The Verdict is In!: CW Renews Carrie Diaries for 2nd Season!

Keeping the Faith: Producers Still Hopeful for Season 2

In the season finale, “Kiss Yesterday Goodbye”, Carrie has her fair share of farewells as she sees relationships come to an end, such as her final break up with Sebastian and ultimate end to her friendship with Maggie, but she is left with hope for her future and the promise of a new life spending the summer with her friend Walt in the city. All of the loose ends in the season finale leave fans of The Carrie Diaries to wonder whether this might mean there is actually a greater likelihood that a Season 2 is in store.

For the producers of The Carrie Diaries, the disappointing ratings do not seem to be concerning enough to keep the show from being aired.

In an interview with show writer Candace Bushnell in The Daily Beast, when asked about the ratings, Bushnell gives her opinion by listing a number of reasons as to why the show’s ratings were so low. She explains that, “The reality is, Monday night is an incredibly difficult night on TV. We were up against The Bachelor, which had the highest ratings it’s had in years. Those kinds of reality shows are like a sporting event. People watch them live,” but she goes on to point out that “The Carrie Diaries has huge streaming numbers.” She also defends the show by asserting that, in general, “TV is a very difficult medium. The most challenging show to do is the hour-long dramedy. It’s a very tricky format. Other shows that kind of have that same format are maybe Deception, Scandal, Nashville, or Smash. Those shows have ratings issues as well.”

In another article from the online entertainment news provider, The Wrap, show runner Amy B. Harris asserts that The Carrie Diaries is actually only number two in online streaming for the network after The Vampire Diaries. The article also points out that, “For years, The CW has decided its shows’ success in a variety of ways that have placed it ahead of the curve compared to other broadcast networks, which have relied heavily on Nielsen ratings. That’s the advantage of focusing on a younger skewing demo—18-34. That means that other factors come into play – DVR, online viewing, social media penetration and product placement play a bigger role in the network’s advertising metrics.” The producers for The Carrie Diaries will have to keep their fingers crossed that The CW will dismiss their low ratings and focus on the positive aspects instead.

The Carrie Diaries certainly premiered to much buzz, which was driven by the curiosity factor of it being the prequel to Sex and the City, but as it turns out, the show’s ratings quickly demonstrated that it would be unlikely that the show could ever be anywhere close to as popular as its predecessor. However, despite the show’s poor ratings and various predictions that it will surely be cancelled, the producers are adamant about defending their show. They seem to still have faith that, although the show would not ever receive the great notoriety of Sex and the City, it still has something special to offer that viewers of its target audience will continue to enjoy. Overall, due to the nature of the television viewing habits of many of the viewers of its target audience, the producers are optimistic that the show still has a good shot at a second chance.

That’s a Wrap! Season 1 Summary

The new season of the highly anticipated prequel to the infamous Sex and the City series, The Carrie Diaries, premiered on The CW network on January 15, 2013 as a mid-season pick-up. It replaced the recently wrapped famously popular Gossip Girl series in its coveted Monday night 8-pm primetime slot, which ended its final season in December after its successful six-season run. In its first season, the hour-long teenage dramedy had 13 episodes that ended with the season finale, “Kiss Yesterday Goodbye”, which recently aired on April 8, 2013.

The premise of the show featured this new Carrie as fresh, young, and innocent in the midst of making the transition from childhood to adulthood as she deals with school and work, and is introduced to the lights, fashion, and glamour of life in the city. Throughout the first season, Carrie encounters first love, first heartbreak, but ultimately by the end of the season, she is still a virgin.

There are several discrepancies between the new Carrie Bradshaw and the old that made former Sex and the City fans and viewers of the show somewhat disappointed when the show first aired, such as the death of her mother, presence of her little sister, and lack of the other three characters, her friends in Sex and the City that viewers fell in love with when the original series aired.

However, in several interviews, the writers and producers of the show, as well as actress AnnaSophia Robb, have made it very clear that the new show is not meant to in any way completely replace and replicate the old. The new Carrie may have different friends and a different family, but she still seems to portray some interesting qualities that do mirror that of the character played by Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City, such as the curly hair, crazy wardrobe, and talent as a writer. Nevertheless, The Carrie Diaries struggled in the ratings during its first season, leaving everyone to question the chances of whether or not the show will get renewed for a second season.

The following graph shows the Neilson Co. ratings numbers reported in the 18-49 demographic that The Carrie Diaries experienced in its first season:

The Ratings Results for The Carrie Diaries in the 18-49 Demographic

Episode #	101	102	103	104	105	106	107	108	109	110	111	112	113
Rating	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.7	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.4
# Viewers (millions)	1.61	1.27	1.38	1.51	1.20	1.08	1.00	1.10	1.03	0.99	0.83	0.87	1.00

The chart show’s that The Carrie Diaries received the highest rating and number of viewers during its first episode than it did throughout the entire season, which isn’t a good sign for the future of the show. It appears that each subsequent episode following the premiere began to dip a little more each episode as the season progressed. It took a huge dip from the 4^th episode to the 5^th, and then seemed to stabilize after it got down to the 1 million mark. The rest was pretty much downhill from there.

Dorrit’s Prince Charming

The first season of The Carrie Diarie’s saw Dorrit make a transition from the rebellious little sister into a mature teenager with feelings, desires, and a love interest of her own.

Ultimately, the joke’s on Carrie when the season ends and Carrie is left single and still a virgin and Dorrit actually loses her virgin and gets herself a boyfriend of her own. Dorrit’s entire demeanor as well as her style takes a drastic change after she meets Miller, the character her steals her heart. She ditches the black eye-liner and trades it in for books about sex, girly clothes, and more subtle feminine make-up.

The decision of the writer’s to have Dorrit be the one to lose her virginity over Carrie was surprisingly actually part of the plan all along.  In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Amy B. Harris reveals her reasons for having Dorrit be the one to lose it first:

“THR: Who would have thought that it would be the younger Bradshaw, Dorrit (Stefania Owen), losing her virginity by the of the season.

Harris: I know! That was something I knew [would happen] from the very beginning. I always knew when I pitched the first season: Carrie will end the first season a virgin and Dorrit will not. [Laughs] Right after we shot the pilot, I knew. Even before we shot the pilot, I knew Carrie would be a virgin. I don’t think I thought as hard about where Dorrit would be until after we shot the pilot. We didn’t know who or how exactly she would lose it but I loved that the more f—ed up sister at the end of the day is actually a lot less dysfunctional about relationships. I loved her simplicity: “He loves me, I love him.” And she didn’t overthink it. That’s who Dorrit is. [Carrie and Dorrit] are chasing life in very different ways and it felt like a logical conclusion, that Carrie would overthink herself right out of a relationship and Dorrit has enough self-esteem to want it to be with someone who cared about her. She went for it. “

Access Hollywood Interview with Stefania Owen!

Interview with Stefania Owen!

Here’s a video clip from an Access Hollywood interview with Stefania Owen who plays my personal favorite character on the show Carrie’s little fourteen-year-old sister Dorrit!

Stefania talks how she got the role and what it took for her to prepare for it and her expectations for this season.

Writing Walt’s Story

Today I read a post on The Official Tumblr of The Carrie Diaries Writers in which the writers reveal their insight into the importance of writing the story for the character Walt Reynolds, one of Carrie’s best guy friends, played by Brendan Dooling, and his journey to finding his identity on the show. The theme of finding yourself in the city is an overarching one throughout the entire first season, and Walt’s individual journey follows that same path as he struggles with his relationships.

When the show begins, first, he experiences his first sexual relationship with his girlfriend of two years Maggie, and then he finds out that she had been cheating on him so he breaks up with her and starts dating the mean girl on the show Donna LaDonna. His relationship with Donna is interesting to watch because they share a special relationship in which they have a lot in common and become great friends, he even feels comfortable sharing some secrets with her, but then when it comes down to actually sealing the deal and hooking up, he can’t seem to perform and his lack of sexual attraction towards her isn’t personal. Donna questions his sexuality, and for the first time, Walt must question it as well. Together they discover that they are better as just friends.

Walt trying to force relationships with both of these women eventually comes to a halt when he goes and visits Carrie in the city. Carrie takes him to a party with her and introduces him to her co-worker Bennett, a fashionable, attractive young writer for Interview who also happens to be gay. Bennett challenges Walt to relax and try to accept himself for who he is, urging him to not be afraid of what others might think. Eventually, Walt’s interest in Bennett makes him realize the true reason why his relationships with women didn’t work in the past and he ultimately has to begin to face his fear that he might be different. In Episode #11, Walt finally admits to Carrie that he might have feelings for Bennett, a.k.a. he’s gay. Carrie is very understanding and considerate, telling him that no matter what he is, he shouldn’t be afraid to be himself and that he is a wonderful person no matter what.

Walt’s kiss with Bennett

Walt’s journey is very important in this day and age when homosexuality is still an issue in society in some areas of the world where young people still have to face the struggle of accepting their identity and finding acceptance from their families and peers. The writers do a good job at focusing on Walt’s journey from an outsider’s perspective, and portraying Walt’s coming out as something that isn’t going to happen all at one, but rather, unfold slowly as the season progresses and Walt’s character gets more comfortable with admitting the truth to himself before he can admit it to everyone else.

Carrie Cast Exclusive On-Set Interviews!

Access Hollywood went behind the scenes on the set of The Carrie Diaries to get the inside scoop from three of the main characters on what the show is all about!

The young starlets, AnnaSophia Robb, Ellen Wong, and Stefania Owen talk about their audition processes, their roles, their take on Sex and the City, fashion, shooting schedules, filming in NYC, and the media attention.

Odd Girl Out?

Sarah Jessica Parker on The Carrie Diaries – “It’s odd”!

In this article, Sarah Jessica Parker, who played the former Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, is reported to have criticized the new Carrie, played by actress AnnaSophia Robb, stating that her performance is a bit “odd”. The term odd is certainly not a compliment nor specifically harsh enough to act as a severe insult to the young actress, but it certainly doesn’t help the show for former Sex and the City fans that make up Parker’s fan base.

 Candace Bushnell Defends Carrie Diaries!

In another article, author and producer of the new series, Candace Bushnell, defends the new Carrie and her show, pointing out that Parker’s perspective may be contributed to the fact that Robb’s portrayal of Carrie is in many ways different from the original, which should not deflect away from her performance as a whole.

Personally, I think Parker is on point. The new series, and the new Carrie, are indeed a bit odd. However, I think the corkiness would appeal better to a younger audience than that of typical CW viewers. It is a bit too fruity for CW’s mature audience’s usual taste, and the awkwardness of the characters, particularly the young Carrie, as well as her friend Mouse, and Walt contribute performances that are a bit over the top for CW’s usual swag. Sebastian, played by Austin Butler, seemed a bit too 2-dimensional in the beginning of the season, and I had hoped to watch him grow and develop as a character, but unfortunately his character has remained pretty static/stagnant throughout and hasn’t quite shown any of the depth I had hoped for. That may be just it too for the majority of the characters on the show—they seem to be a little underdeveloped and a bit too surface to come across as natural or real.

Some of the episodes have been really good, the writing fresh and catchy. However, the good has not been consistent enough to hold the attention of new viewers over time. There have been good times, and then there have been not so good times, such as the last episode, Ep. 111 “Identity Crisis”, which aired last Monday night, March 25. Due to the fact that it was the last episode before the season finale, I had expected something really grand to happen, or at least something interesting enough to make me excited and in relentless anticipation of the finale, but the episode overall was kind of stale and a bit boring. Walt comes out to Carrie – big whoop, no surprise there – we already knew he was gay. Some of the better characters are absent or not as present – such as the younger sister Dorrit, Carrie’s crazy boss Larissa, and relationships that started in the last episode didn’t even show up again in this one – Dorrit and her new music store man (etc.). The episode was lacking in areas that were crucial in strapping in a fan base leading up to the final episode, not a good sign for the future of the show to be picked up for a second season.

The Bachelor: Up! —> Carrie: Down!

The Bachelor: Up! —> Carrie: Down!

TV Ratings for March’s Monday night season finale of The Bachelor shows ratings for The Carrie Diaries taking a dip while Bachelor numbers take the lead.

The Ratings Rollercoaster Ride

There were several articles that caught my attention regarding the fluctuating rollercoaster ride of ratings that The Carrie Diaries has experienced throughout its first season.

The expectations, as television contributor Carson Blackwelder mentions in his article, were that The Carrie Diaries would be able to take advantage of the popularity of its Sex and the City predecessor to attract viewers, but also be able to capture the loyal audience of the former fans of the hit series Gossip Girl, which ended December 17^th and whose coveted 8 pm primetime slot it humbly replaced.

In my opinion, there are several factors that have contributed to the lack of numbers showing up in the ratings: 1) show scheduling and competition from other shows in its time slot; 2) the network in which the show is airing; 3) the nature of the viewership habits of the show’s target audience.

Initially, the show most likely struggled in the ratings because it aired during the same time slot of ABC’s popular reality TV dating show, The Bachelor, right in the middle of its new season, which at the same time was garnering in more viewers than ever before—young and old—stealing away key members in CD’s target audience (young women ages 13 to 30). People are more likely to tune in to the already-established Bachelor series over the new Carrie Diaries because it has more clout, fans are already invested in the show, and it is more of a group viewing party style show, it is more addictive, and it depicts real people and real lives—which makes viewers more invested in the outcome. Scheduling CD at the same exact 8 pm primetime slot as The Bachelor had a negative impact on the viewership ratings. But also, plopping it into the same former Gossip Girl time slot may have set the bar too high in regards to pleasing former Gossip Girl fans.

The network—The CW—with its provocative, typically more surreal, darker dramas, such as Vampire Diaries and Nikita, typically attracts a more mature young adult to middle age audience. The style of The Carrie Diaries doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of The CW’s menu. The show might have done better airing on The Disney Channel or ABC Family because it seems to be attracting a younger audience as well as more of a family friendly viewership.

Another reason why the ratings are not as high as producers may have hoped is also due to the nature of viewership by its target audience. Personally, I do not tune in to watch the show when it first airs on television. Due to my busy schedule with school and other extracurricular activities, it is easier for me to watch the show at my own pace by visiting The CW’s website and watching the show through online streaming from my laptop. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are other Carrie Diaries fans that are doing the same. Because online viewership isn’t currently counted in the ratings system, the reality of the ratings may consist of higher numbers than are being accounted for. The CW posting the full episodes of the show online may have a negative impact on the numbers counted for, but in the long run, allowing the convenience and availability of watching the show online will help to establish greater accessibility and popularity for its target audience that may help to establish this demographic loyal fan base for the future.

My concluding thoughts are this: can the popularity of the show really be reflected in the ratings, or is there greater popularity that isn’t being accounted for? Also, is the problem of the show’s low ratings due to competition of show scheduling, or is it a problem of the placement of the show in its network? Finally, you could assume that none of these are issues and the low ratings are simply due to the show’s content. Has the show failed in appealing to its target audience? If it is a content issue, what is it about Carrie Diaries that disappoints?

In my opinion, the show will probably end up getting a second season to prove itself, but only time will tell. The show was not an instant hit, but neither was Sex and the City in its first season. There is hope. According to show runner Amy Harris, it will simply take time for viewers to catch on to its charm, and therefore, she does not intend to rush any aspects of the storyline in order to please members of former Sex and the City fans in its audience.

Articles Referenced:

– The CW’s Carrie Diaries Struggling in the Ratings: Why Aren’t Viewers Tuning In?

– Ratings Woes Won’t Rush Carrie Diaries Storylines, Say Amy B. Harris