WEEK FIVE... WE'RE UP AGAIN!

So I'm neck deep in writing the last two scripts and the last thing I should be doing is updating my fucking blog... or playing Crysis Warhead or Gears of War or Rainbow 6 Vegas II. But I just got off the phone with FX and I'm happy to report that our ratings went up again this week. "Giving Back" matched the premier number in the 18-49. And our Sunday and Tuesday night repeats of "Patch Over" were both up. Sons of Anarchy continues to attract new viewers and more importantly, it's keeping the ones we have. Look, in the general scheme of things, 1.5 is not a huge number. Network shows do 10's and higher. But in cable it's a respectable number and the truly phenomenal thing is the fact that not only aren't our numbers dropping off, they're actually improving. In this gluttonous landscape of scripted TV, that shit isn't supposed to happen. I can't tell you the number of comments and emails I've gotten from viewers who assure me that they are telling all their friends and colleagues about the show. It's working. I'm glad people are digging the show. If you keep watching, I'll keep writing. Thanks again.

SOA GROWING AN AUDIENCE

I'm reluctant to post this stuff, because I don't wanna jinx anything or have it all go away, but I figure I should share some really good news (at least for this week). There are many complicated formulas I can (and cannot) expand upon, but the bottom line is that Sons of Anarchy is growing an audience. I vented about (and was slammed for it) the hit we took on our premier because of the RNC. SOA was tracking higher than most other FX shows and everyone was hoping for a boffo premier number. That didn't happen. It was a modest success. The problem with the modest number is that the viewing audience always drops off after a premier. Traditionally, even for successful shows, the ratings drop 20+% the second week and as much as 40+% the third week. The real viewing audience number levels out around week five or six. The number I'm referring to is the Nielsen rating adults 18-49. That's the only number that means anything in network and cable television. It's the only demographic advertisers pay for. We include the repeats of SOA on Tuesday and Sunday in our overall 18-49 cumulative. In week two we were encouraged when we held the same number as the premier. Including the repeat broadcasts, we held 97% of our audience. In week three we were down 20% on the Wednesday night airing. But we increased the Tuesday and Sunday night airings by 30% from week two, so we actually went up a percentage. We held 98% of the premier audience. In week four we knew we were up against big network premiers, CSI New York, Lipstick Jungle, etc. We were prepared to take a 30-50% drop off. That didn't happen. We actually INCREASED our Wednesday night airing by 5%. And if the Tuesday and Sunday night numbers are anything like last week, we could actually be higher in the 18-49 on week four than we were on the premier. That's pretty fucking cool. Yes, better ratings help insure the future of SOA, but the thing I love about this growth is that it says a lot about our audience. Our TiVo numbers seem to be skewing below average, which means that most people watching this show don't own DVRs. They are tuning in, feeling represented, relating to the world and stories and telling their friends. We ran out of advertising dough after week two, this increase is about word of mouth. Grass roots shit. For Sons of Anarchy to find its audience this way just seems right. And yes, I'm just a liberal shithead living in the Hollywood Hills and I don't pretend to relate to the man digging ditches in Duluth (although, I'm a white-trash Jersey boy at heart). But my intent with Sons was/is to explore the themes of freedom, family and the corruption of the American dream. I think that's pretty relate-able shit for everyone, regardless of race, religion, sex or party affiliation. Anyway, we'll see what week five brings, but for today, I'm pleased and grateful. Thank you for watching. And keep telling your friends.

COOL HAND NEWMAN

Class act. Class actor. I have five movies that I watch at least once a year. Two of the five -- The Verdict and Cool Hand Luke. Few actors have managed to do what he has done on and off the screen. Oscar-winning, Emmy-winning actor, director, husband, father, philanthropist, and fucking race car driver. What a beautiful life. What an amazing legacy. Old Man, I gotta tell you. I started out pretty strong and fast. But it's beginning to get to me. When does it end? What do you got in mind for me? What do I do now? Right. All right. On my knees, asking. (No response from God) Yeah, that's what I thought. I guess I'm pretty tough to deal with, huh? A hard case. Yeah. I guess I gotta find my own way. -- Cool Hand Luke