Ricky Gervais disses 'The Office' finale & Office Ratings
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The one-hour season finale of "The Office" on U.S. network NBC was the top-rated scripted program of the night jumping 12 percent compared to last year's finale and out-rating finales on CBS, ABC and Fox.
"The Office" averaged a 3.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 7.0 million viewers to win the 9 p.m. hour against ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" (3.4, 9.5 million), which plummeted 37 percent compared to last year's finale, and Fox's "Bones" (3.2, 10.0 million), which was up 14 percent for its highest-rated finale in three years.
Fox easily won the night with "American Idol" (6.2, 21.1 million), averaging a 4.7 rating with 15.6 million viewers overall. CBS was second (2.8, 12.4 million). But "Big Bang Theory" (3.5, 11.1 million) was down 34 percent compared to last year's finale.
"Rules of Engagement" (2.5, 8.7 million) and "The Mentalist" (2.4, 12.6 million) also dropped double-digits for their lowest-rated finales ever, although "The Mentalist" easily won the 10 p.m. hour.
ABC averaged a 2.5 rating for the night with 7.5 million viewers overall. And with "Grey's" down double-digits, lead-out "Private Practice" (2.5, 7.4 million) also hit a finale nadir.
NBC averaged a 2.4 rating with 4.6 million viewers overall, with the 10:30 p.m. season ender of "Parks and Recreation" (2.0, 3.7 million) down 9 percent compared to last year's finale, which aired at 8:30 p.m.
Last night, the season finale of The Office trotted out a celebrity lineup worthy of The Marriage Ref, with Will Arnett, Ray Romano, Jim Carrey, James Spader, and even mega-billionaire Warren Buffett waltzing through the doors of Dunder Mifflin. The episode also featured a cameo by Ricky Gervais, Hollywood’s favorite irascible scamp/leering supervillain. Gervais, of course, co-created the original British version of The Office, which only ran for 14 episodes. Gervais just posted a reaction to the season finale over on his blog, in which he expresses something like exasperation with the American version. Noting that the season finale reminded him of the Chris Martin episode of Extras (in which a celebrity cameo is awkwardly wedged into a sitcom), Gervais laughs, “If you’re going to jump a shark, jump a big one!”
But Gervais isn’t just poking fun. He continues: “I assume most people know I didn’t do the US remake for the art. I did my version for the art. That’s why I stopped it after a few hours of telly.” While he notes that he’s “very proud of the US version,” you can’t help but read between the lines a little bit: It seems like Gervais is drawing a decisive line between the UK version (short, sweet, artistically pure) and the US version (commercial, overstretched, artistically compromised). Gervais also clears up any confusion regarding rumors that he might step in as the new Office boss: “You don’t start a company to work on reception.” Oh, that rude British wit!
Gervais finishes his post by noting that the original Office is almost ten years old now. And what better way to celebrate a milestone than to stir the pot a little bit! Viewers, do you agree with Gervais’ extremely measured negativity regarding the Office finale? Or do you think he’s overstepping a little bit?
source= http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/05/20/ricky-gervais-the-office-dis/ &http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/sns-rt-us-netwotre74j5t9-20110520,0,3371093.story
Jim is the definition of pressed.
Team Dwight