The television industry again learned a tried-and-true lesson; absence certainly does not always make the heart grow fonder.
“New Girl,” which premiered as a surprisingly-red-hot addition to FOX’s schedule this fall, slipped for its return from hiatus. Benched for baseball after just three episodes, “New Girl” did not have enough to time to build a die-hard, unbreakable audience and lost some steam.
The show dropped to a 3.5 with 7.5 million viewers.
Lead-in “Glee,” which has already been in a state of decline, also fell–this time to a shockingly-low 2.9 adults 18-49 rating with 7.4 million viewers. That represents one of its lowest original ratings to-date, only beating the Thanksgiving week edition of “Glee” from season one.
“Glee” returned from its two season one hiatuses in force (providing a counter to the wisdom that foretold weaker “New Girl” ratings), but as its momentum vanishes, such breaks are no longer as helpful. The return was barely on the buzz radar, and when it still has a solid audience that will tune in and spend money on the franchise, it is quickly losing its ability to claim standing as a “pop culture phenomenon.”