We Rate Returning US SF TV Series

Yikes! And you think the economy is bad. Imagine being a network executive these days. Much like the vanishing honey bees, television viewers seems to have evaporated, and shows across the spectrum are struggling. In fact, the networks are bleeding as they thrash about trying to figure out how to bring viewers back to their favorite shows.
In this second of two stories, we take a look at how returning SF&F series are doing this fall, graded from best to worst.
Ghost Hunters (SCI FI) Premiered with 2.7 million viewers. Last week, 3.2 million viewers. The future's so bright, these ghost hunters will have to wear shades. Last week our favorite ghost-hunting plumbers reached a series high, which is great news leading into their big live Halloween investigation special. And beyond spawning a successful sequel in Ghost Hunters International, SCI FI just announced it has ordered a pilot for Ghost Hunters: College Edition, in which seasoned investigators lead a group of college students in the hunt for ghosts. Can you say "franchise"? Or, heck, let's just have the Ghost Hunting Channel. Grade: A
This story continues below the image.

The Ghost Hunters: Jason Hawes (left) and Grant Wilson. (Chris Kontoes for SCI FI )
Ghost Whisperer (CBS) Premiered with 9.31 million viewers. Last week, 9.95 million viewers. While the series hasn't been able to crack 10 million viewers this year, it's come close enough that it is the highest-rated series on Friday nights. And this is one of the few shows that has actually increased viewers since last year on the networks. Grade: B+
Supernatural (The CW) Premiered with 3.96 million viewers. Last week, 3.25 million viewers. Supernatural has also done well this season, increasing in total viewers from last season. This male-oriented show also has seen a dramatic increase among women 18-49, which is very good. And the show did it all in the toughest timeslot on television. Grade: B
Smallville (The CW) Premiered with 4.38 million viewers. Last week, 4.22 million viewers. Down a bit from last season, Smallville is still looking like a champ, compared with The CW's other low-rated programming. While it may not be as shiny as it once was, what show would be as it delves into its eighth season? Ratings should be good enough for another year--if The CW doesn't collapse completely. It's unlikely the network will find another show that can be competitive on Thursday nights with viewers as loyal as those for Smallville. Grade: B-
This story continues below the image.

Tom Welling as Clark Kent in Smallville. (Michael Courtney for The CW)
Heroes (NBC) Premiered with 9.89 million viewers. Last week, 8.46 million viewers. How the mighty have fallen. While Heroes premiered last year with 16.97 million viewers, the series has taken a significant hit. One bright spot is that the show does very well in DVR viewings later in the week. The bad news is that most of those people don't watch commercials. It's doubtful Heroes is in danger of cancellation at this point, but the show's hit status has vanished. Grade: C (NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.)
Chuck (NBC) Premiered with 6.48 million viewers. Last week, 6.7 million viewers. You've got to love a show about a sweet and adorable nerd who ends up accidentally becoming a spy, and NBC loved it enough in its second season to give it a full-season pickup before it even premiered. Unfortunately, viewers have not been flocking to the series, which is down significantly from last year, and if NBC didn't have other problems, Chuck would be in big trouble. Grade: C-
Eli Stone (ABC) Premiered with 8.82 million viewers. Last week, 8.51 million viewers. Poor Eli Stone! So far it's having a great season creatively, but it's viewer-challenged. Viewers show up at the start of the show, most likely thanks to the Dancing With the Stars Results Show, and then leave by 10:30 p.m. The drop of 2+ million viewers within an episode is not a good sign. The only saving grace is that Eli's doing better than Thursday's Life on Mars and many of ABC's other 10 p.m. shows. Grade: D+
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox) Premiered with 6.34 million viewers. Last week, 5.34 million viewers. Tough times for this tough series. Sarah premiered last year with more than 10 million viewers. The earlier timeslot hasn't been kind to the series, however, and viewer erosion has been significant. It might be time to give Sarah a tryout in a different timeslot before scrapping this promising series altogether. Grade: D
This story continues below the image.

Charley (Dean Winters, left) and Derek (Brian Austin Green, right) help Sarah (Lena Headey). (Michael Desmond for Fox)
Pushing Daisies (ABC) Premiered with 6.32 million viewers. Last week, 5.67 million viewers. And then there's the sad case of Pushing Daisies. Last season the show premiered with more than 13 million viewers delighting in the colorful and creative series. Unfortunately, here we are: a great series filled with potential that probably won't last out the season. Too bad. Grade: D-
But that's not all folks! Headed our way, there are plenty of returning series to embrace, including Lost, Medium and Reaper, which are all set to premiere during midseason. --Kathie Huddleston