The Dome gets new season
Who knew that a town trapped in an invisible barrier would make such a visible impact on summer TV? With a weekly average of around 14 million U.S. viewers, and 1.8 million Canadian ones, Under the Dome has put pep into what’s usually a sleepy season.
It’s the biggest new scripted summer show in more than 20 years, the number-crunchers say. One that will likely change networks’ strategy in years to come, they crow. Well, good. For what seems like ages, summer TV viewers have endured hours of oversimplified reality fare.
We’ve been beaten down by The Bachelor franchise, with its promises of a Happily Ever After crushed like so many withering red roses. Big Brother has made us fans by force, with three hour-long episodes loitering on screens each week. And that’s nothing to say of this year’s ratings
disappointments Whodunnit?, Does Someone Have to Go? and The American Baking Competition.
So it’s no surprise that CBS has renewed Under the Dome, the sci-fi series based on Stephen King’s like-titled novel and overseen by Steven Spielberg, for a second season.
“It is official … Stephen King will be writing the first episode of that 13episode arc,” CBS’s CEO, Les Moonves, said at the Television Critics Association press tour in California last week. Of the series, he added, “It’s the way television can be. Obviously, it’s a very different model.”
That is, Under the Dome runs for 13 episodes and only in summers. It was cheaper than traditional scripted shows because of strong international sales and a deal with Amazon’s Prime Instant Video, which airs episodes four days after their CBS premières. When you factor in DVR viewing, video on demand and online streaming, Under the Dome takes in an even greater market share.
But the average summer TV viewer doesn’t care about numbers or the cogs turning in the television industry. What we want in the lazy, hazy days of summer is entertainment, pure and simple. And Under the Dome is a clear winner.
10 p.m., Global, CBS
Two to view • Speaking of traditional summer reality TV fare, The Bachelorette takes up a whopping three hours Monday night with its season finale and After the Final Rose special. Desiree’s heart was broken by Brooks last week and now she must decide if she wants to move forward with the other men.
8 p.m., ABC • Get Out Alive With Bear Grylls may not have spectacular ratings, but they’re good enough to make it a moderate summer success. This week, the contestants cross a rope suspended 30 metres over a gorge.
9 p.m., Global, NBC