OFF THE WIRE
agingrebel.com
Don’t count on The Devils Ride coming back for a third season. The
program ranked 13th out of 15 cable shows in the 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. time
slots last Monday night.
According to information gathered by the Nielsen Company, a firm that
measures what people buy and watch, the fourth and most recent episode of the
second season of The Devils Ride attracted an audience of about 1.2
million viewers. That represented about 0.7 percent of the viewers aged 18-49
watching anything during the time slot. The ratings may eventually be adjusted
upward to reflect DVR views of the episode. The numbers do not reflect downloads
of the episode on Netflix and similar services.
Two episodes of Pawn Stars on the History Channel won the
time slot. The 10:30 p.m. episode of that program had 5.06 million viewers and a
1.5 percent share. The first episode of that show had about 20,000 fewer
viewers. WWE Entertainment had 4.57 million viewers and 1.7 percent of
the most coveted audience. The Devils Ride also had fewer viewers and a
lower share than Teen Mom II on MTV, the first episode of
Lizard Lick Towing on TruTV, Duck Dynasty on
A&E, and Family Guy on TBS. The biker show had
fewer viewers than House Hunters and House Hunters
International on Home & Garden, both episodes of Diners,
Drive Ins and Dives on the Food Network and the second episode of
Lizard Lick Towing although it had a higher market share of young and
middle aged viewers than the Food Network and Home &
Garden shows. The only shows in its time slot that The Devils Ride
beat in both viewers and share were Lost Girl on SyFy – a show
about a succubus who feeds on the sexual energy of humans –and Vanderpump
Rules – a spinoff of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – on
Bravo.
Devils Who
The Devils Ride presents itself to unsuspecting viewers as an
“inside look” at San Diego County motorcycle clubs. It might be more accurately
described as either a parody of motorcycle clubs, a parody of FX Networks
Sons of Anarchy or a self conscious parody of itself. It was apparently
conceived as a reality show about a mundane and minor three-piece patch club
called the Laffing Devils Motorcycle Club. That club was kicked out of the San
Diego Confederation of Clubs last year for several reasons including coziness
with local police. Under the rules of the Confederation, officers of expelled
clubs are forbidden to join clubs in the COC.
The show has been beset by several outbreaks of bad press. In the first
episode of the show, cast members actually assaulted a passing photographer on
camera. Soon after that episode aired, Sons of Anarchy producer Kurt
Sutter blasted the program and Discovery, the network on which it
appears, for stealing his ideas. A twitter argument quickly erupted between
Sutter and Devils Ride cast member Robert “Sandman” Johnston. Other
clubs in San Diego disapproved of the show and the Laffing Devils MC quickly
lost members. Last September, cast member Thomas “Gipsy” Quinn was accused of
molesting a child and last December Johnston broke into his estranged wife’s
home and stabbed a guest in the back.
Bischoff Hervey Entertainment
The Devils Ride is produced by Bischoff Hervey Entertainment, which
was founded by Eric Bischoff, a showman with a background in professional
wrestling, and former child star Jason Hervey. It was apparently their decision
to paint the show into its current corner.
The program has been sold to viewers as television verite and during
its brief ten episode (so far) run the producers have tried to back up the claim
by trotting out several real life tough guys. Last season Rusty Coones, former
President of the Orange County Hells Angels charter appeared in two episodes.
This season introduced former Hells Angel Ralph “Rockem” Randolph and former
convict Christopher Michael “White Boi” Boultinghouse as regular cast
members.
This season the show’s plot has revolved around a ludicrous “biker war”
between the Laffing Devils and another Bischoff Hervey creation called the
Sinister Mob Syndicate Motorcycle Club. Monday’s episode included the return of
first season cast member “Billy the Kid.” The ratings indicate that America was
not begging to see more of him.
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