Why NCIS: Los Angeles and Madam Secretary ratings are falling; how to stop it
More than that, it’s time to move on from Wisdom of the Crowd. The network obviously wanted to see the series play out despite some of the allegations levied against Jeremy Piven, but we’re starting to wonder when they’re going to realize that it just isn’t worth it anymore. It’s understandable to not want to punish any of the cast and crew members for the actions of one man, but Piven is the focal point of the show and the ratings at this point, (controversy aside) just aren’t cutting it. Sunday night’s new episode drew just a 0.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic, down substantially from the week before. Wisdom of the Crowd is showing that it doesn’t have any teeth unless NFL football is airing before 60 Minutes, and as a result of that it’s hurting the other shows in the lineup.
It’s probably not fair to lay the recent ratings woes of NCIS: Los Angeles and Madam Secretary (which drew a 0.9 and 0.6 rating, respectively) firmly at the feet of Wisdom of the Crowd. With that said, it’s having an impact. NCIS: Los Angeles was performing a whole lot better in the 8:00 / 8:30 timeslot when it was there this past fall. It’s immediately more appealing to some NFL viewers who are seeing it promoted — it’s a familiar brand, it’s very action-heavy, and viewers tend to know what is expected going in. Just when looking at the base story of Wisdom of the Crowd, it’s a little off-brand from the sort of shows that CBS does well with on Sundays. We understand their interest in expanding their reach for tech dramas with both Scorpion and The Big Bang Theory showing themselves to be rather big hits, but those two shows were airing on Sunday with a very male and action-heavy crowd watching beforehand.
Here’s what CarterMatt would do in the event that we were running CBS at the moment — move Wisdom of the Crowd back to 10:00 if you want to let it finish its run, and then just move the other two shows an hour earlier. This paves the way for Elementary to return to its old timeslot in the new year. We understand that Elementary wasn’t exactly performing like gangbusters when it aired last season, but you at least know what you’re getting from that lineup. If Wisdom of the Crowd is getting a 0.8 rating in the fall there’s a good chance that it will be at an 0.7 or 0.6 in this timeslot by the time March rolls around if the show is still on the air at all.
What do you think should be done to boost NCIS: Los Angeles and Madam Secretary? Share your thoughts now in the comments!
Also, check out this link to get a full review for Sunday night’s NCIS: Los Angeles episode! Also, be sure to like us on Facebook for more TV news on this show and others we cover. (Photo: CBS.)
Eric H
November 14, 2017 @ 10:04 am
NCIS: LA needs to seriously get Hetty back to interacting with the team as Mosley just doesn’t fit the show. I’m not sure why they felt adding a buzzkill of a character would improve the dynamics of the show. The only positive of Mosley is the addition of Hidoko.