My guess is that if/when the show airing in NY's original slot gets cancelled, that they'll move CSI NY back there. (and no, I don't know anything about its ratings or popularity, i'm just speculating)
The Defenders doesn't seem to be doing too badly, but it's not really a hit either. The second episode came in second behind the series premiere of Law & Order: Los Angeles.
"...week two of drama The Defenders at a second-place finish in both total viewers (10.38 million) and adults 18-49 (2.5/ 8) at 10 p.m. One week earlier, The Defenders opened with 12.17 million viewers and a 2.9/ 8 in the demo on Sept. 22. And one year earlier, former occupant CSI: NY was noticeably stronger at 13.16 million viewers and a 3.3/ 9 among adults 18-49." (
source)
Not that this really says much, but I looked it up because I was curious. :lol: (The show is totally wasting the lead-in support from Criminal Minds, though. CM had 14.41 million viewers and 3.6/10.)
In any case, I don't consider ~600,000 viewers one way or the other to be a massive shift for NY from 701 to 702 (although I'm not an expert or anything, obviously
). There have been episodes in the past that fluctuated a million or more viewers from week to week. If NY experiences a steady decline, I'd say it's time to worry. For now, the drop could be based on a lot of stuff (or it could be viewed as a bump last week, perhaps from curious newbies wanting to check out Sela Ward's new show, or people who wanted to see how the cliffhanger ended, etc - and they opted not to stick around). I guess we'll see!
I'd be really curious to find out how the DVR numbers from this season compare to last season. There are obviously a lot of dedicated NY fans watching the show at a later time, on DVR or OnDemand or CBS.com (etc). Most TV shows aren't of the 'gotta sit down and watch it when it airs' variety these days, and NY isn't exactly something that most people chat about over the water cooler.
