Ratings: NBC’s ‘Community’ plummets; ‘Zero Hour’ low; ‘Person of Interest’ big winner
Well, the “Community” bump did not last very long, at all. After a season premiere that allowed everyone to see just how badly this show misses Dan Harmon (even though it was not necessarily terrible), the second “Halloween on Valentine’s Day” episode shed almost half of its audience in the 18-49 demographic.
Check out the sad news below that is more or less the nail in the “Community” coffin: the show drew a 1.1 rating, which was almost on the same level as a “Law & Order: SVU” repeat that aired at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Yes, you can make the excuse that the series aired against “The Big Bang Theory” and “American Idol,” but this did not matter when it scored a 1.9 last week.
The one thing we will wonder is if “Community” gets canceled later this year, if NBC will regret not keeping Harmon on board at all. Our guess? From the standpoint of quality sure, but they also are a business and don’t want to see their shows come consistently in over-budget. This is the sad tragedy of the TV industry, where being brilliant and being frugal do not always line up. We feel bad for the cast and crew that have had to go through so much here, especially since this was a show that had a familial sort of following behind it.
“Community” was not the only show to suffer from a Valentine’s Day drop, as almost everything save for “Person of Interest” (3.0) suffered some pain. “Glee” hit a new low for a regular episode with a 1.7 rating, while “American Idol” hit a 3.6. Even “The Big Bang Theory,” the most dominant show on network TV, was at a 5.4.
One thing that is interesting to point out here? “Scandal,” with a 2.8, actually beat “Grey’s Anatomy” (2.7) for the first time ever. It should be noted, though, that “Scandal” started late, and could be adjusted in the final numbers.
Do you think the dropped “Community” viewership was a result of quality, the holiday. or a result of curious people just checking out the premiere live only to now set their DVRs? If you want to read our full review for the episode, you can do so over here.
Photo: NBC