Commander in Chief - Anyone watch?

[swquilts]

I liked it! A different twist for a change. Actually I liked it better than the West Wing premier I had Tivo'd and watched before this.

Donald Sutherland plays such GOOD devious roles. :) It will be interesting, next week's episode looks good too.

[ChristyMarie]

I liked it as well. I'm interested to see where they take the story.

[sneezles]

Geena Davis is one of my favorite actresses and I've always had a crush on Donald Sutherland so I really enjoyed the episode...hoepfully it will be a success.

[Born A Hokie]

I did watch as well. I like West Wing too, and was impressed with this new show. The previews for next week look like they'll be including more family drama in this show than there is in West Wing. Did anyone watch E-Ring? I forgot to TIVO the first episode last week, but I know it comes on tonight.

[Terrytx]

I liked it also, maybe even more than the West Wing.

[agoodcook]

I watched it and enjoyed it. I'm hoping to watch more.

[Melman]

I also really enjoyed it. I like Geena Davis...and I thought Donald Sutherland was a wonderful EVIL person. I hope the show does very well and that they don't come up with really insane scripts.

But, be warned, anytime I really like a show from the first episode (not counting Desperate Housewives), it usually tanks by the end of the first season.

[tbb113]

Melanie - I have the same problem with TV shows. Almost everything I watch that is a series gets canceled quickly (or I lose interest).

I enjoyed the show though

[KimE]

Also enjoyed it very much. Looking forward to a good season :)
Kim

[tbb113]

YEAH it was well watched

story about the ratings (http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20050928/en_tv_eo/17469&printer=1;_ylt=AhWiJqGNV57Bp92DDV0ci8LqGL8C;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

[Terri_A]

I'm going to be the descentor....I didn't care for it. Although I'm a fan of several of the actors in it, I didn't think the writing was that great. We'll see how it plays out...I'll give it at least a couple more weeks...

[Meg O'C]

I watched and really liked it!

I went to University of Richmond and our alum office bombarded us with info about the show since many scenes were filmed on campus outside and in various buildings (the opening scenes of the choir - interior and exterior, the scene where she is asked to be the running mate, and many of the scenes of the Vice Pres residence (which is actually the UR alum center on campus)), and the plot has Geena Davis as the Chancellor of U of Richmond prior to becoming the Vice Pres. So, I watched to see the campus, but I thoroughly enjoyed Geena Davis and the whole plot. I think I will watch the show regularly.

[plumlover01]

I am new to this board but I wanted to say I liked it. We were just discussing this same subject on another BB and most agreed that it needed fine tuning but the storyline is unique and puts a different spin on things. As I said on the other BB, Geena Davis is one of those actresses I don't realize I like until I sit down and catch one of her movies or see her on t.v. :) She is unique in her beauty but not overly so. I also liked the fact that she looked like a normal woman with a normal body type. I read somewhere that she has had 2 babies in the past 5 years and is over 40 - so that would make sense. I didn't want to watch a show about a woman in that position looking like Pamela Anderson. Hey, when it caught the attention of my 16 year old very politically minded son that said a lot in itself. It opened up a very long discussion between us about a femal President and the effects it might have on the country and the world. If a t.v. show can stimulate a productive conversation with my son, then I have to give it a thumbs up! :)

[Beth Y]

So, Meg, when did you graduate? I am WC '81 myself. Anyway, the UR alumni association here in the Triangle got together at a bar to watch it. I don't think any of us were expecting much, just went to see the campus, but we all really were surprised that we were rather riveted to the screen. I have never been a big Geena Davis fan, although I loved League of Her Own, but I do like Donald Sutherland. There were MANY cat calls and howls around the table during the scene when Sutherland berated her about resigning. Yes, our group was, oddly, almost all women!

[blazedog]

Great show -- I watched 5 minutes and immediately gave it a seasons pass on TIVO. :D

There are so many different interesting paths the pilot set up. From a professional point of view it was SUCH a great pilot -- it introduced the characters, provided the viewer with a snapshot of their relationship and back story as necessary and set up many possible threads. When I worked in television, the development execs were all about WHAT is the 67th show going to be about -- i.e. you can set up a premise but basically it will play itself out after a few shows.

I have admired Geena Davis for years. She is beautiful and brainy -- I believe she is a member of Mensa but I could be wrong on the specifics but she is absolutely believable as the first woman President.

[Meg O'C]

So, Meg, when did you graduate? I am WC '81 myself. Anyway, the UR alumni association here in the Triangle got together at a bar to watch it. I don't think any of us were expecting much, just went to see the campus, but we all really were surprised that we were rather riveted to the screen. I have never been a big Geena Davis fan, although I loved League of Her Own, but I do like Donald Sutherland. There were MANY cat calls and howls around the table during the scene when Sutherland berated her about resigning. Yes, our group was, oddly, almost all women!

Hi Beth!
I am WC '94. I read about certain alum chapters having viewing parties in certain cities - sounds like it was a fun way to watch the show with a bunch of fellow spiders! :)

[blazedog]

I thought the second episode was good too -- no sophomore slump.

And seemingly a strange demograhic-- per the overnights, disproportionately women over 50 :eek: and gays -- I had a hair appointment yesterday morning and my hair dresser was very anxious to put on the tape of the night before.

[sneezles]

disproportionately women over 50 :eek:

Not quite sure why you felt the need for an eek smilie in regard to women over 50? :confused:

[blazedog]

Sorry that I didn't place it in context.

In terms of television, it's an undesirable demographic so even though the show is drawing good numbers, it's not doing that well in the demographic that advertisers want -- shows that draw fewer but more highly desireable (read younger) demographics will be kept.

However, the show seems to be garnering good reviews and hopefully with be kept on the air as I like it and fit the demographic.

Stupid demographic I think since it is based on outdated notions of brand loyalty and spending patterns.

[Escher]

Nice spin. Almost believeable, even.

I believe what blazedog really meant was that she didn't want to lumped in w/ the over 50 crowd, as that would somehow "taint" her with age. I believe when sneezles called her on it, she went into full backpeddle mode, and made up a plausible sounding cover story.

[blazedog]

Nice spin. Almost believeable, even.

I believe what blazedog really meant was that she didn't want to lumped in w/ the over 50 crowd, as that would somehow "taint" her with age. I believe when sneezles called her on it, she went into full backpeddle mode, and made up a plausible sounding cover story.

Escher you are really beyond belief -- I worked in the television industry and my original comment was driven by whether the network will support an expensive show --I failed to realize that an audience of civilians might not fully understand my chagrin in the reports in the trades since most of the people I discuss the business with understand the analysis of ratings and demographics - hence the explanation after the fact since older women and gay men are not viewed as prime targets for advertisers which is what drives programming on television.

I'm not sure why anyone other than someone with an axe to grind would even have found anything controversial in my original post or think my explanation was designed to cover the fact that I didn't want to be lumped with 50 year olds -- Have I ever posted anything that indicated that I worried about my age?

I hadn't realize that you were actually accusing me of making up a story -- I can't post the demographic analysis from the trades but here's a column in which there is mention of the demographic makeup of the program.

Leader of the Free World, Sure, but Is She Ratings Queen?
By Lisa de Moraes

Thursday, September 29, 2005; Page C07

The American public is as ready for a female president as it was in the late '90s for a short, middle-aged, oft-arrested, whale-hugging, pro-nuclear-disarmament president.

"Commander in Chief" -- starring Geena Davis as a political independent who somehow winds up vice president to ultra-conservative Teddy Roosevelt Bridges, who dies but not before telling her to step down so the ultra-evil speaker of the House (Donald Sutherland) can be named to replace him, only she ignores him because that's what we women do and, honestly, what did he expect? -- copped 16.4 million viewers at 9 p.m. Tuesday.



Geena Davis stars in ABC's Tuesday night drama "Commander in Chief," which got its best numbers in the red states of Middle America. (By Peter Stone)
The TV Column
Clooney Breaks His Own Big Story, A Live 'Network'
'Earl's' a Pearl, but Denise Richards Has Lost Her Sheen
Martha, Caught in NBC's 'E-Ring' Circus
On UPN, 'Mars' Ascending
Who's Blogging?
Read what bloggers are saying about this article.
mediabistro: FishBowlDC
PostWatch
West Wing News Blog

Full List of Blogs (3 links) »

This is virtually identical to the 16.9 million who in September '99 caught the first episode of "The West Wing," which supposedly starred Rob Lowe as the Oval Office hottie but really starred serial-arrestee/actor Martin Sheen as president of the United States.

ABC won Tuesday with its largest non-sports audience on the night in nearly two years, because "Commander in Chief" clocked the biggest drama-series launch on a Tuesday since "Dark Angel" debuted to 17.5 million viewers on Fox in fall 2000 -- and look at what that did for Jessica Alba's career.

It's also the third biggest new-series launch this fall.

The unveiling of "Commander in Chief" ranks behind last week's launch of CBS's "Criminal Minds," starring Mandy "Voice of an Angel" Patinkin as a guy who profiles killers, and about 60,000 viewers behind the kickoff of ABC's "Invasion," starring a bunch of people who play aliens' lab rats in a Florida town hit by a hurricane.

Bear in mind, both those shows launched off of super-big lead-in audiences provided by the season kickoffs of "CSI" and "Lost," respectively. "Criminal Minds" hung on to 70 percent of its lead-in and "Invasion" retained 68 percent.

Our Fantasy Female President, meanwhile, had to work much harder -- typical -- because she'd been stuck with a super-lame "According to Jim" season debut lead-in of just 8.1 million.

Here's a surprise: "Commander in Chief" was not the most watched show at 9 p.m. Tuesday in the Washington market.

It finished second, behind Fox's doc drama "House." Here in our fair city, "CiC" averaged 329,000 viewers to 422,000 for "House." So people in Washington are interested in something besides White House politics; they're also interested in strange terminal diseases.

In fact, when it comes to "CiC" ratings, Washington ranked 23 out of 53 metered markets. The show's No. 1 market was -- Cincinnati. Followed by Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Buffalo and Tulsa. Also in the top 10 were Detroit, Denver and Columbus, Ohio. Is Middle America more ready for a female president than the coasts? Or are people there more horrified and love to be scared?

Nationally, the "CiC" premiere drew other parallels to the unveiling of "The West Wing."

For instance, the median age of Tuesday's "Commander in Chief" episode was 54.7 years. The median age for viewers of the first "West Wing" was 50.7 years. Which, given that "West Wing" premiered six years ago, means they're probably pretty much the very same people.

Like "West Wing," "CiC" skewed sort of old; political shows usually do. "CiC" did its biggest rating and won its time slot among viewers 50 and older. That demographic rating also was virtually identical to that of the first "West Wing" episode.

The "West Wing" premiere audience was broader than that of "CiC," with bigger ratings in younger demographic groups.

Ironically, in Tuesday's 9 p.m. hour, "CiC" and "House" split the 25-54 audience. Women preferred to watch Geena Davis; men went with "House," which stars Hugh Laurie as a dysfunctionally cynical, completely rumpled, and yet somehow hot and brilliant doctor who diagnoses diseases no one else can figure out.

"House" won the race in the hour among 18-to-49-year-olds; that's the age bracket advertisers pay a premium to reach. And while "House" ranked No. 1 among teens, our Fantasy Female President finished a sad fifth in the teen race.