Friday, September 30, 2011

Why It's So Important to Watch Tonight's Episode of "A Gifted Man"

All right.

I had to do a little learning this week, because the news on last week's debut of "A Gifted Man" was a bit...mixed.

It sounds like great news, of course. Total viewers for the show were estimated at 9.44 million. Considering that there were about 22.24 million households watching the major networks at the time, this means "A Gifted Man" had about 42% of those viewers.

This is where the learning part comes in.

I don't know what you know about ratings and shares, but I finally get it. I think.

"Rating" refers to the percentage of people that are watching your show, out of all the total number of houses with TVs that COULD be watching your show.

"Share" refers to the percentage of people watching TV that are actually watching your show.

So, here were "A Gifted Man"'s numbers for the premiere:

Total viewers: 9.44 million
Rating: 6.25
Share: 11

Which basically means that 6.25% of people with TVs and 11% of people with the TV on, watched the premiere of "A Gifted Man."

Not bad. Considering the hundreds of cable and satellite offerings, and the fact that a lot of people aren't home and/or aren't watching TV at 8pm on a Friday night, and the fact that it's a time frequently referred to as the Death Slot, where unsupported network series go to die, Patrick's show did very well.

Oh, if only it were that easy.

The thing is, the biggest demographic that networks care about is that 18-49 age group, and...well...that's where the story is different.

Networks care about the 18-49 set because they're the ones that buy stuff. They're the ones advertisers want to sell stuff to. And, let's face it, TV is about a lot more than just quality programming.

And here's the breakdown for the 18-49:
Total viewers: 3.9 million
Rating: 1.4
Share: 5

Not as great.

But all is not lost. Because the fact is that "A Gifted Man" still won the time slot. And in the under 18 and over 50 crowd, it is performing very well.

Tonight is going to be very important. Those numbers need to stay steady. It would be better if they go up, of course. But they really can't afford a drop right now.

So tell everyone you know to turn on their TVs tonight and watch "A Gifted Man." Let's make this week even bigger than last.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

"A Gifted Man" Episode 1.1: Pilot--Recap!


Dr. Michael Holt is in the OR, performing a dangerous procedure on billionaire Ron Vinetz. There's a fluid leak, he needs a patch, the tech takes too long to get it to him and Michael says the patient is going to die. He finally gets the patch, finishes the surgery and leaves the OR. When the surgical tech approaches to say what an honor it was to work with him, he ignores her and orders an assistant to fire her.

Dr. Holt is not warm and fuzzy.

While out jogging, he thinks he hears a woman scream, followed by the sound of a collision, but when he turns back to help, the street is deserted, except for a red, bouncing ball. Confused, he keeps running.

At the office, his secretary, Rita (Emmy-winner Margo Martindale), fills him in on his very busy schedule of meetings and consultations. She also mentions it's her birthday and his only commentary is that the restaurant she's going to later is overrated.

When Michael checks on his patient, Ron the Billionaire, we learn that they are also friends and that Ron enjoys wild parties. Michael tells him he can't do anything at all until the patch heals and it's clear that Ron has no intention of staying put for that long.

Later that night, Michael stops at a restaurant to pick up his take out order and runs into Anna Paul (Jennifer Ehle), inviting her back to his place to have dinner. She agrees and they have an evening of reminsicing about the days when they were married and living in a dreadful apartment back in Alaska. He doesn't want her to leave, but she does when his phone starts ringing.

Michael's nephew, Milo (Liam Aiken) has been arrested and needs someone to pick him up. Uncle Mike takes Milo home, gives his sister, Christina (Julie Benz) some money to pay for the past due rent, and mentions that he ran into Anna. Christina is excited by this news and says the only time Michael wasn't a total jerk was when he was with Anna. Michael gets upset about this, tells her to fix things with her son, and basically storms out. It's pretty clear that they see each other often but have a strained relationship.

The next day, Michael has an appointment with nineteen-year-old tennis champion, Lacey Sandreski, who is one French Open away from being the youngest woman to win the Grand Slam. Michael suspects she has an aneurysm and orders an MRI.

While Lacey is undergoing her test, Michael runs into Ron in the hallway. Ron was trying to sneak out against doctors' orders and Michael says, "I have very few real friends. I don't want to lose one of them to stupidity."

Back in his office, Michael tries to call the clinic where Anna is now working, but is informed that she died in an accident two weeks ago.

Christina shows up at his office right as Rita has handed him an article about Anna's accident. Christina wants Milo to see a therapist, but the therapist wants the primary man in Milo's life to attend the sessions. Michael says he's absolutely not going to therapy. Christina sees the article about Anna's death and is confused, but then realizes that Anna must have come to him as a spirit and declares that he has a "cosmic gift." He walks away from her.

Lacey Sandreski has an aneurysm, but since she is asymptomatic, Michael says she has two choices. She can have a small procedure that will clear it up immediately, but will be unable to play tennis for three months. Or, she can wait until after the French Open next week, risk a rupture, and have a 25% chance of surviving. Lacey's mother wants to have the procedure now. Her father doesn't want to lose the Grand Slam. Lacey decides to wait.

Anna comes back to Michael and explains that she was hit by a car when she was out running and chased a kid's ball into the street. She says that the staff at the clinic is upside down without her and asks him to go to her office and unlock the computer. He reluctantly agrees and goes to Clinica Sanando, logs right into the computer, much to the relief of the staff, and overhears a nurse directing a woman to take her children to the ER. Michael stops and says not to go to the ER because her son needs an MRI and she needs to go to an imaging center. He finally ends up taking the mother and her three children to his own office for the test.

Convinced there is something wrong with him, he has an MRI himself and doesn't have a brain tumor. When Anna comes back, he tells her he can't see her because he's a surgeon and needs to behave rationally.

Christina talks him into seeing her friend, Anton, who knows what Michael is going through and offers to help make Anna go away.

The next morning, Michael learns that Ron the Billionaire is back in the hospital and that things aren't good. His other line rings and it's Lacey's mother, panicking because Lacey has a headache and is on the verge of passing out. Lacey admits that she lied about being asymptomatic. Michael tells them to meet him at the OR, where Lacey is rushed in for emergency surgery for a ruptured cerebral aneurysm.

On his way into the OR, he runs into mother from the clinic, orders an MRI for her other son, and then disappears to perform Lacey's surgery, fixing her aneurysm and saving her life. The results come back on the little boy, who has a tumor on his spine. Michael orders another surgeon to perform the operation, but Anna wants him to do it himself because he's the best.

Lacey is angry because she can't play in the French Open and won't be able to "be the best." Michael realizes that he needs to operate on the little boy. As he preps for surgery, Rita brings the news that Ron didn't make it.

After surgery, Michael talks to Anna again, says the boy is going to be fine, he's upset that Ron has died, and, it turns out, he's upset that Anna has died too. He says he can't handle it and walks away, going to see Anton. Anton sets up a ritual to help Michael let Anna go. He faces her, tells her she has to leave, but she doesn't want to. She has so many things left unfinished and wants him to help her. She begs him. He says she doesn't fit into his life and that he needs her to go. She tells him that if she goes, they'll never see each other again and asks if that's what he wants.

Michael tells Anton that it worked. That Anna's gone. Anton says he knows she isn't and Michael goes to the door, then stops. He asks, "Are you here?" and sees Anna, surrounded by light, walking in through another door. He smiles.


And that, my friends, is episode 1!

So, what did you think? Did you enjoy the show? Do you think it'll stick around for awhile? Over the next few days, we'll be compiling reader reviews and would love to hear from you. Also, be sure to vote in the poll over in the sidebar.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

"A Gifted Man" is Almost Here!

We know you've seen so many previews and sneak peeks of "A Gifted Man" and you're probably just as excited for tomorrow night's premiere as we are!

To avoid spoilers, WE will not be Live Tweeting in any time zone. However, rumor has it that some of Patrick Wilson's fans WILL be using the hashtag #agiftedman to share thoughts and impressions.

After the show ends, and following each new episode every week, there will be a full recap, plus you'll have the chance to share your thoughts, impressions, and reviews.

We hope to see you back here tomorrow night!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Welcome to Our New Blog!

Hello, everyone! And welcome to our all new Patrick Wilson Fans blog.

As you can see, things are still under construction here and the next few weeks will bring all kinds of exciting changes, tweaks and updates.

We're excited about these new changes and hope you will be too.

The purpose of our new blog is to keep you informed about all of Patrick Wilson's latest projects, including and especially his new TV Series A Gifted Man (CBS, Friday 8PM Eastern and Pacific). Be sure to look for weekly recaps of each episode, thoughts from fans, photos, videos, and perhaps even an interview or two.

Yes, we have a LOT in store for you. We're glad to have you on board and we just know you'll like it here.