UPDATE: The final, unrounded numbers are 1.012 for SGU and 843,000 for Caprica. This story has been updated accordingly.
The initial ratings are in for “Cloverdale,” the fifth episode of Stargate Universe‘s new season! After a nosedive from it’s highest of the season two weeks ago (1.222 million) to its lowest of the season last week (0.974 million), SGU up-ticked to 1.012 million viewers, according to a trusted source at GateWorld Forum.
These are “Live + Same Day” ratings figures from Nielsen, meaning they account for those who watched the show live at 9 p.m. or DVR’ed it but watched it by 3 a.m. Additional DVR-offset ratings won’t be available for a few weeks.
Caprica followed at 10 p.m. and drew an estimated 843,000 viewers. That’s an improvement of 17 percent from last week’s series low, but not enough to save it from the cancellation announced by Syfy today.
On the big networks NCIS: Los Angeles and Dancing With the Stars (results show) once again owned the 9 p.m. slot, with 15.99 million and 15.93 million viewers, respectively.
Last week Stargate and Caprica also had to contend with the baseball playoffs, which grabbed nearly 10 million viewers. The World Series starts today, but there are no Tuesday games on the schedule.
Elsewhere in our ratings watch, Sanctuary continued its third season last Friday night with an unfortunate 23 percent drop from the third season premiere. Around 1.38 million viewers tuned in to see “Firewall” on October 22.
Next Tuesday’s episode of SGU will face a very different slate of network programming, as several of the networks preempt their new shows with election night coverage. NCIS: Los Angeles currently has a rerun scheduled; ABC is planning 90 minutes of Dancing With the Stars starting at 8 p.m., with election coverage starting at 9:30.
Keep your browser locked on GateWorld throughout the week for our full coverage of “Cloverdale!” We’ll be adding our analysis of plot and character developments, the episode summary and transcript, HD screen capture gallery, and updates to The Stargate Omnipedia. And don’t miss next week’s new episode of SGU on Tuesday night! “Trial and Error” airs at 9 p.m. on Syfy.
That’s all folks!
Glad to see Stargate’s ratings are doing just fine. It was a little ridiculous how many people didn’t even read the article about the ratings for the previous episode.
That’s the third time I saw you post “That’s all folks!”. I get your point. Anyways, this is by no means amazing, but at least so far the average is over 1 million, which puts it in the middle ground between “could get a third season” and “could get canned like tuna”. We shall see. Here’s hoping it picks up more over the month of November.
About time!
Soap operish Caprica gets canned. For soap operish SGU the recent numbers are the lowest in SG history if I am not mistaking. If I was an SG producer, I’ll do the math and accept what my viewers are telling me. At least according to SGU’s producer Mallozzi though, the reasons for the bad ratings are ‘internet downloads’ and ‘people forgetting that it’s on Tuesday and not on Friday’. My point is not to mock anyone but to alert you to the fact that there’s probably no one at the helm of SG production team that’s willing to do what’s… Read more »
Just a tiny bit over a million isn’t going to cut it. But I guess it’s better for the show to get that instead of sinking even lower.
BTW, Sanctuary is in it’s 3rd season not 2nd. ;)
Have people forgotten that Live+7-day ratings are 78% higher than the live ratings? Plenty of people are watching. Once the Live+7-day ratings are available for this episode we’ll probably come to see that SGU is getting better ratings than Sanctuary.
I can’t believe I’m offering a suggesting for a bad show. Stop posting the synopsis of the episodes. People are clearly using it to judge whether to watch or not.
SGU has been a bit of a puzzle for me. the first episodes I watched out of curiousity and out of respect for the stellar track record the franchise has had so far and in no small measure to try and grasp where the producers might be going with this idea of theirs. Before the series even started I couldnt help but remember the 200th ep of SG1 where ideas were being thrown about and one was of “Young SG1”. Life imitates art and all that. Then I realized I missed the humor from SG1 and SGA both. That seemless… Read more »
I like it!
Well, first of all, everything indicated that it will be kinda ‘filler’ episode, so I think lot of people still skipped on that. Though, it turned to be one bad ass episode, which freaked me out several times. It was classic horror Stargate as I stand here. It *wasn’t* a filler. I think if SyFy wants to increase numbers they have to do a lot more advertising, cause this is not a classical Stargate, it is your sister’s and mom’s Stargate. They need to reach out for new audience. Good news is that next week episode ‘Trial and error’ sounds… Read more »
For addition: yeah, I loved it. That hand and end took me on surprise (and I have seen lot of Stargate horror episodes).
@general grevious when will the excuses for the poor ratings end? Baseball was on, People forgot, Sesame Street re-ran a classic, TV remote was lost, Walmart had some great deals that night, the Moon was a strange color…
Why do Sanctuary seem to be doing better? Do they have some copy protection that prevents Internet Downloads? ;) Sanctuary on a bad week achieves levels of viewers that SGU can only dream of.
When will people stop making silly excuses and face the facts?
@sledgehammer well, it seems that at least last week competition was an issue, in my opinion numbers tells so – as more people have watched show live. Remember, Live + DVR numbers are still around 1.5 million.
You know something bad is going on when you have to look to the forums for ratings. If TPTB were happy with show’s performance there wouldn’t be the cone of silence placed over it. Personally I can’t see November being a good month either. And where are all those “improvements” they said last year after criticism that would work their way into the show? I think the fuze has been lit. The next press release out of SyFy won’t be good. Unless of course you like Wrestling.
@sledgehammer – Your name is apropos in this scenario because you hit right on the nose. If your live+ ratings are high and your live ratings are not, it means your show is not good enough to watch live but maybe in the middle of the night if you can’t sleep. Those numbers also matter far less because it’s the advertising money that keeps shows on the air and the advertising dollars are attached to the live viewers. So SGU is failing. Plain and simple. You can spin it any way you want but it’s failing to meet SGA’s ratings… Read more »
Bingo.
Sponsers pay primo-money for that time slot because of the programing itself to get the most viewers. They’re not paying the same money for the time-slots at the 11pm showing of SGU because most people are going down for the night. Most people fast-forward through commercials so why would the DVR numbers mean anything anyway?
@ secretorigin… The Story wasn´t a Filler. The whole Hallucination had a deep background. It has been about the people on board the Destiny and his feelings for them.
Uhm… First I didn’t like SGU at all. I like SG1, SGA (sga is the best) but now I think SGU is getting better and better :) I want SGA to continue, the movie(s, but I don’t want SGU to end because of that. Okay, I liked PAthogen drama, and Cloverdale drama. But we need more aliens. More Stargate! More action, and ancients! My hope is in SGU :)A fan from Hungary.
Although I love this show and loved the last episode..even I am starting to wonder where are those new and exciting things they’ve been announcing for this season. And where is the humor? I agree with people that said you can have fast paste action and good character development at the same time. The producers of this show obviously wanted bigger numbers..they epected to hold on to their old fan base,plus reach out to a wider audience. This has nothing to do with my opinion of this show..but objectively speaking,they’ve failed at both! And since every sci-fi show is wery… Read more »
@altera I absolutely agree with you!!
stop asking for humor, its not that type of show what part of serious sci-fi dont you lot understand? have you ever read a sci-fi book that had characters making sarcastic remarks every page? no. But if you really are asking for humor still then you mustve been sleep-watching because episode Awakening had plenty of humor, especially from Rush. you cant ask more than that, and no one want more than that. humor ruins shows like this. I want them to explore the universe with a serious face.
I think it went back up because “Pathogen” was a decent episode. But “Cloverdale” was pretty terrible, so I expect another drop next week.
Although, I should admit, I *loved* Greer in the real world in this episode. He was like absolutely LOVING the whole killin’ plants thing.
Asking for humor doesn’t mean asking for a sitcom..and humor always has been a part of SG franchise.
And since this is a different show it also doesn’t mean O’Neills sarcasm like answering to a gay that says about Teal’c;He’s a Jaffa..No he’s not,but he plays one on TV lol!
I love it,but it would be inaproppriate for this show!
However a certain amount of a smart humor,like Eli’s can make show only better..I feel there’s been less of that this season.
@ocdtrekkie well so far survey of mine I did overlooking fan responses over net it indicates it was a blast. There where usual amount of whinners, but it seems that common crowd start to grown on SGU.
Anyway, let’s see what next week will bring to us.
Sorry,I meant answering to a guy
This episode had an absolutely INCREDIBLE ending… if for no other reason, the incredible directing!
It did have an amazing ending and for those who had been complaining about Scott-Chloe relationship,I think it deepens it,makes it more profound and interesting.
Eli’s reaction to her staying with him on a planet was awesome!
It showes us her complete comitemment to Scott and his doubts about his feelings for her and then when it seems he’d excepted her completely and excepted being a one woman man..her half-alien face cuts into that!I’m really interested to see where it goes from here.
One thing to remember – SGU is not SG1 or SGA. Totally different shows using the Stargate mythology. I was a casual viewer last year but re-examined it before S2 started. I found a good to at times, brilliant drama interspersed with action adventure. When you look at their situation: trapped on a ship not under their control, taking them further from their home, limited supplies, personal conflicts and low supplies, it’s a wonder these people have survived this long. How do you think you’d do? Give the show a chance, leave your preconceived notions behind and just enjoy the… Read more »
kimmyg> I’m totally agree with you! SGU is not SG1 or SGA; SGU IS a kinda great show! I’m just worried about this rating-renewal thing. :S Hope the next episode will show increase either. :) We want season 3!
I personally loved this episode and the whole show in general. Its just great. Each to their own of course and these are my opinions alone. But I find the all characters engaging and well rounded. The writing is very exciting and the direction is awesome. Not to mention the great casting and fantastic actors. What more could a massive sci-fi fan want. Cant wait for the next ep and what they will do in season three. I don’t miss the comedy of SGA and SG1 or the action. This beats Star Trek, Star Wars and all the other contenders… Read more »
@kimmyg That is what I loved so much about the Cloverdale,and I mean the entire ep,not just the awesome ending..characters in Scott’s vision put in a different situation,but still essentially playing the same roles as in the real life.At least how Matt percieves them..but even that is not far off. Chloe in real life as in the vision is certain about their relationship..him not so much,especially after the Insurrection and now the alien stuff.But he’s getting there. Chloe looking at Eli as her brother and him feeling so protective of her..same. Matt’s unresolved issue with Lt.James..the same. Him seeing a… Read more »
BTW For those of you that had seen it..Farscape is a perfect example how smart humor,fast paste action,very serious drama,amazing plots and an awesome romance story can go together in a brilliant way.
@Jim
Farscape was action, comedy and humor in a way sgu is not. Comparing the two it quite silly.
@kimmyg asked “How do you think you’d do?” My response without hesitation is: Much better than any of the characters on the show seem to. They didn’t, until recently, have any inclination to think that they would ever be able to meet the power requirements to get home and they still don’t, I believe, have any reason to assume that the gate on the ship could even dial back. Get over it. Yeah, it sucks. And yeah, some of them have reason to feel sad sometimes. But life does continue. Everyone you know and love could be wiped out tomorrow… Read more »
Real or not ! Comedy or not ! I love this show. This is the first stargate show I could really watch. The old ones are too large and too booring to watch.
Best Stargate seriess SGU !!!!!!
Good to see the ratings are still over a million at least. I think the season has been good so far, but I actually thought this episode was a little dull. Hopefully the ratings will improve and the won’t cancel it. Maybe they could try running it as a summer series instead.
As we can see from many of these comments, it’s pretty clear where and how the community has been split over “what” SGU is. Those who like the episode are describing the intricate plot details between characters and their relationships, conflicts, motivation, etc. while other strongly dislike it and think its among the worst SGU eps to date (citing the lack of the stargate, action, adventure, comedy in the sense we have gotten previously from the SG series). Anyway I know I’m not saying anything new. I just noticed how the last 2 episodes have really helped to define the… Read more »
@mythos Word Man!! While I do like this show and try and find positive things about it..and I still do and see the potential..,I agree on stailness of it and can see such a great potential of it all simply not being used. And what you’ve said about the life going on and a humor..absolutely. Look at Jack O’Neill..his son accidentaly killing himself with the guys own gun,John Sheppard and the accident in Afganistan..killing several innocent people..Ronan whom you’ve mentioned..his whole world literally GONE. All of those guys had carried some really havy baggage from the past and been lone… Read more »
@mnewton Farscape was also a serious character drama and one of the best pieces of sci-fi I’ve ever seen.I’m not comparing the two,I’m just saying that formula works and if they could do it,SGU can do it too..I’ve every confidence in writers skills.
@ Kosh LOL I kinda miss the old stuff,but I also loved those last two episodes..guess I’m walking that line in the sand :)
@Jim
Agreed
well,Jim…this is a forum about the ratings…humor (and obviously much more) was what Stargate was built on (unless you include the movie, and so you could conclude that SG-1 and SGA achieved their status due to this “non serious” type of sci-fi, as you so patronizingly put it. Star Trek, the most popular sci-fi show ever made had humor. I havent even cracked a smile while watching SGU. Well, except when I changed the channel. Face it, they were trying to capitalize on the Battlestar Galactica craze, (which started out with great potential but then went downhill quick)and it backfired.… Read more »
@general grievous: SGU isn’t soap operaish & you know it. Let’s not forget SGA was canceled for low ratings. Oh yeah, & it was awful too.
“Next Tuesday’s episode of SGU will face a very different slate of network programming….”
I this a nice way at hinting at be prepared for a new franchise low in the ratings next week?
I have to agree with Uncle Al and will take it one step further, why are they even airing a new show on that day? I mean really, do they think that the viewers are the type who wont be watching the news stations to hear how the election is going?
@Gaeth: “SGA was canceled for low ratings” No, it wasn’t. When the show was canceled, it was in the upswing in ratings. I’m not saying it was a hit but it was steadily keeping above SyFy’s primetime average – which SGU is unable to do. And it still managed to draw big numbers for its key episodes – which SGU is unable to do. And if it was canceled for its ratings, SGU would have to be canned by now, stomped to the ground and buried – S2 average: around 1.1 mil. vs. SGA S5 average: around 1.6 mil., both… Read more »
@wganubis: I think they hope to capture those viewers who are not interested in the election, offering an alternative to everybody else’s repeat. I’m not saying it’s wise but I think they’re getting a bit desperate, trying anything they can to boost the ratings: taking repeats off the air, offering them online after 30 days, giving it a different lead-in, airing new eps when everybody else is in repeat…
I actually found this episode to be the worst of SGU. Perhaps one of the worst SG.. It seemed too similar to T being a fireman, but that episode was executed and scripted brilliantly. The whole seeing the characters being more relaxed but still similar to what they were and Jackson’s part was beyond brilliant. And it really felt like you never knew what was going on till the end. This cloverdale episode… I think it was the first time I actually started to lose real interest. There is always so much potential to episodes and they just give us… Read more »
@katikatnik – I myself am not very political but given how much of a power shift they are expecting I would be very surprised if the number of viewers that SGU has stays or even goes up. For the shows sake, I really hope the network will air a rerun either the following tuesday or at another time between the 2nd and 9th other wise one could argue this is a “kill the show” move.