1. Current Shows airing at the same proposed time
Our show is going to air at 9PM on Friday nights, so we are going to look at shows that air at around
the same time.
On the week beginning 5th May shows airing at 9PM on Friday night there are a range of crime-
dramas and sci-fi shows airing in that slot. ITV1 airs ‘Lewis’ a crime-drama which is a spin-off of the
popular show ‘Inspector Morse’. The shows seventh series in 2013 attracted a high viewership, with
an average of around 7.5-8.5 million people an episode.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_(TV_series)
Channel 5 airs NCIS at 9PM on Friday nights, a police-procedural about a fictional team of special
agents. As shown by the graph below the show is extremely popular, which can be put down to the
fictional element of it, as the team aren’t generally restricted by normal rules of conduct. The
viewing figures are American however, but the UK ratings are equally impressive with it being one of
Channel 5’s top rated shows, pulling in around 1-2 million viewers.
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/may/18/ncis-tv-ratings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCIS_(TV_series)#Ratings
Marvel Agents of Shield airs on Channel 4 as a repeat at 8PM, which features elements of drama,
fantasy and sci-fi. When it first aired on the UK it held a 14.8% share of the viewing audience at that
time. It is a very popular show but it is American, which I believe means a British show such as ours
would waiver the viewing audience.

2. Market Research
Due to our show being set at multiple points in history over many years, we looked at crime drama
and shows set across different times that have and still are on air across the world. We looked to see
if there was a correlation between such shows and ratings and success.
Quantum Leap- This show ran for 96 episodes between 1989 and 1993. It is about DR Sam Beckett
who temporarily takes the place of various people at different points in time. He show was
extremely popular and achieved a cult status, with it still being broadcast on ITV4. The show drew an
average of around 6 million viewers an episode for its final season, with the finale achieving 13
million, showing it still had the ability to draw in a large viewing audience despite the average ratings
for that season. I am not able to find ratings for previous seasons but, it suggests the previous
seasons also had similar ratings, in the region of 5-8 million viewers an episode.
http://articles.latimes.com/1993-05-07/entertainment/ca-32482_1_quantum-leap-ratings
Ripper Street- The show is set in the late 1880’s/early 1890’s in Victorian England. Many critics have
lauded its display of England in this time and its attention to detail. The show is very popular and
achieved ratings of around 6-8 million for the first series and 4-6 million for the second, which is still
very good for an English TV show. The show was also voted the best UK show of 2013, which
reinforces our view on why there should be a crime show set in many different eras. The show airs
on BBC1.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripper_Street#Reception
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ripper-street-tops-uk-poll-667872
Doctor Who- This show has run for close to 50 years, beginning in 1963. It is about the Doctor, who
travels through time and often saves the earth from a threat such as an alien race. The show airs on
BBC1 in a prime-time slot of approximately 7-8pm. The show attracts a high viewership in the UK
and is also popular abroad. The seventh season attracted an average of 8 million people an episode,
with the first episode of the series being viewed by around 10.77 million. The show has spawned
two spin offs: The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood. They aired on CBBC and BBC 3
respectively. This is because the former was aimed at younger children with its more light hearted
themes while the latter was more serious and darker.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who_(series_7)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who

3. CSI- A made for TV crime Drama series that first aired in 2000; it has now been renewed for a
fifteenth season. The show follows a group of ‘Crime Scene Investigators’ working for the Las Vegas
Police Department (LVPD); we follow the group in hour long episodes as the try to solve murders
using physical evidence. The show has spawned two spin-offs, CSI: Miami (2002-2012) and CSI: NY
(2004-2013). This shows that one show can have many spin offs on a similar premise but in different
locations, which is the theme of our show.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_(franchise)
The ratings here show CSI was extremely popular when it first began airing, peaking at 26.26 million
viewers for its fifth season. It’s decline may be due to the use of the internet to watch television
shows and even possibly people choosing to watch the spin offs rather than the original.
We believe that our TV show would be most appropriate on E4- an entertainment channel aimed at
15-35 year olds. The channel itself airs a lot of imported American Shows and Sitcoms. Viewing
figures are very high with E4 gaining 23% of UK’s audience on a weekly basis.