Face it: Adam Schiff's bug-eyes and outrageous behavior as chairman do lend a certain entertainment value to the televised proceedings, but it's not enough to relieve the underlying tedium of a congressional hearing (and TV show) about nothing. There are no high crimes and misdemeanors, but plenty of junior high school–level third- and fourth-person gossip and hurt feelings.

These hearings of the House Intelligence Committee are all just a show —

"The Impeachment Show" — because there is no possibility of impeachment and removal from office. So the hearings deserve to be judged as a show, not a solemn exercise of constitutional duties. And, as a show, it's off to a terrible start.

The debut episode Wednesday was a ratings bust, despite the fact that it was televised by all the broadcast networks and cable news outlets, a total of ten channels. A mere 13.8 million viewers tuned in during the six hours. That's one and a half million fewer people than watched Thursday Night Football on one broadcast channel, Fox, the following night.

Ratings data for Friday's episode of the show are not in yet, but the star of the show, Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, didn't even cry.



YouTube screen grab, cropped.

The Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearings had a bawling Blasey Ford and managed to get 20 million viewers, and that on a mere six channels. You'd think that the Democrats, with all the resources of Hollywood at their disposal, would have found a way to get better ratings. But I have a suggestion: star power. Let the Republicans subpoena Hunter and Joe Biden, for a start. The ratings would be what Variety would call "boffo."

Hat tip: Richard Baehr.