The Spin-off
Stephen Colbert on a hot streak; pilot season by the numbers
For the third week in a row, Stephen Colbert has bested Jimmy Fallon in the ratings. The current president is no doubt part of the reason. And, in this year's pilot season, overall series orders are down this year, but networks are still dealing with a mid-season logjam.
By Josef Adalian • • 32m ListenThe first episode of the The Good Fight --the spin-off of The Good Wife -- aired on CBS to more than seven million viewers, but how many people of those people will make the jump to CBS All Access to stay with the show? And in other CBS ratings news, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been beating Jimmy Fallon and the Tonight Show for three weeks in a row. It feels like a revolutionary moment for Colbert in his current job -- for months people said he hadn't quite found his footing, but now he's in his groove, thanks in large part to his response to Donald Trump. Then, Lesley Goldberg takes us on a tour through this year's pilot season. Overall series orders are down, which makes more economic sense, but there's still a lot of overlap in show topics. If you were thinking about making a military drama or sibling comedy, maybe hold off -- the market is saturated with those this year.
End of show Downloads:
Lesley: If you want to feel all the feelings, This is Us on NBC will more than deliver. For other family friendly shows, The Goldbergs and Speechless on ABC continue to put out strong episodes as well.
Joe:Rachel Maddow on MSNBC continues to break down news stories in a smart and compelling way.
Mike:Bates Motel on A&E is back and better than ever for its final season. The cast now includes Rihanna, who is a super-fan of the show.
