First McCain-Obama debate can't compete with Carter-Reagan showdown

Despite all the build-up, the first match-up between White House contenders John McCain and Barack Obama did not end up breaking viewership records for a presidential debate.

In fact, Friday’s night forum at the University of Mississippi drew 52.4 million viewers –- fewer than the 62.5 million who tuned in four years ago to watch the first debate between President Bush and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The record for a presidential debate audience was set in 1980, when 80.6 million people watched President Carter and Ronald Reagan verbally tussle.

Will more viewers tune in for the upcoming debates as Election Day nears? In both 2000 and 2004, the first debates of the general election drew bigger audiences than those that followed. But the fact that the rest of the forums this year do not fall on Fridays will probably help boost ratings. (The vice presidential debate is Thursday, while Obama and McCain go head-to-head again on Oct. 7 and Oct. 15.)

Friday's debate was carried live by every broadcast network except The CW and a host of cable channels. ABC got the most viewers for its post-debate analysis -- 8.27 million, compared to NBC's 7.12 million and CBS' 6.14 million.

-- Matea Gold

Sarah Palin chances another interview with Katie Couric

Despite the critical pummeling that she received for her last interview, Gov. Sarah Palin is risking another sit-down with CBS anchor Katie Couric.

Couric spent today with Palin on the campaign trail in Ohio, speaking to the GOP vice presidential nominee for the second time in less than a week. She also scored a joint sit-down with Palin and Sen. John McCain.

Excerpts will air on the "CBS Evening News" tonight and Tuesday.

Today's interview was promised to Couric two weeks ago by the McCain-Palin campaign, which has rigorously guarded the Alaska governor's media appearances. (Her only other major interviews have been with ABC's Charles Gibson and Fox News' Sean Hannity.) Last week, amid a mounting backlash from reporters about their lack of access to Palin, Couric was offered the chance to interview the Republican running mate while she was in New York to meet with leaders at the United Nations.

The 35-minute interview, broadcast by CBS over two days, prompted mockery by liberals and drew winces from conservatives. In it, Palin offered rambling and often disjointed explanations to Couric's questions about McCain's credentials as a Wall Street reformer and why Russia's proximity to Alaska gave her foreign policy experience. ("As Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the United States of America, where do they go?" she said. "It's Alaska.") "Saturday Night Live"  even brought back Tina Fey this weekend to portray Palin in a send-up of the interview.

Palin's father doesn't think she's been ruffled by the poor reviews. "She's a very, very strong person, a thick skin," he told Fox News' Neil Cavuto today. "Throughout her career, she's held up on a lot of criticism. I know she's holding up here real well.... She knows honestly always prevails. So she's hanging in there."

It remains to be seen whether the Alaska governor will fare better tonight. Coming just three days before her debate with Sen. Joe Biden, the pressure is on. We'll have the excerpts here, as soon as they're released.

UPDATE: CBS News just released one early excerpt from today's interview.

Katie Couric: Over the weekend, Gov. Palin, you said the U.S. should absolutely launch cross-border attacks from Afghanistan into Pakistan to, quote, "stop the terrorists from coming any further in." Now, that's almost the exact position that Barack Obama has taken and that you, Sen. McCain, have criticized as something you do not say out loud.  So, Gov. Palin, are you two on the same page on this? 

Sarah Palin: We had a great discussion with President Zardari as we talked about what it is that America can and should be doing together to make sure that the terrorists do not cross borders and do not ultimately put themselves in a position of attacking America again or her allies.  And we will do what we have to do to secure the United States of America and her allies. 

More Couric-Palin interview excerpts after the jump...

'Dexter': Another view to a kill

Like the start of its second season, the third season of "Dexter"  finds our serial-killing hero with a pleasantly fresh slate. Thanks to his crazy ex-girlfriend Lila (Jaime Murray), the threat of Sgt. Doakes (Erik King), the greatest threat to Dexter (Michael C. Hall) at the Miami-Dade Police Department, was eliminated. And just to wrap everything up neatly, Dexter also removed the obstacle of Lila. Now nothing stands between him and murderous, peaceful bliss. 

I was glad to see Lila go. The fun of this show is in watching Dexter do mundane things, like go to the dentist, or interact with people who THINK they're freaks, like Vince Masuka (C.S. Lee) , but obviously aren't when compared with Dexter.  The "passion" of Lila compared with the sweet, somewhat tense Rita (Julie Benz) sapped any tension between Dexter and his artist friend. Plus, the wild-haired, tank top-wearing, sexually rambunctious, free-spirit madwoman, gorgeous artist character felt ...

'Brothers and Sisters': For argument's sake

Now entering its third season, "Brothers and Sisters" has clearly established a few things about the Walker family. For one, they're a sizable clan: one mother, three brothers, two sisters, three grandchildren, two son-in-laws, a daughter-in-law, an uncle, an illegitimate half-sister who recently discovered she isn't really blood-related, and a secret half-brother who has yet to be introduced. There's also one father, who died in the show's pilot but whose legacy of secrets keeps his memory (and plotlines) alive and well.

Another thing is that they fight. A lot. So much that the cornerstone of every episode is the argument, whether it's bickering between one of the siblings and matriarch Nora Walker (Sally Field) or a heated extravaganza filled with pent-up accusations, outbursts and revelations involving every family member, willing or not. It's what you should expect from such a huge family, right? It's certainly part of the Walkers' charm and a humorous, aggravating and heartbreaking window into their complicated family dynamic.

Last night's season premiere featured the heated extravaganza at its finest. Despite the small alliances they form in order to keep news from spreading, the Walkers' insatiable and often compulsive desire to communicate always renders those attempts futile. As a result, the buildup ...

'Mad Men': Six-month leave

Since the beginning of the show, I haven’t known what to make of Freddy Rumson. He’s seemed like a bit of a placeholder character –- perhaps he would develop over time and become critical to some future development in the show; perhaps he existed as an atmospheric foil, the complete alcoholic who allows the (currently) functional alcoholics in the office to justify their own drinking; perhaps he was in the show just so he could leave and move the plot along. Well, it turns out he was there for all of those reasons, but mostly reasons two and three. This episode resulted in his ouster and Peggy Olson’s subsequent promotion to full copywriter. So long, Freddy. Thank you for keeping that place warm.

You see, during the team meeting right before a client meeting, Freddy lost the thread of his day and urinated in his office while still wearing his pants, then passed out. It was a scene almost as mortifying as Katie Couric’s interview of Sarah Palin. The team salvaged the meeting, but Pete Campbell, concerned about Freddy’s welfare (by which I mean "concerned about Pete’s rapid ascent through the firm"), brought the matter to the attention of the higher-ups at Sterling Cooper, and Roger Sterling decided that it was time for Freddy to go. The way they did it in those days was to encourage a "six-month leave" to go dry out, but it’s understood that the individual in question isn’t coming back. And it turns out that’s not the only big decision Roger makes in this episode, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

For those keeping track at home, you could say that this week was good for Peggy’s career and good for Pete’s career, and everything for everyone else is still following a trajectory reminiscent of Lehman Brothers’ 2008 stock price. Things are especially bad for Marilyn Monroe, whose death is the big news of the day and has all the women in the office weeping.

'Californication': A scandalous return, much to our delight

In some ways, it's difficult to tell who is more sex obsessed: David Duchovny, or the rest of us.

The 48-year-old actor issued a statement in August, saying through his lawyer that he'd voluntarily entered a facility for the treatment of sex addiction, and asked for "respect and privacy" as he and his family dealt with the issue. Then again, you already know this by now, because we in the media (and, admit it, you at home) bypassed the whole respecting-his-privacy bit and ran with this story like dogs with a bone.

It was too easy, after all. Duchovny had by this time gained much notoriety –- and a Golden Globe -– for his portrayal of Hank Moody in "Californication," the Showtime series about a writer who happens to have lots and lots ... and lots ... of sex. And so it came to be, all of us thinking about it, talking about it, sending it to each other via texts and e-mails that read something to the effect of, "Have you heard!?" The phrase "life imitates art" shot out of us like a tick. News features asking, "What is sex addiction?" followed.

But perhaps herein lies the beating heart of "Californication," the reason why it stands a real chance of sticking around for a very long time -– that is, if Duchovny is in fact willing and able to return. That reason –- however obvious or ludicrous as it may sound –- is that we're the ones who should admit that we can't get enough.

Returning tonight, the devil in a city of angels

The thing everyone talks about is the sex. Rightly so, to a point –- it's there in the title, "Californication," and there on the screen –- nudity, lots of it; seven bare-breasted women appear in Season 1, for those scoring at home, and several others in various states of undress. There are drugs too, and the drinks go down easily, and the cigarettes always burn.

And yes, all of that window dressing is there for a reason: “We don't want these people to behave well,” Brendan Bernhard recently wrote in the New York Sun. “We want them to act like they're on an expensive cable channel having too much sex, taking too many drugs, and getting into too many mishaps at an hour when children are supposed to be in bed. ... The show knows exactly what it's about, and I've yet to watch an episode that wasn't entertaining.”

Fox's 'Do Not Disturb': the first casualty of the TV season

After airing three episodes of "Do Not Disturb," starring Niecy Nash and Jerry O’Connell, Fox has declared the new comedy dead, a network spokesman confirmed Saturday.

Talk about disturbing! Not so much because we were such big fans of the show, but because the untimely demise demonstrates how extremely difficult it's becoming for producers, writers, and actors to succeed on broadcast television. Folks can't catch a break!

With an average four million viewers -- which, by the way, would be a hit on cable TV -- Fox executives chose to get out while they still could avoid a financial disturbance.  We understand: It's been a tough week on Wall Street. Not to mention Main Street.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: Fox

Ratings report: 'Grey's Anatomy' premiere comes back strong

ABC can breathe a sigh of relief. "Grey's Anatomy" returned for its fifth season with a big ratings win, even though it happened on a Thursday that was pretty unimpressive for the networks all around.

"Grey's" struggled in last year's strike-plagued season, so the night's biggest question was whether fans would return. They did: The two-hour season premiere was the night's most-watched show, hauling in 18.3 million viewers, according to early data from Nielsen Media Research. But the medical drama slipped 18% compared with last year's opener among viewers ages 18 to 49 (to a 7.3 rating/18 share). And at 8 p.m., "Ugly Betty" slumped to its lowest premiere numbers ever (9.8 million viewers, 3.3/9 in 18-49).

For the other networks, the news was similarly sobering. Entering its 17th season, CBS' top reality franchise appears to be shuffling into its golden years. The two-hour premiere of "Survivor: Gabon" drew a respectable 12.9 million viewers, but the series continues to trend down steadily in young-adult viewers.

NBC had another tough night. A one-hour "My Name Is Earl" gathered an anemic 6.4 million viewers and delivered its lowest premiere rating ever in the key demographic of views ages 18 to 49 (2.7/8). The one-hour Season 5 launch of "The Office" held up better (9.2 million, 4.8/11) but was still off compared with last year. And at 10 p.m., the once-mighty "ER" started its final season with 7.9 million viewers and a record-low figure among 18-to-49-year-olds (3.3/8).

Airing back-to-back "Kitchen Nightmares," Fox sat on the ratings sidelines, averaging just 4.3 million viewers and placing a distant fourth in young adults.

-- Scott Collins

(Photo courtesy ABC)

The Letterman-McCain feud continues: Day Two!

It doesn't sound like David Letterman is over it.

The late-night comedian, who berated Sen. John McCain last night for suspending his campaign in order to focus on the ongoing financial crisis, went after the Republican presidential candidate again on tonight’s show.

Letterman said he understood when McCain canceled his scheduled appearance on “Late Show" last night, even when he discovered that the senator wasn’t racing to Washington, as he said, but was a few blocks away doing an interview with Katie Couric.

But then he found out that McCain didn’t leave for D.C. until this morning.

“I feel used,” Letterman said. “I feel cheap. I feel sullied.” 

“I was thinking about this – John, John, here’s how it works: You don’t come to see me … you don’t come to see me?” he went on. “Well, we might not see you on Inauguration Day. That’s how it works. You see?”

Ouch!

Then he went after McCain’s running mate with tonight's Top 10 list, “Top 10 Surprising Facts About Sarah Palin," recited via satellite by residents of Wasilla, Alaska. (No. 2: "To improve her foreign policy experience, she recently went to the International House of Pancakes.")

Excerpts from Letterman’s lacerating remarks, airing on tonight’s “Late Show:”