CBS is planning to switch a couple of their freshman dramas around for midseason. Blue Bloods, which currently airs on Friday nights at 10pm, will move to Wednesdays at 10pm beginning January 19th. The Defenders will shift from Wednesdays at 10pm to Fridays at 8pm beginning February 4th (filling cancelled Medium’s timeslot).
On Friday nights, Blue Bloods has been averaging a 1.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 11.22 million viewers. While that’s a lot of total viewers, the demo numbers are about what Numb3rs was averaging last season, before CBS cancelled it. The move to Wednesday nights will likely show the network whether or not the series is capable of doing better in the demo department. It’ll have four weeks in the timeslot before heading back to Fridays at 10pm on February 11th. Spin-off Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior takes over the Wednesday night slot on February 16th.
Things haven’t been looking too good for The Defenders and the move to Friday nights isn’t exactly a vote of confidence. You may recall that CBS ordered just five additional episodes in October, bringing the first season total to just 18 installments.
Defenders has averaged a 2.2 in the 18-49 demo and 10.02 million total viewers. It premiered at a 2.9 rating and has fallen as low as a 1.8 in the demo. Of CBS’ 18 scripted series, it currently ranks 15th, not far above Blue Bloods which has already been airing on little-watched Fridays.
What do you think? Will this move help or hurt these shows’ chances for season two? What do you think the end result will be?
I love The Defenders! It is the best new show on CBS in my opinion. I don’t know who watches these other highly rated CBS shows but my favorites are The Defenders and The Good Wife. I was very disappointed when CBS cancelled ‘Shark’. Oh well, glad I have cable and some good books.
LOVE THE DEFENDERS. . .don’t cancel it CBS and put it back to Wednesdays1
Love both shows. Leave The Defenders on during the week. Give Blue Bloods a chance by giving it a decent night and keeping it there. It’s buried on Friday. I agree, it would be great on Tues, after NCIS and NCIS,LA. Criminal Minds is too intense. Blue Bloods has the seriousiousness without the grit.
Love The Defenders, don’t care for Blue Blood. I wish The Defenders had stayed on Wed night but I will still tape it to watch on Fridays.
I like Defenders and wish it stayed on wednesdays, however I will be watching Friday even if I record. I hope it stays around.
I enjoy both shows put blue bloods on same night as NCIS and It will be a winner night. The Defender’s should stay on Wednesday. As much as I like Criminal Minds, two edgy shows together Is very disturbing.
STUPID move!!! A move to Friday night is a death sentence!
I love The Defenders! Don’t watch Blue Bloods at all. Who wants to watch sour faces. NCSI and CSI LA are hits because of the funny inter-changing between the characters and neither are violent or sick as Criminal Minds. The Defenders work on cool cases plus the characters are funny when appropriate. Can’t believe more people don’t watch it.
ditto Colorado comments!
Criminal Minds is heavy drama, so is Blue Bloods – can’t watch two of those back to back which is why I loved the lighter comedic The Defenders. Will not be watching the Criminal Minds spin off for same reason – one heavy drama a night is my limit.
I watch both shows but Defenders is my favorite new show. Hope it continues
Keep the Defenders on Wednesday. I look forward to this show every week and was very disappointed when it was not on yesterday. I had to pop in a DVD, didn’t want to watch anything else.
In the past it seems that when a network has moved a show more often than not it loses more audience than it gains. Maybe Blue Bloods will be helped by the move to Wednesday. I don’t know specifics of Criminal Minds ratings but if they are high enough it could help Blue Bloods. I really hated to see CBS moving so many shows this year and figured it would mean their deaths. CBS, Fox, and USA are the favorite networks in our household. As someone early on in these comments said… we don’t watch reality shows and most of… Read more »
I want the defenders on Wednesdays. I won”t be able to watch on Fridays and that is the one show I look forward to see every week.
Keep The Defenders and dump the Blue Bloods. Starting to get tired of CBS’s changing of it’s shows and their casts. I find myself watching more cable programming, tired of being disappointed with network tv.
I agree. Keep The Defenders on Wednesday night and dump the Blue Bloods. CBS should keep shows in their time slots and not keep changing them. It’s a “death threat” to shows when they keep changing. We love The Defenders.