‘North Woods Law’ ratings were solid

I apologize for my absence from this space over the past week, but vacation called, and I spent the week on a beach in Jamaica. Before you ask: No. I was not vacationing with our governor, who apparently was also down there at the same time. And before you ask: No. I was not disappointed to learn that Mainers enjoyed 85-degree weather (for free!) while I was gone. My question to you: Did you dip your toes in 82-degree ocean water last week while you enjoyed that balmy Maine weather? No? Ha! I guess I win. Kind of.

Upon my return, I weeded through a pile of emails and learned that a lot of you are talking about “North Woods Law,” which has made quite a splash on Animal Planet.

If you haven’t watched the show yet, here’s what you’re missing: Maine Game Wardens, doing their game-warden thing, out in the wilds of Maine. They’re hiding in ditches, watching for “intentional violators.” They’re looking for lost hunters. They’re trying to figure out why somebody torched a car and left it in the woods. They’re rescuing moose that are stuck in the mud.

All in all (as I’ve said before), the show is pretty cool, and the footage can sometimes be stunning.

Well, in that email pile, I received a message from Devon Platte, the co-executive producer of “North Woods Law” for Engel Entertainment, who shared some good news: The official premiere, which aired on March 16, was watched by nearly 1 million viewers.

And according to the numbers that Platte provided, “North Woods Law” had higher viewership than the show that preceded it in the 8-9 p.m. slot (“Alaska Wildlife Troopers”) and the show that followed it from 10-11 p.m. (“Rattlesnake Republic”).

Although I’ve gotten a kick out of the show thus far, and look forward to each new installment, it appears that some readers of this blog are giving me more credit than I deserve … or blaming me for something I haven’t done.

One emailer told me she was quite disgusted by “your show,” apparently thinking that I was either the producer, an executive with Animal Planet, or a Maine Game Warden.

Here then, I’ll clarify something I didn’t think needed clarifying: I don’t have anything to do with “North Woods Law” (save, of course, the fact that I don’t find it disgusting, and do enjoy watching wardens hop out of the bushes and scare the scat out of would-be poachers).

 

 

John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.