Fall TV Viewers Lack Enthusiasm
Most Anticipated Shows
Although Two and a Half Men saw tremendous ratings for its season opener, Office Pulse survey results show some disturbing trends for Men and other hit programs. Viewers, according to our recent TV Viewing Habits study, are less excited about this season’s line-up than last year. Consider this, last year The Office was the most anticipated show, listed in the top three of 13% of respondents most anticipated list of shows. This year, the highest anticipated show was Modern Family, making it onto the lists of only 10% of respondents. Also telling is the decreases in the number of respondents anticipating key programs such as 30 Rock, The Office and Grey’s Anatomy.
| 2010 | 2011 | |
| Modern Family | n/a | 10% |
| The Office | 13% | 6% |
| 30 Rock | 7% | 3% |
| NFL | 3% | 5% |
| Dancing With the Stars | 3% | 4% |
| Survivor | 3% | 4% |
| Grey’s Anatomy | 10% | 5% |
| Two and a Half Men | 2% | 6% |
Fragmentation
With original programming increasing dramatically on many cable networks, fragmentation is becoming much more evident. The top cable shows anticipated by respondents now include:
| Boardwalk Empire | 4% |
| Mad Men | 3% |
| Real Housewives | 3% |
| Sons of Anarchy | 2% |
| Top Chef | 2% |
| Hung | 1% |
Premieres
The most anticipated new shows included:
| X Factor | 2% |
| Terra Nova | 2% |
| Pan Am | 2% |
| New Girl | 2% |
| Whitney | 1% |
| 2 Broke Girls | 1% |