• by David Goetzl , June 7, 2006

Both fans and the media felt the sixth season of "The Sopranos" lacked some of the intensity and pulsating drama of previous go-rounds--and the ratings were similarly lackluster.

The HBO mob drama averaged 8.6 million viewers for the 12-episode season--down 12 percent from season five. The show also saw a performance drop in the 25-to-54 demo, with a 15 percent decline. Since HBO is not ad-supported, demo ratings are less important for its business prospects, but they can provide insight into a show's buzz level.

Sunday's finale--which ended rather placidly with a Christmas Eve family portrait--saw an even bigger decline when compared to the final episode of season five: Viewership dropped 19 percent to 8.9 million, and the 25-to-54 performance fell 23 percent. The finale also drew fewer viewers than all but two of the 13 episodes in season five.

While it's unclear how much the perceived falloff in the creative product--the Associated Press wrote "the sixth season of this HBO drama seemed to wilt, week to week"--contributed to the ratings slowdown, there are several other reasons that viewership may have taken a hit this season. For the first time, the show found itself competing face-to-face with a bona fide hit in ABC's "Desperate Housewives." Also, many more consumers have HBO's On Demand service than when the series last aired in 2004, allowing them to watch an episode outside of the Sunday night "live" window at their leisure. Similarly, DVR penetration is far greater than two years ago--also facilitating time-shifted viewing.

Another factor could have been the long layoff between seasons--the March 12 premiere of season six was more than two years after season five ended with Johnny Sack's arrest and Tony fleeing the FBI through the snow-covered woods of North Jersey. The premiere of season six on March 12 provided an early indication that "The Sopranos" may have lost some pop: Viewership was down 22 percent compared to the season five premiere.

Viewers won't have to wait as long for the next season--really a mini-season--where the series' final eight episodes hit the air in January.