When the first season of the revamped Dallas debuted in June, it was described in the trade press as a ratings gusher, pulling in a solid 6.9 million viewers.
It seems that the ratings bonanza is now over. The show's second season pulled in fewer than 3 million viewers, a series low. It fared even worse in week two, when it drew only 2.2 million pairs of eyeballs, another series low.
For context, we turn to TV By the Numbers, which has a rundown of ratings for Monday's cable shows.
Dallas is losing badly to such masterworks of American television as WWE Raw (4.9 million), American Pickers (4.5 million), and Teen Mom 2 (3.4 million). It manages, however, to hold its own against the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (2.1 million), albeit barely.
What to make of the show's dive off the ratings cliff? Has the nostalgia-fueled anticipation of the show's return worn off? Is winter less welcoming to an oil-soaked prime time soap? Or have people simply given up knowing that J.R. Ewing will soon be gone for good?
Who knows. But there's still a glimmer of hope for the show, and it's called Europe. The show is now in the odd position of having more German viewers than American. So there's that.
