Here's how the BBC describes the episode, which airs at 5:45:
The Great Dragon is finally free. Full of rage, he attacks Camelot with pitiless intensity. The castle is crumbling and Arthur's men cannot hold out much longer but only a Dragonlord can kill a dragon and Uther wiped them all out years ago. Or did he? Gaius admits one such man could still be alive and in hiding.
The last Dragonlord is the key to Merlin's own past as well as the future of Camelot, but will Arthur and Merlin find Balinor in time to save the kingdom?
A lot of the other competition fell from last week whereas Merlin gained a bit in the overnight ratings. The numbers aren't exactly fantastic but NBC could do much worse this summer.
Here's the overnight-ratings breakdown. (Source: Mediaweek)
"The Gates of Avalon" July 19 (8:00-9:00)
Rank
Show
Network
Rating (in millions of viewers)
Last Week
#1
Big Brother
CBS
5.58
6.76
#2
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (R)
ABC
5.09
4.99
#3
Merlin
NBC
4.27
3.65
#4
The Simpsons (8:00-8:30) (R)
FOX
3.41
3.75
#5
King Of The Hill (8:30-9:00) (R)
FOX
3.00
3.14
#6
Movie: The Thomas Crown Affair
The CW
1.51
N/A
(R) denotes repeat airing
SPELLS CASTED JULY 13, 2009
"A Remedy To Cure All Ills" Ratings!
Merlin dipped quite a bit this week, likely due to the return of Big Brother and a strong showing from ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition repeat.
Here's the overnight-ratings breakdown. (Source: Mediaweek)
"A Remedy To Cure All Ills" July 12 (8:00-9:00)
Rank
Show
Network
Rating (in millions of viewers)
Last Week
#1
Big Brother
CBS
6.76
6.74
#2
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (R)
ABC
4.99
3.84
#3
The Simpsons (8:00-8:30) (R)
FOX
3.75
3.68
#4
Merlin
NBC
3.65
4.29
#5
King Of The Hill (8:30-9:00) (R)
FOX
3.14
3.26
#6
Movie: Hoosiers
The CW
1.07
N/A
(R) denotes repeat airing
SPELLS CASTED JULY 12, 2009
"Lancelot" Ratings!
Merlin maintained its ratings from the previous week almost exactly, despite some rises for some of the competition.
Here's the overnight-ratings breakdown. (Source: Mediaweek)
"Lancelot" July 5 (8:00-9:00)
Rank
Show
Network
Rating (in millions of viewers)
Last Week
#1
Million Dollar Password (R)
CBS
6.74
6.46
#2
Merlin
NBC
4.29
4.29
#3
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (R)
ABC
3.84
3.95
#4
The Simpsons (8:00-8:30) (R)
FOX
3.68
3.29
#5
King Of The Hill (8:30-9:00) (R)
FOX
3.26
3.12
#6
Movie: Road House
The CW
1.38
0.89
(R) denotes repeat airing
SPELLS CASTED JUNE 29, 2009
Merlin Week 2 Ratings!
Merlin was down a little bit last week as far as ratings go on NBC. Considering it's a summer run, though, it did fairly well, especially when you see the numbers posted by the competition.
Here's the overnight-ratings breakdown. (Source: Mediaweek)
FIRST HOUR: "The Mark of Nimueh" (8:00-9:00)
Rank
Show
Network
Rating (in millions of viewers)
Last Week
#1
Million Dollar Password (R)
CBS
6.46
6.44
#2
Merlin
NBC
4.29
5.47
#3
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (R)
ABC
3.95
3.88
#4
The Simpsons (8:00-8:30) (R)
FOX
3.29
3.86
#5
King Of The Hill (8:30-9:00) (R)
FOX
3.12
3.32
#6
Movie: Larger Than Life
The CW
0.89
0.94
SECOND HOUR: "The Poisoned Chalice" (9:00-10:00)
Rank
Show
Network
Rating (in millions of viewers)
Last Week
#1
Cold Case (R)
CBS
6.35
6.76
#2
Merlin
NBC
4.25
5.24
#3
Miniseries: Impact Part 2
ABC
4.20
4.51
#4
Family Guy (9:00-9:30) (R)
FOX
4.07
4.28
#5
American Dad (9:30-10:00) (R)
FOX
3.38
3.65
#6
Movie: Good Boy
The CW
0.89
1.07
(R) denotes repeat airing
SPELLS CASTED JUNE 22, 2009
Merlin Premiere Night Ratings!
Merlin performed decently though not spectacularly on its NBC premiere.
Part of the blame could go to the U.S. Open golf tournament, which was still on when people may have happened to tune in at 8:00 on thre East Coast.
Here's the overnight-ratings breakdown. (Source: Mediaweek)
FIRST HOUR: "The Dragon's Call" (8:00-9:00; Delayed on the East Coast)
Rank
Show
Network
Rating (in millions of viewers)
#1
Million Dollar Password (R)
CBS
6.44
#2
Merlin
NBC
5.47
#3
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (R)
ABC
3.88
#4
The Simpsons (8:00-8:30) (R)
FOX
3.86
#5
King Of The Hill (8:30-9:00) (R)
FOX
3.32
#6
Movie: Good Boy
The CW
0.94
SECOND HOUR: "Valiant" (9:00-10:00; Delayed on the East Coast)
Rank
Show
Network
Rating (in millions of viewers)
#1
Cold Case (R)
CBS
6.76
#2
Merlin
NBC
5.24
#3
Miniseries: Impact Part 1
ABC
4.51
#4
Family Guy (9:00-9:30) (R)
FOX
4.28
#5
American Dad (9:30-10:00) (R)
FOX
3.65
#6
Movie: Good Boy
The CW
1.07
(R) denotes repeat airing
SPELLS CASTED JUNE 21, 2009
More Merlin Treats Courtesy Of NBC
NBC has released several behind the scenes and promotional videos for Merlin, which [hopefully] you can find embedded below:
SPELLS CASTED JUNE 5, 2009
NBC's Merlin Promo!
NBC has created a special promo for Merlin's United States premiere on June 21, 2009. Check it out below:
SPELLS CASTED MAY 23, 2009
Merlin Series 2 Spoilers!
Cast members from Merlin appeared at the recent 2009 London Expo and they revealed some spoilers for the second season (or "series" as it's called in the UK). Thanks to Dustmite on our forum, we have details!
Merlin is a series that has become quite popular in the United Kingdom for very similar reasons to how Smallville became a hit in the United States - it's a retelling of a famous legend full of young, pretty people with subtext, mystery, and adventure thrown in.
In the case of Merlin, the show takes the original Arthurian legends of Camelot and introduces us to an Arthur who is not quite King and a Merlin who is not yet in control of his powers or aware of his destiny. Characters such as Guinievere, Morgana le Fay, and Lancelot also are woven into the story.
Merlin has already aired in the U.K. where it has already amassed quite a fan base. But what of the fans here in the States? That's where this site comes in. Although you may find spoilers on our forum, our hope is to avoid any major spoiling for episodes not yet aired in the United States on this News page.
NBC plans to start airing Merlin on Sunday night, June 21, 2009. Hopefully the American airings will go well enough that they show the entire run.
Presenting... The Merlin Image Gallery At MerlinSite!
There may be spoilers within, but we have posted many promotional images from the first season of Merlin here in our Image Gallery, many of which are at a very high resolution.
Series 2 Finale Tonight In The U.K.! "The Last Dragonlord"
Images From Three More Episodes!
Merlin Series 2 Images Are Released!
Merlin Premiere Night Ratings!
Welcome To MerlinSite!
Presenting... The Merlin Image Gallery At MerlinSite!