About us Login Get email updates
County Fair
Print

Sarah Palin less popular than zombie horde

November 23, 2010 5:10 pm ET by Matt Gertz

Sarah Palin's "unprecedented negatives" are starting to spread to her TLC reality show, Sarah Palin's Alaska.

Her show's first episode drew five million viewers, making it the highest-rated premiere the network had ever had. The ratings for Palin's second episode fell off a cliff on Sunday, indicating that viewers were curious about her program, but disinclined to stick around:

Sarah Palin's Alaska fell 40% on Sunday night to 3 million viewers.

Not many were in the key adult demo either. Only 885,000 viewers were ages 18-49, dropping 44% from last week.

In fact, the median age of the show is 57 -- that's 15 years older than TLC's average.

Compare Palin's ratings to that of AMC zombie thriller The Walking Dead, which on Sunday drew 4.8 million viewers for its fourth episode, half in the lucrative 18-49 demo.

Sarah Palin's Alaska just doesn't seem to be the kind of horror show Americans are interested in.  

Expand All Expand 1st Level Collapse All Add Comment
    • Author by Imbecile (November 23, 2010 5:11 pm ET)
      2  
      Edit - title s/b "than"
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Tbone Slickens (November 23, 2010 7:30 pm ET)
          9
        So much Hope very little change...
        Report Abuse
        • Author by Andy Kreiss (November 24, 2010 4:16 am ET)
          5  
          Aren't you trying to say that the president's approval ratings are changing quite a bit ? You need to get your snappy comments and your facts in alignment.
          Report Abuse
      • Author by Tbone Slickens (November 23, 2010 7:47 pm ET)
        1 9
        So much Hope very little change...
        Report Abuse
        • Author by angels4light (November 23, 2010 8:15 pm ET)
          4  
          And yet, the RCP average has him at about 46%, with 48% disapproving. Seems the LATIMES has one of (if not the only) outlier.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by Tbone Slickens (November 23, 2010 11:31 pm ET)
              7
            And yet, you're losing MoveOn.org...

            They want their Hope and Change thing back...will they get it? Doesn't look good.
            Report Abuse
    • Author by Imbecile (November 23, 2010 5:14 pm ET)
      7  
      I wonder how many Medicare supplemental insurance ads appear in her show.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by The New Pilgrims (November 23, 2010 5:28 pm ET)
      10 1
      Palin may be less popular than a zombie horde. But she's infinitely more bloodthirsty.
      [http://www.foxnews.com/images/549536/0_61_320_sarah_palin_devil.jpg]
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Macaco (November 23, 2010 7:27 pm ET)
        2 7
        Fell to ONLY 3 million viewers? 3 million is BIG.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by bintx (November 23, 2010 7:36 pm ET)
          6 2
          Not really. When compared to the ratings for the first show . . . pretty abysmal.

          Report Abuse
          • Author by ScienceBuff (November 23, 2010 7:52 pm ET)
            5  
            Beyond that, a second episode will still have a fair amount of curiosity factor. We'll get a better feel for the show's popularity five or six episodes in. Not that I'll notice unless someone points it out to me.
            Report Abuse
          • Author by riverdog (November 24, 2010 4:36 pm ET)
               
            of course the first show is higher and of course it drops off just like conan debut and others. it is still one of the highest rated and successful shows in that market. people love to watch her. i dont but obviously millions do.
            Report Abuse
      • Author by ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© (November 23, 2010 8:40 pm ET)
        2  
        [http://midnightshowing.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/zombies_zombies_zombies.jpg]
        Report Abuse
    • Author by samurai99 (November 23, 2010 5:33 pm ET)
      8 1
      I was flipping channels and caught ten seconds of this last night. Wanna guess what she was doing? Yep, shooting a gun.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by usp (November 23, 2010 6:16 pm ET)
        3 1
        don't discount that! you have to aim, pull the trigger and...then heck, you have to CLEAN the gun too!

        see? it's WAY more than meets the eye.

        i wish bjfan were here to post photos of weaponry. i'm afraid maybe he got swept up in weimar sunday or something.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by Macaco (November 23, 2010 7:24 pm ET)
        2 9
        Wow, that's horrible, she shot a gun, that proves she's the devil.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by Macaco (November 24, 2010 9:06 am ET)
        1 3
        Is there something wrong with shooting a gun?

        Report Abuse
    • Author by uncle.billy (November 23, 2010 5:38 pm ET)
      4 1
      Send her down south to wrestle gators in the swamps...
      Report Abuse
    • Author by bintx (November 23, 2010 5:48 pm ET)
      6  
      The Walking Dead has a much more believable cast of characters.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Macaco (November 23, 2010 7:28 pm ET)
        1 12
        I shot below the belt about a private citizen's kids ..... once again the far left takes the low road.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by bintx (November 23, 2010 7:38 pm ET)
          8 3
          Huh? First, I'm not the "far left" any more than you are a conservative (conservatives find Sarah Palin's antics appalling) and second, I was remarking on the lack of credibility of Sarah Palin and her husband. Please point out any comment I made about a "private citizen's kids."

          BTW, Sarah Palin is not a "private citizen." Sarah Palin is what is commonly known as a celebrity and she markets herself as such.

          Nice try, stupid.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by Macaco (November 23, 2010 8:07 pm ET)
              12
            cast of characters = kids

            Private citzen or celebrity, kids should be off limits.
            Report Abuse
            • Author by bintx (November 23, 2010 8:35 pm ET)
              7  

              I will ask you again to point out in my post where I attacked anyone's children.

              You can't do it because I didn't.

              Again, nice try, but you lose.
              Report Abuse
            • Author by rumpleteasermom (November 24, 2010 12:19 pm ET)
                 
              Private citzen or celebrity, kids should be off limits.
              There comes a point when that stops being true. If someone is thrusting their kids out there for the world to view, it is unreasonable to consider them completely off limits with regard to comments and criticism.
              Report Abuse
    • Author by txthinker (November 23, 2010 5:48 pm ET)
      6  
      Compare Palin's ratings to that of AMC zombie thriller The Walking Dead, which on Sunday drew 4.8 million viewers for its fourth episode, half in the lucrative 18-49 demo.
      The zombies make more sense than Caribou Barbie does.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by charon_son_of_nyx4373 (November 23, 2010 5:54 pm ET)
      3  
      Zombie horde for president!
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Laurence Glavin (November 23, 2010 5:54 pm ET)
      3 1
      Some of Carrie's Mom's defenders are claiming that her ratings were hurt by Sunday Night Futbol and the American "Music" Awards. Ahem...there was a Sunday Night Futbol game a week earlier in the same time period (we're talking about the first showing here, not the usual cable repeats). NFL game ratings are not dependent on the size of the markets of the teams playing due to all the betting involved. Also, this year's AMA show garnered the worst ratings for that telecast in many years!
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Nihilist (November 23, 2010 6:04 pm ET)
      5 1
      what really makes me want to barf, is not just palins blackboard screeching voice, but the amount of attention given to her, by all media, only because she generates viewership, and page clicks, nevermind their aint nothin there except a milf diva..... and every liberal and righty news blogisphereness, and the networks, and the magazine world, etc... is guilty of elevating the first reality show presidential type.... shows how far in the toilet this society really is now.....
      Report Abuse
    • Author by jason10006 (November 23, 2010 6:07 pm ET)
      4  
      To be fair, its still a higher rated show than AMC's "mad men" in overall viewers, and even in the demo is probably discovery's third or fourth or so highest rated show.

      Do you know how many cable channels would kill for 800k 18-49 viewers?

      But anyway Walking Dead is a great show, can't miss.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Laurence Glavin (November 23, 2010 6:12 pm ET)
           
        Let's see: a cable show that would KILL for 800k in the demo; Parker/Spitzer? They just got one-tenth of that on Monday.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by jason10006 (November 23, 2010 6:35 pm ET)
            2
          Actually, SP 900k, so Parker would kill Spitzer and make him a Zombie. Look I hate SP, but for a fringe cable channell like this, and for how cheap this show is to produce, this is great. The new BSG or "Psyche" cost(ed) ten times as much to make and get the same-ish demo ratings.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by marionetta (November 23, 2010 7:10 pm ET)
            5  
            Jon & Kate plus 8 got WAY better ratings than SPA; doesn't mean either of them are worth watching.
            Report Abuse
          • Author by open_mind (November 24, 2010 12:21 pm ET)
               
            Where do you get that SPA is supposedly cheap to produce. Can you show a comparison with other reality shows?

            Besides, from what I understand, TLC did not produce the show. They bought it. What was the cost per episode compared to the production costs of the Zombie movie or Kate Plus Eight Minus John on a per show basis?
            Report Abuse
        • Author by pete592 (November 23, 2010 10:51 pm ET)
          1  
          Parker and Spitzer don't have presidential aspirations (that I'm aware of).
          Report Abuse
    • Author by indigo1968 (November 23, 2010 6:17 pm ET)
      4  
      I have infinitely more respect for zombies than Sarah Palin.

      The former never lies about their intentions. Everything you need to know about them is clear as day.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by MiniTru (November 23, 2010 6:21 pm ET)
        9  
        And, Sarah is of no interest to the zombies. They want brains.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by ilikeike (November 23, 2010 6:45 pm ET)
           
        shes not a zombie?
        Report Abuse
        • Author by Andy Kreiss (November 23, 2010 9:33 pm ET)
          3  
          I've never seen her Non-Zombie Certificate.

          I know her audience is made up mostly of zombies. At least based on the Palinistas I've met.
          Report Abuse
    • Author by jason10006 (November 23, 2010 9:04 pm ET)
      1 4
      Who said I said SP's show is worth watching? She is a crazy harpie. But mediamatters is scrapping bottom here. This is still one of the highest rated cable reality shows. I won't ever watch it, but to quibble over this is a waste of MMFA's effort.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by jason10006 (November 23, 2010 9:04 pm ET)
      1 2
      Who said I said SP's show is worth watching? She is a crazy harpie. But mediamatters is scrapping bottom here. This is still one of the highest rated cable reality shows. I won't ever watch it, but to quibble over this is a waste of MMFA's effort.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by ThomasJH268 (November 23, 2010 9:32 pm ET)
         
      Yeah I can see Palin scouring the crowds, looking for brains.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by ThomasJH268 (November 23, 2010 9:55 pm ET)
      1  
      Yeah I can see Palin scouring the crowds, looking for brains.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by JnvReno (November 24, 2010 1:03 am ET)
      6  
      Unlike the zombies however, Sarah Palin HATES brains.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by nativeofsf (November 24, 2010 9:16 am ET)
      2  
      Zombie Bunny Battles MaxiPad !
      Report Abuse

my.MediaMatters.org

Login  Sign Up

About the Blog

Feed Icon
  • County Fair is a media blog featuring links to progressive media criticism from around the Web as well as original commentary, breaking news and rapid response updates to major media events from Media Matters senior fellows and other staff.