or


[07/02/03 - 12:00 AM]
Cable Originals Battling for the Spotlight
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- With the June ratings period (May 26-June 29) officially a wrap, some basic cable networks are finding their original offerings are fighting an uphill battle to attract viewers.

Here's a breakdown of the latest rumblings:

-- FX is probably having the toughest time out of all of the basic cable networks. Its two latest originals: "Lucky" and "The Orlando Jones Show" have not been the ratings grabbers the network had hoped. Particularly disappointing has been "Lucky" which many expected to rebound this past month with the broadcast networks having wrapped their regular season. That hasn't been the case as the comedy saw its adults 18-49 average drop to a 0.55 rating during the period, lowering its season-to-date average to a 0.77 rating. The same bad news applies to "Jones," as the late-night talk show fell more than 60% from its opening week numbers by the end of June in the key demographic (0.24 vs. 0.60 rating). The series only saving grace has been its performance among African-American viewers where it scores a 0.66 rating among the 18-49 demographic.

-- USA on the other hand has had better, albeit mixed, results thanks to its original series "Monk." The second season bow of the drama was the most-watched episode of the series to date, securing a 4.1 household rating. Nevertheless, week two of its new season saw its viewership fall by 1.4 million total viewers (4.0 million vs. 5.4 million). Further complicating matters is the lack of another fresh installment of the series until July 11 due to the national holiday this Friday. Despite such dark clouds, "Monk" remains a key component to USA's original series strategy. A new drama, "Peacemakers," kicks off on July 30 and "The Dead Zone" returns for seven new episodes this Sunday.

-- MTV's June offerings also garnered a mixed bag of results. New Sunday series "Doggy Fizzle Televizzle" and "Who's Got Game" scored respectable numbers, topping the network's previous time slot average by 30%. Returning series "The Real World" and "The Osbournes" however weren't so lucky as both were off from year-to-year comparisions. Nevertheless, MTV's new late-night series "The New Tom Green Show" has been a surprise hit for the network, posting a strong 1.1 rating among MTV's target demographic of persons 12-34.

-- Game Show Network has seen its aggressive Sunday night lineup fail to meet expectations. After two weeks, neither "Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned" nor its lead-out, "Funny Money," topped the network's projected 0.8 household rating for the series.

-- TNT, which doesn't carry original series, has pulled lukewarm responses for its latest batch of original telefilms. This past weekend, the network's mini-series "Caesar" averaged 3.36 million total viewers, 1,553,000 of which were among the coveted adults 18-49 demographic. That's up 23% from TNT's primetime average as of late with Sunday's installment bringing in 3.6 million viewers (1.6 million in adults 18-49) and 3.1 million viewers (1.4 million in adults 18-49) for its conclusion on Monday.





  [july 2003]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· CAESAR (TNT)
· DEAD ZONE, THE (USA)
· DOGGY FIZZLE TELEVIZZLE (MTV)
· LUCKY (FX)
· MONK (USA)
· OSBOURNES, THE (MTV)
· PEACEMAKERS (USA)
· REAL WORLD, THE (FACEBOOK)
· WHO'S GOT GAME (MTV)





[07/24/25 - 01:30 PM]
Prime Video Announces Season Premiere Dates for "Hazbin Hotel" Season Two and "Helluva Boss" Seasons One and Two, with an Original Episode for "Helluva Boss" at San Diego Comic-Con
"Hazbin Hotel" Season Two will premiere on October 29, and that Seasons One and Two of "Helluva Boss," previously released on YouTube, will be coming to Prime Video on September 10, along with a brand new special episode.

[07/24/25 - 12:33 PM]
Peacock Renews Long-Running Soap "Days of Our Lives" for Two Additional Seasons
"Days" has ranked among the top 15 entertainment series on the platform consistently since September 2022.

[07/24/25 - 12:30 PM]
Video: Disney+ Makes a Splash at San Diego Comic-Con with New Teaser for "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" as Season 2 Sets Sail Dec. 10
Additionally, Levi Chrisopulos and Olive Abercrombie join Season 3 as fan-favorite Siblings Nico and Bianca di Angelo, respectively.

[07/24/25 - 12:15 PM]
Prime Video Renews "The Legend of Vox Machina" For a Fifth and Final Season at San Diego Comic-Con
Additionally, season four is set to return in 2026.

[07/24/25 - 11:45 AM]
Prime Video Reveals Premiere Date for Season One of "The Mighty Nein" at San Diego Comic-Con
The highly anticipated new series, from Critical Role and Titmouse, will premiere on November 19, in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

[07/24/25 - 11:00 AM]
What's New on HBO Max This August
Feature films "Final Destination: Bloodlines," Lionsgate's "Freaky Tales" and A24's "The Legend of Ochi" are among the highlights.

[07/24/25 - 10:00 AM]
Video: "Honest Renovations" Season 3 - Official Trailer - The Roku Channel
Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis return for a new season, streaming free on the Roku Channel August 14.

[07/24/25 - 09:31 AM]
Video: "Songs From The Hole" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The innovative documentary/visual album is composed by JJ'88, a musician incarcerated at 15 and serving a life sentence.

[07/24/25 - 09:02 AM]
Comedy Central Announces Premiere Date for Season Three of "Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head"
Season three will premiere on Wednesday, September 3.

[07/24/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Train Dreams" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Based on Denis Johnson's beloved novella, "Train Dreams" is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly-changing America of the early 20th Century.

[07/24/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: We TV Reveals Sneak Peek at the Highly Anticipated Sophomore Season of "The Braxtons"
Set to return are Toni, Towanda, Trina, Tamar and Ms. Evelyn as they continue to share their unfiltered and authentic selves with the world.

[07/24/25 - 08:52 AM]
Smithsonian Channel's "How Did They Build That?" Returns for Season Four Hosted by Jay Ellis
All-new season airs this Sunday, June 27 at 9:00/8:00c.

[07/24/25 - 08:00 AM]
NBC Sports Finalizes Game Analyst Team and Adds Final Play-by-Play Voice for NBA Coverage Beginning This Fall
The 2025-26 NBA season begins on NBC and Peacock on October 21.

[07/24/25 - 07:12 AM]
ABC News Studios and CBC Announce Premiere of "Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery" This September
The film is produced with the support of the original Lilith Fair founders: Sarah McLachlan, Terry McBride, Dan Fraser and Marty Diamond.

[07/24/25 - 07:05 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Unveils Sneak Peek at New Thriller "The Last Frontier"
Set within the remote wilderness of Alaska, the 10-episode thriller will make its global debut on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes on Friday, October 10 followed by new episodes every Friday through December 5.