NBC's The Wanted: And the ratings are awful too
Here's a final kick in the pants for The Wanted, the wretched NBC News series that debuted Monday night: It was the lowest rated prime-time program of the evening with 2.99 million viewers.
You can see my highly-critical review here, and some scathing remarks from viewers here.
And now, the news that the ratings are miniscule. TVNewser does a deft job of pointing out just how bad an audience of 2.99 million viewers is by network standards here.
The most interesting aspect of the ratings is how poorly the show did with young viewers finishing behind even Spanish-language Univision, according to TVNewser. The producers had been touting this self-important and silly show as targeted for a new and younger audience. Not exactly.
Yesterday, in my first post, under the heading of full disclosure, I told readers that I am a part-time assistant professor at Goucher College. Read that post here.
That is possibly relevant because NBC News producers came to Goucher last year to film an interview allegedly for Dateline with a visiting professor from Rwanda. The story of their presence on campus was reported in the Sun including the allegations that the professor was a war criminal. No mention was made of The Wanted -- only Dateline.
A spokeswoman for NBC News Tuesday declined to say whether or not the story on the former visiting professor at Goucher will appear on The Wanted.
Given these ratings, The Wanted might not be around all that much longer anyway.
Comments
you are nuts!!! it was provacative and so slick!!! unfortutely, comcast did not even have it posted as an NBC show...they showed it as dateline...how unfortunate! my friends in their 20's -40's loved it!
Posted by: sue | July 21, 2009 11:48 PM
This show was terrible
Posted by: Shelby | July 22, 2009 10:41 AM
I had heard about this show, watched the previews and excited to see it, when I looked for it on Monday it was impossible to find - as the above comment mentions it was not listed as anything but "Dateline" so the ratings that are quoted and the views that are slamming "The Wanted" are BS. It's obvious that people think Dateline is a waste of time so before we make comments on the popularity of “The Wanted" let’s see how it does when it's properly listed. I enjoyed the show and will continue to support it.
Posted by: Moe | July 22, 2009 3:21 PM
I didn't know anything about this show THE WANTED until I heard an interview of one of the actors Monday. I think this show is an idiot's idea. As an American, I am deeply embarrassed. If the show's producers want to find internationally famous unindicted war criminals, they don't have to go to Norway. They can find one of the top ten in Crawford, Texas.
Posted by: Vigilante | July 24, 2009 10:32 AM
What was the old slogan...NBC PROUD AS A PEACOCK should now use an osterich with its head in the dirt
Posted by: janice | July 25, 2009 12:07 PM
Great show. Some cheesy stuff, but it brings the reality of Euro politics out in the open. They are doing nothing about terrorism for the sake of political correctness. Love this show. Want more info read "While Europe Slept" written by a gay American living in Europe. This show should stay!
Posted by: Ranger | July 28, 2009 11:47 AM
@Ranger: Do you really believe this show paints an accurate picture of the "Euro politics"? This show is about as off-target and out-of-touch as they could get. People like you are an embarassment to any intelligent debate.
If the show was ment to be a parody and contemporary comment, the show would have been ingenious. Unfortunately it was not.
Please see my new post about NBC pulling the show from its schedule. Thanks. Z
Posted by: Even | July 28, 2009 6:43 PM