Introducing VOJ, and the Sabermetrics of Sitcoms Part 2

*WARNING: THIS IS PART TWO OF A FOUR PART POST. FOR PART ONE, CLICK HERE. A LINK TO THE NEXT PART WILL APPEAR AT THE END OF THIS ONE*

The next statistic is an episode-independent statistic, for a per episode basis. It is called PER, like John Hollinger's PER (player efficiency ratings) which values each NBA player on what they are worth for a minute. Sitcom PER rates what a sitcom is worth for a single episode. It is calculated the same way as VOJ, but instead of adding # of Episodes and Avg. # of Episodes to Viewership and Avg. Viewership, only the viewing numbers are used. Under this formula, the replacement level show is Rodney, an ABC series from 2004-06. The list:

Show	PER	PER Rk.
Friends	3.800090038	1
Everybody Loves Raymond	2.661695384	2
Leap of Faith	2.242307692	3
Two and a Half Men*	2.241111794	4
Frasier	2.21501923	5
Will & Grace	2.12525641	6
Becker	1.991901153	7
The Weber Show	1.933333333	8
King of Queens	1.840003846	9
Dharma & Greg	1.727528205	10
Spin City	1.667134615	11
Just Shoot Me	1.6544	12
My Big Fat Greek Life	1.645076923	13
Yes Dear	1.645028846	14
Out of Practice	1.621025641	15
Coupling	1.586217948	16
Malcolm in the Middle	1.563311538	17
Still Standing	1.55281923	18
That 70's Show	1.506113618	19
Good Morning Miami	1.487115384	20
Courting Alex	1.478974359	21
Samantha Who?	1.461025641	22
Rules of Engagement*	1.453846153	23
Crumbs	1.44	24
Big Bang Theory*	1.426470085	25
8 Simple Rules	1.415742307	26
New Adventures of Old Christine	1.400807692	27
Modern Family*	1.396217948	28
How I Met Your Mother*	1.3838	29
My Wife and Kids	1.364236923	30
The Geena Davis Show	1.360128205	31
Listen Up!	1.292307692	32
The Office*	1.268854648	33
Hidden Hills	1.267948718	34
DAG	1.266666666	35
Romantically Challenged	1.263730769	36
3rd Rock from the Sun	1.243242	37
Scrubs	1.24291282	38
My Name is Earl	1.235666666	39
Center of the Universe	1.234615384	40
Drew Carey Show	1.228620461	41
Joey	1.225384615	42
Worst Week	1.209615384	43
Bette	1.207179487	44
Bram and Alice	1.204307692	45
According to Jim	1.197572115	46
Life on a Stick	1.179487179	47
Titus	1.159358974	48
Watching Ellie	1.159166666	49
Life with Bonnie	1.149333333	50
George Lopez	1.146073077	51
The Class	1.141538461	52
Help Me Help You	1.141538461	53
Grounded for Life	1.137606743	54
Normal, Ohio	1.133333333	55
It's All Relative	1.108410256	56
Michael Richards Show	1.103846154	57
Two Guys and a Girl	1.078	58
Hope & Faith	1.070901709	59
Bob Patterson	1.069615384	60
A.U.S.A.	1.069230769	61
What About Joan	1.066666666	62
Undeclared	1.060371795	63
Welcome to New York	1.06	64
Wanda at Large	1.050076923	65
I'm with Her	1.041923077	66
Accidentally on Purpose	1.031467236	67
Bernie Mac Show	1.0296	68
30 Rock*	1.028923077	69
Cedric the Entertainer Presents	1.027846154	70
Happy Family	1.013333333	71
Whoopi	1.010192307	72
Stacked	1.008269231	73
The Stones	1.002223077	74
Rodney	1	75
Cougar Town*	0.988076923	76
Oliver Beene	0.986692307	77
Lost at Home	0.983782051	78
Four Kings	0.967692307	79
The Pitts	0.957692307	80
Less than Perfect	0.951282051	81
Andy Richter Controls the Universe	0.950769231	82
Back to You	0.947461538	83
The Middle*	0.928846154	84
Freddie	0.924102564	85
Three Sisters	0.923076923	86
In-Laws	0.921948718	87
Emeril	0.906666666	88
Gary Unmarried	0.905576923	89
Daddio	0.897948718	90
The Ellen Show	0.891666666	91
Arrested Development	0.887747007	92
Welcome to the Captain	0.880384615	93
Hank	0.877423077	94
Married to the Kellys	0.861538461	95
Committed	0.858974359	96
Tucker	0.85	97
Cavemen	0.846153846	98
Emily's Reasons Why Not	0.831923077	99
Madigan Men	0.823846154	100
Free Ride	0.82051282	101
Miss Guided	0.802175077	102
The Trouble with Normal	0.792307692	103
The War at Home	0.791153846	104
The Winner	0.789871795	105
Complete Savages	0.782051282	106
The Tracy Morgan Show	0.769858974	107
Twenty Good Years	0.761025641	108
A Minute with Stan Hooper	0.76	109
Jake in Progress	0.733333333	110
The Big House	0.732051282	111
Community*	0.724358974	112
Hot Properties	0.72025641	113
Parks and Recreation*	0.714358974	114
Carpoolers	0.706666666	115
Andy Barker P.I.	0.706153846	116
Teachers	0.693076923	117
Notes from the Underbelly	0.69275641	118
Kath & Kim	0.689067949	119
Surviving Suburbia	0.683312564	120
Quintuplets	0.68	121
Danny	0.660384615	122
Knights of Prosperity	0.653846154	123
In Case of Emergency	0.652307692	124
In the Motherhood	0.636730769	125
Sons & Daughters	0.628205128	126
The Tick	0.588461538	127
Inside Schwartz	0.576923077	128
Unhitched	0.576	129
Cracking Up	0.557333333	130
Scrubs 2.0	0.555866667	131
Til Death	0.528205128	132
Kitchen Confidential	0.501794872	133
Happy Hour	0.5	134
Better Off Ted	0.447272436	135
Luis	0.442846154	136
Return of Jezebel James	0.415410256	137
Brothers	0.398768	138
The Loop	0.398717949	139
Sons of Tucson	0.293833333	140
Method & Red	0.282051282	141
100 Questions	0.273717949	142

I prefer the first rating system for a number of reasons. First- under PER more than half of the sitcoms rank as "above replacement level." This is just not true. Second- PER inflates series that last very few episodes. The 11 shows with the biggest jumps from VOJ to PER (Coupling, Crumbs, Romantically Challenged, My Big Fat Greek Life, Leap of Faith, Bram and Alice, Courting Alex, Life on a Stick, Bob Patterson, The Stones, and Normal, Ohio) all lasted no more than 8 episodes. Premieres often get strong ratings- they are widely promoted and typically aired after popular shows. With few total episodes, these series do not have time for a ratings drop, and their average viewership is therefore sometimes higher than successful sitcoms, like big droppers 30 Rock, George Lopez, and Scrubs.

Continue to Part 3