I don't often bore everyone with dry talk about TV ratings, but I thought it was worth mentioning Friday night's ratings in the US for Fox's double-bill: Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Both shows have been controversially scheduled to air on Fridays, a traditional "death slot" for sci-fi shows...
Unfortunately, it's bad news for both. Sarah Connor's ratings took a 27% drop from their lowest Monday night figures (which were already 43% down on its season 1 average), attracting 3.7 million viewers. It was the third most watched show in its hour. If things don't massively improve in the coming weeks, a third season doesn't seem likely -- and that would be a shame. T:tSCC has its faults, but it's a lot of fun.
Joss Whedon's new show, Dollhouse, performed better than its lead-in Sarah Connor, but still had the second-worst ratings for a major network premiere this season (just behind the now cancelled Crusoe.) 4.7 million viewers tuned in, meaning it was beaten in its timeslot by Supernanny.
Dollhouse was originally intended to air on Mondays, after American Idol, which would certainly have boosted its figures. Producers on both Dollhouse and Terminator have been trying to put a positive spin of their Friday night timeslot (pointing out how network expectations are much lower there), but can either series survive with so few people watching? These shows aren't cheap to make, y'know. For Dollhouse, there's still time to build an audience. For Terminator, it's becoming clear that its fanbase is dedicated, but far too small to justify another year's commitment.
