8 things we learned from fall TV season

'Scandal,' 'The Walking Dead,' and 'The Big Bang Theory' make an impact.

The November sweeps are over, viewing habits have settled, and the major TV networks are breathing sighs of relief: In contrast to last fall, each has at least one promising newcomer. But cable shows are stealing viewers (The Walking Dead) and critical praise (Masters of Sex). Until midseason reinforcements arrive, here are eight things we learned this fall:

The big broadcast networks aren't dying. All but ABC have more viewers this season than they did at this point last year. NBC is up 12% to rank a strong second behind CBS (and leads among young adults), though that picture will change come January when The Voice and Sunday Night Football are gone.

DVRs are an even bigger force. Growth in ownership of the recording devices has slowed to a crawl; they're now in 48% of U.S. homes. But usage has escalated sharply: Just 59% of all prime-time viewing by young adults on the major networks is done live, down from 71% just three years ago. Delayed viewing up to seven days after a show airs routinely adds 30% to 80% to top shows' ratings. But networks still can't profit from all those extra eyeballs: They get paid only for those who watch commercials within three days, though some are angling to extend that window.

Leonard (Johnny Galecki) tries to keep Sheldon (Jim Parsons) from overreacting when a past mistake comes to light on CBS comedy 'The Big Bang Theory.'

Lead-ins still matter. Despite that growing DVR usage, which enables viewers to set their own schedules, many new hits still achieved success by dint of their timeslot: CBS's biggest new series, The Millers, airs behind TV's top comedy, The Big Bang Theory; the biggest new show, NBC's The Blacklist, follows The Voice.Chicago Fire is up 39% thanks to its new home behind the singing competition's Tuesday results show.

Comedy isn't funny. Though it's been a top priority, launching more comedies (there are 24 live-action sitcoms on the Big 4 networks) largely hasn't worked. NBC hit historic lows last Thursday, a former "must-see" night it once dominated; CBS' once-winning Monday schedule is now a distant third; and two newcomers were axed after just two episodes. Among all of them, only CBS' The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother are up over last season, while Two and a Half Men, and Fox's New Girl and The Mindy Project sank more than 20%.

Scandal is scorching. ABC's sudsy D.C. drama on Thursdays takes the returning-series prize: It's spiked 52% in its third season and has nearly tied lead-in Grey's Anatomy as ABC's No. 2 show among younger viewers, behind Modern Family.

But zombies kill. AMC's The Walking Dead, in the midst of its short eight-episode fall season, has for a second year dominated all of television among those younger viewers on Sundays, and managed more than 18 million overall.

These new shows will last the season: CBS' Mom, The Millers and The Crazy Ones; NBC's The Blacklist and The Michael J. Fox Show; ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Goldbergs and Trophy Wife; CW's The Tomorrow People, The Originals and Reign; and Fox's Brooklyn Nine-Nine. (Sleepy Hollow, a 13-episode series, has already been renewed for next fall.)

These won't: CBS' We Are Men and Hostages; ABC's Lucky 7, Betrayal, Super Fun Night, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and Back in the Game; NBC's Welcome to the Family, Ironside, Sean Saves the World and Dracula; and Fox's Dads. All are either already gone or will end shorter runs by Valentine's Day.

 

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