EdwardKnoxII 0 Report post Posted March 2, 2004 http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,13597,00.html ABC Banks More "Millionaire" by Bridget Byrne What is a struggling network's idea of hot programming for May sweeps? A: A witty new sitcom? B: A thrilling new drama? C: An innovative miniseries? D: That same old game show? D? Is that your final answer? You win...the opportunity to tune in to five more nights of ABC's Super Millionaire. Clearly strapped for ideas, the Alphabet network announced Friday that Regis Philbin will be dishing trivia questions and big bucks again in a special run of what is dubbed "the super-charged version" of its original big hit gamer Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ABC decided to go back to the well after the super-showing of the Philbin-fronted contest during February sweeps. The Feb. 22 debut of Super Millionaire's heavily hyped limited-edition run drew an average audience of 17.5 million viewers. It was the most watched television program that night and attracted the largest audience and highest young-adult ratings for the franchise since May 2001. Super Millionaire continued as the network's number one show among total viewers and young adults each night through Thursday, averaging 14.3 million viewers, over 5.2 million more than had been tuning in to ABC's regular, non-sports programming this season. The network touted Thursday's episode as "the top-rated non-NBC/CBS program in prime time"--which actually meant in came in third in its 10-11 p.m. time period opposite the rival nets' hit dramas ER and Without a Trace. Friday night's Super Millionaire finale, airing after the pick-up had been announced, was also number one in its time slot, 3 million viewers ahead of any competition. But its average viewership was just 12.7 million, well down from the premiere night. and dropping the show's five-night average to 13.5 million. While those figures are still strong for the floundering ABC, they're nowhere near the numbers at the height of the Millionaire mania era, when the show dominated ABC's lineup and the Nielsen top 10. The third celebrity edition of the quiz show, with then single Rosie O'Donnell in the hot seat, was watched by 36.1 million viewers in May 2000. Back then, the top jackpot was just $1 million. Now, five correct answers had a potential payday of $10 million. By Thursday the network had only had to shell out a fairly paltry $1.795 million, most of which went to two lucky fellas: Robert Essig, a computer whiz who took home $1 million, and Todd Kim, a legal eagle who snagged $500,000. The biggest winner, though, was Millionaire executive producer Michael Davies, who gloated in a press release, "This is how this show was designed to be scheduled, and it's how it works best. Regis has been amazing, and we're both delighted with the early pick-up. Neither of us can wait until May." But we're wondering if the suits at ABC are suffering from some short-term memory impairment. The network may want to avoid repeating its past mistake of overexposing Millionaire and ultimately relying too much on the game show for ratings at the expense of developing new comedies and dramas. The lack thereof has often been cited for the Disney-owned network's inability to climb out of the trough into which it has fallen. But, hey, for now it's a quick answer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mole 0 Report post Posted March 3, 2004 Wow, and ABC wonders why they are in 3rd, sometimes 4th, in the ratings. Didn't they learn ANYTHING when Millionaire was on just about everynight and it fucked up the following year. And it sucks because they have the best news channel. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted March 3, 2004 If they keep it on ONCE a week, it's a good idea...The show was too much overkill with 4 shows a week at one point. Make it a Sunday Night Staple...and people will continue to watch because they like the show just not when it's on 3-4 times a week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mole 0 Report post Posted March 3, 2004 Other than my grandma who watched it all the time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted March 3, 2004 They canceled Karen Sisco for this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted March 3, 2004 Sisco did SHIT ASS ratings... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Astro Report post Posted March 3, 2004 The network touted Thursday's episode as "the top-rated non-NBC/CBS program in prime time Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
