'Fringe' fizzles?

Anna Torv stars in "Fringe." (Fox)Fox's premiere of "Fringe" Tuesday night was not the ratings hit one might expect from a J.J. Abrams series. The show drew more than 9 million viewers, which is solid but not spectacular.

"While it led its timeslot in adults 18-49 and all key male demos, the result was underwhelming considering the show's auspices and all of Fox's tubthumping for it," wrote Variety.

The second episode of "90210" saw some ratings declines from its week-ago premiere, but The CW's "Privileged" held onto most of the "90210" audience, which should give CW execs some hope for the new season.

****Chad Rogers, Madison Hildebrand and Josh Flagg in "Million Dollar Listing." (Bravo)

Two of my summer guilty pleasures ended their runs Tuesday night. Bravo's reality show "Million Dollar Listing" followed three young Beverly Hills real estate agents who are each broken in assorted ways.

Josh (pictured, rfar ight) is arrogant, has a spotty history, and hangs with his grandmother, his best friend. He's the least likeable character. My favorite is Chad (pictured, left), who speaks in a halting cadence, as if he memorized everything he's saying. He looks like he's 12 with flat, black hair that he's constantly touching. Madison (pictured, center) says he's in love with a woman but he also dates guys. Each one is a piece of work and I can't wait for the show to come back next summer, although I won't be sad if Josh gets replaced by another young turk. The season finale was watched by 1.2 million viewers, which qualifies it as a hit for Bravo. I expect it will be renewed.

ABC Family's "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" also ended its summer run on a high note, drawing 4.5 million viewers and beating The CW's "90210" in some key demos. As much as I disliked the show when it started, by the end of its first season I have to express a grudging admiration for the series.

Yes, some of the acting is awful. And some of the dialogue is terrible. The stories can be simplistic and predictable. But at other times, "Secret Life" is more complex than I initially gave it credit for.

The way the show introduced connections among the characters was often surprising and well thought out. And the emotions of the characters, particularly the teenagers, often seem spot on.

"Secret Life" returns with new episodes in January.

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On this week's Tuned In Podcast, entertainment editor Sharon Eberson, dining critic China Millman and I discuss the new "90210," "Mad Men," "Entourage" and "True Blood."

Subscribe or listen at post-gazette.com/podcast.

Posted Sep 11 2008, 03:13 AM by Rob Owen
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Comments

Mongoosee3 wrote re: 'Fringe' fizzles?
on Thu, Sep 11 2008 8:36 AM

I'm surprised Fringe got such a small audience, but I don't know if that many people realize that Fox's premieres are starting.  I only noticed Bones was new last week by accident.

I thought Fringe was very good and I was drawn into it from the beginning.  I'll definitely keep tuning in, but I was also struck by how much like the X-Files the show seemed.  Maybe it's just me, but I'm not sure exactly how different this show is -- a government conspiracy, paranormal activity, an FBI agent.  It was very similar.  But I was an X-File fan, so I'll keep watching.

Rob Owen wrote re: 'Fringe' fizzles?
on Thu, Sep 11 2008 8:49 AM

I think you could be right that some viewers simply don't know new series have started. But I also thought the premiere was a bit of a snooze. If others felt that way, too, how many fewer viewers will come back next week? We'll see.