Desperate For Ratings: "Desperate Housewives" Has Record Low Audience

ABC's "Desperate Housewives" fell to a record low rating for an original episode as the suburban soap returned to the air on Sunday after being sidelined for more than three months by the writers strike.

The show drew 16 million viewers, down about 15 percent from its season average of 18.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. It was still enough to win the 9 p.m. hour by a wide margin, and give ABC the nightly honors with 10.5 million viewers.

"Housewives" was hurt by the absence of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" as a lead-in. Instead, ABC moved the fast-fading "Oprah's Big Give" to the 8 p.m. slot (8.9 million viewers vs. a season average of 11.5 million).

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[Manx]

Everyone is entitled to at least one program of trash TV and mine was "Desperate Housewives."
It used to be a funny social satire but has morphed into something banal. The last show was a bore. It's not the housewives who are desperate but the writers. They're resorting to tornadoes, murders, intrigue, blindness, cancer and all the tricks in the book that identify a dying series. It was funnier before it became so sensational. It's having an identity crisis - it doesn't know whether it wants to be a funny satire or a murder mystery.

[GAC1]

One show was enough for me. It was like doing tim with the idiot girls from high school. Brainless, boring and self absorbed.

[WinceCarter]

These MILFS are indeed looking increasingly desperate!

[NewRiver]

I could fix their ratings in one week...naked tag team mud wrestling...Longoria and Hatcher against Cross and Huffman. Be back on top in no time.

[gonavy]

I decided to find something more productive to do with my time when you folks went on strike. I thank you for giving me the push to go back to college. I'll try to get back to you in 4 or 5 years.

[DRaymond]

This may be one of several series that may have trouble coming back from the strike. People set new patterns, and if their interest was flagging a little they may not move back (and yes, lead-ins are important part of that).

Frankly I think that they made a big mistake having the tornado episode not be the last one before the strike. Aure they had another one in the can, but the tornado episode had all the elements of a season ending episode that would have had them eager for the restart, and they could have restarted one week ahead of everybody else.

[Changeling]

Honest question:

When awards time rolls around could someone tell me why this show is classified as a "comedy." Too much farce for drama? But comedy? I've never so much cracked a smile.

[kaypic]

I really looked forward to some of my regular programs to begin again, and I must say, I was very disappointed with this return of Desperate Housewives. If it doesn't get any better next week, I'm done watching it.

[LoRiseAntlers]

I stopped watching this show about three shows into it's second season.It had already gotten stale and repetitious.I'm really surprised it's made it this far.

And the fact it depends on a glorified home improvement show to bring it viewers is telling.

[Eric8869]

DH has jumped the shark. Who cares if Dana Delaney killed her husband or not? That storyline is so bad it makes me miss the Applewhites (and that's bad).