Are We Smarter Than the Ratings?

On Tuesday, Feb. 27, Fox broke an eight-and-a-half year record. It would be easy to assume that it was American Idol that broke this record, considering that the entire winter/spring television schedule revolves around it. But, in fact, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? was the highest rated series premiere ever (with 26.57 million viewers) and the most watched series premiere on any network since NBC's Jesse.

Now, if you don't remember Jesse, that's perfectly understandable, as it only lasted for two seasons. Jesse proved that just because a show premieres with mega-numbers doesn't necessarily mean it will have long-term success. Some of the most popular shows of the '90s-Friends and Seinfeld included-premiered with less-than-stellar numbers. In today's television world, these shows probably wouldn't have been given the chance to develop into the shows they became.

As a big supporter of good-but ratings-challenged-shows such as Veronica Mars, it pains me to admit that Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? is not the worst show on television. When it first premiered, I expressed my shock and annoyance with its numbers-but I hadn't watched an episode and was definitely biased by the fact that the incredibly high numbers of this game show detracted from the night's Veronica Mars episode. Yet, sitting down to actually watch 5th Grader revealed that the show is not so bad.

Sure, it is slow and Jeff Foxworthy is a little dry, but it's still fairly entertaining to watch. Making fun of the contestants is easy-based on the fact that it takes them five minutes to answer questions while the fifth-graders take five seconds and that the questions are pretty simple. The concept of having five kids on the show is gimmicky, but the contrast between them and the adults is usually funny. And in terms of the current crop of game shows, this show is not that bad because, at the very least, winning money is dependent on some knowledge. The knowledge is elementary, but it's there, which makes it better than Deal or No Deal. That show is just ridiculous because it requires no intelligence and is not even strategic-it's blind luck.

My biggest problem with primetime game shows is that their inflated numbers make those of smaller shows-such as the aforementioned Veronica Mars-seem even smaller. The numbers of smaller shows don't seem so bad in the context of other small shows, but seem ridiculous when compared to these gigantic premieres. The networks are on a perpetual quest for the next big hit. Along the way, they are willing to sacrifice shows that take up a timeslot with a small but dedicated following in hopes of finding a mega-hit to take its place. If this trend continues, we'll be left with five network lineups complete with reality show after reality show, game show after game show . The only saving grace is the good show that comes along once in a while that develops enough of a following to become a network's signature show, like Grey's Anatomy. Sure there are other quality shows, but without numbers, quality doesn't seem to matter to the networks quite so much.

For now, the only thing left to do is hope for another last minute save for Veronica Mars-giving it a last chance to prove that it just might be the best show on television. Most people will disagree with me without even giving it a chance, but let me assure you, it's definitely better than Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?-though that's not saying much.