TV & Showbiz

One-Miss Wonder

123RF/NBC

Last Updated on June 13, 2017

NBC is still reeling from the spectacularly bad ratings of the television premiere of Quarterlife, a series about a group of twenty-somethings.&nbsp  I note that it was the television premiere because the show has been running for some time online on Myspace.&nbsp  I’m not sure how many people have viewed the show’s “webisodes,” but as TV shows go, last Tuesday’s 10pm premiere earned the Peacock network its lowest ratings for a premiere in 17 years!

That’s gotta smart.

NBC had originally planned to air six episodes of the series. That plan quickly changed after its 1.6 rating debut, which translates into barely over 3 million viewers.&nbsp  While most cable networks would jump for joy with numbers like that, for a major network, it’s not the news anyone would hope for.

The show’s creator didn’t seem all that surprised:

“It never should have been a network show. It’s too specific,” [Marshall Herskowitz] told a Harvard Business School conference Wednesday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “From the first three minutes” of watching the show on TV, he added, ”I knew it wasn’t right.”

Too bad he didn’t come to this realization a little sooner.&nbsp  At least, I figure that NBC might have liked to hear that argument.

In the old days, the show would probably make at least one more appearance, hoping that the audience would “find” it, give it a chance, and come back.&nbsp  Now, shows that place in the ratings cellar rarely get the benefit of the doubt:&nbsp  in terms of NBC’s prime time schedule, Quarterlife is dead.

All in the Family was one of those shows that began with low ratings.&nbsp  Part of that was by design, as the story goes.&nbsp  After NBC and ABC passed on the show, a cautious CBS scheduled it in a poor time slot, hoping more than anything that their switchboard wouldn’t be flooded with calls about the social satire that comprised the series’ scripts.&nbsp  It was during the summer reruns of the shows first season that viewers started noticing, and liked what they saw.&nbsp  And All in the Family still ranks in the top 10 best sitcoms of all time in my book.

I missed the premiere of Quarterlife, which puts me right in line with most everyone else, apparently.&nbsp  So I can’t offer much in the way of the quality of the series.&nbsp  I just hope it isn’t anything nearly as entertaining as All in the Family was back in 1971.&nbsp  It’d be a shame to have missed a show like that these days.

the authorPatrick
Patrick is a Christian with more than 30 years experience in professional writing, producing and marketing. His professional background also includes social media, reporting for broadcast television and the web, directing, videography and photography. He enjoys getting to know people over coffee and spending time with his dog.