Tuesday night, FOX debuted a new drama for the Summer months, Mental. So, did the premiere’s ratings make the network crazy-happy or just drive them crazy?
Mental revolves around an unorthodox psychiatrist who becomes the Director of Mental Health at a fictional Los Angeles hospital. Created by Dan LeVine and co-executive produced by his sister, Deborah Joy LeVine, the series stars Chris Vance, Annabella Sciorra, Derek Webster, Jacqueline McKenzie, Marisa Ramirez, Nicholas Gonzalez, and Edwin Hodge.
The series premiered on Tuesday night and finished in third place for the 9pm hour with 5.8 million viewers and a 2.1/5 rating/share among the 18-49 demographic.
Those numbers aren’t that impressive but the drama did build on its lead-in, a rerun of the popular and very compatible House. There was also very little drop off between Mental’s first and second half hours, indicating that most watched the entire episode.
So, while Mental didn’t have a great debut, it wasn’t bad either. As we enter into the Summer months, viewership tends to fall off so the network may be okay with these numbers. But, will people return for subsequent installments? Will FOX give the show a second season once all 13 episodes have aired? We’ll have to wait and see.
So, what did you think? Is the show worth keeping or should it be cancelled?
Image courtesy FOX.
cancel. what crap
KEEP IT!!!! love it love it love it its a great show.
Keep it!!! It’s great. I can’t stand all of the stupid reality shows and this is a creative option for those of us who want substance in our TV programs.
KEEP IT!!!!!!!!!! I think Chris Vance is so dreamy with those eyes. Mmm mmm mmm. Yummy!
KEEP IT! Great innovative show. Both my husband and I absolutely look forward to watching it every week. And thank goodness it’s not another stupid reality show or unfunny sitcom!
Keep it! Love the subject matter, have been hooked since day one, and Vance’s Dr. Gallagher is awesome! Its the only show I’m consistently watching this summer so far. Nothing else has kept my attention the way this one has.
Keep it! Love the writing and the subject matter…taking on the pharmaceutical industry and dealing with non-traditional therapies in mental health! I think this show is *better* than House!
Keep the show!!! We love it and are totally addicted!! It is like house with more psych stuff!! So fresh and new and different!! Nothing like it on tv!!! Give us MORE!!!!
KEEP IT!!!! My husband and I were both hooked within the first 5 minutes. We watch way too much TV and we would vote this above many other shows.
Keep it. Worth the while for its insight into mental illness.
Why do people base an opinion on one episode?? Do we need to be thrilled beyond everything else to vote if a show is good or not? It takes time to know the characters and get into the show. I do like it and intend to watch it. Mental illness is a subject everyone needs to learn about and learn to understand and accept.
My vote is to keep it. It’s refreshing to see someone making a difference in a field with so much unknown variables. Yes, it is unrealistic to some degree, but it is a tv show, after all. It’s meant for enjoyment.
With nearly half the country suffering from some level of depression, a show such as “Mental” gives us perspective and hope. We need MORE shows as “Mental”. The cast and scripts are sensational. Chris Vance is a star in the making. The story lines grab you in the first five minutes. It’s full of comic relief while delving into serious problems of the mind. It’s as good as “House”, but with a sense of reality and humor. This week’s episode of an eight year old kid with beginning elements of bipolar episodes was fantastic as many parents suddenly got a… Read more »
Cancel it…..
I just saw the video game episode. Really, really dumb. If this is the “quality” we can expect in future episodes, Fox needs to cancel this now. A kid hallucinating in a factory or some such nonsense, pretending to work a video game controller is completely unbelievable. The mom who is about to fall out of her shirt while consoling her kid, not in good taste. Fox has really missed the mark with this one.