So You Think You Can Aim and Fire

Flashpoint Moves to Thursday

Flashpoint is getting a new, primo time-slot. It’ll air Thursdays at 10 PM, here on CTV and on CBS in the U.S., starting this week, announced CTV’s creative and content president Susanne Boyce (pictured).

Flashpoint will air right after Canada’s most-watched show, So You Think You Can Dance.

Its (SYTYCD’s) Thursday night edition topped the ratings last week (July 7-13) with about 1.327 million viewers. It was also the lead in for Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and helped L & O: CI place in the Number 4 spot in the week’s Top 10 programs.

If Law & Order: CI retained that much of SYTYCD's viewership, chances are Flashpoint can hang onto even more of them. It might move itself up the ratings chart to challenge for a number two or three position.

CTV’s Thursday lineup will feature CSI (8 PM), So You Think You Can Dance (9 PM) and Flashpoint (10 PM), all Top 10 series.

Talk about programming to build on your successes: brill, totally brill.

Top Five shows in Canada (July 7-13)

1. So You Think You Can Dance (Thursday)
2. CSI: New York
3. So You Think You can Dance (Wednesday)
4. Law & Order: CI
5. Flashpoint (Premiere Episode)

Data: bbm Nielsen Canada

As mentioned here already, Numb3rs is/was an ideal lead in. But you can’t argue with putting Flashpoint on after SYTYCD, which in turn follows the original CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, a top player that kicks the night off at 8 PM. Last week CSI rounded out Canada’s Top 10 shows (according to bbm Nielsen) with close to 1.1 million viewers (taking 10th spot).

“Flashpoint is firing on all cylinders,” said Boyce, in a media release.

Personally, I’m a huge fan of cross-over episodes, where the stars of one series appear on another. In this case, maybe that darling Enrico Colantoni can appear as a guest judge on SYTYCD, and offer his thoughts on pop and lock. Or SYTYCD judge Mary Murphy might appear on Flashpoint; she could totally play a classic damsel in distress. Imagine the drama, imagine the comedy, and imagine the potential of a PR campaign highlighting the mass distribution of earplugs. "We're hopping aboard the pain train!!" she could shout. Mary Murphy rules. Never mind, won't happen. SYTYCD is not a CBS show...although the upcoming So You Think You Can Dance Canada is a CTV series, and Mary appears on it...hmm...

Gotta run, meeting my financial adviser to discuss Bell Globemedia shares.

photo: CTV