How much time do you have to develop an audience?

As Canal Road heads towards the sunset of Australian drama’s another unlikely Nine product, Two and A Half Men is now returning healthy audience numbers.

Over Summer and up until now, Nine have showed Two and A Half Men repeats at 7pm. The show has never really rated for Nine and has been given ample opportunities to develop an audience since the show debuted on Nine in 2004 until the last month the numbers have edged over one million.

When Nine decided to schedule Two and A Half Men at 7pm there was a lot of deserved criticism because of the shows performance but now Nine would be laughing.

Admitingly they are not beating Home and Away but the show commands over one million viewers every night and two new episodes were showed on Wednesday which returned 1.2 million viewers narrowly defeated by RSPCA: Animal Rescue and The Real Sea Change.

Viewers decision to now watch Two and A Half Men is difficult to understand but now Nine haven’t scheduled the show next week instead Fire 000 with Search and Rescue will air at 7:30pm.

It still makes you wonder why Nine would pull Canal Road after only two episodes, so how much time do you give a show to develop an audience? Moreover how many opportunities do you give a show to develop an audience?

Clearly Two and A Half Men have been given plenty but finally a result.

Almost the end of the (Canal) Road

Nine have more or less boned Canal Road… well as close to a boning as possible without being boned, instead, bumped. Spending months and months of production, advertising dollars and publicity on the new medico-legal drama thriller it has been removed after only two weeks from 9:30 until 10:30 affectively righting off the show this year.

It seems a surprise premature move by Nine who have acted swiftly after only two outings. Admittedly the show did drop 300 000 viewers and has the best lead in from Underbelly but the sure deserved a few more weeks to develop an audience.

It’s replacement, Hell’s Kitchen – more Ramsay. Now he is cooking the ratings on Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s and if the show keeps on returning big numbers then Nine could keep this pattern going all year as the show can easily be repeated.

When Ramsay twice a week wasn’t enough… Nine are gambling on there chef and the current ‘it’ program but are they over-exposing Ramsay?

I hope this decision doesn’t backfire for Nine because they are hedging a lot of bets on Ramsay and when the season’s finish and they broadcast other shows – will anyone be watching?

My Kid’s A Star was deservedly removed to midday Saturday effectively another ‘bone’ but it’s replacement for this week only is two new episodes of Two and Half Men and from next week it’s Search & Rescue with Fire 000.

So what will Nine do when Underbelly wraps up?

McLeod’s Daughters maybe?

So far Nine have gambled with Moment of Truth, Monster House, My Kid’s A Star, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Power of 10, Cashmere Mafia and Canal Road but all have failed.

On the flipside Underbelly has been a success, Ramsay has performed very well for Nine. Sea Patrol, Getaway, The Footy Show and CSI have also been strong and now Australia’s Funniest Home Videos and 60 Minutes are again on the up.

While Two and A Half Men, Royal Flying Doctor Service, David Attenbrough’s Life in Cold Blood and Animal Emergency have surprisingly been somewhat successful, developing consistent audiences.

David Gyngell said that Nine were going to gamble this year and try things, they are and should be commended for creating new shows but they are not hitting the mark. With 7 failures there have been sprinkles of success but to bump Canal Road after only two weeks when the network persisted with Moment of Truth for so long is a tragedy to Australian drama.

Canal (Wrong) Road

The (not-so) Next BIG Australian Drama

Last night Canal Road bombed.

In only it’s second week with the best lead-in from Underbelly, the new Nine drama, Canal Road, touted as the “next BIG Australian drama” is not living up to its expectation.

Failing to retain last weeks mediocre debut of 1.2 million, this week dropped 250 000 viewers to be placed as the 20th most popular show of the night.

Underbelly, despite not being broadcast in Victoria has been a runaway success not only for the public interest but complimented by clever casting and equally impressive production.

As for Canal Road, the plot is complicated and the set looks cheap. Paul Leyden as lead is difficult to resonate with a bunch of other characters whose positions are still unknown.

I think Nine new that Canal Road was not going to be a huge success as the late timeslot for debut gave this some indication. It is a shame really as there is not much competition from the other commercial networks and Underbelly is the shows lead-in.

If the show had remained around the million then Nine would have possibly shifted Canal Road to the 8:30pm slot when Underbelly wraps up in two weeks.

Now Nine are faced with the headache of Underbelly ending, Canal Road not firing and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares finishing.

Nine will be banking on the other Ramsay’s series, Hell’s Kitchen to fill the void left by Kitchen Nightmares but this has previously aired for Nine and failed.

Of more concern is My Kid’s A Star which will surely be sent to the chopping block this week after returning terrible figures of 659,000 placing the program as number 4, thrashed by RSPCA: Animal Rescue and The Real Sea Change which had more than double Nine’s audience between 7:30-8:30.

Still My Kid’s A Star was not quite as bad as the last episode of Power of 10 (543 000) but not as good as Nine’s other ailing stock, Moment of Truth which on Tuesday returned only 716, 000 viewers.

Search & Rescue, Fire 000 or possibly the yet to be announced final series of McLeod’s Daughters may be rushed into the schedule sooner than expected.

Missing Person’s Unit or possibly a re-worked Australia’s Most Wanted could have been brought back as a lead into Underbelly because Nine is struggling on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s in this key slot.

What would I do in a post Underbelly/Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares season Monday-Thursday (assuming Friday-Sunday stays similar)… here is a suggestion

MONDAY
7:30 – David Attenbrough’s Life in Cold Blood
8:30 – Sea Patrol
9:30 – Cold Case

TUESDAY
7:30 – 20 to 1
8:30 – Hell’s Kitchen
9:30 – Hotel Babylon

WEDNESDAY
7:30 – The Famer Wants a Wife
8:30 – McLeod’s Daughters
9:30 – Canal Road

THURSDAY
7:30 – Getaway
8:30 – Missing Persons Unit
9:30 The Footy Show

Rationale:

Monday’s are OK at the moment but Life in Cold Blood is winding up so what will replace it? I would have partnered Search & Rescue with Sea Patrol as it appears to me to be a logical lead-in. I assume this would be only a half hour show so Fire 000 and 7:30 followed by Search and Rescue and Sea Patrol.

Tuesday’s have seen 20 to 1 return figures over 1 million which is positive and Hell’s Kitchen will probably work off the back of Kitchen Nightmare’s success. Remember there is also no Dancing With the Stars, yet but Australia’s Got Talent which rated last year, may decrease on a new day, new time and All Saints returns to 8:30 which has been hovering around the million, so it’s a good test. Hotel Babylon second series is hilarious and quirky and should be given time during ratings season, come on Nine give it a go… after Hell’s who knows… they are both British!

Wednesday has been Underbelly but now Nine must prepare for life after… I think Farmer Wants A Wife may not be produced yet so despite my schedueling placing it at 7:30 then it is probably unrealistic but coupling that with McLeod’s could be a winner. McLeod’s should go out with a bang and be given an 8:30 run but loyal viewers and Nine will probably maintain its 7:30 slot although Blue Heelers was moved around by Seven with its final series airing on Saturday’s. McLeod’s still has some weekday prime time left in it and I am putting a little faith in Canal Road and hoping this Aussie drama gets its full season before doing an Alice and being shifted to 10.30.

Thursday’s seem to be Nine’s night with Getaway, RPA/Ramsay’s/MPU and The Footy Show so why change it.

I expect Moment of Truth and My Kid’s A Star to be removed within the next week. Ugly Betty has been earmarked by Seven for Wednesday’s so this should hurry up the process.

It may be stalled but because what else has Nine got in the cupboard that won’t flop?

Domestic Blitz perhaps…or time to wake Eddie McGuire from hibernation... a chat show with Ray Martin didn't seem like such a bad idea now...