Not exactly a huge surprise, but Fox announced this afternoon that they renewed The Following, along with comedies New Girl, The Mindy Project, and Raising Hope. LET’S TALK NUMBERS.
All the shows Fox picked up today were considered likely to return, though the recent numbers for Raising Hope and Mindy Project are below the levels that Fox would have likely found acceptable a year or two ago. The Following has averaged 11.7 million viewers and a 4.0 rating among adults 18-9 when including seven days of DVR playback. New Girl has averaged 6.4 million viewers and 3.5 rating; Mindy Project has 4 million and a 2.1 rating; Raising Hope has 4.5 million and a 2.0 rating. Fox will continue its cable-sized-seasons strategy with The Following, ordering another 15 episodes instead of the usual 22-episode full season. [EW]
Not on the pick-up list yet: Glee, although it is expected to return once Fox and the studio hammer out their negotiations. In fact, I probably shouldn’t have even insinuated that it might not get picked up in the headline of this post. Kind of misleading, huh? Welp, too late too change it now, I guess. I’ll just have to suffer through all those erroneous page views from angry people hoping/fearing that Glee was getting canceled. We all have our burdens to bear.
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NBC will make their announcements while wearing riot gear.
Fox Executive: “Hi, I’d just like to announce that we’re renewing The Following, and the dude who hasn’t killed anyone is going to murder his girlfriend. Thanks everyone.”
“Oh, and the younger FBI agent has been Kevin Bacon’s follower all along. Thanks again for watching.”
“And the lady FBI agent is part of the cult, and her real name is Anna Bel Lee.”
Wow, I guess this show is as bad as I’ve been saying it is. I’ve predicted all those things as well. Is that the sign of terrible writing? I’m pretty sure. Every week I tell my girlfriend I’m done with that show, but she insists on dvring it and making us watch it at some point during the week. Last weeks episode was by far the most contrived hour of tv ever. 3 people in a house surrounded by every agency in existence and these people just stroll out and drive away. So so bad.
I’m glad I’m not alone. I keep watching it because I like laughing at how blatant everything is. My favorite was the crazy wife who they brought in for protection because her husband was part of the cult. There was a scene in which they showed her look at Hardy’s computer for no reason at all, and I was like, “She’s with them.” Then she killed the cool black agent. There is absolutely no surprise or shock factor at all.
And hoo boy, that standoff. It’s like they brought the worst SWAT team in America to take down these killers. And they all got away. Not just the girl, all of them.
It’s mindless, moderately violent fun, kinda like AHS. It’s basically 24 with serial killers instead of terrorists and a leading man who isn’t constantly out of breath.
It’s just embarrassing at this point. I mean it has become truly unwatchable for me. I’m done.
Let’s order some deep dish pizza and play a round of True American to celebrate!
JFK! FDR!
Bill Clinton rules?
@Nussy That’s the only way to play
*finishes beer
There needs to be some kind of Churchill Intervention (because he was half American, and all drunk). Somebody calls Churchill, and you have to drink your next beer warm.
@billybob
Naked.
Yay, Mindy Project! It’s about 6th on my list of network comedies, but that list will probably be only two-deep in the fall: 5) Modern Family, 6) Mindy Project
Still bummed that Ben and Kate never found its groove
also, I have been harsh on Mindy, but I will admit it has improved lately
everything with kaling and/or messina good. everything else, very bad.
Yay for Raising Hope!
Seriously, last week’s episode with its combo of the Earl reunion and Almost Famous plot was fantastic.
I’ve never watched New Girl and have no clue what it’s about but I look forward to the continued Zooey Deschanel pics and animated gifs.
Am I the only one who doesn’t like The Mindy Project? She’s just…. ugh…. “I’m a ditz but I’m smart but I’m mostly a ditz…. hehe!” No? I’m alone? Alright… I’m out.
She’s not my favorite, but I like her sense of humor overall. Doctor Castellenato is the reason to watch the show. He’s a big city OB-GYN Ron Swanson, basically. Just a little softer, but he’d have to be.
yeah Chris Messina is the only thing keeping me to that show. His love of cold cut sandwiches rivals Ron Swanson’s love of meat.
I had zero interest so I never watched an episode. However, based on the thirty seconds of the show that I catch on the end of my recordings of New Girl, I hate the Sex in the City-style recaps of what’s up in her life.
I got through half a block between commercials… it’s just… terrible. “Oh, you didn’t give it a chance…” Well, I saw her on The Office and seeing as she was just a slightly more intellectual version of that character… maybe as a girl I should be happy that feminism has gone SO far that women can be dumb and ditzy again…. but, that can be for others to enjoy.
I like Kevin Bacon, and have a kind of man-crush on James Purefoy (I would pay real money to have him play the Titan’s Bastard for, like, seven minutes on Game of Thrones), yet I couldn’t bring myself to watch past the first episode of The Following. Even though the serial killer babysitter was cute.
I think it just seemed too happy with its violence.
The serial killer babysitter looks like a No. 2 pencil.
Is The Following a hit for Fox? I bailed after 4 episodes.
Can’t stand any of the shows mentioned. I pretty much stopped watching NBC unless there’s a red bull event on. Garbage
Then I realized its not an NBC show
Yes. Indeed. A red bull event.
Huzzah!
It’s a shame about “The Following”, such a good idea – soooo poorly executed. The writing is bad, and in such obvious ways. For example: If virtually all of top lieutenants visited him in prison, get the logs, talk to the guards, look at surveillance tapes, find out who these people are, and investigate them. But their main characters are the worst law enforcement officers in the history of mankind. That’s one example, but there are lots of others.
Doesn’t anyone on the writing staff or the network notice this stuff? The staff of these tv shows are pretty big, and there are execs in charge of the show. How can so many people miss obvious stuff like this?
I thought that The Following was a one-off miniseries sort of thing. Am I mistaken, or did Fox just squander whatever value this series has by dooming it to interminable dragging out?
My girlfriend and I watch it, but honestly I think my favorite part is calling him “The Baconnator,” which is neither timely nor hilarious but is better than any joke on CBS.