CliqueClack TV » Ratings Clack

Ratings Clack – Should FOX switch Fringe and Lie To Me?

Brett Love — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:23 +0000

After the dramatic entrance of V last week, there were no similar big splash stories to lead things off this week. Then, as I was perusing the year-ago numbers, something occurred to me. It’s quite possible that FOX could improve both Monday and Thursday at 9:00 if they swapped Fringe and Lie To Me. If you look back to the initial Fringe run, it had a lot of success following House. In fact, while the House numbers are virtually unchanged from Tuesday to Monday, Fringe was holding much more of the House audience on Tuesday than Lie To Me currently is on Monday.

Example:
11/18/08: House (13.03m/5.5), Fringe (9.36m/4.2)
11/09/09: House (13.31m/5.3), Lie To Me (7.41m/3)

And that was against very similar competition. Both faced DWTS on ABC, which was pretty much a wash. NBC was greatly improved against Fringe with Biggest Loser (7.84m/3.3), as opposed to Trauma (5.35m/1.8). And CBS was mixed, with The Mentalist (15.83m/3.5) trailing the Men/Big Bang hour (13.62m/4.6) in the demo.

Now we look at where we are this season. Fringe did manage something of a rebound this week, finishing with (5.91m/2.2) on Thursday. That’s still a distant fourth place, and should find the show on the hot seat at the end of the season. It would, obviously, do better on Monday following House. The question is, would it do better than the (7.41m/3) that Lie To Me is currently offering? I think it would.

On the other side of that coin, while I’m not quite as confident about the move of Lie To Me to Thursday, I do still see the potential for it to outperform the current Fringe numbers. That bar has been set, after all, rather low. It would likely take a hit in the move, but the end result would be that Thursday at 9:00 is stronger as well. Just something to think about. The usual numbers junk is after the jump.

ABC - The bubble burst on V (10.7m/3.8) rather quickly. Sure, that’s still a very nice number, but it’s also a heck of a one week drop. Consider the jury still out on this one until we see what episodes three and four bring to the table. Earlier in the week, the return of football on NBC brought Sunday’s Extreme Makeover (10.38m/3), Desperate Housewives (13.79m/4.4), and Brothers & Sisters (9.08m/2.9) down a tad. It was still a successful start to the week.

The good news continued as Dancing With The Stars (17.62m/3.4) and Castle (9.82m/2.4) both gained viewers. The DWTS Results (16.23m/3.5) were up as well, despite the V drop. The news wasn’t so good for The Forgotten, as In The Spotlight with Robin Roberts (9.34m/2.3) finished well above what the show has been doing. Wednesday, the CMA Awards (17.18m/5.3) were a huge improvement over the usual comedies and Eastwick. FlashForward (8.28m/2.6) sunk to third in both measures to kick off Thursday, while Grey’s Anatomy (14.87m/5.6) and Private Practice (10.25m/3.9) were both up. Ugly Betty (4.45m/1.3) finished things off on Friday.

FOX - The network didn’t really gain anything with the all-Seth night, featuring Family Guy (7.26m/3.7), Seth & Alex (6.73m/3.4), Family Guy (7.99m/4.1), and Cleveland (6.44m/3.2). The news was better on Monday as House (13.31m/5.3) remained the clear demo leader on the night. So You Think You Can Dance remained steady, if not impressive, on Tuesday (5.76m/2.3) and Wednesday (5.72m/2.2), while Glee (7.53m/3.4) was tied for #1 in the demo with Criminal Minds. Thursday, Bones (10.22m/2.9) took over the #2 spot from FlashForward. And Friday, repeats again topped the recent comedy/Dollhouse combo.

CBS - The good news is that Sunday was up across the board with Amazing Race (11.62m/3.5), Three Rivers (7.99m/1.8), and Cold Case (8.16m/1.7). The bad news is that those numbers from 9:00 to 11:00 are too low. Things were better on Monday. The network was down slightly from 8:00 to 9:00 with How I Met Your Mother (8.67m/3.5) and Accidentally On Purpose (7.89m/2.9). Then, up with 2 ½ Men (14.44m/4.6) and Big Bang Theory (12.8m/4.7). At 10:00 is where the real magic started.

The big crossover CSI event led to gains for Miami (14.38m/4), NY (14.51m/3.8), and the OG CSI (17.38m/4.1). He didn’t get to be part of the big event, but Gibbs and the crew at NCIS (20.96m/4.4) easily returned to the top of the Tuesday pyramid. That was good news for NCIS: LA (16.23m/3.7) and The Good Wife (13.35m/2.8) as well. Old Christine (7.19m/2.1) and Gary Unmarried (7.3m/2.4) were both up on Wednesday, despite that CMA increase at ABC. Criminal Minds (12.77m/3.4) was solid. Although, that demo battle with Glee could prove very interesting.

Thursday, as with CSI, Survivor (12.94m/4) was up too. The Mentalist (16.17m/3.6) was off a bit in viewers, but is still having a very good second season. And Friday was another easy win for the night by Ghost Whisperer (8.01m/2), Medium (8.16m/1.9), and Numb3rs (8.16m/1.8).

NBC – The return of Sunday Night Football (21.88m/8.5) was certainly welcome. Hopefully, it softened the blow of another series low for Heroes (5.26m/2.3), and the further struggles of Trauma (5.35m/1.8). The Biggest Loser (9.65m/3.8) remains a success on Tuesday. Mercy (6.68m/1.7), on the other hand, can only claim that it is an improvement over the Knight Rider numbers. L&O: SVU (8.77m/2.8) remains a mystery. That was good for fourth place, again, but it is headed in the right direction. And that 2.8 demo is starting to look really good given the rest of the NBC schedule.

Thursday was more of the same as Community (5.09m/2.1) and Parks & Recreation (4.58m/2.1) again fell short of the Kath & Kim bar (11/06: 5.57m/2.4). By comparison, things look pretty good for The Office (8.05m/4.2) and 30 Rock (6m/3). Law & Order (7.5m/1.7) finished things up on Friday.

CW - The week got off to a very good start as One Tree Hill (2.67m/1.3), Gossip Girl (2.37m/1.3), and 90210 (2.06m/1.2) all saw gains. That was the highest rated Gossip Girl since the season premiere. Things didn’t go so well for Melrose Place (1.28m/.7). It would seem that the network is just waiting to see what difference Heather Locklear makes before pulling the plug.

Next Top Model (3.2m/1.5) was again nipping at NBC’s heels in the demo on Wednesday. As was Vampire Diaries (4.1m/1.9) on Thursday. Supernatural (2.69m/1.3) was on par as well. Finally, Smallville (2.7m/1.2) continued to defy the odds on Friday, drawing more viewers than OTH, GG, 90210, Melrose, and Supernatural.

Cable - It’s probably way too early for the folks down at Stargate HQ to be getting nervous, but concern might be in order. Friday 11/06 found the Universe dropping again, to (1.63m/.7). That didn’t do any favors for Sanctuary (1.42m/.5). It will be very interesting to see where the show levels out. Over at USA, White Collar (3.85m/.9) continues to search for a level as well. Other cable numbers to consider:

Mad Men (2.32m/.8)
Dexter (1.76m/.9)
Lincoln Heights (1.03m/.4)
Sons Of Anarchy (3.83m/1.9)
Nip/Tuck (1.75m/.9)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (.98m/.3)
Bored To Death (.63m/.3)
Californication (.76m/.4)
Rita Rocks (.48m/.2)
South Park (2.78m/1.5)
Secret Girlfriend (1.19m/.6)
It’s Always Sunny (1.87m/1.2)
The League (1.03m/.6)
Monday Night Football (16m/6.5)
The Hills (2.1m/1.3)
Top Chef (3.02m/1.7)
Mythbusters (2.13m/.9)
Ghost Hunters (2.91m/1.4)
Ghost Hunters Academy (2.07m/.9)
Project Runway (3.13m/1.4)
Keeping Up With The Kardashians (3.17m/1.7)

Photo Credit: FOX

Ratings Clack – V gets off to a great start

Brett Love — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:30:08 +0000

The World Series was the big ratings winner last week, but with New York involved, everyone kind of expected that, right? What nobody expected — most notably ABC — was the success of the V premiere. The numbers weren’t just good. It was the highest rated scripted program on the network, topping the Housewives and Grey’s. Even better, the V demo rating was the highest for a scripted show on any of the networks. Someone at ABC has to be kicking themselves for only ordering four episodes of V, while they continue to crank out more Hanks than they know what to do with.

ABC – It was the big show for the week, so we’ll start with the V (14.3m/5.2) premiere on Tuesday. Even more impressive, it did that against Biggest Loser and NCIS. Not an easy timeslot. That was obviously unexpected, or production wouldn’t have been cut to 4, for now. It makes the results of episode two very interesting. How much of that audience will be back for more? That huge leap in the 8 o’clock hour didn’t do anything for the rest of the night. The Dancing With The Stars results show (15.05m/3.1) was up just a tenth in the demo, and The Forgotten (7.27m/1.9) actually managed to lose a million viewers week-to-week.

Earlier in the week, things were pretty standard on Sunday with Extreme Makeover (10.75m/3.3), Desperate Housewives (14.08m/5), and Brothers & Sisters (9.02m/3.3). Monday, Dancing With The Stars (16.69m/3.4) and Castle (9.43m/2.4) were both off just a bit, but we’ll chalk that up to baseball. Wednesday remains a mixed bag as Hank (5.09m/1.3), The Middle (6.04m/1.8), and Eastwick (4.44m/1.5) all continue to struggle. Modern Family (8.77m/3.5) and Cougar Town (6.87m/2.8) do like solid performers, however.

FlashForward (8.57m/2.6) makes Thursday interesting. It continues to drop, and you have to wonder if the audience is just giving up on it already. It long ago lost track of Survivor, and this week was also topped by Bones. Grey’s Anatomy (13.95m/5.1) and Private Practice (9.11m/3.4) remain a successful pairing. Friday, Ugly Betty (4.76m/1.3) remained steady, but the big surprise was from the Rihana episode of 20/20 (8.18m/2.7).

CBS - It was, for the most part, another very solid week. Sunday was steady, with Amazing Race (11.22m/3.3), Three Rivers (7.7m/1.6), and Cold Case (9.02m/1.7). Of course, that steady means that Three Rivers remains a disappointment and its future prospects are not good. Monday was also solid with How I Met Your Mother (8.82m/3.5), Accidentally On Purpose (8.09m/3.1), 2 ½ Men (13.51m/4.4), Big Bang Theory (12.73m/4.7), and CSI: Miami (12.52m/3.6). Those numbers are off a bit, but we’ll give them a World Series pass as well.

Tuesday, that giant V premiere didn’t do much to slow down the NCIS (20.18m/4.3) juggernaut. NCIS:LA (15.29m/3.6) and The Good Wife (12.74m/2.7) were also on par. Wednesday brought a slightly baseball-weakened combination of Old Christine (6.68m/2), Gary Unmarried (6.29m/2), Criminal Minds (12.55m/3.4), and CSI:NY (12m/2.8).

Thursday, Survivor (12.44m/3.7) is again firmly in control of the hour. More interesting, The Mentalist (16.21m/3.6) topped CSI (15.6m/3.5) in both measures again. The troubling bit came on Friday, as Ghost Whisperer (7.93m/1.8) and Medium (7.58m/1.8) both lost to Law & Order, while Numb3rs (8.09m/1.8) was beaten by 20/20. I can’t remember the last time CBS was beaten in all three Friday hours while running all new episodes.

FOX - The World Series was the story last week. Games on Sunday (22.76m/7.8), Monday (17.09m/5.3), and Wednesday (22.34m/7.4) all did extremely well. So You Think You Can Dance (6.12m/2.4) held down the fort on Tuesday, and Bones (8.66m/2.6) and Fringe (4.86m/1.7) were back on Thursday. Bones moved to #2 in the hour, while Fringe remains a distant fourth.

The quick reaction is to blame the time slot, but compare it to what So You Think You Can Dance is up against on Tuesday at 8. ABC gains 5.73m/2.6. NBC gains 3.93m/2. CBS gains 7.74m/.6. That’s 17.3 million more viewers, and 5.2 more demo points facing SYTYCD, and it still outperformed Fringe. There is also the argument that because World Series Game 7 was scheduled Thursday, people didn’t know it was on. Unfortunately, that doesn’t explain the fact that Bones still managed 8.6 million viewers, or all those other weeks of subpar Fringe numbers. And in case you were wondering, House and Bones repeats on Friday again topped the Brothers, Til Death, and Dollhouse numbers.

NBC - With no football in prime time this week, the big success actually came on Friday. Law & Order is finally showing a little life, with episodes at 8 (7.99m/1.8) and 9 (8.41m/1.9) both winning their hours. Earlier in the week, it was more of the same on Monday from Heroes (5.86m/2.5) and Trauma (5.82m/1.9). The Biggest Loser (9.11m/3.5) remains a solid hit on Tuesday. Wednesday, Mercy (6.63m/1.7) and SVU (7.95m/2.4) were off, but it was the final game of the World Series, so let’s wait and see.

Thursday, Community (5.45m/2.3) and Parks & Recreation (4.91m/2.2) were both up. However, they do both remain below what Kath & Kim (5.57m/2.4) were doing at this time last year. The Office (8.09m/4.1) and 30 Rock (6.15m/3) continue along the same path. Leno had another rough week, falling below 4 million viewers once, and below 1.5 in the demo three times. I’m starting to think that Leno one night a week might not be a bad idea. Give him the post Biggest Loser slot, and return scripted to the other four hours. The numbers:

Monday: 3.92m/1.2
Tuesday: 5.96m/2
Wednesday: 4.81m/1.4
Thursday: 4.83m/1.6
Friday: 4.6m/1.2

CW - Nothing too exciting to report this week. One Tree Hill (2.32m/1.1) and Gossip Girl (1.98m/1) look to have taken a small hit from baseball. 90210 (1.92m/1) and Melrose Place (1.48m/.8) continue to struggle as we all wait to see what Heather Locklear will do to the Melrose numbers. Next Top Model (3.87m/1.7) was up, despite baseball. Thursday remains the strongest night of the week with Vampire Diaries (4.09m/1.9) and Supernatural (2.65m/1.2). And Smallville (2.76m/1.2) continues to grow.

CABLE - Not a lot to yell about on cable this week either. It is worth noting that the second episode of White Collar (5.075m/1.2), from 10/30, held up very well. It looks like USA has found a few more characters. Stargate Universe (1.97m/.8), from the same night, found itself falling below the 2 million viewer mark. Sanctuary (1.6m/.5) and Monk (4.69m/1) were fairly steady. Some other numbers:

Mad Men (1.78m/.7)
Dexter (1.88m/.9)
Lincoln Heights (1.11m/.3)
Greek (.66m/.3)
Sons Of Anarchy (3.52m/1.8)
Nip/Tuck (2.17m/1.1)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (.98m/.4)
Bored To Death (.72m/.4)
Californication (.82m/.4)
South Park (2.82m/1.5)
It’s Always Sunny (1.99m/1.3)
The League (1.41m/.9)
Monday Night Football (12.37m/5.1)
Kate: Her Story (3.79m/1.7)
The Hills (1.99m/1.2)
Mythbusters (1.82m/.8)
Ghost Hunters (2.73m/1.3)

Photo Credit: ABC

Ratings Clack – The Mentalist knocks off CSI

Brett Love — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:00:29 +0000

A combination of baseball and pre-sweeps repeats made for a bit of an odd week. Repeats don’t mean there aren’t numbers of note however. We had Jay Leno’s first shot against CSI: Miami and NY repeats, and a look at what running repeats on Friday does for FOX. That is, nothing good for Dollhouse season 3. Also interesting this week — The Mentalist finally topped CSI in viewers and the demo, and even a repeat Gibbs appearance is worth 16 million viewers.

FOX - Having the baseball playoffs paid off big for the network when NY joined the party. The three contests last week included ALCS Game 6 (15.48m/5.2) on Sunday, and World Series Game 1 (19.51m/6.3) and Game 2 (18.9m/5.8) on Wednesday and Thursday. Needless to say, those were some serious gains over the usual occupants.

Elsewhere, So You Think You Can Dance (5.85m/2.6) was well off the usual House number in it’s one-time stop on Monday. On a brighter note, with CBS in repeats, it still finished #2 in the hour. Lie To Me (6.33m/2.4) struggled without the House lead in. There were similar numbers for the first SYTYCD competition episode (6.47m/2.5) on Tuesday. The only other number of note came from the House (3.4m/1.1) repeat on Friday, which topped the usual Brothers, Til Death, and Dollhouse combination.

ABC - The week got off to a steady start with Sunday’s Extreme Makeover (10.59m/3), Desperate Housewives (14.18m/4.7), and Brothers & Sisters (9.97m/3.3). On Monday, Dancing With The Stars (17.38m/3.6) was steady in the demo. That’s positive news for Castle (9.99m/2.5), which was up a tenth. There were more gains on Tuesday, as Charlie Brown (8.8m/2.8) easily bested the usual performance of Shark Tank. DWTS (15.2m/3) was down in the demo over the previous week, but The Forgotten (8.26m/2) still managed to grow.

Charlie Brown (6m/2) also proved to be an improvement over Hank on Wednesday. The rest of the night, including The Middle (6.49m/2.2), Modern Family (9.33m/3.7), Cougar Town (7.54m/3.2), and Eastwick (5.02m/1.8), was up as well. Less exciting, FlashForward (8.92m/2.7) managed to find series lows on Thursday. Grey’s Anatomy (13.74m/5.2) was down week-to-week, but still the highest rated scripted program for the night. Private Practice (9.16m/3.6) continues to hold up well. Friday, Ugly Betty (4.5m/1.2) was steady, if not impressive.

CBS - The week started with a reasonably steady full slate on Sunday, featuring Amazing Race (11.22m/3.4), Three Rivers (7.78m/1.7), and Cold Case (9.3m/1.8). Then, there were a whole lot of repeats as the network took Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off. Of note among those was the Monday 9-10 comedy block winning the hour in the demo. Tuesday, NCIS (16.7m/3.3) was the most watched show of the night. And CSI: Miami and NY both won their hours outright.

New programming picked back up Thursday with Survivor (12.19m/3.7), CSI (15.24m/3.4), and The Mentalist (15.53m/3.6). That is of particular note, given that it’s the first time The Mentalist has beaten CSI in viewers and demo this season. Friday was down week-to-week, but the network still won all three hours with Ghost Whisperer (8.28m/2), Medium (7.69m/1.8), and Numb3rs (7.74m/1.8).

NBC – It was, for the most part, a fairly steady week. Sunday Night Football (14.98m/5.9) was off a bit facing baseball, but still a huge winner for the network. Heroes (5.72m/2.5) was right on pace with last week. Oddly enough, Trauma (5.78m/1.9) was actually up for the week in which it was canceled. The Biggest Loser (9.67m/3.7) continued to cruise on Tuesday. And NBC got an animation boost of their own as Monsters vs Aliens (6.24m/2.2) improved on the Mercy demo on Wednesday.

Law & Order SVU (8.24m/2.8) was down in viewers, despite the Criminal Minds repeat. I suppose we can chalk that up to baseball. Thursday, Community (5.32m/2.1) was the only show that was actually up week-to-week. Parks & Recreation (4.8m/2), The Office (8.21m/4.2), and 30 Rock (6.1m/3.1) were all down, but close enough to expected averages. Friday, Law & Order (7m/1.4) continued to struggle.

Leno didn’t have a good week. Before the premiere, one of the network’s talking points was that while the show will get beat by originals, wait until it airs against repeats. We’ve seen what that looks like, and it’s not good news for Jay. Not only is Leno still being beaten by repeats, the numbers are still dropping. This week, Leno against a repeat CSI:Miami finished below Leno against a new CSI:Miami last week. Friday also brought the lowest demo in the series.

Mon – 4.74m/1.3
Tue – 6.06m/1.8
Wed – 5.03m/1.5
Thu – 4.41m/1.5
Fri – 5.14m/1.2

CW - The little network had a very good week. They took Tuesday off, but the other four nights were all up over the previous week. One Tree Hill (2.67m/1.3) and Gossip Girl (2.31m/1.2) took advantage of the missing House and repeat comedies. Next Top Model (3.51m/1.6) actually faced much stiffer competition with World Series Game 1, but looks to have gained some of those displaced SYTYCD viewers. Vampire Diaries (4.18m/2) and Supernatural (2.92m/1.4) were at the highest levels we’ve seen since the premiere. Smallville (2.6m/1.2) wrapped the winning week on Friday.

CABLE – The shine has worn off The Jeff Dunham Show (2.33m/1) rather quickly, as week two had less than half the viewers of week one. The other notable bit from the cable world was the premiere of FX’s new comedy, The League (.99m/.6), which is much better than its ratings might lead you to believe.

From the previous Friday, 10/23, here are a few of the cable numbers:

Stargate: Universe (2.02m/.8)
Sanctuary (1.69m/.5)
Monk (5.42m/1.5)
White Collar (5.4m/1.4)
Wizards of Waverly Place (4.39m/.8)

And from the week just completed:

Mad Men (1.72m/.6)
Dexter (1.68m/.8)
Greek (.77m/.4)
Sons Of Anarchy (3.39m/1.8)
Nip/Tuck (2.2m/1.1)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (1.05m/.4)
Californication (.77m/.4)
Bored To Death (.65m/.3)
South Park (2.57m/1.3)
Secret Girlfriend (1.38m/.7)
It’s Always Sunny (1.35m/.8)
Top Chef (3.04m/1.7)
Project Runway (3.24m/1.4)
The Hills (2.05m/1.2)
Dirty Jobs (2.31m/.9)
Mythbusters (2.56m/1)
Ghost Hunters (3.06m/1.4)

Photo Credit: CBS

Ratings Clack – Smallville continues to defy the odds

Brett Love — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:00:19 +0000

We do often get caught up in the big numbers from the big networks. It is, after all, hard to overlook the fact that NCIS is still growing its audience in the 7th season. There are still some very interesting stories happening on the little network, CW. When it was announced that Vampire Diaries would be paired with Supernatural, while Smallville was shuffled off to Friday, many people expected that was the end.

The show wouldn’t be able to come back from a year grinding away on Friday nights. After a few weeks looking at the numbers though, that’s not the case at all. Clark and the gang can celebrate good times, despite taking a hit from the move. In fact, this week Smallville topped new episodes of One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, 90210, and Melrose Place. It’s far from done. Elsewhere, we had our first sizable crop of repeats this week, which brought some interesting results.

CW – With Smallville getting the lead, we’ll start with CW this week. The week got off to a slow start with One Tree Hill (2.21m/1) and Gossip Girl (1.98m/1.1) both down. Things picked up, if you can call it that, on Tuesday with 90210 (2.25m/1.1) remaining steady and Melrose Place (1.5m/.7) gaining in viewers. Next Top Model (2.99m/1.4) was steady as well. Vampire Diaries (2.27m/.9) and Supernatural (1.83m/.8) were repeats, but it is worth noting given that the Vampire Diaries repeat had more viewers than all of the Monday and Tuesday originals. Smallville (2.52m/1.1) closed out the week with the best performance for a scripted show on the network, and also managed to finish tied for third in the demo on the night.

ABC – It was something of an uneventful week for the network. Sunday’s performance was steady with Extreme Makeover (10.33m/3), Desperate Housewives (13.68m/4.6), and Brothers & Sisters (9.72m/3.2). Likewise, Monday finished very much like the previous week with Dancing With The Stars (16.82m/3.6) and Castle (9.69m/2.4). It is worth noting that the Castle numbers have been good enough that the network has picked up the back 9.

Things started to change on Tuesday, as Shark Tank (5.92m/1.8) and DWTS Results (14.92m/3.4) both saw gains. Unfortunately, that didn’t do anything for The Forgotten (7.3m/1.9), which slipped to the lowest numbers of the season. Those 10PM struggles were repeated on Wednesday, with Eastwick (4.78m/1.6) also finding new lows. That came on the heels of a night of comedy that was down across the board with Hank (5.78m/1.5), The Middle (6.53m/2), Modern Family (8.66m/3.4), and Cougar Town (7.31m/3.1). Things really don’t look good for Hank.

There were more changes on Thursday, although they really weren’t that surprising. FlashForward (9.87m/3.1) gained in viewers while holding steady in the demo. Grey’s Anatomy (15.06m/5.3), on the other hand, posted big week-to-week gains. Of course, that was against a repeat CSI. Surprisingly though, it didn’t translate into gains for Private Practice (9.93m/3.7). The show was down without the crossover element, despite facing a repeat Mentalist. Friday, Supernanny (4.7m/1.1) returned above the year ago premiere, and Ugly Betty (4.55m/1.2) limped to a third place finish in the hour.

CBS - The week started off with shenanigans as the football overrun bumped Cold Case for the night. Amazing Race (10.92m/3.3) and Three Rivers (7.38m/1.9) didn’t see any benefit from that. Monday was mostly par for the course, with one notable exception. Accidentally On Purpose (8.25m/3.3) actually beat How I Met Your Mother (8.07m/3.4) in viewers. Did anyone see that coming? Later, the duo of 2 ½ Men (14.07m/4.8) and Big Bang Theory (13.47m/5.3) continued to dominate the 9PM hour. CSI: Miami (13.16m/3.9) finished the night on a winning note.

Tuesday was up across the board, on the back of NCIS (21.25m/4.7) continuing to impress. That led to good things for NCIS:LA (16.48m/3.9) and The Good Wife (13.26m/2.8). Wednesday remained steady. Old Christine (6.58m/2) and Gary Unmarried (6.76m/2.2) seem to have fought off the ABC comedies, while Criminal Minds (14.27m/3.8) and CSI:NY (13m/3) easily win their hours. Survivor (12.9m/4) was the lone new entry on Thursday, but it is worth noting that The Mentalist (11.79m/2.8) beat CSI (10.14m/2.2) in repeats. Friday was again an easy victory for Ghost Whisperer (8.46m/2.1), Medium (8.43m/2.2), and Numb3rs (8.05m/1.8).

NBC - Overall, it was actually a good week for NBC, relatively speaking. Sunday Night Football (18.17m/7.2) continues to be huge. And Heroes (5.72m/2.5) was actually up. With Mercy (7.18m/1.9) getting a full season, things don’t look good for Trauma (5.46m/1.8). Tuesday, The Biggest Loser (9.82m/3.9) was also up. There were more gains to be had on Wednesday, as L&O: SVU (9.15m/2.8) continued to grow. There is still the very real possibility that it could compete with Criminal Minds in the demo by the end of the season.

Thursday continues to be a mixed bag. Technically, Community (5.04m/1.9) and Parks & Recreation (4.93m/2.1) had the 8PM hour up over last week. But really, if Kath & Kim are looking down at your numbers, that’s really bad. The Office (8.73m/4.4) and 30 Rock (6.84m/3.3) took advantage of the CSI vacation. Friday, Law & Order (7.17m/1.5) continued to struggle, while Dateline (7.91m/1.8) continued to make the case for canceling Southland.

Leno… didn’t have a good week.The numbers continue to shrink, slowly. Two nights below five million, and two below 1.5 in the demo. Most troubling might be the fact that despite nice gains from The Office and 30 Rock on Thursday, and facing a repeat Mentalist, Leno was actually down.

Mon – 4.74m/1.4
Tue – 5.46m/1.8
Wed – 5.14m/1.5
Thu – 4.97m/1.6
Fri – 6.15m/1.4

FOX - The week started off with one of the most interesting repeats of the week. An old Family Guy (8.13m/4.2) was stuffed in with new episodes from The Simpsons (8.69m/4.1), Cleveland (7.62m/3.8), American Dad (6.25m/3.1) but still managed to be the highest rated. Monday, being pushed back by baseball didn’t do any favors for House (11.65m/4.4) and Lie To Me (7.79m/2.9). The news was better from baseball (10.3m/3.4) on Tuesday. Wednesday, So You Think You Can Dance (6.91m/2.6) and Glee (7.15m/3.3) were steady. I’m curious to see what happens as SYTYCD gets into the competition.

Baseball (11.85m/3.7) returned Thursday, offering a boost to the usual numbers. Friday was more of the same. The only semi-surprise was that Til Death (1.97m/.7) managed to fall below 2 million viewers. Yikes. It’s pretty bad when you lose viewers from Brothers (2.35m/.8). Dollhouse (2.15m/.8) slipped again, marking its second worse performance ever.

Cable – Ryan asked for numbers from Stargate: Universe and Sanctuary last week. I don’t usually include them because unless Syfy sees fit to issue a press release over the weekend, the post is up before they come out. So, the next best thing is week old numbers. For the 10/16 broadcasts the numbers were Stargate: Universe (2.1m/.9) and Sanctuary (1.77m/.6). That same night, USA had Monk (3.98m/1) and Psych (3.68m/1.2). The interesting premiere this week was The Jeff Dunham Show (5.34m/2.2). That’s impressive, given the overwhelming hatred of the show from critics. It’s also worth noting that Sons Of Anarchy (3.7m/2) beat both Leno and The Forgotten in the demo. Other interesting cable numbers for the past week:

Monday Night Football (13.47m/5.5)
Hannah Montana (5.72m/1)
Mad Men (1.61m/.5)
Dexter (1.51m/.7)
Californication (.77m/.3)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (1.08m/.5)
Bored To Death (.66m/.3)
Project Runway (3.02m/1.3)
Real Housewives Of Atlanta (2.97m/1.6)
It’s Always Sunny (1.52m/.9)
Lincoln Heights (.92m/.2)
Greek (.68m/.3)
The Hills (1.83m/1.1)
Dirty Jobs (1.86m/.9)
Mythbusters (2.28m/1)
Top Chef (2.86m/1.5)
South Park (2.58m/1.4)
Secret Girlfriend (1.29m/.6)
Nip/Tuck (2.23m/1.2)
Ghost Hunters (3.07m/1.4)

Photo Credit: The CW

Ratings Clack – Where is FlashForward headed?

Brett Love — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:00:41 +0000

FlashForward is one of the more interesting shows of the new season where ratings are concerned. On the one hand, so far it has been a huge upgrade for the 8-9 spot on ABC. And while it has been surpassed by Survivor, it does continue to hold off Bones in the demo. On the other hand, the ratings don’t seem to be settled yet, which makes each week a new adventure. This week, the yo-yo headed back up. What will next week bring? One can only guess. I continue to think that it will eventually be passed up by the fiercely loyal Bones audience at some point, finding its place as the number 3 show in the hour. Elsewhere this week, there was good news for Dancing With The Stars, NCIS, Law & Order, So You Think You Can Dance, and Smallville. The news wasn’t so good for Hank, Parks & Recreation, Three Rivers, or Melrose Place.

ABC - Overall, it was a very good week for the network. Sunday was off a bit week-to-week with Extreme Makeover (9.81m/3), Desperate Housewives (13.42m/3.6), and Brothers & Sisters (8.97m/3), but those are still solid numbers. And there were plenty of gains through the rest of the week. Monday, Dancing With The Stars (16.79m/3.6) and Castle (9.77m/2.3) were both up. Tuesday was also up for the night with Shark Tank (5.24m/1.6), DWTS (13.96m/2.9) and The Forgotten (7.43m/2.1). The Forgotten was down in viewers, but up in demo. Wednesday was a bit of a mixed bag with Modern Family (9.35m/3.6) and Cougar Town (7.99m/3.3) both up, while Hank (6.15m/1.6), The Middle (6.77m/2.1), and Eastwick (5.08m/1.7) were all down.

In a bit of oddness, Thursday found FlashForward (9.07m/3.1) and Private Practice (10.36m/3.8) both posting gains while Grey’s Anatomy (13.79m/5) took a bit of a dip. Still, that’s a dip that still left it #1 in the demo for the night. Friday was also up with the premiere of Ugly Betty (5.01m/1.3 – 5.18m/1.3). Of course, that’s well off last season’s Ugly Betty numbers, and up over repeats. I’ve no idea what ABC is expecting from Ugly Betty on the night, but the increased competition should be worrisome for FOX.

CBS - The Tiffany network also had a good week, starting with The Amazing Race (10.52m/3.2). Unfortunately, Phil’s gains didn’t do much for Three Rivers (7.33m/1.7) and Cold Case (7.87m/1.9). Both of those should be considered on the bubble at this point. That was just a temporary setback though, as business picked back up Monday. How I Met Your Mother (8.56m/3.6), Accidentally On Purpose (7.73m/3), 2 ½ Men (14.17m/4.8), and Big Bang Theory (13.07m/5) all bounced back from an off week, gaining in viewers and demo. CSI: Miami (13.27m/4) was off just a bit in viewers, but also up in viewers. That 8-9 hour of comedy continues to be interesting. In moving Big Bang to 9:30, the 8-9 hour is down 1.1 million viewers and 4 tenths in the demo versus last year (Big Bang 9.36m/3.6, HIMYM 9.14m/3.8). Although, to be fair, the 9-10 hour is up 1.4 million viewers and .6 in the demo (2 ½ Men 14.57m/5.3, Worst Week 9.78m/3.3).

Moving on, NCIS (21.04m/4.5) continues to roll. Despite that being up, NCIS:LA (15.38m/3.5) and The Good Wife (12.98m/2.8) were both off week-to-week. The good news though is that they both remain up over last year (Mentalist 14.86m/3.4, Without A Trace 10.99m/2.6). Wednesday also saw gains with Old Christine (6.99m/2.1), Gary Unmarried (6.91m/2.3), and CSI: NY (13.4m/3.2) up in both measurements. Criminal Minds (13.92m/3.8) was off slightly in viewers, but also gained demo.

Thursday saw week-to-week gains across the board with Survivor (11.78m/3.5), CSI (15.38m/3.6), and The Mentalist (15.08m/3.5). It’s interesting to note that The Mentalist is so close to becoming the #1 show for the network on the night. Friday, as usual, was an easy win with Ghost Whisperer (8.21m/2), Medium (8.04m/1.9), and Numb3rs (7.77m/1.8) all holding up well against baseball.

FOX - A bit of a mixed bag of results in a week that was still very good. The Sunday toons, The Simpsons (7.6m/3.7), Cleveland Show (7.87m/3.9), Family Guy (8.97m/4.6), and American Dad (6.75m/3.5) were all down, but still very strong. It’s worth noting that Cleveland is building on the Simpsons audience. Monday was also down, with House (13.49m/5.2) and Lie To Me (7.87m/2.8). Not a worry for House, the #1 demo of the night, but Lie To Me should be better. Tuesday was a great result as Hell’s Kitchen (8.04m/3.8) continues to hold up amazingly well.

The really interesting bit of the week came on Wednesday. So You Think You Can Dance (7.21m/2.8) continues to grow now that the weeks (and weeks) of auditions are over. It’s now #1 in the demo for the hour. That led to a slight boost for Glee (7.65m/3.4) as well. Thursday was more of the same, with Bones (9.59m/2.8) on par, and Fringe (5.78m/2.2) continuing to struggle in the 9PM meat grinder. Friday was way up over the usual schedule with baseball. Sports are iffy for numbers, but the early results say something in the neighborhood of 7.54 million viewers and a 2.4 for the night.

NBC - How NBC did this week really depends on your glass. Is it half full, or half empty? For example, the entire Monday lineup was up in viewers and demo. But then, when you come up to numbers like Heroes (5.55m/2.4), Trauma (5.49m/1.8), and Leno (5.09m/1.6), it’s hard to really celebrate. There were similar results for Mercy (7.37m/1.9), which was up in the demo. As well as Community (5.01m/2) which gained in both over last week. The only really bad news probably comes from Parks & Recreation (4.53m/2). To give an idea of how bad that is, last year at this time Kath & Kim knocked down 6.01 million viewers and a 2.5.

There was good news to be had. As usual, Sunday Night Football (16.02m/6.2) remains a power. The Biggest Loser (9.14m/3.5) was also rather steady. The Office (8.03m/4.1) was down from the big wedding episode, but remains the best rated scripted program on the network. 30 Rock (6.39m/3), given the demo, also had a successful debut. There was also some good news on the Law & Order front. Both SVU (8.77m/2.6) and L&O (7.6m/1.6) remain down year-to-year, but they are also both gaining. That’s a trend worth watching. It could be that as people tire of the new programming, they’ll return to the old standbys.

Leno, overall, had a rough week that ended with his worst showing yet on Friday. The only victory for Leno came on Wednesday, as the show was #2, edging out Eastwick. The numbers:

Monday (5.09m/1.6)
Tuesday (5.77m/1.8)
Wednesday (6.15m/1.8)
Thursday (5.37m/1.8)
Friday (4.97m/1.2)

CW - Count the littlest network as also having a good week. One Tree Hill (2.55m/1.2), Gossip Girl (2.36m/1.2), Vampire Diaries (3.88m/1.8), Supernatural (2.58m/1.2), and Smallville (2.62m/1.1) were all up over last week. 90210 (2.25m/1.1) was off a tenth in demo, but gained viewers. Next Top Model (3m/1.4) was off over the previous week, but remains the #2 show on the network. The only really bad news continues to be Melrose Place (1.38m/.7) which has now fallen well off the pace of Privileged last season.

CABLE - The most intriguing number for me on cable this week was Nip/Tuck (2.92m/1.4). That’s not a bad number, but it’s more interesting in showing just how successful FX is with Sons Of Anarchy (3.31m/1.8). It looks like SAMCRO will be around for awhile. Let’s just hope the writer’s get this whole Oz fascination out of their system sooner, rather than later. Some other cable numbers of note:

Mad Men (1.53m/.6)
Army Wives (3.93m/1.3)
Monday Night Football (13.14m/5.4)
Top Chef (2.67m/1.4)
South Park (2.56m/1.3)
Secret Girlfriend (1.25m/.6)
It’s Always Sunny (1.61m/1)
Project Runway (2.97m/1.3)
Mythbusters (2.69m/1.2)
The Hills (1.72m/1)
Ghost Hunters (2.91m/1.3)
Real Housewives of Atlanta (2.64m/1.4)
Greek (.66m/.3)

Photo Credit: ABC

The Ratings Game – FlashForward

Brett Love — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:00:06 +0000

FlashForward has had an interesting run in its first three episodes. After being one of the most hyped shows leading into the season, the show kicked things off with 12.47 million viewers and a 4 demo. Those numbers are of particular note, as both of them topped perennial Thursday at 8 champ, Survivor. Week two brought the expected drop, and found the show with 10.73 million viewers and a 3.7. Still solid, but it fell behind Survivor in viewers. Week three is where things get really interesting.

With the show falling to 9 million viewers and a 3 demo, Survivor reclaimed the top spot, and Bones moved to number two in viewers. The iffy bit here is that week three also had playoff baseball to contend with, which could have contributed to those lower than expected numbers. That leaves week four up in the air. Which way will the numbers go? As CJ suggested, it sounds like a good idea for another ratings game. I believe the 9 million viewers was an anomaly, and the number will bounce back this week. So, I’m setting the over/under at 10.25 million. You make the call in the poll, and leave your best guess for the viewer number in the comments. Winner can pick the show for the next ratings game.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

As with game one, we’ll go with the overnight numbers that come out Friday morning. Make your guess to two decimal places (ex. 14.79). The only restriction on the show picked for the next ratings game is that it be on one of the five broadcast networks. Cable numbers are hit and miss in a timely fashion. Of course, nobody would complain if you picked the return of Dollhouse on the 24th. I’m just sayin’….

Update: The numbers are in, and the 37% that took the under were right. It’s a trend! FlashForward was up over last week’s series low, but just barely, finishing with 9.12 million viewers. That means bsgfan2003 wins again, missing by just .34, just edging out Oreo who was off by only .36. Impressive predictions.

Photo Credit: ABC

Ratings Clack – Favre and Baseball create havoc

Brett Love — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:00:43 +0000

It was a strange week for ratings. Brett Favre playing against Green Bay made for a huge Monday Night Football (21.84m/9) audience on ESPN. And then the baseball playoffs ran through the rest of the week, calling a lot of the seemingly odd drops in viewers into question. Despite that increased competition, there was some good news to be had. The Biggest Loser, Bones, The Office, Lie To Me, Castle, and The Simpsons all managed to make gains week-to-week. Dollhouse also got in the game, stopping a four episode streak of series lows. On the other side, it’s starting to look like ER took all of it’s viewers with it when it left. The premiere numbers for Three Rivers were not good, and NBC’s dueling medical dramas continue to struggle.

FOX - Animation Domination got the week off to a great start, with The Simpsons (9.38m/4.4), Cleveland (8.86m/4.4), Family Guy (9.86m/5.1), and American Dad (7.14m/3.6). Food for thought: In the demo, that makes Family Guy the #1 comedy of the week. On Monday, House (13.74m/5.4) looks to have taken a hit from football. The good news though, is that Lie To Me (8.06m/3.1) was up, despite the drop from House.

Tuesday and Wednesday were fairly steady with Hell’s Kitchen (7.43m/3.3), So You Think You Can Dance Tuesday (5.47m/2.5), SYTYCD Wednesday (6.22m/2.5), and Glee (7.28m/3.3). Thursday was another example of just how solid the Bones (10.29m/2.9) audience is. No matter the night, or the competition, it gets its numbers. And it is getting very close to passing up FlashForward in the demo as well. Unfortunately, Bones being up, and the appearance of Nimoy, didn’t help Fringe (5.83m/2.1). For now, let’s blame a special episode of The Office and see what happens next week.

Friday brought very similar results, with Brothers (2.35m/.8), Til Death (2.36m/.8), and Dollhouse (2.25m/1). If your glass is half full, those Dollhouse numbers are a win, because the streak of series lows that stretches back four episodes to last season was ended. If your glass is half empty … it was still the second lowest rated episode the series has had.

CBS - The Amazing Race (9.8m/2.8) was down to start the week, which didn’t offer much help to Three Rivers (8.97m/1.9). That’s really not good for the premiere. Cold Case (10.05m/2.2) was steady, if not impressive. Monday was down across the board with How I Met Your Mother (8.08m/3.4), Accidentally On Purpose (7.16m/2.8), 2 ½ Men (13.3m/4.4), Big Bang Theory (12.52m/4.7), and CSI: Miami (13.43m/3.9). I’m willing to chalk that up to football, but the AOP demo is something to keep an eye on.

Tuesday’s lineup, NCIS (20.7m/4.3), NCIS:LA (16.31m/3.6), and The Good Wife (13.69m/2.9) was also down every hour, but still far and away #1 for the night. There were gains on Wednesday as Old Christine (6.86m/1.9) and Gary Unmarried (6.84m/2.2) were both up. Criminal Minds (14.05m/3.6) and CSI:NY (12.43m/2.9) were both down slightly, but Criminal Minds did take back the number one spot in the demo from ABC.

Thursday was another night of decreases, with Survivor (11.69m/3.4), CSI (14.89m/3.5), and The Mentalist (14.7m/3.3) all down. On the plus side, all were the most watched programs in their slots. Friday was again a cake walk, with Ghost Whisperer (8.6m/2.1) and Medium 8.3m/1.9) up week-to-week. Numb3rs (7.13m/1.6) was slightly down in viewers, but did win the hour.

NBC – As always, Sunday Night Football (18.42m/7.4) is solid. The Biggest Loser (9.25m/3.7) also did well, gaining week-to-week and winning the 9PM hour in the demo. More good news came from the big wedding episode of The Office (9.42m/4.8). That is higher in viewers and demo than every episode from last season. Elsewhere, it was a very NBC week.

Heroes (5.46m/2.4) continues to explore new lows. And that isn’t helping Trauma (5.37m/2.7). Mercy (7.43m/1.8) is doing slightly better, but that’s still not what you would call a real success, given the weak Wednesday competition. Community (4.87m/1.9) made the big move to 8, and managed less viewers than SNL Thursday. It did, at least, provide a boost for Parks & Recreation (4.75m/2.1). Things were slightly brighter for L&O SVU (8.29m/2.6) and Law & Order (7.23m/1.5), but both are not even close to doing what they once did.

Leno? He had a tough week. The numbers continue to slowly grind down to a level, with this week finding two nights dropping below 5 million viewers. Tuesday remains his most successful night. The only nights where he isn’t last in both measures are Tuesday (2nd in demo) and Wednesday (2nd in viewers).

Monday (4.45m/1.5)
Tuesday (6.22m/2.1)
Wednesday (5.72m/1.7)
Thursday (4.84m/1.7)
Friday (5.33m/1.4)

ABC – Things got off to a nice start Sunday as Extreme Makeover (11.63m/3.4), Desperate Housewives (14.64m/5), and Brothers & Sisters (9.46m/3.2) were all up. A return to the 5s in the demo is very encouraging for Desperate Housewives. With Monday, the network started suffering many of the same drops the other networks saw. Dancing With The Stars (16.35m/3.5) was down, but still strong. On the plus side, despite that drop, Castle (9.23m/2.2) was up just a bit.

DWTS (12.42m/2.6) was down on Tuesday as well, while Shark Tank (5.15m/1.5) and The Forgotten (7.55m/1.9) both saw small viewer gains. Wednesday was one of those very curious nights, with Hank (6.45m/1.6), The Middle (6.79m/2.1), Modern Family (8.82m/3.4), Cougar Town (7.84m/3.2), and Eastwick (5.14m/1.8) all suffering large losses. We’ll have to wait for next week to see how much of that sticks. The best news there is probably for Castle, which is now well above The Forgotten and Eastwick.

Thursday remains a strong night for the network with FlashForward (9m/3), Grey’s Anatomy (14.13m/5.4), and Private Practice (9.5m/3.6). Those numbers still have FlashForward ahead of where Ugly Betty was last season, but it has now fallen to third in viewers and second in the demo. It will be interesting to see where it plateaus. Private Practice is notable because it remains ahead of The Mentalist in the demo, which is an unexpected win.

CW - One Tree Hill (2.13m/1.1), Gossip Girl (2.08m/1.1), and 90210 (2.09m/1.2) were all down in viewers this week, with 90210 gaining a tenth in demo. Melrose Place (1.6m/.9), on the other hand, was up in both measures. I believe the gains come from starting the episode with Katie Cassidy in her underthings, and look forward to the network taking that into account as they film new episodes.

With Next Top Model (3.15m/1.5), Wednesday was down just a touch in viewers, and up a whole bunch in WTF? Seriously, why is there a repeat of Melrose following the number two show on the network? The spot is open, and Smallville would obviously do better Wednesday at 9. Thursday, Vampire Diaries (3.52m/1.7) continues to lead the network, and Supernatural (2.47m/1.2) had a small drop in viewers. Friday, Smallville (2.3m/1) was down year to year, but still managed more viewers than OTH, GG, 90210, and MP.

Cable - Monday Night Football (21.84m/9) took full advantage of all of the Favre craziness, topping everything on the broadcast networks for the week in viewers and demo. Other highlights this week included the Entourage finale (2.49m/1.5), Sons Of Anarchy (3.67m/2), and Project Runway (3.22m/1.5). Also of note, the Seinfeld reunion was able to add an extra half million viewers to Curb Your Enthusiasm (1.56m/.7). In really crazy drop numbers, remember that Jon & Kate premiere with 10 million viewers? All of their shenanigans have resulted in the latest episode managing just 1.71 million. Some other cable numbers to peruse:

Army Wives (3.33m/1.1)
Drop Dead Diva (2.79m/.9)
Dexter (1.37m/.6)
Californication (.77m/.4)
South Park (2.67m/1.3)
Secret Girlfriend (1.55m/.8)
WWE RAW (4.71m/1.6)
The Ultimate Fighter (2.76m/1.6)
It’s Always Sunny (1.51m/.9)
Mad Men (1.91m/.7)
Bored To Death (1.08m/.5)
The Hills (2.3m/1.4)
The City (1.61m/.9)
Lincoln Heights (.75m/.2)
Greek (.72m/.3)
Top Chef (2.76m/1.5)
Mythbusters (1.89m/.9)
Ghost Hunters (2.74m/1.3)
Destination Truth (2.04m/1)
Sherri (.44m/.1)
Rita Rocks (.28m/.1)

Photo Credit: FOX

Ratings Clack – Is Dollhouse about to get pulled?

Brett Love — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:00:39 +0000

Week two of the full-tilt-boogie season brought with it some interesting things, including premieres for Animation Domination, The Amazing Race, Trauma, Hank, and The Middle. We also saw more huge numbers from House, NCIS, and Grey’s. But after all of that, the most interesting story again comes from the show with the worst ratings on all of the big four networks, Dollhouse. After season two premiered to a series low last week, things got even worse. Episode two just barely cleared the 2 million viewer bar, while falling below a 1 in the demo. Reached for comment, my BFF Jill said, “OMG! RLY!?”

Yes, really. The situation is dire. Even the hardcore Whedonites are now at DEFCON 1. Someone has got word that the show could be in danger of being pulled from the air. I don’t know anything more than they do about that, but I would expect it to get one more shot this Friday, before baseball takes over. If episode three doesn’t show some sort of improvement though, I wouldn’t be surprised if baseball makes way for a series of House and Bones repeats on Fridays at 9.

FOX - Since Dollhouse (2.09m/.8) led things off, let’s start there. That is absolutely terrible. To put it in perspective, 6 of the 7 new hours on the CW last week beat it in viewers and the demo. And the 7th, Melrose Place, still managed to tie it in the demo. It also again fell short of its Friday partners, Brothers (2.42m/.8) and ‘Til Death (2.29m/.8). Fortunately for FOX, while the end of the week was a disaster, the beginning was the complete opposite.

Things got off to a great start with the premiere of Animation Domination. The Simpsons (8.31m/4.3) was off just a touch from last season’s premiere, but The Cleveland Show (9.51m/4.9), Family Guy (10.11m/5.2), and American Dad (7.14m/3.6) all brought year-to-year increases to their spots. The good news continued Monday, with House (14.71m/5.8). That is more than 2 demo points above second place Dancing With The Stars. From there, things were more mixed.

Lie To Me (7.73m/2.9) was a solid third in viewers and demo, but those numbers are all too close to where it was while airing at 8 last season. I expected more of a boost, given the post-House slot. Wednesday and Thursday were a mixed bag, with Hell’s Kitchen (6.64m/3.1), So You Think You Can Dance (5.18m/2.4 – 6.81m/2.7), and Glee (7.4m/3.3). Hell’s Kitchen and Glee are solid, but SYTYCD could be doing better. I’m curious to see what happens when the all too-long audition episodes end. Finally, Thursday was a repeat of last week with Bones (9.43m/2.7) holding strong, and Fringe (6.03m/2.3) getting crushed by the heavyweight Thursday competition.

CBS - The Dollhouse kerfuffle trumped NCIS (21.37m/4.8) for my before-the-jump spot, but just barely. Surprising just about everyone, NCIS not only held on to all of the demo from the premiere, but also increased in viewers. That led to a great Tuesday. Combined with NCIS: LA (17.39m/4.1) and The Good Wife (13.69m/3.2), the network was up in viewers and demo in every hour year-to-year. Earlier in the week, The Amazing Race (10.4m/3.4) returned to solid numbers on Sunday, followed by Cold Case (9.19m/2.1).

Monday was also a big success, overall. How I Met Your Mother (8.71m/3.6), 2 ½ Men (13.86m/4.8), Big Bang Theory (13.27m/5.3), and CSI: Miami (13.96m/4.1) all did great. We’re getting very close to Big Bang taking over as the outright #1 comedy on television. The only real misstep was Accidentally On Purpose (8.03m/3.1). That’s not bad, but it does stand out compared to the rest of the night.

The rest of the week proceeded as expected. Old Christine (6.65m/1.9) and Gary Unmarried (6.65m/2.2) remain the weak spot in the lineup, while Criminal Minds (14.24m/3.8) and CSI: NY (13.16m/3.3) own the rest of Wednesday. CSI (15.94m/4.1) narrowly edged Grey’s in viewers, but is now getting hammered in the demo. The other two hours on Thursday have much more intriguing battles shaping up. Survivor (11.54m/3.7) and FlashForward are very close, and that one could go either way each week. And at 10, The Mentalist (15.75m/3.8) couldn’t match the Private Practice premiere demo, but the two should be very interesting to watch going forward. Finally, it was another easy win on Friday; despite everything being down, the perfect combination of Ghost Whisperer (7.63m/1.7), Medium (7.72m/1.8), and Numb3rs (7.73m/1.6) won every hour.

ABC - Things were a little less exciting on ABC. There was some good news. Grey’s Anatomy (15.69m/6.1) remains huge, and led to a great premiere for Private Practice (11.58m/4.6). Desperate Housewives (13.64m/4.7), while down, is still a legitimate hit. And Brothers & Sisters (9.38m/3) is solid following it. The network also has to be excited about the week two performances of Modern Family (9.99m/3.8), Cougar Town (9.25m/3.8), and FlashForward (10.73m/3.7). All three held up very well and look to have greatly improved their places on the schedule.

Things weren’t quite as good elsewhere. Dancing With The Stars (17.03m/3.7 – 13.02m/2.7) is still a viewer machine on performance night, but it was more than two full demo points behind House. The results show has now fallen to second in viewers and third in the demo. The show is still strong, but not nearly what it once was. Elsewhere, Castle (9.15m/2.2) remains rather soft, although comparisons with The Forgotten (7.45m/2), and Eastwick (6.57m/2.3) may help it. Finishing the week, Hank (8.33m/2.1) and The Middle (8.71m/2.6) had disappointing numbers, considering they were premieres in a fairly weak hour. They’ll have their hands full with Gary and Christine in coming weeks. And finally, Shark Tank (4.75m/1.5) has now fallen below Opportunity Knocks from this time last year. And we all know how that ended.

NBC – The good news, as usual, comes from Sunday Night Football (17.47m/6.8), The Biggest Loser (9.18m/3.7), and The Office (7.41m/3.9). The bad news starts with Heroes (5.72m/2.5), and continues to SNL Thursday (5.02m/1.8), Parks & Recreation (4.67m/2), and Law & Order (6.68m/1.2). Somewhere in the middle, we find the dueling medical dramas, Trauma (6.68m/2.2), and Mercy (7.39m/2.1). Those are iffy demos, especially considering Mercy’s competition, but the fact that they are both getting more viewers than Heroes, and three of the four Thursday comedies, is at least a small positive.

Community (5.86m/2.9) rebounded slightly after the Grey’s and CSI premieres last week, but those numbers don’t bode well for its debut at 8 next week. I’d be shocked to see it match Earl from this time last season (7.09m/2.7). Finally, the most curious result of all has to be Law & Order SVU (8.09m/2.5). The show has been a huge winner for the network for years, and I really expected a battle with Criminal Minds. Getting beaten by 6 million viewers and 1.3 demo points has to come as a surprise.

CW - Overall, you’d have to call it a positive week. One Tree Hill (2.51m/1.1) and Gossip Girl (2.36m/1.2) were both up after last week’s big House special delivered quite a blow. Likewise, 90210 (2.21m/1.1) and Next Top Model (3.28m/1.5) were both up as well. Vampire Diaries (3.53m/1.6) and Supernatural (2.6m/1.2) were both down slightly, but continue to be the strongest night in viewers and the adult demo for the network. Monday remains strongest among younger viewers. Smallville (2.39m/.9) even got in on the game; despite being obviously down from last season, it did manage to beat both hours on FOX on Friday. The real problem on the schedule is now Melrose Place (1.42m/.8), which has fallen behind where Privileged was at this time last season.

Cable – The shocking stat from the cable list this week is that I managed to turn up at least 13 shows with more viewers than Dollhouse. Really, those numbers are that bad. The real standout on cable though, was The Ultimate Fighter (5.31m/3.1) on Spike. Sons Of Anarchy (3.76m/1.9) also remains very strong for FX, especially considering it is airing during the regular network season. Some other cable numbers to ponder:

Stargate: Universe (2.35m)
Mad Men (1.73m/.6)
Entourage (1.87m/1.1)
It’s Always Sunny (2.02m/1.2)
Drop Dead Diva (2.52m/.8)
Project Runway (2.8m/1.3)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (1.05m/.6)
Bored To Death (.71m/.4)
Army Wives (3.38m/1.1)
WWE RAW (4.5m/1.6)
Monday Night Football (15.7m/6.6)
The Hills (2.36m/1.5)
The City (2.03m/1.3)
Ghost Hunters (2.89m/1.2)
America’s Best Dance Crew (2.25m/1.2)
Lincoln Heights (.86m/.3)
Greek (.74m/.4)
Kourtney & Khloe (2.23m/1.3)
Real Housewives of Atlanta (2.72m/1.5)
Destination Truth (2.33m/1)

Photo Credit: FOX

Ratings Clack – Greg, Anthony, and Meredith rule

Brett Love — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:00:44 +0000

Holy smokes. After a summer without a lot of numbers to really be excited about, last week was just stuffed to the gills. There were season and series premieres everywhere, bringing in ratings that ran the gamut from outstanding to horrible. The big winners were House, NCIS, and Grey’s Anatomy. On the other end of the scale? The Beautiful Life, Brothers, Dollhouse, and just about all of NBC.

FOX - We’ll start here, as they had the best — and worst — ratings story of the week. Things got off to a great start with the two hour return of House (17.13m/6.7). It was just edged out in viewers by Dancing With The Stars, but tied with Grey’s Anatomy for the best demo of the week.

The middle of the week was what I would call successful. No records set, but no real damage done. Hell’s Kitchen (6.78m/3.2 – 6.98m/3.5) held strong, despite facing DWTS and the NCIS tandem. So You Think You Can Dance (5.5m/2.5) and Glee (6.64m/3.1) were close to last week, even with one time appearance of DWTS. And Bones (9.11m/2.8) remained solid against the premiere of FlashForward. Fringe (5.73m/2.3) did fall to a series low, but it remains to be seen how much of that had to do with the dueling premieres from CSI and Grey’s. This week should be much more telling.

And then, there’s Friday. Brothers (2.82m/1) got off to a horrible start, placing a distant fourth in viewers and tied for fourth in the demo. However, it did do better than Dollhouse (2.56m/1). Seriously, that’s horrible. Some people were quick to go to the excuses on that one, noting that DVRs will be a big deal, and there is revenue from streaming and iTunes to think of, etc. I’m quick to say: fuck that. The premiere was down over 30% in viewers and demo from the season one averages. And the season two premiere is down 50% in the demo and 44% in viewers from the season one premiere. There aren’t enough DVRs in the world to not make those numbers horrible.

CBS - While House and Grey’s tied for the week’s demo crown, the most watched show was NCIS (20.6m/4.8). That kicked off what was a great Tuesday night, also featuring the premieres of NCIS: LA (18.73m/4.4) and The Good Wife (13.71m/3.1). Earlier in the week, Monday was also successful. How I Met Your Mother (9.09m/3.6), Accidentally On Purpose (8.91m/3.3), 2 ½ Men (13.63m/4.5), Big Bang Theory (12.96m/4.7), and CSI: Miami (14.2m/4.3) all performed well. Two things to note: I’m not convinced AOP is going to maintain those numbers, and things are looking very good for Big Bang Theory becoming the #1 comedy on TV this season.

The only real stumble of the week came Wednesday, with Old Christine (7.17m/2.2) and Gary Unmarried (6.86m/2.3). Both were on pace with last season, but it does remain the weakest hour on the CBS schedule, and you have to wonder how much longer the experiment is going to last. Things picked up again at 9, with Criminal Minds (15.84m/4.4) and CSI: NY (15.06m/4).

Thursday brought Survivor (11.66m/3.7), CSI (16.01m/4.1), and The Mentalist (15.07m/3.6). Surprisingly, Survivor was actually up for the week, even while finishing second to the FlashForward premiere. I would expect it to be back to number one in the hour before too long. It will be interesting to see what The Mentalist does facing Private Practice instead of the extended Grey’s. Finally, as has become the norm, CBS easily won Friday night with Ghost Whisperer (8.58m/2.2), Medium (8.78m/2), and Numb3rs (7.92m/1.8). For the record, that Medium viewer number is higher than every non-football hour on NBC for the week.

ABC - Dancing With The Stars led off the first three nights, and proved that, while down year to year, it’s still a huge draw on Monday (17.79m/4.1), Tuesday (15.37m/3.5), and Wednesday (15.36m/3.3). Castle (9.27m/2.3) and The Forgotten (9.54m/2.6) both took advantage of the boost, and landed in second place. The real winners in the DWTS sweepstakes though, were Modern Family (12.61m/4.2) and Cougar Town (11.28m/4.4). We’ll have to see what happens when Hank and The Middle enter the picture, but it could be then end of the ABC comedy black hole. Eastwick (8.5m/3) followed, also putting up decent premiere numbers.

It wasn’t the highest rated show of the week, or the night, but the most impressive premiere might have been FlashForward (12.47m/4). It won the hour against Bones and Survivor, which is no small feat. That led to the huge return of Grey’s Anatomy (17.03m/6.7), which totally dominated the night.

NBC - The good news is that Sunday Night Football (24.82m/9.8) is still huge. The bad news, is pretty much everything else. To give an idea, not only did Medium have more viewers than everything but football … the most viewed series of the week (Mercy (8.38m/2.3) was below every new episode on ABC. Yikes. Heroes (6.11m/2.8) didn’t do very well kicking things off. The Biggest Loser (7.56m/3.1) was better on Tuesday, but is down a fair bit from where it finished in the spring.

Mercy (8.38m/2.3), surprisingly enough, was the most watched show on the network, and that was with the one-time appearance of DWTS. Law & Order (8.36m/2.5) followed, and did increase the demo, but the premiere was off a good two million viewers and a full demo point from what it was regularly doing last season.

There was one more bright spot on Thursday, with The Office (7.46m/3.9). Holding at nearly a 4 in the demo against the CSI and Grey’s premieres is great. Unfortunately, the rest of the Thursday comedy block is imploding. SNL (4.54m/1.7), Parks & Recreation (4.09m/1.8), and Community (5.39m/2.7) were all off. Did the Grey’s and CSI premieres sink Community? Or did people get a look last week and not come back?

Friday, Law & Order (6.29m/1.3) got off to what was a slow start, placing third in the demo behind Ghost Whisperer and a repeat of FlashForward. And Leno? The week averaged 5.98 million viewers and 1.9 in the demo. That’s not great, but good enough for the network, given the costs. The real story will be told when the show goes up against repeats.

CW - It was a bit of a mixed bag this week. One Tree Hill (2.29m/1.1) actually stood up well to the premiere of House. Gossip Girl (1.97m/1) didn’t. The good news is, of course, that Gossip Girl won’t be facing House after this. So it looks like that schedule change is already working out.

Tuesday remains an issue as the weakening 90210 (2m/1) leads in to the sinking Melrose Place (1.44m/.8). Heather Locklear can’t show up soon enough. The news was slightly better Wednesday, with Top Model (2.82m/1.3). That made for the second best hour of the week for the network, but Top Model does remain curiously down year to year. Still, that was worlds better than The Beautiful Life (1.05m/.5). That’s so bad that the show has been canceled.

The night of the week was again Thursday, as Vampire Diaries (3.79m/1.7) and Supernatural (2.66m/1.2) remained relatively steady despite the premieres from FlashForward, CSI, and Grey’s. The news was also good for Smallville (2.5m/1) on Friday. Those numbers are well below what the show was doing on Thursday, but also an improvement over last season’s Friday lineup. And really, the show should be knocking Fox into last place sooner, rather than later.

Finally, a few cable numbers from the week.

Mad Men (1.57m/.6)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (1.12m/.5)
Bored To Death (1.03m/.5)
Entourage (1.83m/1.1)
Drop Dead Diva (3.06m/.9)
Army Wives (3.28m/1)
Warehouse 13 (2.23m/.7)

Photo Credit: FOX; CBS; ABC

Ratings Clack – Heeere’s Jay Leno

Brett Love — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

After a summer of wondering what the result of NBC just giving up on the 10 PM hour would be, we now have our first look at the numbers. Jay Leno started with a bang (over 18 million viewers), and then quickly started the slow grind to reality. The week also saw the premieres of One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, Biggest Loser, The Beautiful Life, SNL: News, Parks & Rec, The Office, Community, Bones, and Fringe. Some of those were more successful than others.

NBC - Jay Leno really was the big story of the week. Something that won’t happen again until NBC pulls the plug on the show. It is too early to call just when that might be though. The premiere certainly got some attention. Here are all the numbers for the week:

Monday (18.42m/5.3)
Tuesday (11.09m/3.4)
Wednesday (13.36m/3.5)
Thursday (8.82m/2.7)
Friday (7.69m/2.1)

That’s a huge drop, but not one that was unexpected. It’s hard to say where bottom is at this point, but we should know more this week. Monday will have Jay facing off with CSI: Miami and Castle. Elsewhere for NBC, there was more good news. Sunday Night Football (21.1m/8.6) is still a winner, as is America’s Got Talent (13.9m/3.3 – 15.79m/3.5). The Biggest Loser (9.9m/3.8) also returned with strong numbers.

Things were a bit more mixed on Thursday. The combination of the SNL: News special (5.47m/2) and Parks & Recreation (4.89m/2.1) left much to be desired. To put that in perspective, last season Earl (7.01m/2.8), and even Kath & Kim (7.46m/2.3), premiered better. Unfortunately for SNL, there’s no election this year. And unfortunately for Parks & Rec, it’s just not very good.

Things did pick up at 9. The Office (8.21m/4.1) was off from last season’s premiere, but those are still great numbers. Community (7.88m/3.8) was also down over the spot last year (SNL election news), but was above where 30 Rock finished the season. It will be curious to see what happens when the show moves to 8.

FOX - Things weren’t quite as exciting for FOX, but they do still have some heavy hitters yet to debut. Unfortunately, what was thought to possibly be one of the heavy hitters kind of fouled one off. Fringe (7.81m/3) came out from behind Paula’s skirt, and House’s lab coat, to stand naked under the guise of the squints. That’s not a great result. It dropped 2.5 million viewers from the Bones (10.36m/3.1) audience. Worse, at the end of last season, Hell’s Kitchen was beating that demo number while facing off with new episodes from Grey’s and CSI. That’s something the Fringe folks will try their hand at this week.

In other FOX news, So You Think You Can Dance (5.67m/2.4) and Glee (6.69m/3.2) were down week to week, but I don’t think it’s time for real concern. They were against the AGT finale, and I still expect the SYTYCD audience to grow once it gets into the competition. For Glee, the demo is solid, but it remains to be seen how loyal the Gleeks are. If they stick around, the show will be just fine. Three finales wrap up the FOX week, as we say goodbye to King Of The Hill (6.26m/3 – 6.04m/2.9), More To Love (4.2m/1.7), and Fifth Grader (5.02m/1). Great numbers for KOTH, and I’m now setting the over/under for Dollhouse at the Fifth Grader numbers. Take the under in viewers, and the over in the demo.

CW - Well, we’ve now seen 80% of the new CW schedule, and it’s really not looking like a good year. One Tree Hill (2.31m/1.2) and Gossip Girl (2.55m/1.4) premiered. The network was quick to point out how these are the best numbers since December. Hopping in the wayback machine, that was with no DWTS on ABC, and the Terminator/Prison Break trainwreck on FOX. This week, DWTS, House, and Lie To Me come online. Good luck!

Things actually got worse after that. 90210 (2.31m/1.2) is also off from last year, but did remain close to the week ago numbers. Melrose Place (1.81m/1), on the other hand took a sharp dip. That’s approaching the kind of numbers that got Privileged canceled. And, it gets worse. Next Top Model (2.79m/1.4) was above all of those shows, but that’s as low as a new Next Top Model has ever been. That didn’t offer any help to the premiere of The Beautiful Life (1.38m/.6). Yikes.

The good news, came on Thursday. It would appear that this will once again be the strongest night of the week for the network. Vampire Diaries (3.77m/1.6) and Supernatural (2.78m/1.2) took the expected drop from premiere week, but have the best average night for the network.

CBS - With the whole thing set to get rolling this week, the week belonged to the finish of Big Brother (6.59m/2.1 – 7.78m/2.8). The only premiere the network rolled out early was Survivor (11.66m/3.6). That’s down year to year, but the show still looks to be the #1 show in the 8 o’clock hour.

ABC - Nothing exciting to report this week. No premieres, just the end of the summer programming slate, including Shaq Vs (4.43m/1.7), Wipeout (6m/2.1), Crash Course (3.51m/1.4), and Primetime: Family (4.11m/1.4). Shark Tank (4.2m/1.4) had another iffy outing that makes it’s fall prospects look all the more shaky. And Defying Gravity managed to go up in the ratings (2.45m/.8 – really, it went up to get to that), but still disappeared from the schedule.

Finally, here are a few of the big numbers from cable for the week:

Mad Men (1.8m/.6) – It’s the 30 Rock of cable. Lots of awards, but nobody watches.
True Blood (5.11m/2.9) – Solidified as HBO’s new crown jewel.
Hung (2.9m/1.5) – Season 2???
Drop Dead Diva (3m/.9) – Cute, and a surprising success.
Army Wives (3.91m/1.3) – ??? I’ve never watched, but good viewer numbers.
VMAs (8.97m/4.6) – I hope they sent Kanye a thank you card.
Scooby Doo: The Mystery Begins (6.11m/1.3) – Live action works on the cartoon network.
Monday Night Football (11.95m/5.7) – Great for ESPN, not in the ballpark of the OG MNF.
Sons Of Anarchy (3.71m/1.9) – Big drop, but still solid.
Warehouse 13 (2.93m/1) – Winding down a great first season.
Top Chef (2.67m/1.4) – Still the king of cooking shows.
The Ultimate Fighter (4.11m/2.5) – Featuring the bloodiest fight ever on the show. Just grisly.
Ghost Hunters (2.45m/1.1) – Uh… boo?
Dark Blue (1.61m/.6) – Without Leverage, this one sinks.
It’s Always Sunny (2.25m/1.4) – How does this show not get crazy Emmy consideration? It’s funny, and has low viewer numbers….
Project Runway (3.62m/1.6) – Different network, still a cable hit.

Photo Credit: NBC

Ratings Clack – Vampire Diaries and Glee have great debuts

Brett Love — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:57:20 +0000

I’m not sure when the “official” start to the new television season is supposed to be. The schedules really get crazy next week, but personally, I consider it last week. We finally have some premiere numbers to start talking about. Not a lot of them, but the ones we did see were rather interesting. And interesting on both sides of the coin. Some shows had reason to celebrate (Glee, Vampire Diaries), while others have cause for concern (90210, Melrose Place). Others (SYTYCD, Next Top Model, Supernatural) fell somewhere in the middle. Over on cable, the week was very good for FX and the crew down at Sons Of Anarchy HQ.

CW – How about that? CW leading off the ratings post. The good news came, as was so often the case last season, with the CW Thursday. It’s going to take a couple weeks to know how this pairing is going to shake out. So far though, things look very good. Vampire Diaries (4.91m/2.1) had great numbers in its first go in Smallville’s old slot. Supernatural (3.4m/1.4) was down slightly year to year, but still looked strong. This one will be very interesting to watch as all the crazy Thursday competition comes online.

The news wasn’t as good for 90210 (2.56m/1.3) and Melrose Place (2.27m/1.3). The CW was quick to respond with how pleased they were with performance in various demos, but those numbers still have to be disappointing for premieres on a night with very little competition. Next Top Model (3.24m/1.5) rounds out the week’s CW numbers. That’s down, but still not bad. The more interesting bit will be seeing how many of those viewers stick around for The Beautiful Life.

FOX - After months of anticipation, Glee (7.5m/3.5) finally arrived. There have been a lot of questions about what kind of numbers all of the hype would translate to. So far, so good. If the show can remain anywhere near those levels, FOX will be very pleased. So You Think You Can Dance (6.55m/2.7) was off a bit from the summer numbers, but not bad. As with the CW Thursday, now we wait and see what happens when the other networks are at full steam. Finishing up the week, Hell’s Kitchen (7.61m/3.6) remains a summer hit, and More To Love (4.36m/1.9) stayed steady, if not impressive.

NBC - It was a different night, but still counts as a premiere. NBC’s Sunday Night Football (20.1m/8.6) had a go on Thursday, and the results were as expected. Look for football to power the Sunday night lineup for the next few months. Elsewhere, America’s Got Talent continued to roll on Tuesday (11.7m/2.9) and Wednesday (10.06m/2.1).

ABC - The summer of hit and miss (mostly miss) is winding down. This week there were new installments of Defying Gravity (2.16m/.6), Shaq Vs (3.85m/1.6), and Shark Tank (3.55m/1.1). Apparently, the Defying Gravity numbers are low enough that the network is ending it with 5 episodes unaired. Shark Tank is interesting. Those are not good fall numbers, especially when it will be parked in front of Dancing With The Stars. To put it in perspective, it’s below Opportunity Knocks levels at the moment, and we all know how that ended.

CBS - With no big premieres, there wasn’t a lot of news from CBS this week. Big Brother had the usual Sunday (5.97m/1.9), Tuesday (8.13m/2.7), and Thursday (7.44m/2.6) showings. It is worth noting that the network announced that there will be another season next summer. The only other new bit of programming was There Goes The Neighborhood (3.39m/.9). That one, obviously, didn’t come with a renewal announcement.

CABLE - A slow week for cable news, but there was one really big premiere. FX brought back Sons Of Anarchy (4.3m/2.8), and it did better than anyone could have expected. That’s up more than 90% in both viewers and demo compared to the first season premiere. Syfy continued the recent run of good numbers. The season three premiere of Destination Truth (2.1m) set a series high.

Next week we’ll have even more premiere numbers to play with. One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, Biggest Loser, The Beautiful Life, Bones, Fringe, Survivor, The Office, Community, Parks & Recreation, and It’s Always Sunny all kick things off.

Photo Credit: CW

Ratings Clack – The last summer ratings post

Brett Love — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:00:28 +0000

Finally. The weather turned to complete crap in my little burg this weekend, which can only mean one thing: Fall TV premieres are on the horizon! Next week we’ll have numbers for the new seasons of 90210, Melrose Place, Next Top Model, So You Think You Can Dance, Glee, Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural(!). Until then, we have one last reality-heavy week to look at. There is a small bonus though … we did get our first look at Glee, Fringe, and Medium in their new time slots. They were repeat airings, but interesting just the same. Over on cable, more records as Bravo and Food had great months, and the NFL scored for ESPN.

FOX - It was another typical week where original programming was concerned. Hell’s Kitchen (7.2m/3.2) remains strong, and More To Love (4.13m/1.8) is hanging in there. 5th Grader (4.6m/1) also checked in on Friday, with a decent number for itself. The more interesting bit was a look at the new Wednesday and Thursday lineups. So You Think You Can Dance led off Wednesday with a special, “The 15 Best” (4.64m/1.9), and was followed by the director’s cut of the Glee pilot (4.2m/1.8). Thursday found Bones (5.83m/1.8) and Fringe (4.84m/1.6) paired for the first time. Those are all repeat numbers, so nothing to get too excited about on their own. It is encouraging though, looking at how close the numbers are between the shows. Both pairs look to work together rather well.

CBS - Big Brother again carried most of the load this week, doing well on Sunday (7.41m/2.5), Tuesday (8.06m/2.6), and Thursday (8.61m/2.7). There Goes The Neighborhood (3.91m/1.2) is likely finishing out its first, and only, season. The only other new programming was the CBS Fall Preview (3.84m/.9), which nobody bothered to watch. The good news for CBS, much as with FOX, was how the numbers looked for the initial run of Ghost Whisperer (5.05m/1.3), and Medium (5.11m/1.3). Almost identical. And if Medium can hold onto Ghost Whisperer viewers like that, Fridays will be a happy night for CBS.

ABC - The CMA Music Festival (7.84m/2.1) was the best news for ABC this week, allowing them to finally knock off the CBS repeat Monday and win the night outright. Elsewhere, Wipeout (7.62m/2.6) remains a success, and Shark Tank (4.79m/1.7) is steady. I’m curious to see what its numbers will do when the full fall schedule is up and running. Other originals included Crash Course (4.53m/1.7), Shaq Vs. (3.26m/1.3), and Defying Gravity (2.53m/.9).

NBC - I guess you can think of this as the calm before the storm. The only notable entries for NBC this week came from America’s Got Talent on Tuesday (12.45m/3.2), and Wednesday (12.1m/2.6). If you are only going to run one program for the week, that’s not a bad choice.

CABLE - After weeks of setting records, the new True Blood (5.19m) didn’t set a series high, but that’s still an impressive number. That doesn’t mean there weren’t records to be had this week though. Bravo announced that they had the best August ever in viewers, and the A18-49 demo. August was also the most watched, highest rated month ever for The Food Network. Getting to shows, Biography set their record for most watched premiere telecast in network history with the season three finale of I Survived… (.593m). And ESPN had their most viewed pre-season game ever with last week’s Monday Night Football (7.92m). Elsewhere, Lifetime continues to have great success with Drop Dead Diva (3.4m) and Army Wives (4.1m). Both of them were above their season averages. And finally, Mad Men (1.61m) continues to slow for AMC, but remains ahead of last season.

Photo Credit: FOX

Ratings Clack – True Blood can’t be stopped

Brett Love — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:00:32 +0000

Seriously, what the heck is going on with True Blood? Where do all of these people keep coming from? The show managed to set another series high this week, with 5.3 million viewers. That alone is cause for celebration. Even better, the DVDs continue to sell like hotcakes. In its 13th week of release, the season was still the number one TV show. That set has now racked up over $40 million in sales. It’s crazy. But that was just one of the many stories from cable last week. We also saw huge numbers for the Wizards of Waverly Place movie, records for Warehouse 13 and Burn Notice, and new seasons announced for Leverage and Drop Dead Diva. Over at the networks … well, we’re getting close to the fall premieres.

Cable - We’ve already covered True Blood, but that success is translating to solid numbers for Hung (3.3m) and Entourage (3.2m) as well. Seeing record breaking numbers of their own, we have Wizards of Waverly Place over on Disney. The big special, Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie, brought in an unbelievable 11.4 million viewers. That makes it the number one cable program of the year so far.

If we step back a couple weeks, recent DVR data brings with it a couple of interesting nuggets. The fifth episode of Warehouse 13 ended up with 4.3 million viewers. That means it was the most watched original series telecast in the network’s history. I doubt it’s ever going to approach the legacy of the Stargate universe, but still, impressive. Burn Notice also looked pretty good with DVR added in. The finale grand total was 9.1 million viewers. Good enough to be the most watched scripted episode on cable this year. More good news came in the form of the Royal Pains (5.9m) finale, which is now the most watched first season of an original series for USA. It knocked The 4400 off the top spot.

In other finale news, ABC Family finished off Make It Or Break It (2.4m/1.1) with the second most viewers of the show’s first season, while hitting highs in various demos. BET was also successful, with Tiny & Toya (1.9m). The show averaged 1.8 million viewers for the season, which makes it the number one original in BET history.

Lifetime had another strong week. Drop Dead Diva (2.9m) is doing great in the women’s demos, and has been renewed for a second season. Meanwhile, Project Runway (3.5m) did drop in its second episode, but that’s still a solid number. AMC suffered a similar drop with episode 2 of Mad Men (1.9m). The silver lining is that the show is still ahead of where it was in season two. Going the other way, Bravo’s Top Chef (2.8m) actually gained viewers from the premiere. And finally, Leverage (3.73m) remains steady for TNT, and also received a renewal this week.

ABC - Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (7.63m/1.5) ground to a steady, if unimpressive, halt with the finale episode of the summer event. And really, that kind of describes most of the week. The highlight was Wednesday, with Wipeout (7.56m/2.5) and the debut of Crash Course (5.06m/1.9). Shark Tank (5.61m/1.8), is still teetering on that could go either way edge. Dating in the Dark (4.18m/1.7) never really recovered from losing The Bachelorette. Shaq Vs (4.21m/1.7) appears to be, like Millionaire, steady, if not impressive. And then there is Defying Gravity (2.66m/.8), which was shuffled to Fridays in Canada. Those numbers make one wonder if a similar move isn’t in the offing for the show here.

NBC – As expected, America’s Got Talent carried the week with Tuesday (11.19m/3.1) and Wednesday (10.87m/2.9) outings. Unfortunately, the network has nothing else to pair it with. The rest of the original lineup consisted of the finale of Merlin (3.22m/1 – 3.92m/1.1), Miss Universe (5.84m/2), and Great American Road Trip (4.79m/1.4). Not a bad demo number for Miss Universe, but a pretty weak showing for everything else.

CBS - Once again, the most successful night of the week was Monday, as the repeats won in viewers and demo. For original programming, Big Brother on Sunday (7.36m/1.8), Tuesday (7.41m/2.5), and Thursday (8.08m/2.7) was joined by a news special, Ted Kennedy: The Last Brother (4.6m/.9). Big Brother has been solid all summer, and I would expect we’ll see it again next year.

FOX - It would appear that everyone was either out on the Glee campaign trail, or busily prepping for the fall launches. FOX only managed two new hours of programming, with Hell’s Kitchen (7.47m/3.4) and More To Love (4.24m/1.8). If you really want something to chew on, put this one in your back pocket. Repeats of Fifth Grader on Friday averaged 4.43m/1.1. I think we’ll be setting the over/under for Dollhouse right about there.

Photo Credit: HBO

Ratings Clack – Heidi and Tim are back

Brett Love — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:00:42 +0000

It’s another week where the ratings news from cable is much more interesting than anything happening on the networks. The big story was the premiere of Project Runway (finally) on Lifetime, but there was plenty more fun to be had. Also getting in on the premiere game was Mad Men, Kourtney and Khloe, Hoarders, Ghost Hunters, and Flipping Out. There were also finales for Hawthorne, and Saving Grace. All that, plus records for True Blood, and the Degrassi kids. The networks countered with Octomom, and Shaq Vs. But not Shaq vs. Octomom, although I wouldn’t rule that out at this point.

CABLE - It took an awfully long time to get here, but the Project Runway (4.2m) premiere paid off for Lifetime. That made it the highest premiere in Lifetime’s history, and was also better than the last season on Bravo. Even though it was not quite up to Tim & Heidi’s numbers, AMC’s Mad Men (2.76m) also had a very good debut. That’s a series high. Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami (2.7m) had similar success. Good enough to be the best E! original premiere since Anna Nicole in 2002.

Staying with premieres, Syfy kicked off season 5.5 of Ghost Hunters (2.5m), falling just short of the season 5 premiere. Bravo might have lost Project Runway, but they still have Top Chef (2.6). The Las Vegas edition premiered following the finale of Top Chef Masters (2.42m). The network also premiered Flipping Out (1.03m), which set series highs in all demographics. Finishing the premieres, A&E found success with the debut of Hoarders (2.5m), which built on the Intervention (2.1m) lead in.

In other non-premiere news, True Blood (4.46m) continues to stack up best weeks. And ABC Family continues to get solid results from both Secret Life (3.3m) and Make It Or Break It (2.3m). Some of those ABC Family viewers were likely part of the audience for Degrassi Goes To Hollywood (.977) on The-N. That was the most watched telecast in the history of The-N.

Over at Syfy, the good news keeps coming for Warehouse 13 (3.27m). The show is on pace to be the most watched show in Syfy history, and it has already been renewed for a second season. Finally, TNT wrapped up Saving Grace (3.16m) and Hawthorne (3.52m). On the networks….

ABC - It was another week dominated by Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. The second week of the event averaged 6.79m viewers, and a 1.4 demo. Not horrible, but probably not what the network was hoping for. Elsewhere, Shark Tank (5.72m/1.8) is still finding its level, while Defying Gravity (2.59m/.8) continues to be ignored. Dating In The Dark (4.6m/1.8) still misses The Bachelorette. And the big premiere for the week was Shaq Vs. (4.34m/1.7), which can say that it did better than Superstars….

NBC - America’s Got Talent (11.7m/2.9 – 10.29m/2.4) remains the hit of the summer for the peacock. The only hit. The rest of the week consisted of Merlin (3.06m/.8 – 3.95m/1) and The Great American Road Trip (4.51m/1.4).

CBS - There wasn’t a lot of new to report for CBS. Big Brother continues to carry summer schedule with shows on Sunday (6.85m/2.3), Tuesday (8.09m/2.9), and Thursday (7.33m/2.4). The Chima nuttiness did provide a nice spike on Tuesday. The only other new programming was There Goes The Neighborhood (4.59m/1.2), which probably won’t have a second run. It is worth noting that CBS again won Monday in viewers and the demo with all repeats.

FOX - All the network had on offer was Hell’s Kitchen (7.34m/3.4) and Octomom: The Unseen Footage (4.19m/1.6). I’m sure those ratings for Octomom were lower than the network was looking for. Unfortunately, they were probably just high enough that something equally as ridiculous will still get a shot next summer.

Photo Credit: Lifetime

Ratings Clack – An alternative to Nielsen?

Brett Love — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:00:46 +0000

The big news in ratings this week wasn’t another series high for True Blood, the further decline of Defying Gravity, or even the return of Millionaire. Instead, it was the announcement that several big media and advertising companies are joining forces to create an alternative to Nielsen. My kneejerk reaction? The announcement is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Well, then again, I suppose it signifies that the networks are pissed about shrinking audiences. Unfortunately, finding a new way to measure shrinking audiences won’t do anything to fix the problem.

That’s not to say that Nielsen is perfect. There are certainly issues. Overall though, I think the ratings we see from Nielsen are pretty accurate. That’s based partly on how they gather the data, but also on my own observations of a host of different people and what it is they watch. Taking that out of it, even if you do believe that there are huge problems with the Nielsen numbers, do you have any reason at all to believe that a consortium including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, Time Warner, and Viacom can do any better? Do you not think, even for a second, that they may have ulterior motives? It would make for interesting debate, should anything come of the consortium. Not unlike the two different polls in college football. Until we see the announcement result in some actual numbers though, there’s not much story there.

Now, getting to the week that was….

ABC - I really thought we were going to see some action here this week. The return of Millionaire! Remember how huge it was? Yeah, not so much anymore. The show was back with five episodes, and the numbers were what I would call middling. Sun (6.99m/1.6) Mon (7.24m/1.5) Tue (5.9m/1.3) Wed (6.4m/1.3) Thu (8.44m/1.9). Granted, that’s better than the network saw from Superstars or Japanese Gameshow, but I doubt the Millionaire bar was set at Superstars. The numbers are disappointing. Elsewhere, nothing really popped for ABC last week. Shark Tank (4.23m/1.3) bombed in its debut. Defying Gravity (2.81m/1) is still searching for an audience. Dating In The Dark (4.49m/1.7) continues to struggle without The Bachelorette. Better Off Ted (2.75m/.9 – 2.41m /.9) would have been better off being held for the fall. And Wipeout (6.1m/2.1) was pushed to 9 by Millionaire, resulting in the show’s worst numbers for the summer.

NBC - It was actually a pretty good week for NBC. The network managed to take three nights in viewers and the demo, thanks to NFL Preseason (7.09m/2.4) and America’s Got Talent on Tuesday (12.5m/3.4) and Wednesday (11.4m/2.9). The only other new programming was Great American Roadtrip (4.38m/1.2) and The Philanthropist (4.68m/1.4)

FOX - With the SYTYCD crew taking a few weeks off before the fall season begins, there wasn’t a lot to be had on FOX this week. The Teen Choice Awards (3.9m/1.4) kicked things off. Hell’s Kitchen (6.65m/3.1) was the only notable success. More To Love (3.86m/1.7) doesn’t seem to have caught on. And Mental (2.99m/.9 – 3.34m/.9) wrapped things up with two episodes on Friday, probably for good. Although, it did have more viewers than the Dollhouse finale. I’m just sayin….

CBS - Finally coming out of its shell, the network had something other than Big Brother to offer this week, although it didn’t really matter. The story continued to be Big Brother on Sunday (7.2m/2.5), Tuesday (6.88m/2.4), and Thursday (7.6m/2.6), and the Monday night repeats. The combination of the comedy block and CSI: Miami were once again enough to take the night in demo and viewers. Also worth noting is that Big Bang Theory (8.36m/2.7) topped Two and a Half Men (8.61m/2.4) in the demo. Could we finally see a new #1 comedy this fall? The rest of the lineup included the less than impressive debut of There Goes The Neighborhood (5.08m/1.6) and Neil Diamond: Hot Summer Nights (6.07m/1.2).

CABLE - TNT had some big news this week, with a renewal and a cancellation, of sorts. After averaging 3.8 million viewers for the season, Hawthorne was renewed. Meanwhile, it was also announced that Saving Grace will end after a nine episode run next summer.

Over at HBO, the news continues to be outstanding for True Blood (4.43m/2.3). That’s another series high. Going the opposite direction, we have Royal Pains (5.65m/1.5). Those numbers are still solid for cable, but the loss of the Burn Notice lead in led to the lowest rated episode to date.

Other random cable numbers this week include Comedy Central’s Roast of Joan Rivers (2.8m), VH1’s The T.O. Show (1.84m) and Real Chance of Love (2.52m), Syfy’s Warehouse 13 (3.35m), and TLC’s Jon & Kate Plus 8 (3.5m)

Photo Credit: HBO

Ratings Clack – Michael Westen bested by iCarly?

Brett Love — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:03:30 +0000

You know spies — bunch of bitchy little girls. And this week in the ratings post, our favorite spies were beaten by some little girls. It was very close though, if that makes the shot to the ego a little easier to take for Sam and Michael. Those two were the headlines for what was a big week on cable. Also clocking in with records were True Blood, Warehouse 13, Kendra, Nurse Jackie, and Tori & Dean. Back on the networks, there weren’t really a lot of records to be had. Reality continued to rule with good outings from America’s Got Talent, Hell’s Kitchen, and So You Think You Can Dance.

Cable - Lots of good numbers on cable this week. Let’s start it off with the two big shows from the lead paragraph. Burn Notice (7.6m) had it’s ridiculous summer finale. Not that the show was ridiculous, it was actually very good, but the whole idea of a summer finale is. Aside from the fact that split seasons just break up the flow for viewers, the show is on such a great run, why stop now? Next week, there could be another new Burn Notice up against Grey’s, CSI, and House repeats, and a 68 year old movie. Instead, they’ve elected to wait ’til winter, when new Grey’s, CSI, The Office, and Fringe episodes are all in play. Ridiculous.

As mentioned earlier, while that was a great result for Burn Notice, it couldn’t match Nickelodeon’s results for iCarly’s “iFight Shelby Marx” (7.9m). I have no idea what iCarly iFighting Shelby Marx means for the world at large, because I’ve never actually watched iCarly, but 7.9m viewers is pretty dang impressive. Along similar lines, we have some numbers for recent episodes of Disney’s Phineas and Ferb (3.7m) and Wizards of Waverly Place (4.8m). Those are the second best numbers ever for Phineas and Ferb.

Also setting records, True Blood (4.3m) just keeps gaining momentum for HBO. That is another series high. Hung (3.4m) and Entourage (3.3m) are both holding strong as well. Not to be outdone (OK, being outdone a little)… Showtime had a record as well. Nurse Jackie (1.36m) set a series high of its own. That came following Weeds (1.61m), which is notable because it’s up from the premiere of the season.

DVR numbers have rolled in for the second episode of Warehouse 13. The additional viewers bump the total to 4.15 million, making the July 14th episode the most-watched non-premiere telecast in the history of the network. Meanwhile, over at E!, Kendra (2.1m) called it a season. Not only is that better than the numbers for Girls Next Door, you have to go back to the Anna Nicole Show in 2002 to find a higher rated first season finale.

Oxygen had good news as well, with the finale for Tori & Dean: Home Again (1.47m). The show set a record for the network in the adult demos. Over at TLC, Jon & Kate Plus 8 (4m – 4.2m) returned to ratings that don’t match what they did before the breakup hiatus. And finally, not only did The Food Network get it right by choosing Melissa d’Arabian as the winner of Next Food Network Star (5.94m), they were also rewarded with a huge audience for the finale. Back at the networks, things aren’t nearly as exciting…

ABC - The week got off to a hopeful start, with the introduction of the new drama Defying Gravity (3.69m/1.1). With those numbers, those hopes were quickly dashed against the rocks, and the week continued on that path. Dating In The Dark (3.64m/1.6) took a hit not airing behind The Bachelorette. It should rebound next week when Millionaire is back. The Superstars (2.85m/.9) finale offered no help. And the lone bright spot for the week wasWipeout (7.76m/2.6). The rest of the new programming consisted of I Survived A Japanese Game Show (3.92m/1.4 – 3.61m/1.4), Surviving Suburbia (2.73m/.7), and The Goode Family (1.63m/.5).

NBC - Things were somewhat better for NBC, thanks to America’s Got Talent on Tuesday (12.66m/3.5) and Wednesday (10.13m/2.7). The rest of the week, however, is nothing to write home about. Sunday brought Merlin (4.46m/1.1) and The Storm (4.13m/1). Monday was Great American Road Trip (4.62m/1.3). And Wednesday also included The Philanthropist (4.35m/1.2). Perhaps they should have started Leno at 10 in the summer, where his numbers would look good.

CBS - It was another week with just Big Brother being offered as new programming. The show continues to be steady, if not outstanding, on Sunday (6.91m/2.2), Tuesday (6.61m/2.4), and Thursday (6.7m/2.3). It’s also worth noting that CBS won Monday night in viewers and the demo with repeats of the comedy block and CSI: Miami.

FOX - The big winner this week, based on the fact that they have more than one show doing solid numbers. Hell’s Kitchen (6.46m/3.1) is strong enough that it’s already been renewed for two more seasons. And So You Think You Can Dance called it a season with shows on Wednesday (7.59m/2.7) and Thursday (9.33m/3.4). Those finale numbers are notable, as the demo was up over the previous finale, and the 9.3m viewers was a season high. How that all translates to the fall installment is the tricky question. Elsewhere, More To Love (4.06m/1.9) hasn’t caught on with viewers yet. Finally, Fifth Grader (4.4m/1.1) and Mental (3.26m/.9) wrapped things up with another FOX Friday.

Photo Credit: icarly.com

Ratings Clack – The Bachelorette goes out on top

Brett Love — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:04:31 +0000

The repetitive nature of the summer ratings have me so looking forward to the return of full schedules in the fall. Remember what that’s like? When CBS runs more than Big Brother, and The CW offers more than one burn-off episode of Easy Money. It was another week very much like so many of the previous weeks. Each of the big four networks has its summer reality tent-pole, and not a lot more. Meanwhile, over on cable, more good news for True Blood, Warehouse 13, and the Real Housewives.

ABC - The finale of The Bachelorette (9.93m/3.5) was the big winner for the week. Those are very good numbers, especially given that they are right on pace with last season’s finale. That probably helped Dating In The Dark (6.36m/2.5) retain most of its premiere audience. It will be interesting to see what happens to DITD next week, without The Bachelorette. The Bachelorette’s wrap up show, “After The Final Rose” (6.36m/2.5), also did well. Elsewhere, the network offered I Survived A Japanese Game Show (3.78m/1.4), Surviving Suburbia (2.6m/.6) and The Goode Family (1.78m/.5), but nobody was really interested.

NBC - America’s Got Talent continued to soar through the summer with appearances on Tuesday (12.76m/3.4) and Wednesday (10.9m/2.8). Unfortunately, that’s the extent of the highlights. Sunday’s pairing of Merlin (4.21m/1.1) and The Storm (4.9m/1.1) was rather mediocre. Although, it was still better than Monday’s Great American Road Trip (3.56m/1) and The Wanted (2.17m/.5). The Philanthropist (4.95m/1.4) made a little more noise, but that’s against no competition and following the most watched show on the network.

CBS – You could call it a down week for the network I suppose, considering that they only managed to take the viewer honors on two nights. But then, Big Brother was once again the only new programming, so even that has to look like a bit of a success. The show continues to tread water on Sunday (6.17m/1.9), Tuesday (6.16m/2.1), and Thursday (6.4m/2).

FOX – It’s not a lot, but at least FOX has offered up a new show to keep an eye on. The premiere of More To Love (4.23m/1.9) wasn’t spectacular, but it does have the potential to increase those numbers moving forward. That was following Hell’s Kitchen (6.78m/1.9). The week really picked up as So You Think You Can Dance worked down to their final four on Wednesday (7.63m/3) and Thursday (7.4m/2.5). The only other new programming came from Mental (2.92m/.8).

CW – I’ve mostly been ignoring The CW all summer, and judging by the numbers, so have most of you. They did offer up a new episode of Easy Money (.41m/.2), which didn’t do any better than the burned off episodes of Valentine.

Cable – I’ve yet to see the viewer numbers for Burn Notice and Royal Pains this week, but you can make a pretty good guess that they were good. The network did send out a press release trumpeting the fact that it finished July as the #1 cable network, with much thanks to both shows. Things are going so well that both of them have now been renewed.

HBO was in on the renewal game as well. After the latest True Blood (4m) continued the strong season, the network announced that the show has been renewed. Sookie and Eric (please, not Bill…) will be keeping the same company, as Hung and Entourage were also renewed. Keeping to that renewal theme, TLC is ordering up another run of Cake Boss. I’ve never watched the show, assuming it was just a complete ripoff of Ace Of Cakes, but apparently it has averaged 2.3 million viewers, which isn’t bad at all.

Not renewed yet, but a sure thing no doubt, Warehouse 13 (3.3m) continues to be a success. Those 3.3m viewers also came with series highs in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54. Finally, Real Housewives Of Atlanta (2.66m) set a record for a Real Housewives premiere, so I would assume you can look forward to more Real Housewives of some geographic location soon.

Photo Credit: ABC

Ratings Clack – Summer TV is halfway over!

Brett Love — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:01:36 +0000

It’s that time of the year where it becomes painfully obvious just how lacking the summer television schedule is. Hopefully, you’re getting some nice weather in the exchange. The good news is that the summer television season is now half over. We can now start counting down the weeks until the fall premieres. As for the numbers, things mostly held to form. Although, there were a few interesting additions on the schedule this week. Hell’s Kitchen, Dating In The Dark, and Ruby And The Rockits all had premieres, while Samantha Who? and Kings had finales.

ABC - The Bachelorette (7.81m/2.6) got the week off to a good start, and that carried over into the premiere of Dating In The Dark (6.34m/2.5). Look for that number to drop in week two, but it is a solid debut. Wipeout (6.18m/2.4) was also solid. That’s good enough that the show has already been renewed for another season. The rest of the week, was a little rough. The Superstars (3.26m/1), Better Off Ted (1.87m/.7), Samantha Who? (3.46m/.9 – 3.31m/.9), Surviving Suburbia (2.42m/.6), and Dirty Sexy Money (1.8m/.4) were all disappointing.

NBC – Again, much like ABC, the hits were few and far between. America’s Got Talent remains a success on Tuesday (13.64m/3.4) and Wednesday (11.05m/2.5). The rest of the schedule falls somewhere between, eh, and awful. Those other new entries included Merlin (4.27m/1.1), Meteor (5.21m/1.2), Great American Road Trip (3.46m/1), The Philanthropist (4.74m/1.1), The Listener (3.38m/1), and Kings (1.8m/.4).

CBS – Continuing where they left off last week, Big Brother is still the lone new entry for the network. It’s not exciting, but it does well enough that we can probably plan on seeing the show again next summer. The results were: Sunday (5.58m/1.8), Tuesday (5.79m/2), and Thursday (6.42m/2). Not new, but notable, was the debut of Medium (4.03m/1) on CBS. Those numbers are awfully low, even for a CBS repeat, but it was the first showing, on an odd night. I suspect things will be just fine when the show makes its official debut. Despite the lack of originality, the network was again the most watched on four of seven nights.

FOX – So You Think You Can Dance has been doing most of the heavy lifting this summer, and posted good numbers again on Wednesday (7.32m/2.9) and Thursday (8.42m/2.9). The dancing kids now have a little help. Hell’s Kitchen (6.47m/3) is back. That number is off a bit from the last go round, but still a solid summer success. Elsewhere, the FOX Friday continues to be the FOX Friday with 5th Grader (4.67m/1.2) and Mental (3.69m/.9). It all added up to another week with the network winning the demo on five nights.

CABLE – Well, cable and network to start. President Obama continued his assault on prime time programming with another press conference. After all the various showings were combined it managed 24.7 million viewers. Elsewhere, the good run continues for True Blood (3.85m). That’s just off the series high, and good enough that you can now get your very own bottles of Tru Blood. The news wasn’t quite as good for Hung (2.77m) and Entourage (2.69m), which both suffered drops.

USA was also celebrating as Burn Notice (6.8m) just keeps getting stronger. That’s another series high in viewers. While not setting records, 10 Things I Hate About You (1.6m) is still solid for ABC Family. That led to a very good premiere for Ruby And The Rockits (1.6m).

Photo Credit: HBO

Ratings Clack – Talkin’ baseball… Carew and Michael Westen

Brett Love — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:00:57 +0000

Okay, I did edit the original “Talkin’ Baseball’ lyrics just a bit for the title, for context. While the All-Star game was the big deal in ratings this week, there was some great news over on cable for Michael and the gang. And really, most of the exciting stuff, where ratings are concerned anyway, was on cable this week. Warehouse 13 had a strong second outing, TNT had premieres for Leverage and Dark Blue, and HBO dusted off Entourage for another go. There was even a Potter sighting. With the networks, it was baseball, and a lot more of the same.

FOX - As is the usual case with the FOX summer, there isn’t a lot to report. But what there is, is pretty good news. On the strength of the All-Star Game (14.6m/4), the network took 5 of 7 nights in the demo. The kids from So You Think You Can Dance chipped in, doing their part on Wednesday (6.85m/2.6) and Thursday (7.05m/2.5). The small drop Thursday is a bit curious, considering there was no competition, but the show remains a solid summer hit. Wrapping up, 5th Grader (4.88m/1) and Mental (3.7m/.9) continue to plug along on the FOX Friday.

CBS - The other big winner for the week, CBS was the most watched network on 4 of 7 nights. That, despite the fact that the only new programming to speak of was Big Brother on Sunday (6.76m/2), Tuesday (6.26m/2.2), and Thursday (5.57m/1.9). I’m still not sure I understand the thinking behind the CBS Summer schedule, but it’s hard to argue with the results.

ABC - Taking the completely opposite approach, ABC continues to throw all manner of programming at the wall. Unfortunately, very little of it is sticking. One of the bright spots continues to be The Bachelorette (7.91m/2.7). The show is now firmly in control of Mondays, in both demo and viewers. That led to reasonable numbers for the Here Come The Newlyweds (4.99m/2) finale. Wipeout (7.66m/2.6) was down just a bit, but remains strong, and I Survived A Japanese Game Show (4.41m/1.7) did show small gains. Elsewhere, it’s just not pretty. The Superstars (3.77m/1.2) were stuck in the cargo net going up against the All-Star Game, but actually look successful compared to Better Off Ted (2.57m/1). And things wrap up with the FRI/SAT disaster of Surviving Suburbia (2.62m/.7), The Goode Family (1.63m/.5), and Dirty Sexy Money (2.15m/.6).

NBC - Things didn’t get off to a very good start with the premiere of the latest disaster mini-series, Meteor (5.04m/1.1). Of course, that’s still much better than the show’s Sunday night partner, Merlin (3.65m/.9). And a new night didn’t do anything for Great American Road Trip (3.3m/.9) on Monday. Fortunately, NBC does have America’s Got Talent. The show was actually up on Tuesday (13.17m/3.6), despite facing baseball. Then, on Wednesday (11.38m/2.9), it was the most watched show and had the highest demo for the night. It’s just too bad that NBC has nothing to pair it with. Despite that boost, The Philanthropist (4.35m/1.1) was still in last place at 10. In a curious turn of the numbers, The Listener (3.86m/1.2) numbers were up, after NBC officially canceled it. Finally, the week ground to a halt with Chopping Block (2.28m/.7) on Friday, and Kings (1.57m/.4) on Saturday. Yep, Kings… it’s no Goode Family… Seriously, WTF?

CABLE - There were lots of fun numbers on cable this week. We’ll start with an oldie, since we missed it last week. The return of Eureka (2.6m) was solid. The show actually grew in the demos from the semi-finale last September, so it looks like this whole Friday thing could work out. The network had more good news from the second week of Warehouse 13 (3.4m). It managed to keep a whopping 97% of the premiere audience.

Things are also looking good over at HBO. True Blood (3.9m) hit another high, and that paved the way for a great Entourage (3.4m) premiere. That is more than double the audience for the premiere of the previous season. Hung (3.6m) was up, as well.

The hits keep on coming, as TNT and USA battle for scripted cable supremacy. USA had a stellar Thursday with Burn Notice (6.7m) and Royal Pains (6.2m). That’s a series high for Burn Notice. Staying in the race, TNT looks to have a solid third night of programming, with Leverage (3.9m) and Dark Blue (3.5m). That Leverage premiere number is 24% above the season one average. Hawthorne (3.2m) remains steady as well.

Cable also got in on the All-Star Game fun. The Home Run Derby (8.25m) on ESPN was the most watched program of the night, broadcast or cable. The celebrity softball game that followed was also on the board, with 3.61m viewers. Elsewhere on cable, Deadliest Catch (3.6m) remains a hit for Discovery, while Miami Social (.65m) doesn’t seem to be one for Bravo. And finally, it was a good week to be in the Harry Potter business. Despite the fact that all of the movies have aired countless times on various networks, a Sunday telecast of Goblet Of Fire on ABC Family was still good for over 4 million viewers.

Photo Credit: Jeff Curry/MLB.com

Ratings Clack – Huge numbers for the King of Pop…

Brett Love — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:00:02 +0000

… and very tiny ones for the King of Gilboa. And, if we want to carry on with that little game, very good numbers for the King of the Courts. It was another fairly typical summer week. As has been the pattern, FOX was the big winner in the demo, taking 5 of 7 nights. In viewers, despite having only two new programs, CBS still managed to take 6 of 7 nights. Crazy how that works. Along the way, a whole lot of people watched the Jackson Memorial. On the other end of the spectrum, a very few devoted individuals continued to tune in for Kings. There were also premieres for Big Brother, The Great American Road Trip, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Warehouse 13.

A little more info on the Jackson Memorial. 31 million viewers places it third on the big list of possibly creepy televised mourning. It falls just shy of the Reagan Burial (35.07m) and Princess Diana’s Funeral (33.25). And getting to those other “Kings,” we begin the week with NBC.

NBC - The week got off to a nice start with the Federer/Roddick final at Wimbledon. Averaging 5.71 million viewers made it the most watched final since Sampras/Agassi in 1999, which had 5.85 million. The junk hit the fan later that night though, as Merlin (4.29m/1.1) continued to struggle despite being the only new programming for the night. That situation wasn’t helped by the premiere of Great American Road Trip (4.66m/1.3) on Tuesday. That’s bad enough, in fact, that the show has already been moved to Monday, to keep it from scaring viewers away from the lone NBC summer hit, America’s Got Talent. Talent continued to roll with good showings on Tuesday (10.43m/3) and Wednesday (11.69,/3.3).

Elsewhere, more lowlights. The Philanthropist (5.14m/1.4) found himself last in the timeslot, behind Primetime:Crime and a CSI:NY repeat. He’s now reduced to saying, “Well, it’s better than The Listener (3.24m/.8).” Continuing the chain, The Listener is then better than Chopping Block (2.09m/.6), and just about everything is better than Kings (1.64m/.4). How bad are those numbers? That demo is so low that despite the fact that CW aired no new programming last week, Kings would have finished in a tie for 5th on the little network. It was bested by repeats of Smallville, Supernatural, 90210, and Roadhouse. Wow.

ABC - The Bachelorette (7.67m/2.6) continues to battle mightily against the CBS comedies. It was enough to give ABC its only demo win for the week, despite carrying the weight of Here Come The Newlyweds (4.65m/1.8). In other good news, Wipeout (8.07m/2.8) remains strong. Everything else probably has the suits anxious for fall. The Superstars (4.2m/1.4) looked silly against an NCIS repeat (10.77m/2). I Survived A Japanese Game Show (4.09m/1.2) continued to piss away that Wipeout audience. And the final grind for Samantha Who? (3.59m/1 – 3.23m/1) and Eli Stone (2.76m/.6) is just kind of sad.

FOX & CBS - It’s funny that these two networks continue to dominate the demo and viewer numbers, despite the lack of new programming to report. For FOX, the week amounted to So You Think You Can Dance on Wednesday (7.47m/2.9) and Thursday (7.8m/2.8), followed by Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader (4.69m/1.3) and Mental (3.68m/1) on Friday. CBS virtually tripled their programming output for the week with the premiere of Big Brother (6.68m/2.3) and the two hour Harper’s Island finale (3.84m/.9).

CABLE - ABC Family set another record with the premier of 10 Things I Hate About You (1.6m). That’s good enough to be the network’s #1 comedy debut ever. It wasn’t a record, but the results were also good for the premiere of Warehouse 13 (3.5m). That is the third highest viewer number for a series episode that has ever been posted by the network formerly known as SciFi. It falls behind the premieres of Stargate Atlantis (4.2m) and Eureka (4.1m). Eureka also returned, but I’ve yet to see any numbers on that one. Look for that next week.

Finally, it’s a little late, but worth noting. Apparently there is no end in sight to the Hannah Montana craze. A new episode managed 6.9 million viewers, which was enough to top The Closer and take the #1 spot for the week that ended July 5th.

Photo Credit: FOX

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