In the ABC drama “Last Resort,” Andre Braugher’s character is pitted against the might of the U.S. government. But the veteran actor knows the real fight is with the comedies and professional sports team vying for the attention of the TV-viewing public.
On Thursday, just a few hours before the show’s highly promoted fifth episode, Braugher expressed confidence in the series that uses Hawaii as a backdrop for political intrigue and high-stakes warfare.
“I feel we are strong enough to stand up against the comedies as well as ‘Thursday Night Football,’” Braugher said during a conference call. “It seems to be something that has piqued the curiosity of the audience and something that people seem to be really attuned to.”
Thursdays have offered eclectic competition since the season began, including Major League Baseball playoffs and the World Series, and NFL games. But “Last Resort,” an hour show that starts off the Thursday prime-time lineup for ABC, regularly competes against “30 Rock” and “Up All Night” on NBC and the hugely popular “The Big Bang Theory” and “Two and a Half Men” on CBS.
The CBS comedies regularly attract nearly twice as many viewers as the ABC drama, according to Nielsen ratings.
That was the case this week, when “Last Resort” drew its smallest audience — 6.5 million viewers — despite airing an episode that TV critics had crowed about all week.
On Thursday “The Big Bang Theory” drew 15.4 million viewers, and “Two and a Half Men” drew 12.8 million viewers. But over on NBC, both of its comedies were millions of viewers shy of “Last Resort.”
“Last Resort” is serious fare. Braugher plays the captain of a U.S. ballistic missile submarine that has come under attack by its own government. He and the crew take over a small island and declare themselves the world’s newest nuclear power.
Braugher said everyone associated with “Last Resort” expected the pilot to “make a big pop,” but the real question was what would come next.
Part of the answer to that was time-shifted viewing. The use of digital video recording devices, dubbed DVR by the networks, significantly increased audiences for “Last Resort.” ABC collected those numbers for the pilot and the second episode, and the show gained about 3 million viewers for each one.
“When those DVR numbers come in, it is very heartening to see that the show is gaining in strength,” Braugher said.
Those numbers are being considered when weighing the show’s fate, a fact that wasn’t always the case in television, Braugher said.
“The numbers grow very strongly after you include DVR numbers,” he said. “That’s the nature of television viewing these days. It’s not appointment television anymore.”
“Last Resort” is in the middle of shooting its ninth of 13 scheduled episodes. Last week, however, the network ordered two more scripts. An ABC spokesman said the network is “still passionate about making the show a success.”
And Braugher said he feels good about its status.
“I think we are a good position,” he said. “Regardless of the competition, I think we are in a good position.”
