard/Sheldon/Raj/Howard project + Penny interjections.
3) Sheldon-Centric, with Sheldon hellbent on achieving or understanding something, and the rest reeling in horror/trying to get away.
The point is, these three main structures provide comfortable set-ups which people can rely upon. Within these structures, unlimited variation is then possible, much like Gilligan's attempts to get off the island.
1) Opportunity for meeting of worlds, intellect/intuition, order/chaos, mind/heart, with Sheldon learning from Penny and vice versa.
2) Opportunity to explore current scientific notions and geekery.
3) Opportunity to make observations upon humanity, through Sheldon's observation of it.
The show at its best always dealt with these three concepts. And with these character combinations. Ie – Sheldon/Penny, Sheldon/Leonard, Raj/Howard, The Four + Penny.
Polls bear this out. Ask Joe Public his favourite TBBT episode – they invariably answer; When Penny gives Sheldon the napkin, when Sheldon drives Penny to hospital (and the guys get stoned in the desert), when Sheldon teaches Penny physics, when Penny has to sing Soft Kitty etc…
The TOP TEN TBBT episodes on IMDb contain five Sheldon & Penny episodes, and the rest are gang related, Sheldon-centric, or one-offs like Staircase.
Season 2 is the highest rated TBBT season on IMDb, with an 8.4 average (Season 1 & 3 tie for second with an 8.3 average). It is the “Shenny” season, with 34 solely Sheldon & Penny scenes, over 16 episodes.
Season 8 is the lowest rated, with a 7.4 average. It has had ONE “Shenny” episode. (The bulk of Season 8 has been Sheldon/Amy, with almost 30 scenes, and otherwise heavy on Leonard/Penny and Howard/Bernadette. Relationships, essentially.) ALL the lowest rated episodes are from Season 8, and there has been constant kvetching from the galleries.
Personally, and grimly, I’m not really sure anything, even a return to Sheldon/Penny episodes, would bring back the Vintage years now, as Sheldon has been changed too greatly, possibly beyond the point of salvation. It seems he’s passed beyond some sort of sitcom event horizon. But it’d be nice if they gave it a try, eh!
We’ve always maintained that the permanent introduction of two extra cast members in Season 4 (and ones specifically crafted to be girlfriends rather than characters for their own sake) initially knocked the wind out of the show, and these graphs do seem to support that. Season 4 began ominously with Sheldon on a date, of all things, and ended with a barrage of girls' nights, dinner parties and relationship business. Some brilliantly written episodes and Sheldon still behaving like Sheldon keeps Season 4 in the Vintage years in my wonky, wine-stained book, but even I don't watch about half of it.
Certainly, through the inherent high quality of its writers, and charm of its actors, the show swiftly clawed its way back up after this loss in ratings, and has maintained (up until now) a steady level of popularity.
But what I suspect happened, (and am about to completely unqualifiedly expound on) is that Season 4 lost a portion of the more geek-minded crowd, the purists in particular, who fled once they caught wind of change. The subsequent three years gained back these lost numbers (plus some) in the form of Rom-com viewers, and these new additions jostled uneasily with the original loyal fanbase, who had become fond of the characters, and stuck by them regardless of this considerable change in tone to the whole show. Loyalty and comfort of habit will keep people watching a show long past their delight in it dimming.
Over these three years, more purists dropped out to be replaced with Rom-commers, keeping the ratings on an even keel.
What is occurring now, and what I suspect will continue to occur, is that this core, loyal fanbase who has put up with three years of relationships they didn’t ask for, are now growing very tired of it, and are beginning to grumble and desert. Eventually this will only leave the Rom-com “shipping” crowd of Season 5 and beyond. The problem is that I understand this Rom-com crowd is still less than half of the total audience.
So if they lose the geeks and friendship/character fans whilst catering to the “shippers”, then the whole boat might fall off the map.
My question is why was it necessary to alter what was working perfectly in the first place?
Between Season 2 and 3, TBBT gained roughly five million viewers. In one year. It took another FOUR years to gain the next few million. Yet Season 3 is still higher in the overall Demo than Seasons 5, 7 & 8. So I just wonder if they might not have gained more viewers, and FASTER, if they'd stuck to the same formula of Season 2 and 3.
Which was;
Five cast members with occasional supporting characters.
Fewer and longer scenes.
Three main types of storyline:
1) Sheldon/Penny A Plot, Leonard/Howard/Raj B Plot.
2) Leonard/Sheldon/Raj/Howard project + Penny interjections.
3) Sheldon-Centric, with Sheldon hellbent on achieving or understanding something, and the rest reeling in horror/trying to get away.
The point is, these three main structures provide comfortable set-ups which people can rely upon. Within these structures, unlimited variation is then possible, much like Gilligan's attempts to get off the island.
1) Opportunity for meeting of worlds, intellect/intuition, order/chaos, mind/heart, with Sheldon learning from Penny and vice versa.
2) Opportunity to explore current scientific notions and geekery.
3) Opportunity to make observations upon humanity, through Sheldon's observation of it.
The show at its best always dealt with these three concepts. And with these character combinations. Ie – Sheldon/Penny, Sheldon/Leonard, Raj/Howard, The Four + Penny.
Polls bear this out. Ask Joe Public his favourite TBBT episode – they invariably answer; When Penny gives Sheldon the napkin, when Sheldon drives Penny to hospital (and the guys get stoned in the desert), when Sheldon teaches Penny physics, when Penny has to sing Soft Kitty etc…
The TOP TEN TBBT episodes on IMDb contain five Sheldon & Penny episodes, and the rest are gang related, Sheldon-centric, or one-offs like Staircase.
Season 2 is the highest rated TBBT season on IMDb, with an 8.4 average (Season 1 & 3 tie for second with an 8.3 average). It is the “Shenny” season, with 34 solely Sheldon & Penny scenes, over 16 episodes.
Season 8 is the lowest rated, with a 7.4 average. It has had ONE “Shenny” episode. (The bulk of Season 8 has been Sheldon/Amy, with almost 30 scenes, and otherwise heavy on Leonard/Penny and Howard/Bernadette. Relationships, essentially.) ALL the lowest rated episodes are from Season 8, and there has been constant kvetching from the galleries.
Personally, and grimly, I’m not really sure anything, even a return to Sheldon/Penny episodes, would bring back the Vintage years now, as Sheldon has been changed too greatly, possibly beyond the point of salvation. It seems he’s passed beyond some sort of sitcom event horizon. But it’d be nice if they gave it a try, eh!
"WHERE THE HELL'S MY PARACHUTE?"