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New Shows Offer NBC Ray of Hope

Southland , Parks and Recreation lead upturn

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 15, 2009 12:03 PM CDT
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(Newser) – After years of poor ratings, NBC may be on the rebound with the help of two new series: cop show Southland and Amy Poehler’s comedy Parks and Recreation. Parks scored only 6.9 million total viewers, but it maintained 88% of The Office’s coveted young-adult audience. Southland topped CBS’ Harper’s Island in the 18-to-49 demographic and beat expectations by almost equaling Harper’s Island's total viewership.

NBC’s young-adult viewership hasn’t dropped this season, ending a longstanding downward trend, while ABC and Fox have lost viewers. And American Idol’s domination seems to be waning. But NBC has a long way to go: it’s the fourth-ranked network in total viewers and only has one top-10 show, Sunday Night Football, which ends halfway through the TV season.

NBC late-night star Jay Leno performs during a stand up show billed as Jay's Comedy Stimulus Plan at the Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Mich., Tuesday, April 7, 2009.
NBC late-night star Jay Leno performs during a stand up show billed as "Jay's Comedy Stimulus Plan" at the Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Mich., Tuesday, April 7, 2009.   (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
In this image released by NBC, Ben McKenzie stars as Ben Sherman, left, and Michael Cudlitz stars as John Cooper in a scene from the new series, Southland.
In this image released by NBC, Ben McKenzie stars as Ben Sherman, left, and Michael Cudlitz stars as John Cooper in a scene from the new series, "Southland."   (AP Photo/NBC, Richard Foreman)
Amy Poehler arrives at the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009, in Los Angeles.
Amy Poehler arrives at the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009, in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
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COMMENTS
Showing 1 of 1 comment
bacimom
Apr 15, 2009 8:45 AM CDT
The networks need to deal with the fact that when they cancel good shows and replace them mid-season with garbage they lose viewers to internet and cable. Why get invested in any new series when it's going to go away just when you can't imagine the week without it.

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television • American Idol • NBC • CBS • ABC • TV networks • Fox • TV ratings • Amy Poehler • Parks and Recreation • Southland • scripted TV

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