Image Credit: CW
How did The CW’s new Thursday block pairing returning hit The Vampire Diaries and newcomer The Secret Circle do in the ratings?
Not too shabby. Though Vampire Diaries (3 million viewers, 1.4 adults 18-49 rating) dipped from its premiere last year, The Secret Circle (3 million, 1.3) retained nearly all of its lead in from the network’s top-rated show. VD was down a pretty standard annual dip of 13 percent from last year’s debut. Secret Circle was down a tenth from Nikita‘s debut in the slot last year in the adult demo, but tied Nikita in the network’s 18-34 target demo (and with its stronger lead-in, the witchcraft drama managed to pull a higher number than Ringer‘s premiere on Tuesday).
Overall: Both numbers are considered solid CW ratings for your typical weeks, though one hopes the network can maintain these levels in the weeks to come once rivals unleash their shows.
Meanwhile, over on NBC, the network picked up some additional sampling for new comedies Up All Night (1.0) and Free Agents (1.1), airing repeats of their pilots inside their Thursday block.
Read more:
‘The Vampire Diaries’ season premiere recap: Never Let Go
‘The Secret Circle’ series premiere recap: Toil and Trouble
Think that picture from Secret Circle is from an episode that hasn’t happened yet… unless I missed that scene last night.
The first thing that hit me too…reporting is too fast to be accurate online these days and forever.
What’s inaccurate? The CW sent EW a media pack with stills from the show and they used this one? Should it have been one from the premiere episode? Maybe, but it’s pretty irrelevant.
Because – since the beginning of print reporting – the picture that goes with the article was/is/should be a match. Yes, a minor detail, but why not be perfect?
So The CW spent the bulk of its marketing budget promoting Ringer, yet The Secret Circle got better ratings for the premiere episode. Of course, TSC had a much better lead in, but still.
@JC, you have to remember that TSC is right in the wheelhouse of the CW’s angsty teeny-bop crowd demo that figures to be a given draw especially when paired with a similarly themed show (that happens to be the network’s most popular show) like TVD, and Ringer is a far more grown up show in theme and scope than anything else on the network and needs to get more eyes to check it out especially from adults who pretty much dismiss anything on the CW as being basically teen fare.
Yep, Ringer is a much harder sell for them. Secret Circle was pure autopilot.
I hadn’t planned on watching Ringer at all but nothing else was on that night so I sat through it. I’ll probably give it another ep or two but I wasn’t really drawn into it. With a better cast it would have been a CBS show, but with this cast it’s too old-skewing for CW and probably won’t last past this season as it’s just not that good.
By contrast, I had pretty low expectations of Secret Circle and was rather pleasantly surprised, despite some major familiar cliches. Actually looking forward to more eps of this one. Seems a good companion piece to TVD.
Secret Circle has a better lead-in and better timeslot plus faced less competition this week, and it was promoted during the Ringer premiere. Yet it performed only marginally better than Ringer, which followed the very weak 90210, was up against the finale of America’s Got Talent, and was not promoted during the premiere of Secret Circle. I’d say Ringer emerged looking better.
I love Vampire Diaries. Damon looks super sexy this year with his hair not so short. He reminds me of Rob Lowe back in his St. Elmo Fire days, except Ian Somerhalders eyes are much sexier than Rob Lowe’s are. Hopefully Vampire Diaries picks up the ratings because I don’t want to see it get cancelled.
I agree with k88 100%.
TVD has a fairly large following though. I think it doesn’t get ratings because a lot of people probably watch online, DVR, etc etc and apparently those views don’t matter.
I got that Rob Lowe/St. Elmo’s vibe too. He was looking a lot like Billy.
I think Vampire Diaries is the CW show that’s least likely to get canceled, really.
VD is actually one of the best shows on network tv. yeah, its campy and its premise isnt everyone’s cup of tea (vampires! witches!), however, the writing is solid and the show actually makes its storyline work(take note Alan Ball).
I didn’t even know Vampire Diaries was back. I assumed all shows were premiering next week. And I wanted to TSC only because of the guy from the Sarah Connor Chronicles. I guess I’ll check CW website to watch the episodes.
Abby you can watch it tonight it will air again. It was great
I bet these don’t count the DVR numbers, I mean once all the shows start, I tend to save TVD because I like it so much that I don’t want commercial interruptions so I watch the Big Bang Theory, then usually try and avoid Community because I want to see the episode on demand the next day, then watch P&R and the Office then watch TVD. Last night there wasn’t anything really competing with The Secret Circle. I was giving it a chance because I suspect Person of Interest might bury it.
You watch too much TV.
I liked Secret Garden and love Vampire Diaries but why do casts on these show become younger and younger? These kids on Secret Garden look like they are about 15 or 16.
Doesn’t CW make show for anyone over 21?
lol, Secret ‘Garden’?
I dont know why but TSC bugged me and I had really wanted to like, but I will give it another week to see if it grows on me.
I actually think Vampire Diaries is one of the better dramas on TV (and The AV Club agrees) but Secret Circle was flat out terrible. Loved Britt Robertson on Life Unexpected, but this show really played against her strength. Found everything about it to be paint by numbers and nearly identical to The Vampire Diaries except really crappy. Not enough for a second episode from me and I usually hang on to stuff too long.
Meh maybe nobody wants to see Damon drooling all over Elena while Stefan is left out in the cold. Seriously it makes Elena look bad leading Damon on when she clearly loves Stefan.
Actually, its been pretty clear since the middle of season 1 that Elena is conflicted over her feelings/ love for both brothers…. Stefan is the obvious choice in the first two seasons because of Damon’s bad boy persona, but Stefan is about to show that his past history is WAY worse than what we have seen from Damon so far. I think the point is that you can love two different people in two different ways, and that makes the real question: Who is ACTUALLY the better man? The whole focus of season 3 will be on Damon and Elena…..and on a personal note – I will gladly watch Damon “drooling all over Elena”!! They are two of the best looking people on tv atm.
Jessica, ITA about IS and ND being two of the best looking people on TV! LOL And I actually like watching Elena being torn, she has chemistry with both brothers, and I like her relationships with both of them individually.
Jessica: Perfectly said! I’ve been trying to get my friends to sway over to this point of view for a while. I think that Stefan struggles to repress his deeply flawed character, while Damon’s bad boy persona is just a charade to conceal his inherent goodness. Hoping the writers take this track, anyway. It’s far more interesting than “boy meets girl in high school and they live happily ever after.” We already got that crap out of the other franchise…
I don’t think Elena wants to lead Damon on, I think she was giving him a goodbye kiss, that ended up NOT being a goodbye after all, and she had no clue of the sacrifice Stefan was making to save his brother’s life. I think NOW she feels terribly guilty about that kiss. But how powerful was that last scene between Stefan and Elena on the phone? PW didn’t even have to say a word, his facial expressions said it all. What a great show, TVD was my favorite show last season, it’s got such a great energy. I DVR’d Secret Circle and haven’t watched it yet, but the reviews haven’t been too great so far
Just an FYI so the media gets it right. The show didn’t even happen in my area. We had high school football for some reason. Every year we mist a few weeks in a row of TV because of this on CW. So SW only has itself to blame for poor ratings.
Um the secret circle was OK a bit cheesy, acting is not so great. “The bad girl” seems to be trying too hard…Ringer was great and Sarah Michelle Gellar is a great actress these ladies could learn from her and the greatest witch …Willow
I was a little shocked when I saw “Vampire Diaries” last night. This is a show aimed at teenage girls that was extremely violent and showed main characters openly smoking pot, drinking alcohol and talking about how horny they are. I realize that teenagers have sex, etc. in real life, but what a terrible example they’re setting showing this on TV like it’s no big deal. Not to mention, the ugly deaths and that guy being tortured. Not something I would ever let my kid watch.
Ugh. Then don’t let them! God.
AGREED. I’m tired of people complaining about what’s on tv in respect to “their children seeing it.” Just don’t let them watch it! It’s that easy!
I watch the Vampire Diaries WITH my 17 year old daughter, and we both love the show!! My daughter is a special needs child, and was very far behind her age group. But now that we watch this show together, she is catching on to phrases and actions of kids her age. We discuss the plot after the show is over, even the drug use,and sexual themes. Truly, this show has done wonders for my child’s self progress. It gives us something to watch together, and it is also good that we both love the show!! I would rather monitor shows with my daughter, than to have her watch some of these shows on her own.
Teens see worse in actual High School. Just Sayin’.
I was disgusted last night by the drug use. I think they are illegal for a reason and have no place on my show. I don’t have kids am will not through to that. I as an adult want to see some shows doing the things that already makes me stay home and avoid the world. Tired of not being able to go out because everyone thinks they need to be high. This show is going down a dangerous path and in the end it won’t pay off. There is a reason I have never seen an episode of “weeds” it’s nasty and our lungs are not meant to breath in any kind of smoke. Drug fee 4 me!
Hey everybody, this shut in doesn’t like drugs! What an effing weirdo, EVERYBODY’S doing them!!
Just because everybody is doing it doesn’t stop it from being what it is- illegal and dangerous in the hands of teens.
Secret Circle stinks. What a horrible show, full of cliches and terrible acting.
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