Well since you called me out.
Nielsen is a flawed system. It apparently overrepresents the more rural and less educated sections of the United States. So that explains why the most low brow programming tends to do well.
Given that system is there any wonder why anime where there's not a lot of action going on is going to do badly and Bleach is top the heap due to it's constant fights and bouncing breasts? That's why Jeebus says Adult Swim shouldn't bother airing anime if it isn't similarily violent and fanservice heavy... though at this point he'd rather they just quit anime all together.
But as flawed as the system is the fact of the matter is Adult Swim's anime is niche and doesn't appeal to mainstream audiences so obviously it's going to do worse than comedies that anybody can pick up and watch any episode of without feeling lost.
Say what you will about Childrens Hospital and even Tim and Eric but they are easier for mainstream viewers to sit through than most Japanese cartoons.
I am joining you in boycotting Adult Swim tonight, not that it's going to make a difference since I don't have a Nielsen box and I don't usually watch even most of the anime on Saturday any given week (I DVR some for later though) but it's the principle of the matter. I guess...
I do hope this night doesn't do particularly well for Saturday because if it does we could lose the 2AM-4AM anime to a comedy encore from earlier in the night but I think their love of those old anime outweigh any need to do better in those hours. It's the early morning hours on a Sunday. It's not like they have a lot of competition for that time.
HELPeR for the TOONAMI, Mobile Suit Gundam, Dragon Ball Z, Harvey Birdman and Perfect Hair Forever boards. Feel free to ask me anything on those topics.
sketch only puts the arrogant whiney punks in their place... sort of like batman, except on the {AS} boards - THECZAROFGNAR
Sketch, should we make sure it's imprinted on your grave stone "He felt very strongly that Bleach belonged on Toonami!" - .hack-SIGN_John
"We aknowledged that Toonami is cooler than us... and they aknowledged that we're full of ****." [adult swim]