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.
If you’re stuck in the stone age you’ll comapare the new V with the old V. Come on people, time changes, and you cant expect to keep the story line of certain details of the old V the same. Give me a brake!!! The new V is exciting and as a viewer I would not change anything. ABC dont’ cancel the show.
Seriously, people have to understand the idea that this is a new version of an old show! off course it will be different!! there would be no point on making a new version if people could just watch the old one…duh! Same thing happened with Ugly Betty. I got to watch the original Colombian version in 2003 and loved it to the max! so when I heard there was an american version being made I was also a bit skeptical about it, but I decided to watch it anyway and give it a chance…it still has the same main idea… Read more »
I don’t know what all the drama is about. This was always supposed to be a 13-episode show. It was never intended to keep going. It is fun and entertaining and if people like it, what’s the big deal if is not like the original. That should be the point. If not, I would just watch the original.
@Kathy: That’s not correct actually. There are 12 episodes in this season. If it does well enough, V will return next season.
There I’d not much left anymore unless you like that reality crap. It is better than most and yes I watched the original again & again it was great then but this is now. What the heck do you expect. Keep it & Saving Grace, not reruns. Pick it up & let the networks go all reality, we’ll see what happens. I could add so many TV series here but I will not because it’s a waste of time. No one listens to the people that watch, TiVo or not. Keep V & Saving Grace as well as many others.… Read more »
What can you expect from TV. I came across the remake of V by accident. Are we supposed to take this one as a serious drama. I got a good laugh out of the jumbotron on the underbelly of the ship. Made me expect to see ball scores and Ronald McDonald. Too bad Mystery Science Theatre 3000 isn’t still around.
i like the new v series BUT there’s certainly room for improvement. hopefully the show will improve and become a success. there’s very little good television content any more. sad but true.
This show V and also the new show Flash Forward (not sure of the network) are so lame. Can’t stand either of them . Boring, boring boring. ABC cancelling Life on Mars and The Unusuals and putting on nonsense like V makes no sense. Splitting the season is no help, it should never have come back after the Olympics. And PBS has been airing the original British version of Life on Mars if anyone wants to check that out.
Being a HUGE fan of V The Original Mini Series, V The Final Battle, and V The Series, I have to agree that the story line was completely rushed in the first episode. There are other things lost not mentioned in Maz’s great interpretation of the Originals. Their eating habits! In the original they eat freshly killed or alive animals (not to mention humans). In the first episode we saw the FBI agent’s partner eating a ham sandwich. These are the little details that needed to be present in the new series. Among the other inconsistencies they should’ve just made… Read more »
I think the new v series is great if abc cancels it I think it will be tragic, after all
television has fallen off so bad in the past 20 years or so with the advent of these
monotonous reality shows! It is refreshing to see a creative show like V on the air.
I don’t like V at all, and I don’t like Morena Baccarin, whom I do not find remotely beautiful. However, having said all this, I don’t watch much television. If this plastic show gives others enjoyment then by all means keep it going.
Maybe it’s because I’ve never seen the original series, but I find that I am actually enjoying this show. True, it’s a bit cliched, but IMO the acting is great and it’s very fun to watch. I hope this show makes it to a second season, because when Lost ends I’m going to need something to fill the void.
LOL its crap and they know it..
Just one small example:
As soon as they show something from the spaceship the “leader” stands in the same room watching down on earth.
EVERY SINGLE TIME !!
This is so stale and superficial as tv can get.
Come on,watch the old show and see the difference in 3 seconds..
I like the new V series. sometimes sticking to old ways is being a little close minded. The new series has some old ways yet adds a different light to the idea. i really think it has a chance.
I was quite excited when I heard that a re-make of V was coming… until I saw it. Just like most re-makes, they killed it. Everything is picture perfect and pretty and V wasn’t about them being perfect. Also seemed to have forgotten a few things like the voice distortions (which was also dropped in the original series but began with it) and sensitivity to light. The original V kept you on the edge of your seat while this new remake is more or less Bold and the Beautiful Aliens with action scenes thrown in. The original V began with… Read more »
i wuz just getting you humans ready