CPW

The millions CBS spent on publicity buildup for the 'Central Park West' premiere was regarded a stunning marketing and promotional success. 'CPW' was a joint venture of CBS Productions and creator-producer Darren Star (of 'Melrose Place' and 'Beverly Hills, 90210' fame). The show was hugely promoted as the flagship of CBS' 1995-96 fall schedule and the symbol of its drive to lure viewers ages 18 to 34. 

However when the most-hyped new TV series of the new prime-time season debuted in September 1995, the tidal wave of advance publicity did not result in ratings payback. Co-executive producer David Stenn believed, "This genre is historically about seduction. You have to bring your audience in. It's not like 'ER' — a home run out of the box." 

Set in a big-city hospital emergency room, the medical drama 'ER' was a break-out hit of the 1994-95 TV season. As reported, no hour-long drama series in the history of television finished its freshman season a mega-hit. Although 'Have Gun, Will Travel' in the 1957-58 TV season and 'Charlie's Angels' in the 1976-77 TV season were the previous highest-rated drama show on television in its freshman year, both still ranked behind 'ER'. Only the sitcom 'The Beverly Hillbillies' in the 1962-63 TV season ranked higher in the ratings than the drama 'ER' in its first year. 

Consistently attracting 40% audience share, 'ER' made TV history in February 1995, during the quarterly ratings sweeps, when it became the first-year drama to rank No. 1 for 4 straight weeks. The last freshman drama to do so was 'Charlie's Angels' in 1977. The last drama to do so was 'Dallas' in 1982. 'ER' was described as a groundbreaking doctor drama which ran for 15 seasons between 1994 and 2009.

For 4 seasons between 1995 and 2000, 'ER' was the highest-rated program on television. At its peak in May 1998, 'ER' attracted 47.8 million viewers (25.8% households ratings and 57% audience share). That night, 'ER's' lead-in, the finale episode of 'Seinfeld' attracted 41.3 million viewers. "'ER' marked the end of a primetime era," 'Variety' voiced. "It's a different industry than it was when 'ER' started," Garth Ancier conceded. 

In an unprecedented move for a first-year drama, the ratings juggernaut 'ER' released its pilot episode in June 1995 to home video. Executive producer John Wells was "absolutely shocked" at the overwhelming success of 'ER'. "There's been a lot of research in the past that it's some place (viewers) don't want to be, so they will avoid the hospital, and they will avoid the show." Technical adviser Dr. Lance Gentile begged to differ, "This is a place where you'd want to come. These are doctors you'd want to have. These are doctors who care. And I think that's probably gone a long way to explain the audience identifying with our show." 

David Manookin of the NBC affiliate, KSL, reasoned, "It's fast-paced, the characters are likeable and even the character who isn't likeable still has a soft side, and you can see why he's driven. There's a lot of depth there, and it gets you involved in learning what medicine is about and what the emergency room is about. And you like all these people as they come through the door." 

John Wells continued, "Our average cast size for the guest cast is just under 25, so when you include our recurring characters ... normally we'll have 50 speaking parts in an episode. Lots of bodies. We don't show the doctors being infallible. At the same time we show them as compassionate and caring and having real lives. I think that removes the idea of doctors as god, which is something we have all come to distrust over the last 25, 30 years. And that makes everyone much more comfortable with it." 

Of 'ER's' huge success, George Clooney who played Dr. Doug Ross until 1999 told the press, "I've been on a lot of shows that didn't work when I thought they would. I was in no way prepared for this to take off like it did (in the first year). I'm thrilled but surprised. It's kind of like you send out invitations to a party and you don't know whether 4 people are going to come or 100 and you really hope it's the 100. But you don't know if everybody likes you or not. But it took off immediately. And I think we were all very surprised. I mean, my expectation was that 'PrimeTime Live' was going to be winning the hour because there were going to be 2 medical shows ('ER' and 'Chicago Hope') that basically would be competing for the same audience." 

John Wells, formerly writer and producer of 'China Beach', confessed, "We were very lucky when we broke (into) sort of the 40s (in the weekly ratings). We'd kind of get together and have a little party. And we look at each other every day and say, 'I don't really know what the difference is.' We have a wonderful cast, terrific writers. But if you knew what it was you'd bottle it, and we'd have lots of very successful television shows. The alchemy is much more difficult than that. And I don't think anybody knows how to really put it together again." 

For 'CPW', there was no "delicious payoff" of the ratings kind. Darren Star maintained, "I know the audience will find us. I'd much rather start here (with low ratings) and work my way up. This is familiar territory." Of a full season's worth of shows CBS ordered, each episode reportedly budgeted at $1 million, 'CPW' could only attract between 6 million and 8 million viewers each week (roughly between 5.0% households ratings and 10% audience share). Only twice in October 1995, did 'CPW' attract over 9 million viewers. 

Critic Eric Mink argued, "Audience shares that hover around single digits suggest strongly that the new show is not being rejected so much as it isn't even being sampled." Four of the original 21 episodes produced were not shown during its first run. In November 1995, CBS took 'CPW' off the air so that the show could be revamped by switching the focus of the characters to appeal to the 35-to-54-year-olds crowd. CBS traditionally attracted older folks. 

Mariel Hemingway played a Seattle editor who was hired to come to Manhattan to take over the struggling New York magazine Communique, appeared in the first 13 episodes. With its relaunch, Ron Liebman and Lauren Hutton who played the Rushes would be moved to the forefront joining Raquel Welch and Gerald McRaney who played the Brocks as the show's primary conflict would be the battle between the two media moguls. 

David Poltrack remarked, "We've found that the older demographic likes that kind of 'Dallas'-like tension between big power players." As such, Camille Marchetta "has quietly been brought in to the 'Central Park West' set." Along with storyline changes, costumes would also be toned down and the soundtrack shifted from funky new music to Bobby Short-style pop. One network executive disclosed, "So far, they are still calling the show 'Central Park West' but it's now strictly Upper East Side." 

CBS burned the 8 remaining episodes off over the 1996 summer just after the May ratings sweeps and before the July ratings sweeps. 'CPW' would be shown twice a week on Wednesday and Friday nights competing against 'PrimeTime Live' and '20/20'. At a press conference held in January 1996, Leslie Moonves of CBS noted, "The audience spoke by not crowning any of the 42 new shows a hit - something they love, something that was, excuse the expression, 'Must-See TV' this year (the 1995-96 season). There was nothing they grabbed onto. 

"The whole ('CPW') campaign - of 'We are hipper, we are younger, we are Fox' - basically said to our (CBS) core audience, 'Not only is 'Central Park West' not for you, but neither is CBS. If you're 35 or older, get lost!' That was the wrong message to put out there - (that) with 'Central Park West', instead of being a younger 'Knots Landing', we want to be another 'Melrose Place'. That's not what CBS is all about. So we've added characters I think that people can root for." 

After watching the pilot episode, critic David Zurawik made the comment, "I have to hand it to (Darren) Star. Had I not viewed the pilot twice, I would not have believed that any writer could create this many complications, develop this many entangled relationships, and generate this much back-stabbing in just one hour. It's unbelievable." 

Television editor Scott D. Pierce added, "'Central Park West' wasn't campy enough to be funny and wasn't involving enough to be serious. If 'Central Park West' had any fans at all, they were exceedingly quiet ones." David Zurawik continued, "CBS and Star are pulling all stops to lure viewers into 'Central Park West'. But all that glistens is not gold. This is an incredibly calculated show with less than zero heart or soul. And I suspect that more than a few viewers are going to leave 'Central Park West' after an hour tonight feeling like they've been intellectually mugged. 

"'Central Park West' is so obvious in its manipulation, it gives mindless escapism a bad name. Stephanie Wells and Carrie Fairchild are the Krystle and Alexis on the Hudson. Peter Fairchild was a too-obvious John Kennedy Jr. character and Lauren Hutton as a Jackie Kennedy type." Betsy Frank of Zenith Media Services told the 'Advertising Age' in 1996, "It's ('CPW') got strong name recognition but much of the perception of the show is negative." 

One CBS insider made the observation, "They're (the Raquel Welch episodes) really putting on a different show. We tried 'Central Park West' and the marketplace said no. The reviews weren't good and the 'Melrose' crowd never came to CBS to watch it. If we want an older-skewing soap, why don't we just come up with a new one?" At the preshow party for 'Central Park West', Mariel Hemingway told the champagne-soaked crowd at New York City's Museum of Modern Art, "Maybe we should never air the show. Just keep putting it off. I mean, the hype is so great, how can we live up to it?"