★★★★★ 0/5

Too smart for its own good?

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It’s easily one of the best on the box.

Classy, dark, malicious and chockful of powderkeg performances.

But is the sprawling, complex plot of Damages too smart for its own good? Ratings for the legal thriller both in Australia and the US have failed to match the critical acclaim.

Last night against tough competition, Damages had only 463,000 viewers nationally. In TV’s newest competitive slot it was crushed by the ABC’s Summer Heights High with just under 1.2m viewers. TEN’s Life performed admirably in its second week with just over 1.1m viewers. Prison Break had around 800,000. All four shows have positive critical acclaim. And SBS has now even weighed in to the timeslot with Shaun Micallef’s Newstopia at 10pm.

A figure of 463,000 is certain death at 9:30pm, but Nine is dogged by the humiliation that one of its biggest new acquisitions, screened just weeks after its US premiere will be seen as a failure. It also dropped from its Cold Case lead in of 878,000.

Damages is defined by the unravelling of a twisted, Shakespearean-like crime in which the lines between good and evil blur and switch. It is further layered by its predominantly flashback plot. Anyone who isn’t up to speed on the “story so far” is likely to have been left behind in a backwash of intricate legal manoeuvres.

In the US it’s the same problem. “The ratings are pretty middling,” said John Landgraf, president of cable’s FX Network. “It’s nothing to write home about. The very thing that makes people so excited about it, the heavily layered serialization, makes it a challenge in the current environment,” Landgraf said.

There are three episodes remaining in the US but no guarantees of a second season. The premise of Damages has always been to focus on one legal case per season. The show’s fates are now pinned on it winning awards to help greenlight a second series. If Glenn Close isn’t interested bet your bottom dollar the show will be over.

Meanwhile should Nine move this show, and regrettably on those figures it should, please god let it air at 10:30. Killing it off altogether would be criminal.

Ratings Week 41

Additional source: LA Times

13 Responses

  1. I ended up downloading an episode I missed because of 9’s weird programming. Interestingly the download on the newsgroups had ch 9 HD logo, but no commercials. They are clueless.

  2. And not only that, David – they ran the premiere on a Sunday, encored it, then ran the second episode the following Wednesday, then encored THAT paired with the premiere episode in a double bill which then itself also got encored. This package ran twice (or maybe three times) before the tird episode which, if I spotted correctly, ended up being encored paired with the second.

    And they then sit back and look at the ratings and go “what’s wrong with our viewers?”

    Nine: buy a mirror.

  3. The comments on too many ‘encore’ screenings and double timeslots appears to have only confused viewers.

    Nine scheduled no less than 5 encore screenings of the premiere in the first week.

    TV programmers should not make life so hard for loyal viewers who respond to consistency and stability.

  4. While it’s undeniably well made and I’m enjoying it, I think the problem with Damages is actually that it’s not smart enough, rather than too smart.

    It sits in a place half way between procedural crime show and elaborate mystery – in the middle ground between CSI and, say, Lost.

    Its main device – the “six months ago / six months later” thing – is over-used in an attempt to drip-feed viewers little details about what ultimately happened, and that just ends up being frustrating; the way a show like Lost handles multiple time lines is far better done. Damages sets up too many glaringly obvious red herrings.

    That said, the acting is first-rate and the show looks amazing.

    I also agree with what others have said here – the multiple time-slots and excessive multi-episode “encore” screenings probably hurt it badly on Nine. But until they learn that the best way to make a show successful is to have it on air at the same time on the same night every week – and ON TIME, not 12 minutes late in an artificial attempt to boost ratings – they’re going to keep suffering.

  5. I believe Damages would have rated far better if Nine had stopped airing it so many times, I could swear I saw that first episode 2 and a half times in like one week!? ..I’m not sure.

    I don’t even remember what timeslot the show originally airs, I seem to always miss it or drop in towards the end of the episode…

    I think Australian TV network programmers dig their own graves by their stupid drastic actions.

    I’m all for showing repeats of new shows, but make it clear that it’s a repeat and tell us when it normally airs. I’d recommend displaying it on the bottom of the screen as they return from commercials or something.

    I beg the networks to also indicate what episode number/episode title were watching! Even if only on digital TVs EPG text..

    NEWStopia I think has potential!

    Did anyone else feel that it seemed like Shaun Micallef was nervous or something..? It was a little weak at times, too serious or something I think.. stupid people could maybe think it was actually the news!? *cough* F@X NEWS *cough*

  7. i download the show as i knew 9 would mess around with this and not put it on at 8.30pm (best chace for it to take off). i really hope a second season is made as it is an amazing show. i LOVE IT.

  8. Well as usual, being in the age demographic im in, i watch Summer Heights High, which personally i think is a fantastic show.

    I watched the first episode of Damages on the sunday night. And i thought it was bloody fantastic! However then i forgot about it. Its been put in a bad timeslot. And as someone said above, why bother watching it, when you know that Ch9 is likely to drop it anyway or one week it will be misteriously pulled for no reason.

    I think a better timeslot (away from the powerhouses of House and SHH) may do it well. I would certainly tune back in (that is if i havent missed too much!). Otherwise ill buy it when it comes out on DVD. Channels need to be careful and more loyal to shows and their viewers. With most shows (even flops) coming out on DVD sooner or later, if you miss it on TV, well the DVD will be out soon enough (as i have done with alot of shows such as Prison Break after Ch7 erratic screenings of the second season…..)

  9. I agree with some of the other posters in here.

    The “encore” screenings have confused at least some viewers – a couple have posted on the Ch. 9 discussion board asking where has Damages gone – because they had been watching one of the other timeslots, thinking that was its regular spot.

    I too didn’t bother to get into Damages – firstly because I was angry at Ch 9 programmers for its treatment of Survivor & ER (not to mention Y&R & The Apprentice & all the repeats they throw in mid seaso of CSI) – secondly, why start watching another of their shows then finding it gone 3 weeks later, or screened at 10.30.

    Summer Heights High has probably surprised a few people with its strong ratings, I have really enjoyed it and it’s not my the style of show I would usually watch.

  10. Damages should have been put on at 8:30pm….. i dont care what night of the week but putting it on at 9:30pm has just killed it. Channel 9 dont have any shows that are strong enough to give it a good enough lead in. They also have killed it but showing it 2 nights a week (altho i know that has stopped recently)

    Even CSI is failing these days, even tho i think it is one of the best shows on TV. I think they need to go back to there CSI Sundays. I used to enjoy them. 60 Minutes, CSI & CSI Miami.

    And dont get me started on Survivor. How can u expect a show that u were showing at 7:30pm (in previous years) to rate well when u throw it to 10:30pm on a Sunday night. Surely u can throw all those UK Medical Shows that you have into that timeslot and show Survivor at a reasonable time during the week when people dont have to go to bed as they have work the next day (like on sunday nights at 10:30pm)

  12. I watched Newstopia last night, and what a joke of a show that was.

    Maybe I missed something funny? I like Shaun, but that was dreadful.
    Made Mick Molloy show look like the best thing since sliced bread.

  13. I didn’t even bother as I assumed 9 would axe it halfway through. What’s the point in commiting yourself when you know you’ll never see the end?

    Burnt too many times already with another “critically acclaimed” series on 9.

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