Netflix Might Pick Up 'The River' Season 2

A show that's been poor in viewers on ABC brings in a decent amount of views online. Netflix is looking into picking up The River for a second season [because of the views it gets online - hulu, youtube, etc.] if it's canceled by ABC. There's no official word yet because the show just finished airing season 1, ABC hasn't mentioned whether it'll be canceled or renewed, and netflix needs to determine whether the show will be worth investing into for online streaming.

The River Ratings

Here is the break down of The River ratings for each episode, averaging in the season ratings. This will determine whether the show will be renewed for season 2 or not, and the odds don't look good.

Episode 1 was

"2.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 8.35

million total viewers; third place in the timeslot.

Season average: 2.60 in the demo with 8.35 million."

Episode 6 was

"1.5 in the demo (0% episode-to-episode change) with 4.21 million; fourth in the timeslot.
Season average: 1.74 in the demo with 4.97 million.
Demo average rank: #15 of 19 scripted TV shows on the network (Fall 2011 – Spring 2012)."

The River Re-Cap

With an 8 episode run, people figured the Cole family would find Emmet during Tuesday's episode, but this was not the case. With the 6th episode being titled Dr. Emmet Cole' and the executive producers saying that Emmet's disappearance isn't the biggest mystery, fans were expecting Tess and Lincoln to find him during the 6th episode. Since the episode did not shed any light onto where Emmet was, people are now wondering if the season will end with them finding Emmet or if there is a "bigger mystery" than the missing man.

"The River" Valid Only as a Satire of Reality Television

This article goes into some interesting territory in reviewing "The River"- and makes a claim that the format itself (that of a found footage narrative) is inappropriate for television. The ridiculous premise, according to this author, is made even more laughable by the unrealistic narrative. I found this to be an accurate analysis. What does everyone think?

The River

This article just goes into the episode "Peaches" and talks about The River. It talks about how the show resembles parts from Paranormal Activity and Empire of the Sun. Tuesday's episode was the first one to have a "deep emotional pull".

CBS tops Tuesday with 200th 'NCIS': ABC drama 'The River' flows decently in premiere

ABC's limited-run thriller ''The River'' did OK in its two-hour premiere Tuesday, a night that was dominated early by CBS vet ''NCIS,'' which was the top-rated program in key demos while again soaring above the 20-million viewer mark overall. According to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, the 200th episode of ''NCIS'' averaged a 4.1 rating/11 share in adults 18-49 and 20.8 million viewers overall; the show is having a great ninth season, ranking as TV's No. 1 drama in adults 25-54 and as the No. 1 scripted program in total viewers.

'The River' Is A 'Little Movie Every Week,' Star Says

This article explains how The River is going to work and I think it might just be right. 'River' actress Eloise Mumford states that the pace of the show, which is pretty quick, will actually work as an advantage for the series.

I think she is right. The first episode started with suspense right away and did a good job at drawing me in.

Marketing The River

First of all, the website is a great example of how ABC is marketing The River. On the website you can see the clips, show schedule, cast, etc; however, the website also links viewers to twitter and text alerts.

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-river

This article talks about many shows, but around the middle of the article it talks about The River and their target audience. The article says that the show will be screened at theaters all over the country as well as college campuses in attempt to generate excitement for the show. ABC is marketing the show at young adults, probably because of Lost, X-Files and American Horror Story.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-201201101659reedbusivarietynvr1118048386jan10,0,3231763.story

The River is suppose to have similarities to the X-Files as opposed to Lost. People perceive from the previews that The River will be the new lost, but producers say each episode in The River is a stand-alone episode and that the episodes cover different topics/things; it's more like X-Files. Here are the links that talk about the similarities and peoples' thoughts on the show. So I'm curious, this show that will be airing in less than a month, will they market it more like X-Files or Lost? Have they already started to do this?

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/01/the-river-its-not-lost-in-the-amazon.html

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/01/10/the-river-lost/

ABC takes targeted approach to marketing & launching midseason skeins like "The River"

ABC Entertainment Group prexy Paul Lee discusses the targeted approach of ABC's launch strategy, and their lineup of midseason shows like "The River" giving ABC the best recipe for ongoing success.