Lost weekend

GSN has been stinking up the weekend ratings, thanks to a couple shows with improvised comedy and Texas hold 'em. On the GSN Schedule board I offer some typically dour comments on the latest published day.

Saturday 7/9 just went up, and it was bad as the weekends usually are. Viewership averages were 131K(!)/208K prime time/total day. GSN has to find something better for Saturday prime time than Drew and poker. Top ten...

12:00PM Million Dollar Password 365
3:30PM Family Feud (O'Hurley) 344
7:00PM Lingo (Engvall) 332
7:30PM Lingo (Engvall) 325
6:00PM Lingo (Engvall) 322
11:30AM Catch 21 321
6:30PM Lingo (Engvall) 317
11:00AM Newlywed Game 315
4:00PM Newlywed Game 314
5:00PM Baggage 283

Might call it Engvall and friends. I hate that two-hour marathon of the already overused Lingo, but it delivers numbers. Might as well put it in prime time. And look at Regis, after all these years.

With nine shows at 300K+ the day wasn't doing bad at all (except for Improv-a-Ganza's usual dump at 2:00PM) until you know what happened at 8:00PM. I know the show cost a lot, but sooner or later you just have to eat the money and shelve the improvisers. And poker should get an hour or two post-midnight at most. Time to thank High Stakes Poker for its yeoman service in the past and move on.

Other poster: Love Triangle isn't really doing that badly in the ratings.

Bugs me to say it, but I agree. The show is no hit but it's not a disaster like Improv-a-Ganza.

Personally, I can't stand the dumb talky-talky-talky of Love Triangle. Improv-a-Ganza seems a little dull to me but not horrible. Apparently GSN's audience finds Wendy more tolerable than Drew, though. I guess Love Triangle looks a little like a game show, while the improv comedy just looks like a boring standup routine.

The only reason Improv-a-Ganza stays on the schedule is its high cost. The financials would look awful if GSN axed the show without amortizing the cost over some advertising revenue. But maybe it's time to eat the lost money.

UPDATE: Douglas has developed a habit of putting up the numbers at 3:00PM Eastern. Sunday 7/10 was great by recent weekend standards: 366K/256K viewership averages prime time/total day. The top ten...

9:30 PM Lingo (Engvall) 472
10:00 PM Lingo (Engvall) 447
10:30 PM Lingo (Engvall) 413
9:00 PM Lingo (Engvall) 357
3:00 PM Family Feud (Karn) 346
3:30 PM Family Feud (O'Hurley) 342
6:30 PM Family Feud (Karn) 337
4:00 PM Newlywed Game 330
10:30 AM Family Feud (O'Hurley) 307
11:30 AM Catch 21 304

Blowout day for Engvall in prime time, though he didn't do nearly as well in the afternoon. Go figure. Karn and O'Hurley showed up as usual. The day crashed after prime time thanks to you know who. Though to give Drew his due, one of Improv-a-Ganza's runs did get 288K. Terrific by the show's usual standards.