I'm tired of Raskell too, but I'm watching mainly because I like to catch the repeats and go straight into the new season. I like things fresh in my mind.
Here's the ratings info. for CBS, ABC and NBC for last night courtesy of TV by the Numbers: A strong start, I must say!
A very good start. A demo over 3 at the later hour is :thumbsup:. I think that's due to a better demo lead in with Criminal Minds, and some curiosity with Ted Danson. Hopefully people like what they saw and it stays up.
Strong start? In what universe? Season 10 premiere 'Family Affair' - 15.7 million Season 11 premiere 'Shock Waves' - 14.688 million Season 12 premiere ' 73 Seconds' - 12.6 million That's down 2 million viewers from last season, and earns it the distinction of the lowest CSI season premiere numbers EVER. Try blaming THAT on LF. Go ahead! Try.
In the universe where the show is on S12 on a new night with a new lead actor that is well known for his comedic work and not his dramatic work. I think it's called "reality." Why would anyone in their right mind want to blame LF for the ratings of a show of which he's no longer a part? You're LF persecution complex is showing.
I have to say, comparing the ratings of the season 11 premiere, to the season 12 premiere is unfair, because CSI lost a number of viewers during the S#!T fest that was Raskell... whereas if you compare the 11.77 million last seasons finale got to this seasons premiere ratings, Danson brought the numbers up, even in a new time slot. This means CSI is either getting new viewers, or regaining its old ones, but either way, 12x01 improved on 11x22.
That's an interesting comparison and brings up a valid point that things are looking better than they were at the end of last season. I don't think saying there are plausible reasons the ratings could be down from last season's premiere is "rationalizing" anything. The fact that the show is long in the tooth, moving nights and changed lead actors makes much more sense for the decline than taking the alarmist approach and thinking it's terrible and a bad omen that the show lost some viewers.
Ok I must admit that I was expecting better numbers (at least a 3.5 in the demo)but after all these numbers aren't that bad for a 12th year long show...Also keep in mind that ABC's new show Revenge premiered with a huge lead-in (Modern Family had a 6.0 in the demo) so I think that CSI will gain viewers next week.