Though the television networks don’t seem to notice, remakes of old series rarely meet with much success. While shows like Bionic Woman, Knight Rider, and Melrose Place bring name recognition, they rarely live up to expectations. Still, ABC moved ahead with their plans to revive V. Though it was initially successful, will it ultimately meet the same fate?
Like the original, the new V revolves around the arrival of aliens to the planet Earth. While the visitors profess that they’ve come in peace, their ulterior motives slowly become clear. The cast includes Elizabeth Mitchell, Morena Baccarin, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Logan Huffman, Lourdes Benedicto, Laura Vandervoort, and Scott Wolf.
The new V started out strong with a 5.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 14.3 million total viewers. That was the highest rated debut of the 2009-10 season.
Unfortunately, a large percentage of those viewers didn’t return for the second week. Episode two brought in a 3.8 rating and 10.7 million.
Week three dropped yet again, to a 3.1 in the demo and 9.26 million viewers. Last week, the numbers evened off and episode four attracted a third place 3.1 rating for 18-49 viewers and a total viewership of 9.2 million. While those numbers are pretty good on their own, they do represent a 40% drop in the demo when compared to the premiere.
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If the ratings held steady, the series would likely be headed for a second season. Unfortunately, in part due to backstage problems, ABC has made the risky decision to split up the season into two parts. The first group of V episodes has finished airing and now, the series isn’t expected to return until after the Winter Olympics in March 2010.
If recent viewership trends have taught us anything, they’ve shown that long breaks can be disastrous for a serial drama’s ratings. People naturally become interested in other shows and any momentum is lost. What’s more, because storylines are ongoing and complicated, few new people feel inclined to start watching midseason.
Shows like Lost and Heroes saw significant drops in viewership when they took long midseason breaks. They both had very strong ratings and a lot of buzz going into their respective hiatuses. Fortunately, enough viewers returned to keep them on the air.
The new V doesn’t have nearly as much viewer buzz and can’t afford to lose many more viewers. If a high percentage of people don’t return to watch the second half of the season, V won’t survive and will be cancelled.
What do you think? Are you anxiously awaiting the show’s return? Will the hiatus kill the new V and cause its cancellation?
Image courtesy ABC.
I remember the original series, and I think the idea of a remake is great. It is just unfortunate that it is on NBC, which due to incompetent management stands for Nothing But Cancellations. They have lost viewer confidence. I don’t normally even start to watch a series on NBC, because I am pretty sure that they will prematurely pull the plug, so why should I even bother. I like long running shows that I feel like will be there year after year. I am willing, however, to take a chance with NBC on a show like “V”, and hope… Read more »
I was starting to become interested in the new V. I was a young kid when the original and followup series aired. The stupid thing for ABC was to give you three episodes of the new series and then say come back in three months for new episodes. That was just dumb. They’ll probably lose some viewers who won’t come back after the hiatus.
They should have re made Earth Final Conflict. At least that was a Roddenberry and I am sure it would have lasted more than a few episodes……
Did ABC intentionally sabotage this show? They promoted the hell out it and then ran a few episodes before the holiday hiatus. I couldn’t tell you if it’s back on or not. After the last episode aired in ’09 I honestly thought they dropped it. What gives? It was pretty slick and I liked it.
Looking for the show’s return date led me to this site….how disappointing to learn that ABC is postponing it until MARCH???!! I liked (not loved) V enough to continue to see where it was going but 4 episodes are not enough to cement a viewing schedule! Come on ABC!
This show is no different from the original V series. I didn’t bothered to watch it because I knew they would practically used the same story–alien come to earth in peace, give them technology to make life better, some humans don’t trust them and fight back, yada, yada, yada and we all know what going to happen at the end–yep, human wins (huzzah,yippee), alien lose and go back to space with their tails down between their legs. It will be cancelled and forgotten.
I liked the remake better than the original, keep it going.
not to mention that it stops afther 4 facking episodes :Spfffffffffffffffff
THIS SHOW WAS NOT NOT noT great COME ON
the effes are highley FAKE the storry line verry slow weird
i had high hopes for this one but they fuckt it up good
why not contineu the story from the orgional no everthing has to be a re make, the have no orgional ideas no more
same as for smallville realy what the … effecs is this a new thing effecs like a b movie now days
The show was great and that was stupid to only show a few then take a break. How dumb was that. Funny how those guys in TV get paid so much money and are so stupid. I am in the wrong business
it wouldn’t be the first time networks cancel shows before 6 or 7 are shown.
Defying Gravity was cancelled even though they only bought it 2 weeks before it aired and didn’t give it that much build up.
no wonder shows don’t last
Once upon a time shows got a year to prove themselves – now it seems like if they aren’t pulling the ratings American Idol, Survivor or Bachelor gets (even though they’ve been on for years) they get canned.
Hey, ABC!
Let “V’ run its 1st season!
Cutting it short, after 4 eps and a super-long hiatus, is incredibly stupid. Have a one- or two-night marathon of the original episodes, shortly prior to starting up the new ones, and run the entire 1st season.
http://www.v-serial.com/ return in 30 martch 2010.
Such a terrible show. The plot just took off ridiculously too fast. bummer.
The original was just like that idiot! It did JUST fine. This new series WILL do even better
it’s a great show …and the effects are wonderful…you have a strong cast, and a great Villon, how diabolical is Anna