CliqueClack TV » Desperate Housewives

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

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

Fall 2009 pre-season predictions: Sunday

Brett Love — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:00:16 +0000

Whoops. The pre-season post for Sunday completely slipped my mind. That could be because it does promise to be a rather dull night where the ratings are concerned. Three Rivers and The Cleveland Show are the only new entries on the night, and neither of them looks to really shake things up. So, for the most part, Sunday night will look much like it did last season. There will be small fluctuations in the numbers, but nothing dramatic. In the bigger picture, I would look for FOX to be up slightly, while ABC is down slightly. CBS is taking a gamble that could go either way, and NBC, with football, will remain erratic, based on the games.

Sunday
	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30
ABC	Extreme Makeover: Home Edition		Desperate Housewives		Brothers & Sisters
NBC	Sunday Night Football
CBS	The Amazing Race		Three Rivers		Cold Case
FOX	The Simpsons	The Cleveland Show	Family Guy	American Dad

Getting a little more into the thinking of the opening, ABC will be down slightly simply because that is the trend. Extreme Makeover and Desperate Housewives both slowly lost viewers last season. That’s partly due to the nature of network television, and partly due to the shows having been on for a long time. It just happens. That’s not to say that either of them is in any real danger. The new seasons will end up just below last season, but that still makes for numbers that are a real success for the network. Brothers & Sisters should be impacted less, because it’s still young enough that the erosion isn’t as severe. It will make for better retention out of Desperate Housewives this season.

CBS, on the other hand, could really go either way. The Amazing Race will again do its thing leading off the night. It’s become a solid Sunday night performer, providing a good alternative to NBC’s football. The curious bit is the move of Cold Case from 9:00 to 10:00. The show was consistent following Race, and I would expect it to do similar numbers again. In that regard, putting Three Rivers there is a bit of a gamble. I get the thinking — the network is trying to hold onto more of the younger demo that Cold Case was losing from Race. Great if it works, but a disaster if it doesn’t, as it will take Cold Case down with it. My guess is that initially, it will be a winner, improving the demo of Cold Case from last season. After that, it will be down to how the show develops.

There’s nothing too exciting for FOX or NBC. The FOX schedule is slightly improved simply for having The Cleveland Show plugged in at 8:30. That should provide the boost to the King Of The Hill numbers that Sit Down, Shut Up wasn’t able to deliver, making the whole night come out ahead. At NBC, football is always a winner, and it will make Sunday the strongest night for the network more often than not.

Photo Credit: CBS

TV on DVD for September 1st

Brett Love — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:00:21 +0000

I’ll never understand the thought process behind TV on DVD release dates. Why do so many of them end up coming out just weeks before the new season starts? After everyone just had a whole summer with a drastically reduced television schedule. Shouldn’t there really be a flood of new season sets in May and June? Whatever the case … as has become the norm, with the new seasons approaching we have a bunch of current shows releasing new sets. Among those you’ll find Supernatural, Heroes, Two And A Half Men, The Game, Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Rescue Me, and CSI. My pick for the week actually isn’t even a TV show. It’s the latest Bring It On movie, Fight To The Finish. I’ll explain that, and have the rest of the releases, after the jump.

Supernatural: The Complete 4th Season

If I had to pick a favorite show currently on television, Supernatural would be it. It’s just so good, every time out. Because the show is on The CW, I don’t think Kripke and his team get enough credit for what they’ve put together with these four seasons. The story of the Winchester brothers hasn’t missed a beat the whole way through. And it covers the gamut, from frightening, to heart-wrenching, to laugh out loud funny. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for season five, and if you haven’t hopped on board yet, this is one that I highly recommend. (Check our our giveaway for the Blu-ray version of this set).

Heroes: Season 3 (Blu-ray)
And if I had to pick the show currently on TV that most frustrates me, Heroes would be it. It’s a strange relationship I have with Heroes. And its one that I’m sure more than a few other fans share. At its core, the idea is so good. Unfortunately, the execution of that idea has been … hit and miss? Moments of brilliance all too often give way to moments of head scratching bewilderment. But there is just enough there, and enough hope that it will all turn around, that you have to see it through. Season three had both its highlights, and its lowlights, but it should be a nice collection for anyone that is still hanging in there.

Bring It On: Fight To The Finish

Ok, it’s technically not TV on DVD, but it’s not like this one was ever released in the theaters. And, the Bring It On series is stuffed to the gills with TV actresses. The original had both Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse) and Gabrielle Union (Flash Forward). Bring It On Again had Felicia Day (The Guild). All Or Nothing added Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) and Kiersten Warren (Maximum Bob!). In It To Win It starred Ashley Benson (Eastwick) and Cassie Scerbo (Make It Or Break It). And now Fight To The Finish has Laura Ceron (ER), Gabrielle Dennis (The Game), and an appearance by Lauren Gottlieb (So You Think You Can Dance). And yes, I do know far too much about screwball comedy cheerleader movies.

C.S.I.: The Complete 9th Season – Grissom’s exit didn’t do a lot for the ratings, but there were highlights, with Taylor Swift guest starring and a “Star Trek” based episode featuring Ronald D. Moore.
The Game: The 1st Season – This one was much better than the ratings, or its treatment by the network, would suggest. Worth a look.
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: Volume 3 – You can never go wrong with Scooby-Doo.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 8 – Also always a solid animated choice.
Desperate Housewives: The Complete 5th Season – Here’s an odd bit from the extras disk – Miss Piggy takes Wisteria Lane. WTF?
Brothers & Sisters: The Complete 3rd Season – More drama from the Walker family. It’s hard to go wrong with Patricia Wettig vs Sally Field.
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes: Volume 1 – A very cool idea. These are the other detectives from the time of Sherlock Holmes. It includes Jeremy Irons in his first screen appearance.
Two and a Half Men: The Complete 6th Season – The number one comedy on television, for years now.
Rescue Me: Season 5, Volume 1 – Somehow, I’ve never seen this show. It’s one on the list to get to eventually.
People Like Us: The Complete Series – UK comedy from 1999 featuring guests such as Sarah Alexander, Bill Nighy, and David Tennant.
Ben 10: Alien Force: Volume 4 – Another installment from the Cartoon Network stalwart.
Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye – The three part story about the beginning of the battle between good and evil on Earth.
Shaun the Sheep: Vol 4: Little Sheep of Horrors – Something for the kiddos that, based on the description, sounds pretty fun.
And finally, three new releases from Doctor Who: Story #088: The Deadly Assassin – Story #094: Image of the Fendahl – Story #150: Delta and the Bannerman

Photo Credit: CW

Presenting CliqueClack’s guide to the 2009-10 fall season

Richard Keller — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:00:42 +0000

To subscribe to the below schedule in iCal, copy this link and paste into the ‘Subscribe…’ menu item in iCal. You can also just click it to open iCal or even click to add to your iPhone calendar. The same link will work in a Google Calendar as well! Or see the calendar as a web page (also embedded at the bottom here). The calendar will update as new shows are added/changed and with links to our reviews as we publish them.

Welcome to CliqueClack’s guide for the 2009-10 fall season! Or, in the case of NBC, The Great Experiment. Now, if you didn’t realize it already, this fall season is going to be different from past years. First, there’s no ER, which will feel a little weird. Second, Lost will be ending its run in the spring of 2010. Third, American Idol will be without Paula Abdul. And finally, Jay Leno is going to come into your homes at 10 PM each night and try to convince you that scripted programming is dead.

Once this season pans out, that may or may not be the case on the big Four and a Quarter networks. With so many viewers moving to other venues of original, scripted programming like cable and the Internet, the networks are fighting for life … again. Well, NBC and ABC probably are: CBS and FOX are doing okay for the time being. So, the big question is whether or not they can come back with ambitious programs like Flash Forward, comedies like Hank and The Middle, which feature known stars, remakes like Parenthood and Melrose Place, and Chevy Chase?

Only time and ratings will tell. In the meantime, CliqueClack TV is here to present you with the most comprehensive premiere schedule on the Internet. Something that you will come back to time and time again to peruse in order to plan your day. Just be aware that dates and times of these premieres may change at the whim of a network executive with too much gas. Now, without further typing…

Guide Notes:

New series premieres in bold italic

* – denotes new time/day

? – asks why the f%*&k this show is still on the air

September

To Be Determined

3:00 and 4:00 The Tyra Banks Show(CW) – Season 4 premiere. First on CW. Airdate to be determined.

Monday, September 7th

Dinosaur Train (PBS) – Check local listings for times.

Electric Company (PBS) – Check local listings for times.

10:00 Durham County (ION) – The network’s first original drama

Tuesday, September 8th

8:00 90210 (CW) – Season 2 premiere

9:00 Melrose Place (CW) – Coming next season, remakes of Booker and The Heights.

10:00 Sons of Anarchy (FX) – Season 2 premiere

Wednesday, September 9th

8:00 America’s Next Top Model (CW) – Season 13 premiere

8:00 So You Think You Can Dance (FOX) - Season 6 premiere

9:00 Glee (FOX) - A feel-good show on FOX? Nah, can’t be! (here’s our preview of Glee’s return)

9:00 Inside the NFL (Showtime)

10:00 Destination Truth (SyFy) – Season 3 premiere

Thursday, September 10th

8:00 The Vampire Diaries (CW)

9:00 Supernatural (CW) – Season 5 premiere

Friday, September 11th

10:00 20/20 (ABC)

Saturday, September 12th

8:00 COPS (FOX) – Season 20 premiere. Coming up this season — the 700th episode!

9:00 Robin Hood (BBC America) – Season 2 premiere

9:00 America’s Most Wanted (FOX) – Season 23 premiere

Sunday, September 13th

7:00 Football Night in America (NBC)

8:15 NBC Sunday Night Football (NBC)

Monday, September 14th

Dr. Phil (Syndicated) – Season 8 premiere. Check local listings for times.

Oprah (Syndicated) – Season 24 premiere. Check local listing for times.

The Rachel Ray Show (Syndicated) – Check local listings for times.

8:00 Lincoln Heights (ABC Family) – Season 4 premiere

8:00 One Tree Hill (CW) – Season 7 premiere

9:00 Gossip Girl (CW) – Season 3 premiere

10:00 The Jay Leno Show (NBC) – The start of The Great Experiment. Guest stars for the premiere include Jay Z, Kayne West, Rhianna, and Jerry Seinfeld.

Tuesday, September 15th

8:00 The Biggest Loser (NBC) – Weekly shows from 8-10 pm, followed by Jay Leno’s show. Yes, this is the new face of NBC.

Wednesday, September 16th

9:00 The Beautiful Life (CW)

Thursday, September 17th

8:00 Survivor: Samoa (CBS) – 19th season premiere

8:00 Bones (FOX) – Season five premiere. Here’s hoping Booth recovers from his coma.

9:30 Thursday Night Live (NBC) – Season 2 premiere. Not too sure what they’re going to talk about now that the election is over.

8:30 Parks and Recreation (NBC) – Season 2 premiere

9:00 Fringe* (FOX) – Season 2 premiere

9:00 The Office (NBC) – Season 6 premiere.

9:30 Community (NBC) – Chevy Chase returns to TV, and not in a talk show format! (Here’s a Guest Clack post about the show)

10:00 It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX) – Season 5 premiere

Friday, September 18th

10:00 Crash (STARZ) – Season 2 premiere

Sunday, September 20th

9:00 Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO) – Season 7 premiere

10:45 Bored to Death (HBO)

Monday, September 21st

8:00 Dancing With the Stars (ABC) – Season 9 premiere. And … Donny Osmond!

8:00 How I Met Your Mother* (CBS) – Season … wait for it … 5 premiere.

8:00 House (FOX) – Season 6 premiere. Will House get out of the looney bin? Only a two-hour episode will tell.

8:00 Heroes (NBC) – Two-hour, season 4 premiere

8:30 Accidentally on Purpose (CBS)

9:00 Two and a Half Men (CBS) – Season 7 premiere

9:30 Big Bang Theory* (CBS) – Season 3 premiere

10:00 Castle (ABC) – Season 2 premiere

10:00 CSI: Miami (CBS) – Season 8 premiere

10:00 Madventures (Travel) – An actual travel show on the Travel Channel? Get out!

Tuesday, September 22nd

8:00 NCIS (CBS) – Season 7 premiere

9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)

10:00 The Forgotten (ABC)

10:00 The Good Wife (CBS) – The return of Julianna Margulies

10:00 The Naughty Kitchen With Chef Blythe Beck (Oxygen) – And you can all get your minds out of the gutter with that title.

Wednesday, September 23rd

8:00 The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS) – Season 5 premiere

8:00 Mercy (NBC) – It might be me, but this show really belongs on Lifetime. (Here’s our preview post on the show.)

8:30 Gary Unmarried (CBS) – Season 2 premiere. Hey, the show isn’t half-bad!

9:00 Criminal Minds (CBS) – Season 5 premiere

9:00 Law & Order: SVU* (NBC) – Season 11 premiere.

9:00 Modern Family (ABC) – All-star cast, including Ed O’Neil and Julie Bowen, give this comedy a chance (Check out our preview post on this show.)

9:30 Cougar Town (ABC) – Courtney Cox’s new comedy. (Check out our preview post on this show.)

10:00 Eastwick (ABC) (Check out our post about this show.)

10:00 CSI: NY (CBS) – Season 6 premiere

Thursday, September 24th

8:00 Flash Forward (ABC) – Another series full of mysteries. How long before people’s heads begin to explode? (Check out our review of the pilot script and preview of the pilot episode.)

9:00 Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) – Season 6 premiere

9:00 CSI (CBS) – Season 10 premiere

10:00 The Mentalist* (CBS) – Season 2 premiere

Friday, September 25th

8:00 Ghost Whisperer (CBS) – Season 5 premiere

8:00 Smallville (CW) – Season 9 premiere

8:00 Brothers (FOX) – One-hour series premiere.

8:00 Law & Order* (NBC) – Season 20(!) premiere. And, maybe its last.

9:00 Medium (CBS) – Season 6 premiere (1st season premiere on CBS)

9:00 Dollhouse (FOX) – Season 2 premiere. Yes, I’m being serious!

10:00 Numb3rs (CBS) – Season 6 premiere

Saturday, September 26th

10:00 48 Hours Mystery (CBS) – Because there isn’t enough crime on the CBS schedule.

11:30 Saturday Night Live (NBC) – Season 35, which may have been about 15 seasons too long. Allegedly, Megan Fox will be host. So, if the show sucks, at least we can look (leer) admiringly at her.

Sunday, September 27th

7:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC) – Season 10 premiere. Prepare for tissue stocks to skyrocket.

7:00 60 Minutes (CBS) – The whopping 42nd season premiere.

8:00 The Amazing Race (CBS) – 15th season premiere

8:00 The Simpsons (FOX) – The big 2-0 for this long-running animated comedy.

8:30 The Cleveland Show (FOX) – After a year of promotion this show finally gets its chance.

9:00 Desperate Housewives (ABC) – Season 6 premiere

9:00 Family Guy (FOX) – Season 8 premiere, which is supposed to be their Empire Strikes Back parody. But, it’s only a half hour. Hmm…

9:00 Dexter (Showtime) – Season 4 premiere.

9:30 American Dad (FOX) – This fifth season(!) premiere ends the first week of “Seth Sunday” on FOX.

10:00 Brothers & Sisters (ABC) – Season 4 premiere

10:00 Cold Case (CBS) – Season 7 premiere

10:00 Californication (Showtime) – Season 3 premiere

Monday, September 28th

8:00 Lie to Me* (FOX) – Season two premiere

9:00 Trauma (NBC) – ER with more explosions. (Here’s our preview post on the show.)

Tuesday, September 29th

8:00 Shark Tank (ABC) – The press release says “in-season premiere,” which means it’s either a continuation of the summer run or the beginning of season two.

9:00 Dancing With the Stars the Results Show (ABC)

10:00 The Hills (MTV) – Season 5 premiere

Wednesday, September 30th

8:00 Hank (ABC) – Kelsey Grammer’s new sitcom

8:30 The Middle (ABC) – Patricia Heaton’s new comedy

October

To Be Determined

3:00 Let’s Make a Deal (CBS) – Hosted by Wayne Brady

Thursday, October 1st

10:00 Private Practice (ABC) – Season 3 premiere

Friday, October 2nd

8:00 Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Cartoon) – Season 2 premiere

8:30 ‘Til Death* (FOX) – Season 4 premiere. Though, I have a feeling they’ll be burning off a number of season three episodes as well.

9:00 Stargate Universe (SyFy) – Eh, I don’t know about this one.

Sunday, October 4th

7:00 America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC) – Holy frak! This is the show’s 20th season. I wonder if Bob Saget will make a cameo.

9:00 Three Rivers (CBS) – The return of Alex O’Loughlin

9:00 The Next Iron Chef (Food)

Monday, October 5th

7:00 Sherri (Lifetime)

7:30 Rita Rocks (Lifetime) – Season two premiere

Wednesday, October 6th

9:00 Scare Tactics (SyFy) – Season 2 premiere

Thursday, October 7th

10:00 South Park (Comedy Central) – Season 13 premiere

Friday, October 8th

10:00 TOSH.0 (Comedy Central) – New episodes from this summer’s premiere.

Friday, October 9th

10:00 Sanctuary (SyFy) – Season 2 premiere

Monday, October 13th

10:00 Disaster House (DIY) – Houses are wrecked to show the wear and tear that are inflicted upon them over the years. Obviously small children that are full of sugar are involved.

Wednesday, October 14th

10:00 Nip/Tuck (FX) – Season 6 premiere

Thursday, October 15th

9:30 30 Rock (NBC) – Season 4 premiere. And you thought Studio 60 would have been the show that came out the winner.

Friday, October 16th

8:00 Supernanny (ABC) – Oy!

8:00 Ugly Betty* (ABC) – Two-hour, season 4 premiere

Sunday, October 18th

8:00 Occupation (BBC America) – American release

11:00 The Venture Bros. (Cartoon) – Season premiere

Friday, October 23rd

9:00 Southland* (NBC) – Season 2 premiere.

10:00 White Collar (USA Network) – Tiffany Theisen!

Wednesday, October 28th

Friday Night Lights (DirecTV) – Season 4 premiere

November

Tuesday, November 3rd

8:00 V (ABC) – Yet another remake on the fall schedule (Here’s our preview post about the show.)

Saturday, November 7th

11:00 The Wanda Sykes Show (FOX)

Monday, November 9th

11:00 Lopez Tonight (TBS) – Another weeknight talkshow

Midseason Premieres

24 (FOX)
American Idol (FOX) – The Paula Abdul-less version
Better off Ted (ABC)
Blonde Charity Mafia (CW)
Caprica(SyFy)
Chuck (NBC) – Yeah!
Day One (NBC)
Human Target (FOX)
Lost (ABC) – Last. Season. Ever!
Life Unexpected (CW)
Parenthood (NBC)
Scrubs (ABC) – Or, Scrubs 2.0

Photo Credit: ABC

The trouble with MacGuffins – Desperate Housewives and the danger of the single season arc

Bob Degon — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:00:43 +0000

As I wind down my summer series of looking at how different shows deal with their MacGuffins, I want to talk about Desperate Housewives. I have to start by disclosing an important bit of information: I only watched the first two seasons of Desperate Housewives, so I can’t really comment on the latest few seasons. However, I do think that the first two seasons are worth looking at when it comes to mysteries and plotlines.

I started this series by talking about Twin Peaks. It’s one of my favorite shows of all time, and I think that DH is heavily influenced by it. They have a very similar flavor: an idyllic town/neighborhood full of quirky characters, with something very sinister lying under the surface. Certainly there was a whole lot more quirk and strangeness happening on Twin Peaks, but I think DH really owes that show a lot.

Desperate Housewives, however, learned from some of the mistakes that Twin Peaks made. DH has followed the Buffy-like model of changing the mystery/storyline each season. The first season of Housewives was really structured very well. The mystery was really personal to all the characters, and so it did exactly what a good MacGuffin is supposed to do: it moved the characters along their arcs, without getting in the way of their development.

When season two rolled around, though, a new family moved onto the street, and brought the “mystery” of the season with them. It didn’t work nearly as well (even with the supremely awesome Alfre Woodard at the helm). I think it was because the majority of the “mystery” just didn’t matter that much to the main characters of the show. I honestly think that season two would have been better without the mystery. It just wasn’t necessary. Frankly, it turned me off the show, and I haven’t watched since the end of season two.

I’ve heard the show has returned to form and is quite good again, but, frankly, I’m a young, single male; I really have no business watching Desperate Housewives.

When looking at MacGuffin management, DH illustrates a good point. It’s much easier to keep people interested and not frustrated when mystery arcs are only one season long. At the same time, however, this is a much bigger risk, as each season presents a unique story and could ultimately fail.

Photo Credit: ABC

Whisper to me, Jim, and become Human again – Daily Rerun Roundup

Debbie McDuffee — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 22:00:46 +0000

The weekend has a few notable reruns, although I’m sure you’d rather be watching your Dollhouse DVD, and catching the new episode, “Epitaph One.” Maybe you’ll follow along with Bob and watch some Veronica Mars, season two. Or….

Friday

At 8:00 on CBS, The Ghost Whisperer episode titled “Body of Water” repeats, as well as an episode of Privileged on The CW.
At 9 PM you can catch an episode of According to Jim on ABC, the “Everybody Hates Lasagna” episode of Everybody Hates Chris on The CW or Flashpoint on CBS.
At 9:30 on ABC, the series finale of According to Jim is re-airing, and boy, do we have the review for you. Grab a beer and enjoy, although we have it on good authority that the show doesn’t get much funnier.

Saturday

On ABC at 9:00, you can catch Aldis Hodge in a guest spot on Castle’s “Always Buy Retail.”
At 11:30 NBC is repeating the awesome Tracy Morgan / Kelly Clarkson episode of SNL from last season.

Sunday

In case you missed the BBCA premiere of Being Human from Saturday, it’s airing again at 9:15.
At 10 PM you can catch an episode from season five of Desperate Housewives on ABC or head over to CBS to watch a repeat of Without a Trace.

Make sure you subscribe to our mailing list to get daily updates on what’s notable and new on TV, and follow us on Twitter for more of the same and other news!

Photo Credit: ABC

Stalking Jim, onion goggles and Lotto – Daily Rerun Roundup

Debbie McDuffee — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:00:25 +0000

I know, I know — you go out clubbing on Friday nights, so why on earth do you care about repeats? Lest you forget the power of the DVR, you might just want to revisit some gems this weekend:

On CBS on Friday night, Melinda stalks new Jim on the Ghost Whisperer tonight. Weigh in on whether or not you think it’s creepy or sweet.
What does Saturday bring? I’m sure you’ll all be watching the finale of Harper’s Island with us — right? In the event you’ve already read all the Canadian sites and completely spoiled the ending for yourself, then you might want to catch author Rick Castle’s onion goggles in tonight’s episode on ABC instead.
Sunday night, CBS re-airs Cold Case’s “Lotto Fever,” not Jackie’s favorite episode because the case only went back to 2007, not far enough.
Or, head over to ABC and re-watch Desperate Housewives‘ “Mama Spent Money When She Had None” and see which desperate housewife you identify with.

Photo Credit: ABC

Daily Rerun Roundup – Wooo girls plus Foreman plus Thirteen

Keith McDuffee — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:00:11 +0000

There’s not as much good stuff on repeats tonight as there was last Monday. My top picks would have to be House and How I Met Your Mother, then possibly Desperate Housewives, if you never got into that show, since the first season was clearly its best.

At 8 PM you can catch an episode of The Big Bang Theory’s previous season on CBS, Gossip Girl on The CW or the episode of House where Foreman and Thirteen finally get it on, on FOX.
At 8:30 PM you can pick up a repeat of How I Met Your Mother. Woooo!
At 9PM Lifetime has Army Wives, The CW has One Tree Hill and CBS has Two and a Half Men. You can also pick up the pilot episode of Lie to Me over on FOX.
There’s another repeat of The Big Bang Theory on CBS at 9:30, the one that followed the episode that aired at 8 PM from last season.
At 10 PM there’s a rerun of CSI: Miami on CBS and the second episode of season one of Desperate Housewives on Lifetime.

Photo Credit: CBS

Ratings Clack – 2008-2009 goes out with a bang

Brett Love — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:01:53 +0000

Just like that, the 2008-2009 season is done. We are now firmly in the grips of the summer television season. That means there will be a months long wait (10 if you’re a Chuck fan!) for new episodes. On the bright side, you’ll have plenty of time to watch the Women’s College World Series (Danielle Lawrie is awesome!) or the French Open (I’ve got Nadal and Safina). Or maybe you’ll join me in reading World War Z (Zombies!). Before you get started on that fancy new summer schedule, we have one last week of numbers to take a look at.

FOX - It was the biggie, so let’s begin with Idol. There was a fair bit of chatter about how the numbers were down for the Idol finale, but let’s be realistic. The final performance show (23.82m/8.6), and the big finale announcement (28.84m/10), were so far ahead of everything else on TV that it doesn’t even matter. Consider that only two other shows, 2 ½ Men and Dancing With The Stars, were even able to crack 5 in the demo. Even in a ‘down’ year, Idol is far and away the number one show on television.

Elsewhere, the Sunday animation block got the week off to a slow start. Perhaps it was the presence of the Survivor and Housewives finales. Simpsons (5.85m/2.9), King Of The Hill (5.22m/2.6), Family Guy (7.35m/3.7), and American Dad (5.64m/2.8) were all down a bit. That theme continued on Monday. 24 (9.65m/3.1) missed having Dr. House at 8. Tuesday did bring some good news, in addition to Idol. Glee (9.62m/3.9) premiered to critical raves and managed to post what I would call very Fringe-like numbers. The kids from So You Think You Can Dance (8.47m/3.4) kicked off the FOX summer on Thursday, winning the night in the demo. And Friday, Don’t Forget The Lyrics (3.4m/1) made its return to Friday, with very Dollhouse looking numbers.

ABC - As with FOX, ABC’s final week was carried by their reality powerhouse. Dancing With The Stars remains a legitimate hit, posting excellent numbers for Monday’s performance show (19.17m/4.4), and the big Tuesday finale (20.31m/5.2). Tom and Samantha passed the Monday keys off to The Bachelorette (8.69m/3) which was below where The Bachelor left off. However, as we saw with that one, casting is everything.

Elsewhere, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (9.27m/3.1) and Desperate Housewives (13.96m/4.7) wrapped things up on Sunday. Those numbers are down year to year, and it is the lowest rated Housewives finale ever, but still solid. The only other programming of note was the two hour finale of Ugly Betty (6.27m/1.9).

CBS – Not to be outdone, CBS had a big reality finale of their own as Survivor wrapped up with the final episode (12.94m/4.2) and the reunion show (11.58m/4.1) on Sunday. The week continued with Rules of Engagement illustrating just what the power of a good lead-in will do: Rules Of Engagement (7.49m/2.7), How I Met Your Mother (8.73m/3.7), 2 ½ Men (16.18m/5.3), Rules Of Engagement (12.87m/4.4). Having watched both episodes, I can assure you, the second one wasn’t 5 million viewers better. CSI: Miami (14.19m/3.8) finished Monday with their finale. That demo number is an interesting one, as it is .4 better than the original CSI managed with its finale. Could it be that Horatio is now the top dog in the CSI universe?

Good news continued Tuesday as NCIS (16.51m/3.4) continues to hold up amazingly well against Idol. Likewise, The Mentalist (16.82m/3.7) was just fine up against DWTS. Without A Trace (11.21m/2.5) wasn’t quite as successful, and can now be added to the list of shows that entered Tuesday @ 10 and never made it back out. The short week wrapped up on Wednesday with uneventful finales from Old Christine (5.55m/1.6) and Gary Unmarried (5.52m/1.7), and another solid cliffhanger from Criminal Minds (13.99m/3.5).

NBC - It was what I would call a bizarro reversal week for the peacock. Next season there will be no scripted programming in the 10PM slot, as the network is going all Jay, all the time. Last week, the only new scripted programming was at 10PM. It wasn’t a good week. The highlight was Law & Order:SVU (6.92m/2.5) on Tuesday. Unfortunately, that highlight was the lowest rated SVU ever. The original L&O (6.66m/2) wasn’t any better on Wednesday. Medium (6.56m/1.9) made its final NBC appearance on Monday. Look for that viewer number to jump by a good two million when the show moves to Friday on CBS. Finally, Southland (6.45m/1.9) finished its inaugural season. Don’t look for those numbers to improve on the NBC Friday.

CW - It was a short week, with only four hours of new programming. Gossip Girl (2.33m/1.1) went out with a steady number. Their partner in crime, One Tree Hill (2.68m/1.3), saw a small bump, most likely aided by the announced casting changes. Tuesday, Reaper (1.71m/.7) suffered another small drop. And 90210 (2m/1.1) finished off the week.

Next week, everything changes. And by that I mean the weekly post. With so little new network programming, we’ll begin the shift to Ratings Clack Lite for the summer. We’ll still follow the new things on the networks, and start mixing in some cable results as things like Burn Notice, Psych, and Eureka get new seasons under way.

Photo Credit: ABC

Was the Desperate Housewives finale anticlimactic?

Jane Boursaw — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:00:42 +0000

Ever since the first episode of Desperate Housewives, when we learned of Mary Alice’s tragic death, I’ve felt like the show has always had one major mystery to be solved throughout the course of the season. In season five, that mystery was Dave — why he married Edie and moved to Wisteria Lane.

We learned part-way through the season why he was there, so that mystery was over. The only remaining thing, which was strung out over many episodes, was how he would seek revenge on Mike and Susan.

When it looked like Dave might involve innocent MJ in his devious plan, well, I have to admit, that had me worried. Especially when he revealed his evil plot to a tied-up Susan — he was going to stage a similar crash that killed his wife and daughter. Only this time, it would kill MJ and/or Mike.

OK, so Dave always had some horrible, psychopathic act in mind. But this particular plan wasn’t something that he schemed over for months. It came to him on the spur of the moment, when he realized that Mike was speeding towards them, and perhaps this was a good opportunity to make Mike and Susan pay for what they did.

Second, after “seeing” his sweet daughter in the car, Dave decided to let MJ out. So that part of the evil plan took a major curve (not that I would want a child harmed in any way — this isn’t Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, for cripes sake). Still, the writers sort of took the easy way out here.

Also, Susan was the one actually driving the car when Dave’s wife and child were killed. So having Mike take the fall while Susan watched also seemed anticlimactic. Sure, she had to watch — and believe that her son was also in the car — but Dave was creepy enough to actually WANT someone to die, not just make it SEEM like someone would die. (And, apparently, he didn’t care if he himself died, since he would be involved in the accident, too).

I don’t know. Did this storyline seem anticlimactic to you? For me, the big shocker was Lynette finding out she was pregnant with twins. And that wasn’t even on our radar until the finale!

Photo Credit: ABC

Ratings Clack – Finale bonanza

Brett Love — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:00:34 +0000

The 2008-2009 television season is quickly coming to a close. Last week saw some 30 season/series finales hitting our screens. The resulting numbers were all over the place. Some shows took advantage of the situation, pulling out all the stops and hitting numbers they hadn’t seen in some time. Others held steady. And a few signed in with troubling drops.

I’ve mentioned before that these final numbers could hold sway as the networks prepare to release the fall schedules this week. That does still apply, although, after all the shenanigans over the weekend, with Dollhouse and Better Off Ted being renewed, just how much sway becomes a little more cloudy.

ABC - Kind of a good news/medium news week for the network. Things started off a bit rocky on Sunday. Desperate Housewives (12.29m/4.1) was off a bit, but that is still the highest rated show on Sunday night, so it’s not a big worry. That led to the finale of Brothers & Sisters (8.74m/3), which remains a solid solution for Sundays at 10. There was a similar drop with the Dancing With The Stars (18.55m/4.2) performance show on Monday. But I think much of that can be chalked up to the first half hour being nothing but a rehash of the season. Tom and the gang were followed by the season finale of Castle (9.96m/2.4) which made the best out of getting the cushy time slot. It was enough to garner a second season for the show.

Tuesday brought more good numbers for the DWTS Results (14.01m/3.1) and some bad ones for the finale of Cupid (5.05m/1.5), which was better news for Castle than anyone else. The writers at Lost (9.43m/4.4) delivered one of those ‘pull out all the stops’ finales on Wednesday. We’ll save the debate about whether it was a good finale for Bob’s post. For our purposes here, while it’s pretty clear the show is never going to return to the 20 million viewer level, the 4.4 demo score means it’s still a legitimate hit show. The news was even better on Thursday. Grey’s Anatomy (16.53m/5.9) also went big with the finale, and it paid with numbers the show hasn’t seen in a long time.

CBS - Going a bit out of order, CSI (14.81m/3.4) was the polar opposite of Grey’s. Forget pulling out all the stops, it was as if there was a directive assuring that all the stops would be pushed as far in as they would go. Really, that episode could have been dropped in anywhere in the season, as if they didn’t even care that it was the finale. Worse yet, those are the worst numbers of the season. For the finale. That’s a problem.

Elsewhere, the news was better. Sunday was solid, as The Amazing Race (10.49m/3.1), Cold Case (11.84m/2.6), and The Unit (9.64m/2.4) called it a season. Early reports say that those numbers were enough to get another season for Cold Case. Monday, The Big Bang Theory (9.76m/3.7) finale led into How I Met Your Mother (8.78m/3.6), 2 ½ Men (13.11m/4.5), Rules Of Engagement (10.14m/3.6), and CSI: Miami (13.59m/3.9). Those numbers are slightly down for Men and Engagement, and it marks a rare demo win for Miami over big brother CSI. Crime continued to pay on Tuesday, with NCIS (16.19m/3.3), The Mentalist (16.21m/3.3), and Without A Trace 13.4m/2.8). Finally, the CBS Friday wrapped up the season with Ghost Whisperer (8.93m/2), Flashpoint (8.42m/1.8), and Numb3rs (9.6m/2.1).

NBC – It was an up and down week for the network. Celebrity Apprentice (8.81m/3.1) and The Biggest Loser (11.85m/4.7) held up their ends on Sunday and Tuesday, both bringing 3 hour finales. That Biggest Loser number is especially impressive, facing Idol, NCIS, The Mentalist, DWTS Results, and Fringe. On the other hand, Monday and Wednesday remain troubled. Deal Or No Deal (4.23m/1.1) really needs to end. It’s not offering any help to Medium (7.3m/2.3), which remains solid, if not impressive. Law and Order Wednesday isn’t doing much for the numbers either. The reruns are being ignored, and the original Law & Order (7.89m/2.2) was a distant third for the night.

The real worries came on Thursday. It is the networks most successful scripted night. And, sadly we do have to qualify that with ’scripted’ because The Biggest Loser kicks the hell out of the prized comedies. In a night of comedy finales, My Name Is Earl (4.84m/2) and Parks & Recreation (4.29m/2) were both off the pace. That’s bad, but not exactly surprising. What is surprising, the numbers for The Office (6.77m/3.5). That’s the lowest rating the show has seen in two years, for a finale, with a big Jim & Pam reveal. That, of course, didn’t do any favors for 30 Rock (5.69m/2.8) which was also below par. To cap it all off, the shine is most definitely off of Southland (4.65m/1.6). The network might have been a little hasty pulling the trigger on renewing that one.

FOX - After a bumpy start on Sunday that saw The Simpsons (5.19m/2.5), Family Guy (6.35m/3.2), and American Dad (4.88m/2.4) all down week to week, things picked up Monday. House (12.74m/4.7) is still a hit, besting DWTS and Men for the highest demo of the night. 24 (9.79m/3.2) followed, with usual results. American Idol, of course, won everything on Tuesday (22.71m/8) and Wednesday (24.67m/8.7), but the more interesting story is probably the shows it is paired with.

The Fringe (9.28m/3.9) finale remained reasonably steady, wrapping up what has been a very successful first season. The interesting bit is that reported schedules for the fall have Fringe stepping out on its own, without the protection of House and Idol. Has the show developed an audience all its own? It will be fascinating to find out. Lie To Me (8.46m/2.6) also remained steady, compared to its recent 8 o’clock numbers. It does remain the most puzzling scheduling question of the season though. Why Idol at 9? The numbers would be virtually identical at 8, and Lie To Me would be averaging a good two million more viewers and better than a point more in the demo.

Thursday, Bones (8.88m/2.6) remains somewhat down on Thursdays, when compared to itself on another night. But the move has been a success, giving FOX a presence on the night that it hasn’t had in years. That alone made the renewal a no-brainer. Hell’s Kitchen (7.37m/3.2) continues to surprise, and very nearly edged CSI in the demo. Finally, Friday brought the series finale of the already canceled Prison Break (3.33m/1.2). Yes, that did top the finale of Dollhouse, making that whole renewal just that much more strange.

CW - It was business as usual down at the CW this week. Gossip Girl (2.3m/1.2), and One Tree Hill (2.3m/1.1) remain at their mid-season levels. Likewise, Reaper (1.97m/.9) seems to have settled in at a number. 90210 (2.08m/1.2) did show some small gains. On Wednesday, the finale for Next Top Model (4.31m/1.9) set the show apart as easily the highest rated program on the network, while again asking the question, “Why do they only show 90210 repeats after their highest rated show?” Finales for Smallville (3.13m/1.4) and Supernatural (2.89m/1.3) solidified Thursday as the strongest scripted night for the network. And finally, an odd one hour dramedy episode served as the finale for The Game (1.86m/.9). It finished things off so it will work as a series ender, but there are rumors that the show’s value in syndication could bring an ATJesque renewal.

Coming up this week … everything else wraps up. Sunday sees a couple of the big hitters call it a season when Desperate Housewives and Survivor call it quits. Monday brings finales for Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, How I Met Your Mother, 2 ½ Men, and CSI: Miami. We’ll aslo get the final performance show from Dancing With The Stars, the premiere of The Bachelorette, and a two hour 24 event. Tuesday finds NCIS, The Mentalist, Without A Trace, DWTS and 90210 airing finales. In addition, Idol has the final performances, followed by a sneak peek at the Glee pilot. Old Christine, Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and Idol all have finales on Wednesday. Thursday, Ugly Betty finishes the season with two episodes, facing off against the premiere of So You Think You Can Dance. Finally, Don’t Forget The Lyrics returns to Friday, so we can have yet another number to compare against Terminator, Dollhouse, and Prison Break.

Photo Credit: ABC

Desperate Housewives – A sweet moment between Lynette and Tom

Jane Boursaw — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:00:05 +0000

There were a few great moments on this week’s episode of Desperate Housewives. One was Gaby’s formerly socialite friend explaining why she was at the free dinner, saying that her husband had been sick and then died, leaving her broke and desperate (really puts the “desperate” in this housewife’s life). Gaby has been sinking back into her materialistic ways, but I think that message got through.

However, my favorite moment occurred between Lynette and Tom. He was thinking about getting plastic surgery after being turned down for a job, and she took each line on his face and pinpointed it to a specific thing in their lives together: Penny falling out of a tree and breaking her arm, Tom worrying how he’d provide for them, Lynette’s cancer, the millions of laughs that got them through all the tough times.

“This is a map of our marriage, and I don’t want to lose it,” she said.

And of course, a bit of humor at the end, when he started describing her lines, and she stopping him, saying, “This isn’t about me, Tom.”

I just thought all of that was a very sweet moment that we can all take a lesson from, especially after watching Joan Rivers on The Celebrity Apprentice directly after this, and her freakish face showing nothing but desperate attempts to regain her lost youth.

Do you have a favorite moment in this week’s Desperate Housewives? Does it seem like the show has regained a bit of its former glory over the past few episodes?

Photo Credit: ABC

Ratings Clack – Good news for Castle, not so much for Dollhouse

Brett Love — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:00:51 +0000

We’re on the verge of it now. Over the next two weeks all of our favorite shows are going to be ending, and some of those tough decisions will have to be made by the networks. These final few ratings numbers will play heavily in those decisions. With that in mind, the week brought good news for a couple of bubble shows (Castle, Lie To Me), and bad news for others (Better Off Ted, Cupid, The Unusuals, Dollhouse, Reaper, My Name Is Earl).

ABC - It was what has become a fairly standard week for the network. Good bits first. Things started off strong on Sunday with Extreme Makeover (9.18m/2.7), Desperate Housewives (13.49m/4.4), and Brothers & Sisters (9.97m/2.4). Dancing With The Stars continued to carry its weight on Monday (20.28m/4.8) and Tuesday (14.56m/3.2). Wednesday, while Lost (8.7m/4) was down in viewers, it remains a legit hit in the adult demo. The most exciting news came Thursday. Grey’s Anatomy (15.55m/5.4) has been regularly beating CSI in the demo for some time, but last week it took top honors in viewers as well. As a bonus, that led to more good numbers from the Michael J. Fox special (10.23m/3.1).

In other news, with DWTS expanded to two hours on Monday, Castle (9.97m/2.8) bounced back, and may have secured a second season. The outlook is not so bright for its midseason compatriots, Cupid (5.14m/1.6) and The Unusuals (4.63m/1.6). In comedy news, Tuesday’s combination of Scrubs (3.71m/1.5) and Better Off Ted (3.07m/1.2) remain a problem. Those numbers wouldn’t even be good enough for the top spot on The CW. The big Scrubs finale (5.07m/2) on Wednesday was better, but still a far cry from where it once was. Despite that, there are still rumors of the show continuing. Apparently, the episodes are worth so much in syndication that it’s worth dumping them on the network no matter what the ratings are. See the last 50 episodes of According To Jim.

NBC - Like ABC, the week got off to a good start, thanks to Celebrity Apprentice (8.63m/3.1). However, Monday brought quite the speedbump with Deal Or No Deal (4.35m/1.2) replacing Chuck. That’s a fifth place finish in the demo, behind Gossip Girl. A two hour Medium (7.24m/2.2) did what it could to save the night. Tuesday remains a strong night, thanks to Biggest Loser (9.13m/3.6) and L&O SVU (9.82m/3.7). The OG L&O didn’t do quite as well on Wednesday (8.14m/2.3). It’s probably time to trim the franchise a bit and come back with just SVU on NBC next season. Thursday was also a bit of a struggle. My Name Is Earl (4.47m/1.7) managed an all time low. That didn’t offer any help to Parks & Recreation (4.73m/2.1). The difficulties in the 8 o’clock hour make The Office (7.85m/3.9) look good by comparison, but those are low numbers for a new Office as well. Joining the fray, 30 Rock (6.13m/2.9) found its lowest number of the season when following a new Office. And Southland (6.61m/2)continues to pose questions. This is not the big drama replacement for ER the network hoped it would be.

FOX – Sunday came up as expected, with a notable change. Sit Down, Shut Up (2.06m/.8) was shuffled to 7:00, and will now finish out its run and go away. The Simpsons (6.66m/3.2), Family Guy (6.57m/3.5), and American Dad (5.35m/2.8) didn’t miss the quirky show, as King Of The Hill (4.99m/2.4) filled in. More of the usual followed. House (12.05m/4.6) and 24 (10.11m/3.3) were solid on Monday, while American Idol (23.41m/8.3) and Fringe (9.25m/3.8) took care of Tuesday. That Fringe demo number is down a couple ticks, but look for it to rebound with the finale, and a very special guest star.

Good news continued on Wednesday, as Lie To Me (8.68m/2.7) gained back some of the numbers it had lost. With the finals approaching, Idol (23.57m/8.3) was up as well. Thursday brought solid, if not spectacular numbers for Bones (8.76m/2.3) and Hell’s Kitchen (6.5m/2.7). And Friday, as expected, brought more terrible numbers for Prison Break (3.03m/.9) and the Dollhouse finale (2.75m/1). We’ll have to wait to find out for certain just what Dollhouse’s fate is, because strange things do occasionally happen. After all, there are two more seasons of Friday Night Lights on the horizon, and you could make a solid ratings case that there never should have been a second. That being said, with the finale garnering the lowest ratings of the series, season two seems a pipe dream.

CBS - Things were off to a pretty standard start for CBS as well. You can roll through the first four days and it’s all as expected. Sunday brought Amazing Race (10.84m/3.2), Cold Case (12.46m/2.9), and The Unit (8.84m/2). Monday, the comedies were all on par, with Big Bang Theory (9.25m/3.4), How I Met Your Mother (8.89m/3.6), 2 ½ Men (14.14m/5), and Rules Of Engagement (11.33m/4.1). They were followed by the always fluctuating, but still dominant, CSI: Miami (13.72m/4). Part two of the NCIS backdoor pilot (16.72m/3.4) led off Tuesday, followed by The Mentalist (16.68m/3.6) and Without A Trace (11.83m/2.6).

Things get a little more complicated on Wednesday and Thursday. I’m still not sure what the network will ultimately make of Old Christine (6.45m/1.9) and Gary Unmarried (6.66m/2). I still believe that Gary would fit perfectly out of 2 ½ Men, and could do well splitting the season with Rules Of Engagement, but with these numbers either, or both, of them could be gone. Criminal Minds (14.13m/3.3) and CSI: NY (13.4m/3.3) remain a solid combo to finish the night. Thursday, as we’ve been following for weeks now, CSI (14.91m/3.6) continues to struggle. And that is struggle in the relative sense. These are good numbers, unless you are talking about CSI, which should be grabbing another 4 million viewers and a point in the demo. Earlier in the night, Survivor (11.99m/3.8) easily won the hour. Finally, Friday was the usual walk for Ghost Whisperer (9.35m/2.2), Flashpoint (8.64m/1.8), and Numb3rs (9.52m/2).

CW - I’d like to say there was some controversy with the CW numbers, but with all of the early renewals announced, the writing is on the wall. So, the fact that Reaper (1.89m/.9) again edged out 90210 (1.84m/.9) on Tuesday probably doesn’t mean anything for the fates of either of them. One of them will be back next year, and it’s not the fun one with the stripper clowns and the Honey Pie from Feast. On Monday, Gossip Girl (2.22m/1.3) and One Tree Hill (2.23m/1.1) soldiered on. Wednesday saw Top Model (3.82m/1.7) again take the top spot for the week, and again be followed by a 90210 repeat that nobody watches. Thursday, Smallville (3.39m/1.5) and Supernatural (2.79m/1.2) were at par. And, while I usually dismiss the CW Friday, it is worth noting that The Game (2.05m/.9) also managed to top 90210.

For the week ahead, it’s a finale extravaganza. House and Castle take center stage on Monday, as both have their season finales. Tuesday, in a three hour event, the winner of The Biggest Loser is announced. Get out your sliderule for Wednesday, and just try and follow the time travel shenanigans in the Lost finale. Lie To Me will also call it a season. Then things get really crazy on Thursday. Tune in for finales from Grey’s Anatomy, My Name Is Earl, Parks & Recreation, The Office, 30 Rock, CSI, Smallville, Supernatural, Bones, and Hell’s Kitchen. Wow. And the week wraps up with Friday finales for Ghost Whisperer, Flashpoint, Numb3rs, Prison Break, and The Game.

Photo Credit: ABC

Is Desperate Housewives getting its mojo back?

Jane Boursaw — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:00:50 +0000

My favorite storyline of this week’s Desperate Housewives was the one where Tom and Lynette agreed to have sex every night for a month. Or some similar time period — can’t remember the exact logistics.

Anyway, it’s kind of funny that they’re doing this whole role reversal thing now, and by the time Lynette gets home from work, she’s dead tired and can’t stay awake for sex. And she’s not even all that interested. When she and the girls were playing poker, and Tom came down the stairs and said they only have 10 minutes until “tomorrow,” Lynette told the girls they’ve got it down to a science and to just deal her out for a couple hands.

I like these kinds of funnier storylines on the show, because it tends to get bogged down in dramatics sometimes. In fact, this whole episode managed to keep things light, like when Bree bribed MJ with macaroons so he’d invite Karl’s son to his party (even though he doesn’t like Karl’s son) so in return, Karl would represent Bree in her divorce from Orson. MJ finally agreed, saying something to the effect of “The things I do for macaroons.”

Then there was Gaby begging women to borrow their makeup after she agreed not to wear any to Carlos’ big awards dinner to show their daughter that makeup isn’t important.

Maybe that’s what’s been missing from Desperate Housewives this season. The smooth blending of drama and humor is what I loved about the series in season one. I think they got off track somewhere along the way.

Did you like the humor in this episode? Does the show seem to be getting some of its mojo back?

Photo Credit: ABC

CliqueClack TV » Desperate Housewives

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

Related posts

Ratings Clack – V gets off to a great start

Related posts

Ratings Clack – The Mentalist knocks off CSI

Related posts

Ratings Clack – Smallville continues to defy the odds

Related posts

Ratings Clack – Where is FlashForward headed?

Related posts

Ratings Clack – Favre and Baseball create havoc

Related posts

Ratings Clack – Is Dollhouse about to get pulled?

Related posts

Fall 2009 pre-season predictions: Sunday

Related posts

TV on DVD for September 1st

Related posts

Presenting CliqueClack’s guide to the 2009-10 fall season

September

October

November

Midseason Premieres

Related posts

The trouble with MacGuffins – Desperate Housewives and the danger of the single season arc

Related posts

Whisper to me, Jim, and become Human again – Daily Rerun Roundup

Related posts

Stalking Jim, onion goggles and Lotto – Daily Rerun Roundup

Related posts

Daily Rerun Roundup – Wooo girls plus Foreman plus Thirteen

Related posts

Ratings Clack – 2008-2009 goes out with a bang

Related posts

Was the Desperate Housewives finale anticlimactic?

Related posts

Ratings Clack – Finale bonanza

Related posts

Desperate Housewives – A sweet moment between Lynette and Tom

Related posts

Ratings Clack – Good news for Castle, not so much for Dollhouse

Related posts

Is Desperate Housewives getting its mojo back?

Related posts