Where Did the Ratings Go?

'Two and a Half Men,' '24' also rake in the bucks

(NEWSER) - TV shows are judged by ratings, but ratings don't always reflect how much cash a show actually brings in. The biggest moneymakers are longstanding hits with broad appeal, Kantar Media found in a survey of TV's most popular programs. The winner, unsurprisingly, is a show that practically defines mass appeal: American Idol, which takes in $8.1 million per 30-minute block, Forbes reports. More»

When it comes time for the holiday episode, don't expect a surprise

(NEWSER) - Christmas “takes over the airwaves as comprehensively as it does malls, office lobbies, and public service announcements”—but unfortunately, the Christmas TV plotline always falls into one of three categories, writes Torie Bosch for Slate :

• Money woes: “A holiday season without gifts doesn't really feel like a holiday at all,” so when Christmas bonuses are denied, tragedy ensues. But, as Bart Simpson said in one such situation, “If TV has taught me anything, it's that miracles always happen to poor kids at Christmas.”

Joss Whedon, Judd Apatow, HBO prominently featured

(NEWSER) - From the standard (No. 16, Friday Night Lights) to the quirky (No. 29, Wonder Showzen), the long-running (No. 8, Lost) to the canceled-too-soon (No. 4, Freaks and Geeks), The Onion runs down the 30 best shows of the '00s:

• No. 1, The Wire: This drama “unfolded like a great American novel.”
• No. 2, The Sopranos: A brilliant cast served up “soap opera, mob intrigue, and surrealist digressions.”
• No. 3, Arrested Development: The cult sensation “not only makes viewers laugh, it makes them feel smart.”

Execs hope these watchers will eventually translate into ad dollars

(NEWSER) - TV networks dismayed at low ratings early in the season are getting a ray of hope in the form of the once-feared DVR. Sure, ad buyers won’t pay out when a viewer watches Grey’s Anatomy on TiVo, but that and other shows are gaining a massive audience days after the broadcast. Execs think they will migrate back to primetime once the herd of new and returning shows thins. More»

Jim and Pam's nuptials tug on critics' heartstrings

(NEWSER) - Jim and Pam's wedding on The Office last night was a bit syrupy, but that's A-OK with most critics. And an ingenious twist made a YouTube gag bearable—even funny. Spoilers ahead:

• "Dunder Mifflin's golden couple managed to pull it off," Tanner Stranksy writes for Entertainment Weekly, and "in a completely dazzling and totally sweet fashion." The key? Not letting Michael's restaging of an infamous YouTube video upstage their nuptials—the second of the day, unbeknownst to the would-be thunder-stealer.