Tony Lives, but 'The Sopranos' Gets Whacked
March 28, 2006 — -- Tony Soprano may have narrowly escaped death, but his show is still lost in a coma.
After three episodes, legions of viewers still loyal to the show are fed up with the soap opera story line, and the competition from "Desperate Housewives" has cut into audience share.
"Having Tony shot is a disappointment. We as viewers know he's not going to die. And so, it was a nonevent when he came out of the coma on Sunday. We've seen this sort of device so many times before on other shows, and we expect more," said Mediaweek's Marc Berman, who writes "The Programming Insider."
In the premiere, Tony was shot while caring for his uncle, Junior, a one-time rival who tried to have him executed in season one. Now a feeble old man of questionable metal competence, Junior shuffled down the steps in his pajamas and shot his nephew, then hid in the closet.
In the second and third episodes, Tony's mob associates vied for positioning while also caring for his family at the hospital.
"Part of the problem is the high expectations after the 21-month layoff since 'The Sopranos' was last on the air," Berman said. "But even a disappointing 'Sopranos' is better than most of what's on the air."
Since 2004's season five finale -- when 12.14 million viewers tuned in -- much has changed on the Sunday evening TV landscape. "For the first time in its run, there's competition from a show that's consistently among the top three in ratings. 'Desperate Housewives' is not going to give up audience that easily," Berman said.
If HBO's mobsters are getting muscled by the ladies of Wisteria Lane, it's hardly a fair fight. Airing on a broadcast network, the ABC dramedy is available to millions of more viewers than those who subscribe to the cable network.
And even many HBO subscribers might be tempted to watch "Desperate Housewives" on Sunday and catch "The Sopranos" later in the week.
"HBO offers 'The Sopranos' on so many of its platforms, including HBO on demand. So you can catch each new episode several times each week," Berman said. "'Housewives' airs only once."
"The Sopranos" is hardly tanking. Averaging more than 9 million viewers through its first few weeks, it's still the top-rated show on cable, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Three weeks ago, 9.18 million viewers watched the premiere. To compare, the next-highest-rated cable drama, "Monk," scored a mere 5.36 million viewers.
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