Ratings: Did ‘Law & Order: SVU’ help renewal odds with ‘Save Benson’ story?
We’ve already made it clear that when it comes to its content and tone, we have not been big fans of the whole Benson saga on “Law & Order: SVU.” For a show that typically lets some of the true horror of its crimes happen off-screen, it was uncomfortable and at times gratuitous.
But, based on the ratings, we may be in the minority there. As a matter of fact, it may be the show’s saving grace for getting a renewal for a whopping 16th season. With a 2.1 in the 18-49 demographic for the episode, the show actually posted a better overall number than “American Idol.” If you predicted that two or three years ago, someone would have laughed in your face. The only things it lost to were a super-strong season of “Survivor” (2.4) and also “Criminal Minds” (2.3).
So why in the world hasn’t the show been renewed yet? The biggest reason is the bottom line. This is not a cheap show to make, in between paying star Mariska Hargitay (who earns quite a pretty penny from the gig) to making sure that all the crew and longtime producers are taken care of. Eventually, something may have to give for the show to come back on the air. We realize that all shows have an expiration date, but it deserves a better treatment than the original “Law & Order” received. If this is the end, than give the show a series finale that really ties up the stories and gives us hope for the future. If any show needs a little hope from time to time, this is definitelyit.
We still feel like it will be back in some form, mostly because NBC has shows like “Revolution,” “Parenthood,” “Crisis,” and Believe” that are all pulling low numbers. Of those, “Parenthood” has the best chance just because critics love it.
Photo: NBC
worthymagic
April 18, 2014 @ 3:28 pm
Since it seems to be a big deal that SVU can’t beat Criminal Minds head-to-head most of the time(and some people seem to think this is a big deal) move it to another time slot where it beat whatever is there. If CBS moved Criminal Minds to 9pm est on Sundays, every new episode of The Walking Dead would crush it like a grape. That’s why they don’t like to compare regular TV shows to Cable TV shows(except when it’s time to give out awards). Go figure.
worthymagic
April 18, 2014 @ 3:21 pm
How crazy that it a show doing as well as this one could be cancelled. If they won’t bring it back after Year 16(if there is one) because Kelli Giddish, Ice-T, Danny Pino, and the ADA(Gazara) will all need new contracts, then one more season is an absolute must. Since I also learned that Mariska Hargitay is working year-to-year, She could actually sign for less than $400,000 an episode, especially if She doesn’t want to work as often(which I’ve heard). If NBC ends up cancelling SVU, and they think I’m going to watch another show of theirs instead, they’re wrong. I know lots of people like Chicago P.D and Fire, but they don’t do anything for me. SVU is a great lead in for Chicago P.D, and NBC needs to realize that.