: For as long as anyone can remember, the broadcast networks have culled together fall preview specials in hopes of drumming up interest in their new sitcoms and dramas. Ratings for these inexpensive one-offs have certainly waned over the past decade, but there was always a decent amount of viewers who tuned into the full-of-promise clip shows that were hosted by network talent.
“We always would put them on and go, ‘Oh, I don’t know if anyone’s going to watch this,’” remembers one longtime scheduling executive. “But then they were watched by like 3 million people. They were never the lowest rated shows of the week, that’s for sure.”