So it's time to look back on what we've seen, what we've loved and what we've hated. This year we witnessed 24 new network shows and 4 new cable shows; 17 dramas and 11 comedies; 4 cancelations and 10 full-season pickups (thus far). In this wrap-up I'll present the stats, rankings, interesting facts and my personal picks for the best/worst new shows. Then at the end, you'll get a chance to vote for your favorites!
STATS
I've included current status (where known), Nielson ratings (share of age group 18-49/total viewers) of the most recent episode, and the rating that you, Fellow Addicts, voted on for each show.
ABC
• CHARLIE'S ANGELS - CANCELED (40% Atrocious)
• LAST MAN STANDING - 2.8/9.9mil - 23% Solid
• ONCE UPON A TIME - 3.9/11.7mil - 53% Addictive
• MAN UP! - 2.0/6.8mil - 33% Solid
• PAN AM - 1.8/5.5mil - 53% Solid
• REVENGE - FULL SEASON - 2.7/8.7mil - 50% Solid
• SUBURGATORY - FULL SEASON - 3.4/9.7mil - 53% Solid
CBS
• 2 BROKE GIRLS - FULL SEASON - 4.2/11.1mil - 34% Solid
• A GIFTED MAN - 1.2/8.7mil - 50% Solid
• HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN - CANCELED (41% Atrocious)
• PERSON OF INTEREST - FULL SEASON - 2.7/11.6mil - 41% Addictive
• UNFORGETTABLE - FULL SEASON - 2.5/11.3mil - 38% Okay
CW
• HART OF DIXIE - FULL SEASON - 0.8/2.0mil - 52% Solid
• RINGER - FULL SEASON - 0.8/1.8mil - 38% Solid
• THE SECRET CIRCLE - FULL SEASON - 0.9/2.3mil - 43% Solid
FOX
• ALLEN GREGORY - 2.4/4.8mil - 80% Atrocious (as of publication -- poll still open)
• I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER - TBA
• NEW GIRL - FULL SEASON - 4.3/8.7mil - 50% Okay
• TERRA NOVA - 2.1/6.4mil - 52% Okay
NBC
• FREE AGENTS - CANCELED (31% Okay)
• GRIMM - 2.1/6.6mil - 45% Okay (as of publication -- poll still open)
• THE PLAYBOY CLUB - CANCELED (38% Okay)
• PRIME SUSPECT - 1.1/4.0mil - 26% Solid
• UP ALL NIGHT - FULL SEASON - 2.1/5.6mil - 33% Solid
• WHITNEY - FULL SEASON - 2.0/4.2mil - 69% Atrocious
CABLE
• AMER. HORROR STORY (FX) - 2nd SEASON ORDERED - 1.7/3.0mil - 57% Addictive
• BOSS (Starz) - 2nd SEASON ORDERED - 0.4mil - 35% Solid
• ENLIGHTENED (HBO) - 0.1/0.2mil - 42% Solid
• HELL ON WHEELS (AMC) - TBA
• HOMELAND (SHO) - 2nd SEASON ORDERED - 0.4/1.3mil - 62% Addictive
RANKINGS
The Highest-Rated New Dramas: based on share of 18-49 age group
1) ONCE UPON A TIME (3.9)
2) PERSON OF INTEREST (2.7/11.6mil)
3) REVENGE (2.7/8.7mil)
4) UNFORGETTABLE (2.5)
5) GRIMM (2.1)
TERRA NOVA tied GRIMM for fifth in 18-49 ratings, but GRIMM had more total viewers
The Highest-Rated New Comedies:
1) NEW GIRL (4.3)
2) 2 BROKE GIRLS (4.2)
3) SUBURGATORY (3.4)
4) LAST MAN STANDING (2.8)
5) ALLEN GREGORY (2.4)
Your Favorite Dramas: based on % voted Addictive
1) HOMELAND (62)
2) AMERICAN HORROR STORY (57)
3) ONCE UPON A TIME (53)
4) PERSON OF INTEREST (41)
5) THE SECRET CIRCLE (26)
Your Favorite Comedies:
1/2/3) ENLIGHTENED / LAST MAN STANDING / MAN UP! (19)
4) 2 BROKE GIRLS (13)
5) UP ALL NIGHT (12)
Your Least Favorite Dramas: based on % voted Atrocious
1) CHARLIE'S ANGELS (40)
2) THE PLAYBOY CLUB (33)
3) UNFORGETTABLE (25)
4) PRIME SUSPECT (20)
5) BOSS (15)
Your Least Favorite Comedies:
1) WHITNEY (69)
2) HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN (41)
3/4/5) FREE AGENTS / ENLIGHTENED / LAST MAN STANDING (21)
INTERESTING FACTS
• Your two least favorite dramas were the two dramas that have been canceled so far. You clearly have great taste, Fellow Addicts!
• On the list of Least Favorite comedies, both of the canceled comedies fall well below the most reviled new comedy of the season, WHITNEY, which 69% of you voted as Atrocious. WHITNEY, go figure, has been picked up for a full season. My question remains: Who is watching this show??
• Both HBO's ENLIGHTENED and ABC's LAST MAN STANDING ended up on the list of Most Addictive comedies AND Most Atrocious comedies. Apparently these two shows are very divisive.
• In the battle of the fairy tale shows, ONCE UPON A TIME is the clear victor. In a poll, 85% of Fellow Addicts declared that they preferred it to GRIMM. (The poll is still open, but I think the gap is already wide enough to declare a winner.)
• ABC definitely wins the War Of The Networks this fall, with 6 out of 7 new shows being voted either Solid or Addictive, and their only dud (CHARLIE'S ANGELS) has already gotten the axe.
• The CW remains the least-watched network of the Big Five, but those who are watching are pleased with what they see: all three new CW dramas were voted Solid this year, with THE SECRET CIRCLE landing on your Most Addictive list.
• CBS fared pretty solidly this year with one Atrocious rating (for the canceled HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN), one Okay, two Solids and one Addictive.
• NBC had quite a mixed bag. Out of its six shows, four have had their fates determined, with two being canceled and two being picked up for a full year. We'll see what happens with GRIMM and PRIME SUSPECT to break the tie. The network had one Atrocious, three Okays and two Solids.
• FOX was definitely the dud of the season: they had the least new shows and the lowest ratings (at least from Fellow Addicts) with one Atrocious and two Okays. At least they have the fact that NEW GIRL is the most-watched new comedy to take comfort in. And we're still waiting to see how I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER will do.
MY PICKS FOR BEST/WORST
Best Drama - AMERICAN HORROR STORY: This delightfully spooky, disturbingly atmospheric, jump-out-of-your-seat mystery is the most creative, unique and fun-to-watch new show of the year. Watching this show every week is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle -- a puzzle that drips blood, conjures up rubber-clad strangers and might try to murder you. But putting the various pieces of this story and its obscured timeline together episode after episode is simultaneously satisfying and infuriating.
Runners-up: HOMELAND, ONCE UPON A TIME, REVENGE
Best Comedy - UP ALL NIGHT: Christina Applegate, Will Forte and Maya Rudolph combine to make a comedic force to be reckoned with. This comedy about new parents and their struggles has been both hysterical and honest from the get-go, a balance that most shows struggle for seasons to find. Not everyone's cup of tea, but if you enjoy character-based (rather than situation-based) humor, then this just might be the new comedy for you.
Runner-up: SUBURGATORY
Worst Drama - I could go on about how much I despised THE PLAYBOY CLUB, but it's already been canceled, so that just seems like beating a dead horse. Instead I'll talk about HART OF DIXIE, an insipid little show about a doctor who moves from the Big Apple to Alabama only to discover that the people there listen to Taylor Swift, wear huge Gone With The Wind gowns, and own pet alligators. The stereotypical depiction of all southerners as an adorably backwards people, combined with the stereotypical depiction of all city-folk as soulless automatons who need to learn to slow down and appreciate life, was all just a bit much for me.
Runner-up: UNFORGETTABLE
Worst Comedy - LAST MAN STANDING: As we already established, this was one of the most divisive new shows of the season, so I know half the people reading this are probably going to disagree with me. But in my opinion, this show may be the most offensive, potentially harmful comedy to come along in a while. The idea that all guys must go hunting every weekend and frequent sporting goods stores to be able to call themselves men is so dated its not even funny. Literally. There is less to laugh at and more to cringe at in this show, made all the more painful by the fact that it stars Tim Allen, the formerly beloved star of HOME IMPROVEMENT. Unfortunately, he couldn't have picked a worse way to return to television. For a funnier, less offensive look at "guy's guys in the modern world," check out the better (if not perfect) MAN UP!, also on ABC.
Runner-up: WHITNEY
Well, that about does it for now! If you've made it this far, congratulations! It's now time to vote for what you thought were the best new shows of 2011. And sometime between now and January, keep an eye out for my Midseason Television Preview, where I'll give you the scoop on more new shows like NBC's SMASH, ABC's GOOD CHRISTIAN BELLES and FOX's TOUCH.
Your turn, Fellow Addicts! Vote below for your favorite new Drama and Comedy of 2011! (And for those of you who may still be mourning the loss of one of the shows that's already been canceled, I've included them just in case.)
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