Chapter 206: A Major Shift

[Chapter 206: A Major Shift]

Julia didn't know how to respond to Elisabeth's comment. Although the girl's tone was casual, as if she was simply evaluating the characters in the show, Julia could detect a hint of jealousy in her voice.

In truth, Julia felt a tinge of jealousy herself. Although she had only seen two episodes, she could tell that, based on the quality displayed, this series was bound to be a hit. Jennifer Aniston's charming portrayal of Rachel would definitely make her the most beloved character among the six friends. The impact of this show would surely surpass that of even a blockbuster movie.

Eric was truly wonderful to her, Julia thought to herself.

The television had already started airing commercials, and the two of them finally realized that daybreak had arrived.

Julia stood up, stretched, and hurriedly washed up before exiting the bathroom. "Liz, do you want to go have breakfast at the restaurant downstairs?"

Elisabeth shook her head. "I'm a little tired and don't want to go out. Julia, could you bring me back a fruit salad?"

...

Julia nodded, got dressed, and stepped out of the hotel room. Inside, Elisabeth stared blankly at the TV screen for a moment before remembering something and picking up the phone. She quickly dialed a series of numbers from memory.

...

A few minutes later, Julia returned with two take-out breakfasts in hand. Seeing that Elisabeth had just hung up the phone, she casually asked, "Who were you calling?"

"New York," Elisabeth replied. Noticing Julia's apparent lack of interest, she walked over to the couch and continued, "I just got off the line with the Fox network headquarters in New York. They've tallied the ratings."

Julia opened the two containers of salad, handed one to Elisabeth, and then stood up to grab two cartons of milk from the fridge. Hearing Elisabeth's announcement, Julia shrugged and said, "Why do you care about that? Eric wrote the script himself. The ratings are bound to be high. Maybe they've topped twenty million viewers already."

"Thirty-one point seven million!" Elisabeth said softly. Her voice sounded hoarse, as if something was caught in her throat. As a media studies major, she understood the significance of that number more than a layperson might.

"Oh..." Julia poured milk into a glass, absentmindedly responding before suddenly realizing what Elisabeth had said. She jerked her head up, her eyes wide. "Did you just say how much?"

Elisabeth numbly pulled the fruit salad closer, lowering her head. "The average rating for the first two episodes was thirty-one point seven million. The highest peaked at thirty-five million. It's just... unbelievable."

"Oh my God," Julia exclaimed, taking a few hearty gulps of milk to suppress her shock. "This can't be right!"

"How could it be wrong? The network is going crazy," Elisabeth replied.

And they truly were.

...

After Fox compiled the ratings for the first two episodes, even though it was late at night, the news spread like wildfire throughout the industry within just an hour. Countless newspapers began to rewrite and layout their stories, and phones rang off the hook. Many people who had already gone to bed were awakened by the calls.

In that era, the main sources of entertainment for the public were movies and television, so ratings exceeding thirty million were not unheard of. However, achieving those numbers typically required either a major award ceremony, a significant sports event, or a long-running drama series experiencing a major plot twist or finale.

To have a show achieve such astonishing ratings right out of the gate was unprecedented. More importantly, Fox was a station that had been in operation for less than ten years. Although it was ranked fourth in North America, it still lagged far behind the top three major networks. Achieving such ratings was no small feat. Previously, the highest ratings for Fox had been for a documentary featuring Michael Jackson, and even that had only pulled in a mere nineteen million viewers. This new show eclipsed Fox's previous record by over ten million.

...

As the key figure behind all of this, Eric was abruptly awakened early in the morning by the incessant ringing of the phone, before seven o'clock.

The first call came from Barry Diller himself. He congratulated Eric on the record-breaking ratings and expressed his excitement, adding that Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of News Corp, would soon be arriving in Los Angeles and wanted to meet with Eric personally. They chatted for over ten minutes, and after urging Eric to return to Los Angeles as soon as possible, Barry reluctantly hung up.

Eric put the receiver down and hadn't even processed what Barry Diller had said when the phone rang again.

The second call was from Jeffrey, followed by a third, fourth, and fifth...

For the next two-plus hours, Eric found himself fielding call after call, both ears slightly itchy from the stimulation. It wasn't until past nine o'clock that he could take it no longer and yanked the phone line out of the wall, bringing blessed silence. Most of the important figures had already called, so he didn't mind missing anyone else.

Additionally, many of the callers had ulterior motives. Besides Aniston, who called excitedly to congratulate him, most others were seeking broadcast rights.

Initially, in a bid for caution, Fox only commissioned the first season of the show, which was hardly a secret. Now, achieving such remarkable ratings right out of the gate meant that even if the ratings fluctuated moving forward, the established base of over thirty million would ensure future numbers couldn't drop too drastically. If the other three major networks in North America remained unresponsive, those network heads might as well resign.

These players were indeed influential, managing to express their intentions to Eric through representatives within just a few hours. NBC even enlisted John Aniston, James Brooks, and Robert Shea to lobby on their behalf. Aside from John Aniston, who had originally worked at NBC, Eric found it puzzling how the other two had connected with the network, considering James Brooks was a well-known producer who maintained close ties with Fox. Didn't he fear being found out? Robert Shea's involvement only added to Eric's confusion.

Eric had his own expectations for the ratings, knowing that the show had just premiered. The teaser clips released prior had sparked significant public curiosity, coupled with the buzz surrounding Eric's direct involvement as both writer and director of the first two episodes, and Fox's relentless promotion. He had initially predicted the premiere ratings would sit within the twenty-million range; anything less would have discredited the hype surrounding the show.

Yet, the reality of surpassing thirty million was a staggering surprise for Eric.

In terms of ratings data for American television, moving from ten million to twenty million was a relatively easy leap, as any popular show could reach the twenty-million mark through its story arcs. However, jumping from twenty million to thirty million represented a genuine challenge, only achieved by a select few well-loved shows over several years of popularity.

Starting off with such a miracle was enough to secure a place in television history.

Thus, the ripple effect caused by this news throughout the North American entertainment industry was sure to be significant.

*****

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