Revisiting Seasons 4, 5 and 6
I was going through all of the mp4 files from my ripped Buffy DVDs, titling them in my ever so anal way, and I was using the BtVS Wikipedia list of episodes for reference. I noticed the ratings for a few particular episodes. Season 4 ended with 3.2 million U.S. viewers watching it live on the WB (tangental thought: I wonder how many more viewers BtVS would have gotten if DVR and streaming video were invented back then? I know I got TiVo circa 2005, when I re-discovered Buffy via reruns, and it was used to tape Buffy, Angel, and - wait for it - Passions; but it wasn't out there when the show was on. Were there ways to illegally download shit from the Internet back then?).
Season 5 started with 5.8 million viewers, and my guess is people heard how weird "Restless" was, and wanted to check out what was happening on Buffy (another tangental thought: I know exactly where I was when "Buffy vs. Dracula" aired: on a bus touring the Washington, DC monuments on a program sponsored by the Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The kid I was sitting next to kept on complaining about how he was missing such an important episode, and based on his recommendation, I checked the show out on the WB, which we had just gotten in our cable package, and fell in love with Dawn and Spike. The first episode I saw was "Out of My Mind," and I was under the impression that Buffy and Spike were the show's Sam and Diane, so Spike's dream was a BIG FUCKING DEAL. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was my initiation int BtVS. ORIGIN STORIES, YO).
Anyway, "Buffy vs. Dracula" had 5.8 million viewers, and the numbers jumped to 6.2 million for "Real Me." My guess is word got out about Dawn's introduction, and everyone was going WTF? and decided to see what was going on.
When season 6 started, BtVS got its highest ratings with "Bargaining I & II", each getting 7.7 million viewers. My guess is everyone wanted to see how they would bring Buffy back. I think the nearest equivalent was between seasons 3 and 4 of Supernatural, when everyone was wondering how they would bring Dean back.
So, my question is this, for you old-timers who were there: why the jumps in numbers from "Buffy vs. Dracula" to "Real Me" and in the lead-in of season 7? Are my guesses correct? I'm trying to figure out textual reasons for audience viewership, in case you were wondering if I'm talking out of my ass and reminiscing about my introduction to the show. This is for scientific purposes. I can re-write this into the form of a research question if you want, but today I went to a workshop where we did that for two hours, so I really don't feel like it.
Season 5 started with 5.8 million viewers, and my guess is people heard how weird "Restless" was, and wanted to check out what was happening on Buffy (another tangental thought: I know exactly where I was when "Buffy vs. Dracula" aired: on a bus touring the Washington, DC monuments on a program sponsored by the Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The kid I was sitting next to kept on complaining about how he was missing such an important episode, and based on his recommendation, I checked the show out on the WB, which we had just gotten in our cable package, and fell in love with Dawn and Spike. The first episode I saw was "Out of My Mind," and I was under the impression that Buffy and Spike were the show's Sam and Diane, so Spike's dream was a BIG FUCKING DEAL. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was my initiation int BtVS. ORIGIN STORIES, YO).
Anyway, "Buffy vs. Dracula" had 5.8 million viewers, and the numbers jumped to 6.2 million for "Real Me." My guess is word got out about Dawn's introduction, and everyone was going WTF? and decided to see what was going on.
When season 6 started, BtVS got its highest ratings with "Bargaining I & II", each getting 7.7 million viewers. My guess is everyone wanted to see how they would bring Buffy back. I think the nearest equivalent was between seasons 3 and 4 of Supernatural, when everyone was wondering how they would bring Dean back.
So, my question is this, for you old-timers who were there: why the jumps in numbers from "Buffy vs. Dracula" to "Real Me" and in the lead-in of season 7? Are my guesses correct? I'm trying to figure out textual reasons for audience viewership, in case you were wondering if I'm talking out of my ass and reminiscing about my introduction to the show. This is for scientific purposes. I can re-write this into the form of a research question if you want, but today I went to a workshop where we did that for two hours, so I really don't feel like it.