... Fox's decision to move the new American Idol and its uncertain future to Thursdays was risky, given the amount of competition on that night. Maybe the network shouldn't have taken that risk: Ratings for American Idol's second episode dropped 23 percent from last year's, from a 10.1 to a 7.8, and viewership tumbled from north of 26 million viewers to just over 22.6 million. And even though Idol easily won the night, the rest of Thursday's shows didn't seem too fazed by their new competitor. NBC's three-hour comedy block actually jumped in the ratings, except for Outsourced which had the difficult task of airing at 10:30pm and overcoming its own suckitude. CBS stayed fairly steady, with The Big Bang Theory notching a 4.2 rating, just a tad under last week's episode. Basically, Idol's move to Thursdays hurt Idol more than anything else. [TV By the Numbers]
... Oprah Winfrey tortured her audience today by letting them know she's got a big surprise to share on Monday: She's going to reveal a huge family secret! "I was given some news that literally shook me to my core. This time, I'm the one being reunited. I was keeping a family secret for months, and on Monday you're going to hear it straight from me," Oprah said in a promo. Could the secret be that she's the queen of an alien race ready to enslave human males? Yes, I think it is. [The Live Feed]
... CBS has picked up the drama pilot Rookies, a cop show from The Color of Money writer Richard Price that will be produced by Robert De Niro. Price also wrote for The Wire. [Deadline Hollywood]
... AMC's The Walking Dead may become a video game, if one game developer's obvious hints are to be believed. An event invite sent out to gaming press says they're making a game based on "a just-launched property from the TV and comic book world whose popularity is changing life as some know it." Sounds like The Walking Dead to me. [Blastr]
... Fox has picked up two more comedy pilots. Iceland is about a deceased fiance. (Doesn't sound like a comedy, does it?) Tagged is a workplace comedy set in the Los Angeles county coroner's office, and comes from the creators of Aliens in America (yes!!!). [Deadline Hollywood]
... NBC has also picked up a pair of pilots. Smash, a drama from Steven Spielberg, revolves around the creation of a Broadway musical. I Hate That I Love You is a comedy about a couple that introduces two of their lesbian friends. [Deadline Hollywood]
... Could it be true? Is a new season of the cult British comedy Red Dwarf on its way? Apparently one of the cast members accidentally spilled the beans on a radio show. [Blastr]
Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom
I can't stand Idol/other similar talent contest shows so i hope it does fizzle out soon there are far too many great shows on Thursday that deserve the viewers case in point Community!
I don't understand this talk of American Idol's decline. By Surette's own admission, Thursday's telecast was watched by more viewers than any other show that night. It may not garner as many viewers as it once did, but other than NCIS, what show's audience has increased over time? And 22 million is still a lot of viewers.
CBS picked up ANOTHER procedural? Shocker of 2011 right there. Hope AI continues to suck since Fringe (actually GOOD TV) got moved to a death slot because of this crummy show.
Please no more Red Dwarf, the last special shown a couple of Easter's ago was just plain embarassing, the only series worth watching were between Series 1 and 6, what possible channel would bother with it now?
Moving AI to Thursdays might just be the final nail in their coffin to end this show. Personally, I'll be glad when it goes off the air...it's become a complete joke since Season 6. Although I think Sanjaya has a lot to do with that, it still doesn't change my opinion of the overall decline of the series.
Moving AI to Thursdays sounds great to me. I'm looking forward to the ultimate demise. I've been looking for that for a long, long time. Can Jersey Shore be next????
"CBS has picked up the drama pilot Rookies, a cop show" - sounds like another "Rookie Blue"
this article should be title "Keeping American Idol On Without Simon Cowell May've Been a Bad Idea". and i wish they'd stop picking up so many fricken medical/cops/law shows. jeez, is there not enough on tv as it is? like 4/5 of them suck
The people at FOX & NBC are make decisions to fast, they need to think them through more.
OH MY GOD THE WALKING DEAD VIDEO GAME PLEASE! xD