CliqueClack TV » Medium

Ratings Clack – How do you beat Idol? Oscar.

Brett Love — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:00:55 +0000

The Academy Awards was the big winner for the week, managing to top the ‘Idol’ juggernaut. ‘Idol’ was still huge for FOX, while CBS had great showings from ‘2 ½ Men’, ‘Big Bang’, and ‘NCIS’. ‘SVU’’s return to 10 PM was a bright spot for NBC.

As has been the pattern lately, the big awards shows continue to impress. At least, where the numbers are concerned. We’ll leave the discussion of the Oscar dancefest for another time. Looking at just the numbers, the show was a huge win for ABC. Or, the complete opposite of what the return of Scrubs meant for the network. Scrubs joined the big Wednesday comedy block and was quickly put on life support. Perhaps they’ll bump into the folks from Trauma while they recover. That one also took a jack-boot to the crotch in returning to the NBC fold. In happier news, if that really was the last episode we’ll ever see from Numb3rs, the show went out on top.

ABC - The Academy Awards (41.7m/13.3) were huge, and easily the number 1 show of the week. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to use that success to boost any of the other nights. Things were a little slow on Monday. The Bachelor special for Jason and Molly’s wedding (9.3m/2.8) did all right, but was well off the pace for where the regular series has been lately. Without the full Bachelor lead-in, Castle (9.11m/2.4) is back to its early season pace.

Lost (9.49m/4.2) seems to have found its number, and looks to dominate its hour in the demo for the remainder of the season. The Forgotten (4.85m/1.5), meanwhile, is just waiting to disappear. The big news on Wednesday was the addition of Scrubs (4.28m/1.5) to the comedy block. I’m tempted to say that those sub-Hank numbers put the final nail in the coffin, but you have to consider the According To Jim angle. Syndication money could make it worth foisting another crappy Scrubs season on viewers. The Middle (6.3m/2.3) and Cougar Town (6.1m/2.5) were also off the pace on Wednesday, but Modern Family (9.02m/3.8) has solidified itself as a genuine hit.

Thursday, Grey’s Anatomy (10.94m/3.9) still managed to win the hour in the demo, but the recent struggles are starting to look like a trend. Those struggles aren’t doing any favors for Private Practice (7.66m/2.8) either. Things wrapped up Friday with a double-shot of Supernanny (4.86m/1.4 – 4.17m/1.2) and 20/20 (5.58m/1.7).

CBS - The Amazing Race (8.11m/2.6) was the only show that dared face down the Oscars, and it took the expected hit. No worries there though. Things were much better on Monday with How I Met Your Mother (10.06m/3.9), Rules Of Engagement (10.07m/3.6), 2 ½ Men (17.61m/5.8), Big Bang Theory (16.32m/5.9), and CSI: Miami (11.93m/3.3). Notable is that Engagement is edging HIMYM in viewers. It doesn’t speak well for Accidentally On Purpose.

More good news on Tuesday with NCIS (19.58m/3.8), NCIS:LA (16.99m/3.5), and The Good Wife (13.95m/2.8). As we’ve seen in the past, Gibbs is nearly immune to Idol, and the LA team is holding up very well faced with Lost. Comedy remains a problem on Wednesday, with Old Christine (7.67m/2.2) and Gary Unmarried (6.68m/2.2). Criminal Minds (13.29m/3.4) hasn’t been hurt by that, but it looks like CSI:NY (11.07m/2.6) has suffered a hit from the return of SVU to 10PM.

Thursday was mostly as expected. Survivor (12.12m/3.6) was solid against Idol, and CSI (15.25m/3.3) is still popular, if not what it once was. The most interesting bit came from The Mentalist (16.02m/3.4), which again topped CSI in both measures. Finally, Ghost Whisperer (7.84m/1.9), Medium (8.15m/1.8), and Numb3rs (8.74m/1.8) all won their hours on Friday. If that was the series finale of Numb3rs, it went out as the most watched show of the night. And it was also a very well done series finale episode.

FOX - House (12.82m/4.8) kicked off the week, returning to the top spot at 8. 24 (8.86m/2.8) was up just a bit, but is starting to show where those final season rumors are grounded. American Idol took over with shows on Tuesday (22.75m/8.2), Wednesday (20.7m/7.5), and Thursday (19.34m/6.3). More interesting than those numbers was the results for a repeat Glee (7.55m/2.9) that followed. That bodes well for the show’s return. Human Target (7.83m/2.4) was able to win the 8PM hour on Wednesday, and Kitchen Nightmares (7.19m/3) was solid on Thursday.

NBC - The week started with another Chuck (6.37m/2.3) that looked just good enough to get the show renewed. It’s not a slam-dunk, but the show is looking like the best option among the network’s bubble shows. Trauma (4.76m/1.4), on the other hand, doesn’t look good at all. Those numbers are really bad, but you do have to wonder how pulling the show, possibly canceling it, and then bringing it back fed into it. Law & Order (5.21m/1.5) wasn’t much better.

By comparison, things were much better on Tuesday. The Biggest Loser (7.91m/3) continues to slip versus Idol, but is still better than everything except The Office. Parenthood (6.09m/2.6) took a pretty sizable hit in week two, so the jury is still out on that one. On Wednesday, Mercy (6.31m/1.5) can say that it beat Scrubs. Unfortunately, neither of them can say that they beat Next Top Model in the demo. And if a CW show beats a big network show in the adult demo, that show should be done. There was better news from the L&O: SVU (8.53m/2.6) return to 10PM. That’s still off the pace of what the show once did, but it tied CSI:NY for first in the demo.

With Thursday, I just keep asking, “They renewed all of this?” Community (4.6m/1.9) and Parks & Recreation (4.55m/2.1) continue to be a black hole anchoring the night. For some perspective on that, the 8PM numbers from 3/05/09 were My Name Is Earl (5.45m / 2.2) – Kath & Kim (4.09m/1.8). The Office (7.43m/3.8) is still solid. Second in the demo on Thursday at 9 is hard to argue with. 30 Rock (5.77m/2.9), on the other hand, continues to only (marginally) succeed when Michael Scott hands off a ready-made audience. Friday, Who Do You Think You Are (7.15m/1.8) continues to look like a solid bit of Friday programming. That was followed up with two entries from Dateline (7.8m/1.7 – 8.29m/1.8).

CW – Finally, after weeks and weeks, there was something resembling a schedule from the little network. Life Unexpected (1.94m/.9) moved to 8, to make way for the return of Gossip Girl (1.74m/1). Gossip Girl has a large lead where the young female audience is concerned, but it is notable that LUX topped it in viewers. Likewise, LUX also bested 90210 (1.7m/.8) and Melrose Place (1.16m/.5) in both measures. The big news though, was the return of Next Top Model (3.66m/1.6). That 1.6 was good enough for third place at 8PM. The week finished with the premiere of High Society (1.26m/.5), which looks to continue the CW tradition of squandering the valuable Top Model lead-in.

CABLE - USA wrapped up the goofy split seasons for White Collar (4.04m/1.4) and Psych (2.95m/1.1) this week. The other successful note from the world of cable came from E!’s Red Carpet Special (3.54m/1.4). Not only is that a good number for E!, the show should also serve as a huge source of embarrassment to ABC. Their pathetic red carpet train-wreck doesn’t begin to compare. Other cable numbers:

Big Love (1.71m/.8)
Secret Life Of The American Teenager (3.21m/1.1)
Make It Or Break It (2.5m/.8)
Greek (1.03m/.4)
Damages (.92m/.2)
Southland (2.06m/.7)
Hannah Montana (6.32m/1.3)
How To Make It In America (.48m/.3)
Blue Mountain State (.8m/.4)
Sarah Silverman Program (.58m/.3)
Archer (1.08m/.6)
American Pickers (4.55m/1.8)
Pawn Stars (5.82m/2.5 – 5.41m/2.3)
Ghost Hunters (2.21m/1)
Project Runway (2.54m/1)

Photo Credit: ABC

Medium – The first of 5 billion “it’s just a dream!” fights

Kona Gallagher — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:17:45 +0000

Grandma Benoit, Joe’s parents, a dead girl, and Joe and Allison’s future kids join them for a wedding weekend from hell when ‘Medium’ travels back in time 17 years for Joe and Allison’s wedding that almost wasn’t.

Allison and Joe were so cute in this episode that I nearly died. Going back to revisit their wedding was a brilliant idea. I’ve always been curious about their past, and while we’ve heard about it in snippets here and there before, it was nice to actually see them back then. The show did a really good job of taking us back to this time, while still keeping in step with the rest of the show. It didn’t feel overly cheesy or desperate as flashback episodes often do.

Before I get into the actual episode, I would be remiss if I didn’t make a comment about the hair and makeup. Between lighting, camera filters, hair and makeup, the people working on this episode did an amazing job of making Joe and Allison look 17 years younger. I’ve seen enough bad wigs on TV coughHeroescough to be able to spot them a mile away, but if I hadn’t known better, I would have thought that both Joe and Allison’s hair was the real deal.

There were a couple of points in this episode where Medium started to lose me, but then it brought me back in. The biggest was when Allison started having dreams but didn’t seem to know what they were. I had been under the impression, and I mentioned this in the live-blog, that this is something that Allison had been dealing with for years, and that she had started drinking heavily at a young age in order to make them stop. At first, it seemed as though the writers had forgotten this, and I was about to get pretty annoyed with the show.

While I still think they may have fudged the timeline a bit for dramatic effect, Grandma Benoit came back to explain what Allison was dealing with. From what I gathered, Allison has had visions of dead people for most of her life, but her mother spent a lot of time and energy trying to convince Allison that she just had an active imagination. When she starts having dreams and waking visions about the missing girl, this is the first time she has ever had dreams that have given her information about a crime. At least that’s how I interpreted it.

I love Geoffrey Arend (aka “The Luckiest Man on Earth“) as an actor, so it was a pleasant surprise to see him on this episode playing the killer of the week. Between his awkward rehearsal dinner speech and murdering Ariel, he managed to be creepy all the way through. Speaking of which, as someone who has watched Medium for a long time, I wasn’t necessarily surprised to see Allison dreaming about one of her kids being in danger, but to have Ariel killed in a sex crime by someone who is family (by marriage) was undeniably disturbing. I appreciated that despite the fact this was an overall sweet episode, the writers didn’t pull there punches when it came to the crime.

The one thing that disappointed me about this episode was the resolution of the crime. Joe obviously doesn’t understand Allison’s dreams, and let’s face it: 17 years later he’s still having some problems. So why, after she canceled the wedding and made him think she’s a little crazy, did she not make a point of explaining exactly what happened? When she went to Joe’s room, she was vague and weird about everything, and if I were in that situation, the conversation would have been more like, “Look. I had another dream. It was your cousin, I saw where he dumped the body, I called the police, and they found her right where I said she was. By the way, your family is gross. Also? Suck it, dude. I was totally right.” I mean, I understand if Allison would have dialed it back a bit, but I would imagine she would want to get that basic point across.

So what did you think of the big Medium family reunion?

Photo Credit: CBS

Medium – Allison Rolen Got Married – Live-Blog/Chat

Kona Gallagher — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:00:48 +0000

We’re getting in the way-back machine and revisiting Joe and Allison’s wedding tonight. Join us for the festivities at 9 PM EST for our Live-Blog/Chat.

Allison and Joe are getting married (again)! It’s a big ol’ family reunion on tonight’s episode of Medium. We’re revisiting Allison and Joe’s wedding tonight. Bruce Gray and Kathy Baker are reprising their roles as Joe’s parents, and Ellen Greer is returning as Allison’s Grandma Benoit.

I’m super-excited about this episode, so in it’s honor, and in memory of Medium Dreams, we’re doing a live-blog/chat! Join us at 9 PM EST for the fun!

<a href=”http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=b5923a91f7″ mce_href=”http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=b5923a91f7″ >Medium – Allison Rolen Got Married – Live-blog.chat</a>

Photo Credit: CBS

Ratings Clack – We now rejoin your regularly scheduled programming

Brett Love — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:00:16 +0000

With the Olympics out of the way, our TV schedules were once again filled with new episodes. ‘American Idol,’ as usual, clobbered everyone. The week also brought three premieres for NBC and the first new ‘Southland’ episodes on TNT.

The Olympics wrapped up last Sunday, and that means two things. First, we’re now just four short years from the next time NBC actually wins a week in the ratings. And more importantly, new episodes everywhere. The week also brought the premieres of three new shows for NBC in The Marriage Ref, Parenthood, and Who Do You Think You Are. The first two premiered to time-slot winning numbers, but still have a ways to go before we crown them hits.

FOX - With the Olympics gone, American Idol easily pushed FOX back to the top of the heap. With three showings on Tuesday (23.53m/8.6), Wednesday (23.56m/8.5), and Thursday (19.42m/6.5), the singing kids did the heavy lifting for the week. Also joining the party, 24 (8.63m/2.5) is anxiously awaiting the return of Dr. House. Kitchen Nightmares (7.89m/3.3) finished the week with another strong outing.

CBS - Undercover Boss (15.15m/5.1) is in no hurry to come back to Earth. Facing the closing ceremonies of the Olympics, the numbers were outstanding. That came on the heels of another solid outing for Amazing Race (10.21m/3.2). Cold Case (9.83m/2.4) wasn’t up to that pace in finishing off Sunday night. Monday also brought good numbers from How I Met Your Mother (10.37m/3.9), Rules Of Engagement (9.73m/3.4), 2 ½ Men (16.86m/5.7), and Big Bang Theory (15.73m/5.9), and CSI: Miami (12.07m/3.4). Those Rules results make things very curious where Accidentally On Purpose is concerned.

Tuesday was successful as well, opening with NCIS (19.62m/4). NCIS: LA (14.84m/3.1) took a bit of a hit up against Idol and Lost, while The Good Wife (13.32m/2.7) fell just short of the Parenthood demo. Old Christine (5.56m/1.6) and Gary Unmarried (5.57m/1.8) remain the weak link in the schedule on Wednesday. You have to think something will be done with that comedy block next season. Criminal Minds (13m/3.4) and CSI: NY (12.35m/3) were both solid following.

The first full Thursday of programming in quite some time looked good as well, with Survivor (12.72m/3.8), CSI (15.59m/3.7), and The Mentalist (14.87m/3.2). Ghost Whisperer (7.39m/1.7), Medium (7.88m/1.9), and Numb3rs (8.1m/1.7) finished things off winning all three hours Friday night.

ABC - Desperate Housewives (10.89m/3.7) and Brothers & Sisters (7.92m/2.5) have not done well against event programming, and the closing of the Olympics was no different. I’m still looking for them to bounce back when everything is back to normal. Not needing a rebound was The Bachelor (15.15m/5.3), and the companion show After The Final Rose (13.91m/5.3). You can look forward to more Bachelor in the future.

The final season of Lost (9.29m/4.1) continued on Tuesday, and the show was down while going against NCIS:LA and Idol, but that is still a very good demo number. 20-20 (5.2m/1.7) stepped into The Forgotten’s spot, with similar results. Wednesday was a little odd. Modern Family (8.01m/3.4) held up despite being against SVU, Criminal Minds, and Idol. The Middle (5.89m/2.1) and Cougar Town (5.35m/2.3) didn’t handle it nearly as well. Oprah’s Oscar Special (4.34m/1.3) failed to find much of an audience.

Thursday, the struggles for Grey’s Anatomy (11.83m/4) and Private Practice (7.57m/2.7) continued. Those aren’t bad numbers, but they’re down. I’m chalking that up to the baby episode of The Office and looking for those numbers to go up in coming weeks. The week ended with Supernanny (4.36m/1.2) and 20/20 (6.28m/1.4 – 6.73m/1.6) on Friday.

NBC - The last blast of the Olympics (21.4m/5.5) kicked things off on Sunday, and made for great premiere numbers from The Marriage Ref (14.45m/4.9). Things slowed down on Monday where Chuck (6.7m/2.4) held steady while Law & Order (7.76m/2) moved over to fill in. The Biggest Loser (8.27m/3.2) continues to feel the effects of Idol, but is holding strong on Tuesday. The bigger news though was the premiere of Parenthood (8.1m/3.1). That’s a good number, but you could argue it’s a little soft given all the promotion the show received during the Olympics. It will be interesting to see what the next couple outings bring.

Thursday, Community (5.02m/2.3) and Parks & Recreation (4.61m/2.3) were at their usual leisurely pace. The Office (9.02m/4.7), on the other hand, again proved that a baby episode still commands eyeballs. That gave a nice push to the second outing of The Marriage Ref (7.71m/3.4), but I’ll be very curious to see what following 30 Rock does to the numbers. Friday brought the premiere of Who Do You Think You Are (6.85m/1.6). Not great, but not bad for a really cheap Friday show. Things wrapped up with a double dose of Dateline (6.6m/1.4 – 7.74m/1.9).

CW – Working in scheduling at CW must be a great gig. There’s so little to do. And so much time off. The week brought exactly one new hour of programming. Life Unexpected (1.78m/.8) continued to fall just short of numbers that would offer confidence about a second season. It’s not done, by any means, but it’s firmly on the bubble.

CABLE - The big news on cable was probably the premiere of Southland (2.49m/1). TNT has finally burned through all of the episodes that NBC aired, and brought out their first ‘new’ episode. I have to think that number is a bit of a disappointment. And it kind of supports NBC’s case for cancellation. Certainly, you can’t expect a cable show to do network numbers. But if this really was a big mistake that NBC was making you could expect it to at least be competitive with The Closer and Leverage. And it’s not. Other cable numbers:

Big Love (1.92m/.9)
How To Make It In America (.72m/.4)
Secret Life Of The American Teenager (3.14m/1.1)
Make It Or Break It (2.14m/.7)
Greek (.94m/.4)
Damages (.97m/.3)
Southland (2.49m/1)
White Collar (3.48m/1.1)
Nip/Tuck (1.88m/.9)
Psych (2.87m/1)
Burn Notice (4.32m/1.6)
American Pickers (3.86m/1.5)
Pawn Stars (4.93m/2 – 5.34m/2.3)
Ghost Hunters (2.41m/1)
Project Runway (2.38m/.9)
LA Ink (1.28m/.7)

Photo Credit: NBC

Medium – The long awaited Scanlon episode

Brett Love — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:00:38 +0000

A mugging leads to Allison meeting a self-defense instructor (guest star Laura Prepon). That seemingly innocent introduction soon leads to a dark tale that sheds a little light on Scanlon’s history, and leaves him with a very difficult decision.

Detective Scanlon occasionally has a way of disappearing into the woodwork. Admittedly, the show is called Medium, and it is focused on Allison. Still, there are episodes, or sometimes stretches of episodes, where Lee just doesn’t get the time you might think he deserves after all these years. “How To Beat A Man” didn’t have that problem. It was the most Lee-centric episode we’ve seen in a long time. And that’s a good thing, even if the story was a very bad thing.

Before we get to Lee’s troubled family history, we have to talk about Allison. Perhaps I’m looking too hard. Or maybe Friday night and the end of the work week just puts me in a particularly odd TV watching frame of mind. Whatever it is, I think I got something completely unintended from the opening scene and Allison’s following visions. Looking back, the mugging was there to put Allison next to Kira, and set the dominoes a’ tumbling.

Easy enough, and that all worked out fine. However, I took the shot to the head, added in her fingering the undercover cop, and came up with visions that can’t be trusted. It’s an idea we touched on when Allison was recovering at the start of the season as well, and I still find it to be a fascinating ‘what if’ scenario. Imagine the shake-up in Allison’s world if her visions were suddenly just so much fiction.

My trip down the rabbit hole made for quite a reveal when Scanlon clued her in about who Henry Maynard really was. It also gave a little weight to Paul’s insistent claims of innocence. But it did get a little shaky when Devalos mentioned that Maynard’s ribs were shattered. That shined the bright light of did it right on Kira and took some of the surprise out of that bit of the story. It was still great to watch it all play out. Casting Laura Prepon was a nice choice as well.

Also good casting, Dean Norris as Lee’s big brother Paul. There was a little mystery to this one in the buildup. The way things were going, it was easy to fall for the trap. Much like Lee, you want to believe that Paul really has turned a corner, because the other option is just evil. All that mystery was long gone by the time Lee made his hard decision though. The mystery evaporated with their conversation at Lee’s apartment. After Paul said, “I don’t need help. I don’t want help. I like me.” and Allison saw Kira killing Paul, it was clear where it was all going.

It’s an ending that was obvious, but far from simple. There are all kinds of legal, ethical, and moral questions about Lee’s choice. You could argue whether it is right or wrong from someone to make that choice. But I thought it made perfect sense that Lee made the choice he did. After six years of getting to know the character, it was exactly what I expected.

Photo Credit: CBS

Ratings Clack – The Grammy Awards beat Idol

Brett Love — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:00:44 +0000

The Grammy Awards had their best numbers since 2004, knocking off American Idol for the number one spot for the week. Elsewhere, the final season of Lost returned as the number one scripted show in the adult demo.

American Idol has become such a ratings juggernaut that it’s always a little surprising when something actually tops it. The Grammy Awards were able to do just that last week, thanks to the best ratings for the show since 2004. The other big event for the week was the return of Lost on ABC. It didn’t approach the Idol or Grammy numbers, but it did finish the week as the number one scripted show in the adult demo. Granted, it was the season premiere, but knocking off Grey’s, House, 2 ½ Men, and Big Bang Theory is always worth noting. On cable, the big surprise was probably the performance from USA’s White Collar and Psych. Both were well down from last week.

CBS - I was surprised by the numbers for The Grammy Awards (25.87m/9.9). I watched most of it, and just didn’t think the show was that good. That could just be that my musical taste has aged beyond what works for television. Whatever the case, it made for a great start to the week. The success continued on Monday with How I Met Your Mother (9.28m/3.7), Accidentally On Purpose (8.43m/3), 2 ½ Men (16.51m/5.1), Big Bang Theory (15.51m/5.4), and CSI: Miami (13.44m/3.7) teaming up to win the night in viewers and demo.

The news was good on Tuesday as well, despite the crazy competition. NCIS (19.23m/4.3) held up to Idol, and the boost ABC saw from the Lost recap. Even better than that, the more impressive number came from NCIS: LA, which faced much stiffer competition this week. Week to week, ABC, NBC, and FOX were up 8.14m viewers and 4.7 in the demo. Despite that, NCIS: LA only dropped .49m viewers and .1 in the demo. The Good Wife (12.81m/2.6) also held up well, considering the increase from Lost over The Forgotten.

Things kept rolling on Wednesday, with the Superbowl Commercials Special (10.99m/2.9) and CSI: NY (14.16m/3.4) winning their hours while Criminal Minds (14.75m/3.8) held strong against Idol. Thursday was also solid, with the Surviving Survivor (8.11m/2.4) special, CSI (14.49m/3.2), and The Mentalist (14.68m/3.3). Friday, as usual, brought easy wins in all three hours for Ghost Whisperer (8.77m/2.2), Medium (9.1m/2.2), and Numb3rs (9.18m/2).

FOX - The week started off slowly, with The Grammys taking their toll on the animation block of The Simpsons (4.95m/2.4), Cleveland (4.5m/2.2), Family Guy (6.19m/3.2), and American Dad (5.06m/2.5). Business picked up on Monday, thanks to House (13.38m/4.8). 24 (9.96m/3.1) was down, but remains above the Lie To Me numbers. Tuesday, American Idol (24.71m/9) won the night, and Kitchen Nightmares (8.99m/3.8) made its debut at 9.

Wednesday was rather curious. After the ratings dive that Lie To Me took last year when the network moved Idol to 9, I didn’t think they would do it again. But they did, and the results were as expected for Human Target (7.8m/2.4). The surprise this time was that Idol (21m/7.8) took a hit as well. It’s not hard to make the case that if those two were swapped, both would go up. Bones (12.37m/3.3) and Fringe (7.4m/2.6) wrapped up the week with another strong Thursday. It will be interesting to see what happens with these two when they return and Survivor is back in full swing.

ABC - As we saw with the Golden Globes, the ABC Sunday takes a hit from awards shows. That was the case with The Grammy Awards, with Extreme Makeover (8.54m/2.2), Desperate Housewives (11.44m/3.7), and Brothers & Sisters (7.65m/2.4) all down. The news was better on Monday, with The Bachelor (11.73m/4.1) finishing second in the 8pm and 9pm hours. Tuesday was all about Lost. The recap (9.97m/4.1) was well above what Ted and Scrubs have been offering, and the premiere episode (12.09m/5.5) was the number one scripted show of the week in the demo. It’s a great start to the final season.

There was good news on Wednesday as well. The Middle (7.32m/2.7) seems to have found its legs, and Modern Family (9.19m/3.9) weathered the relocation of Idol to 9 very well. Cougar Town (6.26m/2.9) was off a bit, and Ugly Betty (4.03m/1.4) is now just finishing out the run. Thursday, the news wasn’t good for The Deep End (5.08m/1.3). That’s a fifth place finish in the demo. Grey’s Anatomy (12.55m/4.5) and Private Practice (9.25m/3.3) looked good by comparison, but those numbers are low for both of them. Friday finished things off with Supernanny (5.39m/1.5), Shark Tank (4.66m/1.4), and 20/20 (8.66m/1.8).

NBC – Not even trying to compete with The Grammys, NBC rolled out another SNL Special (3.06m/1.2) to start the week. Chuck (6.73m/2.4) brought better news Monday, holding fairly steady against a full complement of competition. Heroes (4.42m/2) was again a distant fourth at 9. The Biggest Loser (9.48m/3.7) moved to 9 on Tuesday, and had a very good night against heavy competition.

Mercy (6.21m/1.6) was flying solo on Wednesday, and still hasn’t found any traction. Thursday, Community (5.23m/2.3) and Parks & Recreation (4.88m/2.3) were both up slightly, but remain well off the pace. The Office (7.37m/3.8) was much more competitive, moving up to number two in the demo. 30 Rock (5.79m/2.9) was okay to wrap the night. Dateline (6.49m/1.5) finished things off on Friday.

CW - Another short week started with One Tree Hill (2.14m/1) and Life Unexpected (2.07m/1) down on Monday. At these levels, and considering that it is repeating better than other shows, Life Unexpected should be very interesting when renewal time comes around. Vampire Diaries (3.99m/1.9) remained the network’s big hit on Thursday, bumping ABC for fourth in the demo. Supernatural (2.28m/1.1) was down for the week. Friday, the big Smallville (2.77m/1.2) movie event made a good showing.

CABLE - There were curious numbers for White Collar (2.89m/.9) and Psych (2.86m/1.1) this week that might have USA rethinking that new schedule. Burn Notice (4.25m/1.7) didn’t suffer the same fate. You can make a pretty good guess that the Lost premiere could have hurt White Collar, but I have no idea what to make of the big drop for Psych. Elsewhere, and late, the numbers for the second episode of Caprica (1.41m/.5) are in. It’s in the same ballpark as where Stargate Universe ended its winter run (1.34m/.5). Other cable numbers for the week:

Big Love (1.52m/.7)
Secret Life Of The American Teenager (2.89m/1.1)
Make It Or Break It (2.16m/.7)
Greek (1.07m/.5)
Damages (1.02m/.2)
Men Of A Certain Age (2.26m/.6)
Southland (1.21m/.3)
Nip/Tuck (1.54m/.8)
Leverage (2.91m/.9)
The Sarah Silverman Program (.77m/.4)
Archer (.62m/.4)
NFL Pro Bowl (12.3m/4.2)
Keeping Up With The Kardashians (2.84m/1.6)
Ax Men (2.26m/.9)
American Pickers (3.4m/1.1)
Pawn Stars (3.85m/1.5 – 4.12m/1.6)
Dirty Jobs (2.15m/1)
Teen Mom (3.11m/1.7)
Shear Genius (1.1m/.5)
Project Runway (2.75m/1.2)

Photo Credit: ABC

Medium – That’s a lot of Diedrich Bader

Brett Love — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:06:39 +0000

Are you one of those people who has been thinking that Diedrich Bader just hasn’t been on our TVs enough lately? Sure, he’s been doing all kinds of voiceover work, but hasn’t really had a regular gig since The Drew Carey Show. Well, good news. Medium has heard you. They decided to remedy the situation by giving him 30 or 40 roles all in one very crazy hour. And I have to say, they couldn’t have picked a better guest star for the parts. And if the Diedrich overload wasn’t enough, the Medium scribes also delivered what is probably my favorite Dubois daughter story to date. Good stuff all around.

How do we not start with Diedrich Bader? Just look at him there in his little bikini. That’s commitment folks. It also goes a long way in explaining just why Bader was perfect for the role. He’s so versatile. He’s able to pull off something as ridiculous as appearing in drag, repeatedly, but still sell the more serious moments as Joe or Scanlon. Those two, in particular, were my favorite part of the Fred Rovick explosion. It was very clever to insert all of their little mannerisms, like Joe brushing his hair out of his eyes, into the mix. As convoluted as the many Freds became by the end, it was still easy enough to keep straight just who each of them were.

It also worked very well for the bigger story they were telling. I didn’t see the voting district email, or that Fred was an identity thief, coming until they sprung it on us. Looking back though, it all made perfect sense. Mallory Kessenger’s (Ellen Hollman) story wasn’t nearly as surprising. It was obvious from jump street that Donald (William Schallert – Carson Drew!) wasn’t long for the world. As obvious as what the outcome would be as soon as she answered Fred’s call. Not that either of those were a bad thing. The story spun around them was great fun.

As good as all of that was, the real highlight for me this week came from Ariel. We’ve seen a number of stories about the girls and their powers now, but this one was my favorite. Mister Teefers (Ian Reed Kessler – Derek Tricolli!) was a bit crazy, but you have to give him credit for a seriously heinous plan. The best part though, was Ariel’s reaction. Look how grown up and clever she is. I loved the final scene in the living room, when Ariel put the hammer down. In that moment, she was very much her mother’s daughter. All things considered, I’m marking this one in the books as another very good episode.

Photo Credit: CBS

Fred Rovick, True Romance, and lesbians – Medium roundup

Kona Gallagher — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:00:40 +0000

Every week or so, I slave over a hot laptop to bring Medium fans news, promos, and other goodies associated with the show. These are some of the highlights from the past week at Medium Dreams. Enjoy!

First up, we’ve got a promo for tonight’s episode of Medium (the only new episode in February, in fact), “Will the Real Fred Rovick Please Stand Up.” It guest-stars the hilarious Diedrich Bader of The Drew Carey Show.
Patricia Arquette did a Funny or Die video with comedian Nick Kroll, Elijah Wood, and Christian Slater. The fact that Christian Slater is in this video (he’s really picking up a lot of random work lately, isn’t he?), and the fact that he co-starred with Arquette in True Romance isn’t a coincidence. In fact, it is a very bloody, non-coincidence.
Here’s the deal with last week’s Medium episode: The whole storyline with Bridgette wanting to be friends with Finn and not being sure that she liked him really made me think they were going to make Bridgette a lesbian. Here, I lay out the reasons why I wish they had.
Ooh, it’s my favorite part: Dueling Medium reviews! Here’s what I had to say about “Psych,” and in case you missed it, Brett’s review is here.
People always want to know what songs are playing in any given episode of Medium. Last week, Ariel was listening to something in the car. Here’s the song.

Photo Credit: CBS

Ratings Clack – Everybody loves football, and Bones

Brett Love — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:00:52 +0000

It was a bit of a slow week of television. Football on FOX sent all the other networks scrambling on Sunday. Then Obama took over all the channels on Wednesday. Add in an oddly quiet Thursday and we had three pretty weak nights of numbers. Not to worry though, there was still the occasional cause for celebration. To call the NFC Championship a success would be a terrible understatement. How terrible? How about it more than doubled the Idol numbers? In non-gridiron results, FOX took advantage of the quiet Thursday, garnering some very good results for Bones and Fringe. Castle managed to grow their numbers again. And Vampire Diaries tied for second in the demo!

FOX - It’s hard to start a week off better than having the NFC Championship (57.93m/21.3). That success carried over to Monday and the return of House (14.21m/5.2). 24 (10.81m/3.4) followed up the good doctor with another solid hour. American Idol took over next, with big numbers for Tuesday (24.45m/9) and Wednesday (25.7m/9.5). Human Target (9.26m/3.1) was just okay following Idol. And that really doesn’t bode well for the series. For reasons I don’t really understand, Human Target will switch to 8PM next Wednesday, leading into Idol. Granted, the Wednesday at 8 competition is weak, but we already saw how that experiment works with Lie To Me last season.

There was more good news on Thursday. Bones (12.33m/3.6) has really taken advantage of the Survivor break to build its numbers, and last week was probably the weakest competition it has faced. It will be interesting to see how much of that audience remains when Survivor gets back into full swing. If I was betting, I’d say Survivor will return to #1, but Bones is now the solid #2 show at 8. Fringe (8.98m/3) had a similar night. That’s a great number for the show, but came against repeats on ABC, NBC, and CBS. We’ll have to see how it holds up next week, when everything is new at 9. Finally, Friday brought the series finale of Dollhouse (2.16m/.8), and the premiere of Kitchen Nightmares (3.28m/1.4).

CBS - With Sunday and Monday in repeats, the week didn’t get started until Tuesday. Jethro and the gang at NCIS (20.22m/4) teamed with NCIS: LA (16.91m/3.7) to make it a very good night. Wednesday was also out, with the SOTU, and Thursday might as well have been. The only new offering was Jeff Probst’s Live For The Moment (4.56m/1), and the tribe has really spoken on that one. That’s a fifth place in the demo right there. Friday brought the usual wins in all three hours from Ghost Whisperer (8.34m/1.9), Medium (7.98m/1.8), and Numb3rs (8.7m/1.8).

ABC - It was a fairly quiet week for ABC as well. The biggest news came with The Bachelor (11.47m/3.9) and Castle (10.55m/3) on Monday. The win in the 10PM hour for Castle did come against a repeat of CSI: Miami, but it’s very encouraging that the show has continued to build its audience since DWTS went on break. After that, the news wasn’t so good. Scrubs (3.16m/1.2) and Better Off Ted (2.52m/1) continued to struggle on Tuesday, and round two of The Deep End (6.09m/1.8) dropped a million viewers from the premiere on Thursday. Things wrapped up with Supernanny (4.72m/1.3), Shark Tank (4.38m/1.5), and 20/20 (8.07m/1.7) on Friday. Next week will be much more interesting, with the return of Lost.

NBC - Also with limited scheduling, NBC started with Chuck (6.97m/2.5) and Heroes (4.3m/1.9) on Monday. The good news is that Chuck was up in viewers and steady in the demo against the return of House. Heroes was up from last week, but that was a series low, so being up .32m/.1 isn’t exactly great. The Biggest Loser (9.71m/3.8) was solid on Tuesday, and will be moving next week. Leno will get the boot so Loser can go head to head with Lost from 9 to 10. Dateline (7.35m/1.4)wrapped up the new programming on Friday.

CW – The network is finally back to three nights a week, with One Tree Hill (2.2m/1.1) and Life Unexpected (2.17m/1.1) starting things off on Monday. That was a fairly big drop from the premiere for Life Unexpected, but it’s still in the ballpark of reasonable CW numbers. We’ll need a few more weeks to see how it all shakes out. Thursday, Vampire Diaries (3.7m/1.8) continued to impress. It was against a rather weak night for the big networks, but any time a CW show can get to second in the demo, it’s worth noting. Supernatural (2.71m/1.2) was solid following it at 9. Smallville (2.52m/1.1) returned on Friday to finish off the week, with a fourth place finish.

CABLE - Psych (4.37m/1.5) returned for USA last week, on a new night, to solid numbers. Not as successful, Greek (1.03m/.5) kicked off the latest chapter on Monday, and the numbers look kind of bad when compared to Secret Life Of The American Teenager (3.23m/1.2) and Make It Or Break It (2.3m/.7). Actually, they look even worse if you look at the younger demos. At first glance, I’m tempted to say it doesn’t bode well for the future of the show. Then again, it’s not like the show has ever done much more than that, so maybe that’s just enough for ABC Family. Some other cable numbers:

Big Love (1.67m/.8)
Damages (1.43m/.3)
Men Of A Certain Age (2.35m/.8)
Southland (1.49m/.5)
White Collar (4.32m/1.3)
Nip/Tuck (1.81m/.9)
Leverage (3.02m/.8)
Burn Notice (5.3m/1.9)
Blue Mountain State (.63m/.4)
Archer (.87m/.5)
Project Runway (3.4m/1.4)
Ax Men (1.73m/.7)
American Pickers (3.46m/1.2)
Pawn Stars (4.11m/1.8 – 4.44m/2)
Dirty Jobs (2.18m/1)
Teen Mom (3.64m/2)

Photo Credit: FOX

Medium – Repeat after me

Brett Love — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:13:57 +0000

After a week off for the telethon, Medium returned with a very dark episode that had one surprising twist, and one surprising non-twist. The surprise twist came in what was a very Medium case of the week, complete with murder, conspiracy, and some truly frightening dreams for Allison. The non-twist took advantage of all those things the show has shown us about the Dubois girls’ growing powers to completely set us up, and then leave us holding the bag. It all made for a fun night.

The story of Summer Lowry (Danielle Panabaker, Shark) was scarily dark, and well crafted. The way the story played out, the viewer was yet another in the large group of people Summer was able to fool. The big reveal that Chad (Tobias Segal) had actually killed their parents seemed like a perfect Medium set-up. We had the who, but now it came down to whether or not Allison could put the pieces together to get her man.

When Chad went to visit Summer, I was expecting that he would kill her, much more than the reverse. The stabbing with the spade caught me completely off guard and set up that great final showdown with Allison and Summer. I loved the little change in Summer when she told Allison, “I think she gets away with it.”

The way it was all set in motion, with Keelin (Alexandra Krosney) repeating everything, and the shoddy ethics of Dr. Woodel (Dennis Boutsikaris) was also very good. Keelin’s backstory, having killed her teacher after being rejected, suggested that Woodel might have been up to more than therapy in their sessions. It was a solid red herring. The casting of Boutsikaris as Woodel was interesting as well. He’s made quite a career of guest spots as doctors, with appearances on SVU, Criminal Intent, CSI, Crossing Jordan, Monk, 7th Heaven, The X-Files, ER, and a number of others.

If I had one complaint about the episode, it came from Devalos. He actually came right out and told Allison that they have too much history for him to just dismiss out of hand something that she dreamed. And then, he proceeded to dismiss out of hand something that she dreamed. Certainly, she didn’t have any evidence, but at this point, isn’t some sort of unofficial, cursory investigation warranted?

Elsewhere, the writers completely played us with the Bridgette/Marie story. We’ve seen so many examples of the girls’ powers manifesting themselves in mysterious ways that look innocent at first. I really thought that’s where we were headed here. By the time we learned that Bridgette was supposed to go watch a movie with Finn, I was convinced that Finn wasn’t real. Only Bridgette and Marie were seeing him. Perhaps he was a boy that died, and someone needed to know something?

Of course, that wasn’t the case. Instead, we were just seeing the next step in Bridgette growing up, whether Joe likes it or not. And that’s not a bad thing. At its core, Medium has always been a family drama, and we’re invested in these characters enough that a story like that still plays. It just came as a complete surprise to me. Added all together, it’s another very good episode in the books.

Photo Credit: CBS

Ratings Clack – Idol returns, and Jethro doesn’t care

Brett Love — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:00:48 +0000

FOX has been waiting all season to drop the big hammer, and the time has finally come. Idol returned last week, and the ripple effect of adding over 20 million viewers to Tuesday and Wednesday was felt by a number of shows, but not all of them. Despite Idol adding some 24 million viewers to the numbers that So You Think You Can Dance was delivering, Gibbs and his NCIS team still managed to garner 20.85 million viewers of their own.

FOX - In what was no surprise to anyone, Idol returned to huge numbers on Tuesday (29.94m/11.8) and Wednesday (26.39m/10.1). That was a pretty substantial drop for episode 2, but it’s hard to complain about anything approaching those numbers. Things were great earlier in the week as well. Fueled by a playoff football lead-in, The Simpsons (14.62m/6.9), and the Simpsons Anniversary Special (11.43m/5.5) had big numbers as well. The Cleveland Show (8.14m/3.8) finished up a very successful Sunday.

Monday, House (12.25m/4.6) was back, down a bit, but still very strong and finishing first in viewers and demo for the hour. Fringe (7.72m/2.8) got a shot following House on Monday, and matched what Lie To Me has been doing there. Another episode, in the regular Thursday (6.6m/2.6) spot continued to show slow growth in the demo, which is a good sign. That followed a very nice performance from Bones (10.75m/3.3) that took first in both measures. Dollhouse (2.09m/.8) finished the week on Friday.

CBS - The week started slowly, with only Cold Case (10.38m/1.9) offering a new episode on Sunday. Things picked up quickly on Monday, with How I Met Your Mother (9.77m/3.9), Accidentally On Purpose (8.43m/3.1), 2 ½ Men (17.27m/5.4), Big Bang Theory (15.82m/5.7), and CSI: Miami (13.7m/3.7) combining to make the network number one for the night by 3 million viewers and half a demo point.

As mentioned earlier, NCIS (20.85m/4.3) held up amazingly well when faced with Idol, dropping only half a million viewers and a tenth of a demo point over the previous week. That variance is completely within the norm, as the 12/15 episode finished with 20.69m/4.3. NCIS: LA (15.6m/3) took a bit more of a hit, but that’s still a solid number. The Good Wife (13.87m/3), fresh off a second season order, was strong as well.

There was a bit of a stumble on Wednesday, as Old Christine (5.97m/1.8) and Gary Unmarried (5.6m/1.9) saw drops against Idol. Fortunately, those were short lived as Criminal Minds (13.9m/3.8) and CSI: NY (14.03m/3.5) were both on pace. Thursday, CSI(15.33m/3.3) continued it’s post-Grissom struggles, and was once again beaten by The Mentalist (15.38m/3.4) in viewers and demo. Finally, Friday brought another easy win for the night, courtesy of Ghost Whisperer (8.63m/2.2), Medium (9.01m/2.2), and Numb3rs (9.52m/2.2).

ABC – The Sunday night lineup was just off the usual pace with Extreme Makeover (10.55m/3.3), Desperate Housewives (14.03m/4.7), and Brothers & Sisters (10.45m/3.5), but still strong. Monday was also successful, with The Bachelor (10.5m/3.6) and Castle (9.47m/2.6). The 2.6 for Castle is particularly encouraging, as that’s better than many of the weeks following Dancing With The Stars.

Tuesday, as has become the norm, it all went to hell. Better Off Ted (2.17m/.8), Scrubs (2.72m/1.2), and Better Off Ted (2.5m/1) did not hold up well versus Idol. The Forgotten (4.33m/1.2) finished the night at the usual disappointing levels. The Wednesday comedies, The Middle (5.95m/2.1), Modern Family (7.83m/3.3), and Cougar Town (7.27m/3.1) were also down against Idol, though still competitive in their slots. Ugly Betty (4.4m/1.6) continued to struggle in her new Wednesday digs.

There was more good news on Thursday, with Grey’s Anatomy (12.78m/4.8) and Private Practice (10.96m/4.2) both topped their hours in the demo. The week finished with Supernanny (5.39m/1.6), Shark Tank (4.44m/1.6), and 20/20 (5.41m/1.5) on Friday.

NBC - Chuck got the week off to a nice start. The return of everyone’s favorite spy team on Sunday (7.45m/2.9) marked the best numbers for the show since the post-Superbowl 3-D episode. The news was good on Monday (7.36m/2.6) as well. That still makes for a fourth place finish, but it is above where Chuck finished last season, and well above what Heroes has been managing Mondays at 8. Speaking of Heroes (4.72m/2.1), the move back to 9 didn’t offer any help.

Tuesday, The Biggest Loser (8.12m/3.2) took a substantial hit from Idol, dropping 3.5 million viewers and .6 in the demo.Wednesday’s lineup of Mercy (5.85m/1.5) and SVU (7.65m/2) was off the pace as well. Community (5.42m/2.4) and Parks & Recreation (4.63m/2.1) were both down in viewers on Thursday, despite Bones being the only new competition. Although, it is worth noting that Community topped both episodes of 30 Rock (5.12m/2.3 – 4.98m/2.3), which just doesn’t hold up when it doesn’t have The Office for a lead-in.

Friday, Law & Order (7.13m/1.4) and Dateline (7.75m/1.7) wrapped things up. I could give you the details on Leno, but isn’t it really enough to know that the show has been canceled?

CABLE - There were a number of premieres on cable last week, including Big Love (1.73m/.8), Southland (1.98m/.7), Leverage (3.69m/1.3), Archer (1.82m/.9), and Project Runway (2.94m/1.3). The other curious bit from the cable numbers came from Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (1.02m/.4). I’m going to assume that the low numbers can be chalked up to people having already seen it on DVD. Other cable numbers of note:

Secret Life Of The American Teenager (3.11m/1.2)
Make It Or Break It (2.08m/.7)
Men Of A Certain Age (2.87m/1)
Nip/Tuck (1.96m/1)
Ax Men (2.48m/1)
Pawn Stars (1.92m/.7)
Dirty Jobs (1.85m/.8)
Howe & Howe Tech (1.42m/.7)
Man vs Wild (1.5m/.6)

Photo Credit: FOX

Medium – Are you on Team Devalos?

Brett Love — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:33:31 +0000

The folks down at Medium HQ hopped in the wayback machine to prepare this week’s episode, in more ways than one. Not only did they raid the Sandoval family photo albums to give us some authentic Manuel/Arianna photos, they also answered a question that has been lingering since season two. That being the circumstances around Arianna’s suicide. I don’t know that there could ever be an answer to that mystery that wasn’t crushing, but I never imagined it could be as dreadful as it was. Along the way, we also revisited Bridgette’s still growing, and always odd, powers.

Starting with Arianna and Manny… good grief, how sad was that story? Granted, it was always going to be sad, but did you ever think it could be that bad? The writer’s really outdid themselves with that one, but in the good way. There were an awful lot of coincidences (possibly stretches) that played into it all working out the way it did, but I still liked it.

And one of the reasons was that they were again willing to make their characters far less than perfect. Devalos selling his client down the river is a pretty big black mark on the character of someone we would have never expected that from. Much like Allison covering up the murder of Gerwin (Will McCormack), Although, that was admittedly less unexpected. The real brilliance of it though was that despite both of them making those questionable choices, we’re left agreeing with their decisions.

It all added up to a great showcase for Miguel Sandoval and Devalos. It’s one of the great things about television, and why I’ll always prefer TV to movies. Having a show run for six seasons affords the time to really develop a character like Devalos. In Medium, the movie, we’d barely get to know him. Thanks to the luxuries of television, we really know him, and that’s what really makes stories like this work. Casting Sandoval’s daughter, Olivia Sandoval, to play Arianna was also a very nice touch.

Meanwhile, back at the library, Bridgette’s power continues to be so very odd. Odd as it may be though, it does have a knack for steering things in the right direction. It was a clever use of the Nigerian 419 scam, and it had me fooled. I thought the prince (Rick Worthy, Maximum Bob!)was going to be an actual prince, not involved in any sort of scam. I didn’t catch that Bridgette was the only one seeing the costume until the librarian (Beth Grant, Wonderfalls!) appeared and they revealed it.

What else can you say? It was a tough episode, in many respects, but a good one. I really appreciate that they revisited Arianna’s story, for the fans that have been watching for all these years. And I’m always in favor of shining a bit more of the spotlight on Scanlon or Devalos. One final note: It looks like next week’s episode has been pushed back for the Hope For Haiti telethon.

Photo Credit: CBS

Hair, Lover Man and Hookers – Medium Roundup

Kona Gallagher — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:00:54 +0000

The promo is up for this week’s episode, “Dear Dad…” Olivia Sandoval is back as Arianna Devalos, and we get to see Manuel Devalos with hair!
We also talk about “Lover Man,” by Billie Holiday, and other music featured in last week’s episode, “An Everlasting Love.”
Speaking of “An Everlasting Love,” we delve into the musical origins of the episode title.
Despite the fact that last week’s Medium ratings tied a series high, there are still questions as to whether or not it will be back for a seventh season. We analyze Nina Tassler’s TCA statement.
Who doesn’t love hookers? The real Allison DuBois chats about visiting dead ones in Tombstone, Arizona.

Photo Credit: Michael Yarish/CBS

Five shows NBC should be airing at 10:00 PM

Ivey West — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:00:07 +0000

The blogs are all atwitter. NBC is finally owning up to the Leno Experiment’s failure. Sure, they can blame the affiliates all they want to. I guess it’s pretty damn unreasonable to want, you know, competitive ratings at 10 and 11. The nerve of those guys, eh?

I’m not a late night guy, so I’m not going to be watching Leno or Conan no matter when, or what network they eventually end up on (though I hate that I miss out on Fallon … I really dig his show and style). What I am excited about is the potential of five more hours of scripted network television (yeah, so it’s probably an hour of Dateline, some reality, and most likely two hours, but a dude can dream, right?). It’s a damn shame that NBC has walked away from some good television these past two years, because I’ve got five ideas for what they should be airing.

Monday: Journeyman
Probably one of my favorite shows that never got the chance it deserved. Journeyman was a smart, well acted drama that proved to everyone — who didn’t watch Rome — that Kevin McKidd was a comer. This generation’s Quantum Leap was canceled after its opening thirteen episodes, a victim of the 2007 Writer’s Guild strike (and, as Brett will assuredly remind me on most of these, so-so ratings).

Tuesday: Life
At least they gave Life two seasons to prove that it didn’t work (though its ratings would still beat Leno’s on most nights). Life was about as unique a police procedural as you’ll find, because Damian Lewis’s Charlie Crews was just so damn odd. But it was a great mix of case-of-the-week and ongoing arc that most procedurals just can’t pull off.

Wednesday: Friday Night Lights
A bit of a cheat, because the Peacock network still has it, but only because DirecTV saved the day. Sure there were some missteps in season two, and the cast has seen quite a bit of turnover in season four, but it’s still great television, thanks in large part to standouts Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton.

Thursday: Southland
It’s renewed! Oh wait, no it’s not. Eventually saved by TNT, Southland is one of two specific victims of Leno on this list. I’m glad its gotten more of a chance, but I never thought it was a right fit for TNT. Back on NBC in ER’s slot — because it will always be ER’s slot in my eyes — is a much better fit.

Friday: Medium
CBS sure did seem to pull off a nice coup with this move, didn’t they? Medium has always had a strong following, and has found a nice niche on Friday nights. NBC’s move to cancel the show last year made little sense if you take Leno out of the equation, just another piece of proof that they made the wrong call.

Or just bring back The West Wing … I said a dude can dream, right?

Photo Credit: NBC

Ratings Clack – Heroes “performing very strongly”

Brett Love — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:00:27 +0000

At least, that’s the delusion that Angela Bromstad (President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios) seems to be operating under. Asked about the show at NBC’s TCA presentation, Bromstad said, “”It’s been performing very strongly in its 8 p.m. time slot.” I would argue that finishing in fourth place every week, and losing to repeats of the CBS comedies, is a far cry from “very strongly.” Also… last week it performed even worse in the 9PM hour. That really makes one question the thinking behind a return to the Chuck/Heroes Monday from last season. Haven’t we already seen how that story plays out?

ABC - Despite a stumble on Tuesday night, ABC had the best week among the networks. Things got off to a very nice start Sunday, with Extreme Makeover (11.01m/3.3), Desperate Housewives (15.36m/5.1), and Brothers & Sisters (10.91m/3.5). Monday wasn’t quite as successful, but still brought a solid premiere to the latest version of The Bachelor (9.54m/3.3). That was followed by the premiere of Conveyor Belt Of Love (6.53m/2.7). That’s not a great viewer number, but make note of that demo. I doubt Castle will be able to match it following The Bachelor. Although, to be fair, Conveyor probably couldn’t match it again either.

The wheels, as you would expect, came off on Tuesday as the network rolled out their two hour Scrubs (3.86m/1.5), Better Off Ted (2.99m/1.3), Scrubs (3.05m/1.4), Better Off Ted (2.6m/1.1) block. All of those numbers are way too low. Even The Forgotten (4.38m/1.2) at 10 gets better numbers. The results were completely opposite on Wednesday, with The Middle (7.55m/2.2 – 8.17m/2.7), Modern Family (10.22m/4.1), and Cougar Town (7.92m/3.3) all performing so much better. The numbers for The Middle are particularly worth noting. It was a somewhat weak night of competition, but it looks like the show is starting to find its audience. Unfortunately, the first shot for Ugly Betty (5.08m/1.7) on Wednesday wasn’t so lucky.

The real highlight of the week came Thursday, in the form of the BCS Co-Championship (30m/10.2) game featuring Alabama and Texas. That’s a number that even Idol would have a hard time reaching anymore. The week then wrapped with a rather uneventful Friday, featuring Supernanny (4.26m/1.2), Shark Tank (3.96m/1.4), and 20/20 (7.81m/2.3).

FOX - A solid night from Animation Domination, The Simpsons (8.65m/4), The Cleveland Show (6.96m/3.3), Family Guy (8.1m/3.9), and American Dad (5.91m/2.8), got things off to a very nice start on Sunday. After that, FOX had it’s own part of the bowl season with the Fiesta Bowl (12.88m/4.3) and the Orange Bowl (10.27m/3.5). The only other new programming for the week came Friday, as Dollhouse (2.38m/.8) burned off another episode.

NBC - Sunday Night Football (14.6m/5.5) gave NBC their own piece of the lucrative football pie to start the week on a winning note. That winning feeling quickly disappeared on Monday, with two hours of Heroes (5.3m/2.3 – 4.57m/2.1). That 9PM number is particularly distressing, when you consider the show was beaten by more than 5 million viewers and a full demo point by repeats of Men/Big Bang. What’s going to happen this week when it goes up against new episodes? I guess the network thinks much more of the Chuck lead-in than I do.

The news got considerably better on Tuesday, with the return of The Biggest Loser (11.68m/4.6). That’s the highest demo of the night, against an all new CBS lineup, and football on FOX. The Biggest Loser remains the biggest hit NBC has. Mercy (7.3m/1.8) remained steady on Wednesday, and was followed by a nicely boosted L&O: SVU (10.83m/3.2). Things wrapped up with a Dateline (7.55m/1.6 – 10.35m/2.2) double-shot on Friday.

The Jay Leno Show (5.35m/1.4 average), as you may have heard, didn’t have a great week. It was announced over the weekend that the show will no longer air at 10PM starting in February. The network is still trying to figure out what it’s going to do with Jay, Conan, and Jimmy, but the 10PM experiment is over. Aside from that, it was a rather average week for the show where the numbers were concerned.

CBS - The Tiffany network took a little longer to recover from the New Year’s celebrations, starting their week on Tuesday with NCIS (21.34m/4.4), NCIS: LA (17.96m/3.7), and The Good Wife (13.85m/3). That’s a heck of a way to start the new year. Wednesday brought the return of I Get That A Lot (8.5m/2.9) and the People’s Choice Awards (10.74m/3.4). Neither of those are OMG numbers, but it did make for a very solid night. Finally, the week wrapped up with another easy overall win on Friday, on the strength of Ghost Whisperer (9m/2.2), Medium (8.93m/2.1), and Numb3rs (9.32m/2.1).

For next week, I’m most curious to see the numbers for the return of Chuck, and what happens with Heroes Monday at 9. Interestingly, Fringe is getting its shot following Dr. House on Monday. I suspect it to have something around 3 million more viewers than Heroes. We’ll also have the premiere of the Paula-free Idol to look at, which should be interesting.

Photo Credit: Boise State

Hey NBC, how’s Medium looking right about now?

Brett Love — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:11:26 +0000

Chances are that you’ve noticed the Leno/Conan shenanigans going on at NBC over the past couple days. There are a host of interesting sides to that story, but as I sat down to watch the new Medium Friday night, one stood out. As executives try to hammer out a plan for what they’re going to do with the 10PM hour when they pull Leno, you know one of them had to think, “Damn, it sure would be nice to have Medium in our back pocket for mid-season.” The decision to cancel Medium was a curious one last spring, and it’s only looking worse as the season moves along. As the NBC suits watch Heroes fail to reach 5 million viewers, Medium just keeps cruising right along, steady as ever, even on Friday night. Of course, much of that is owed to the fact that the show is still very good, as we saw with quite a twist in the 2010 premiere.

It’s funny, but halfway through “An Everlasting Love” I was sure that Joe and Keith were going to be my favorite part of the show, thanks to their awkward and fumbling friendship. The case of the week certainly started out well enough, with an interesting spin on the classic “The call is coming from inside the house” bit. But it seemed to lose a little steam once Jeremy (Pablo Schreiber) was dead. Ah, but seemed is the operative word there. For a moment, it looked like clingy-boyfriend-Jeremy was going to serve as an annoyance to Allison, more than anything else. That all changed with the big reveal when Mandy (Jess Weixler) opened the hat box. I totally didn’t see that one coming.

That level of OMG surprise is an increasingly hard thing to find on television these days. Watch enough crime-time and even when you don’t know whodunit, more often than not they are on your radar. That was not the case this week. The writers completely sold me on Jeremy’s innocence by killing him, and I never even suspected Mandy. Well done. Their story also offered up two more fascinating moments. First, that weird as could be music video montage with Jeremy and Mandy being so happy together. And also Allison’s trap that paid off so well, as we saw in her “good dream.” I was also excited to see Alexie Gilmore, because as short-lived as it was, I really liked New Amsterdam.

Now, back to Joe and Keith. They were eventually overshadowed by Mandy’s reveal, but I just can’t say enough good things about the two of them together. Keith is just so weird, and so socially awkward. He’s the perfect contrast for “regular” Joe. That one came as a bit of a surprise for me as well. I was sure that Joe was going to hate the book, but thought the rub would be in Keith trying to get the honest critique out of Joe, not his reaction to actually receiving it. The highlight of the whole thing was the look on Joe’s face during the performance review as he read the word back, “Diffuse.” Ha! I’ll look forward to seeing more of Keith, and am hopeful that we’ll get to see him over at the house, dealing with the girls.

So, with that, we welcome Medium to 2010. NBC’s loss is our, and CBS’s, gain. Looking forward to seeing what the rest of the season will bring.

Photo Credit: CBS

Pain Killers, expensive dinners, and the apocalypse – Medium Roundup

Kona Gallagher — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:30:44 +0000

Each week, I slave over a hot laptop to bring Medium fans news, promos, and other goodies associated with the show. These are some of the highlights from the past week at Medium Dreams. Enjoy!

Every since I came to the (rather late) realization that Medium’s episode titles are song lyrics, I’ve become kind of obsessed with finding the inspiration. However, for the third episode of the season, I can’t decide between Turin Brakes’ “Pain Killer,” or Judas Priest’s “Painkiller.” Help me!
After Medium first started, David Cubitt, who plays Detective Scanlon, was in a cheesy made-for-TV movie called, Apocalypse 10.5. Things do not end well for him.
Allison DuBois is based on a real person. Someone just paid $10,000 to have dinner with her. Sadly, nobody likes you that much.
If you were wondering what those songs were on last week’s episode (including the one playing when Lee and Lynn got engaged), I’ve got them right here.
Brett and I both review last week’s episode, “You Give Me Fever.” It’s funny how are reviews are nearly identical. Here’s his, and here’s mine.

Photo Credit: CBS

Ratings Clack – Is FlashForward doomed?

Brett Love — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:00:04 +0000

ABC has now announced that FlashForward will be taking a little break, with new episodes returning March 4th. And that really couldn’t have come at a worse time. Television is not usually a place where absence makes the heart grow fonder. More likely, viewers forget what you were up to and can’t be bothered to return. If that wasn’t bad enough, the show took it’s fall bow with it’s worst performance yet. Elsewhere this week, Sons Of Anarchy had a big finale, with some big numbers, and Dollhouse returned to be run over by a reindeer.

ABC - The Sunday combination of Extreme Makeover (10.36m/3), Desperate Housewives (12.78m/4.4), and Brothers & Sisters (8.69m/2.9) got the week off to a mostly typical start. Things changed on Monday, as the network had their first week with no Dancing With The Stars. The Grinch (9.2m/2.8) and Shrek The Halls (9.15m/2.9) did pretty well filling in from 8 to 9, finishing second in both measures for the hour. Things got a little sticky after that, as Find My Family (6.95m/2) took a big hit without Tom and Samantha.

More bad news came Tuesday, as Scrubs (4.63m/2 – 4.43m/2) tried, and failed, to fill those DWTS Results shoes. Scrubs is now the new According To Jim. It should have been canceled, but syndication money will keep those episodes coming. For perspective, the 12/16 According To Jim from last year managed (5.22m/1.8). That offered no help to The Forgotten (5.48m/1.2), which was beaten in the demo on Wednesday by the canceled Eastwick (4.25m/1.3).

Thursday is when things get interesting. Private Practice (9.21m/3.2) did alright filling in for Grey’s with a two hour episode. But FlashForward (7.07m/2.1) … it’s really not looking good. Not only was it bested by Survivor and Bones, as we’ve come to expect, it was also beaten in the demo by the struggling NBC comedies. And if the three month layoff saps any more viewers, it’s conceivable that we could see it fall to 5th in the demo when it has to face new Vampire Diaries in March. Add to that the 12/4 episode of Ugly Betty (8.37m/2.6) from last year and the situation really looks dire. Ugly Betty (4.23m/1.2) wrapped up the week on Friday by bouncing back a bit before she heads off to her new home in Eastwick’s old slot.

CBS - The network also saw a nice performance from a Christmas special as A Dog Named Christmas (12.36m/2.1) improved on the usual 9 to 11 Sunday performance. That came on the heels of another solid outing from Amazing Race (11.61m/3.4). Monday was all repeats, but it’s worth noting that 2 ½ Men (11.38m/3.2) and Big Bang Theory (10.09m/3.2) were still able to win their hour.

Tuesday saw the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show (8.01m/2.9) taking advantage of a very successful NCIS (14.28m/2.7) repeat. Wednesday brought another successful Christmas outing in the form of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (10.59m/3.8). The Grammy Nomination Concert (6.28m/2.3) that followed wasn’t quite as successful. Survivor (12.82m/3.9) was the only new entry on Thursday. Friday was down across the board, but Ghost Whisperer (8.23m/1.9), Medium (6.96m/1.8), and Numb3rs (7.38m/1.6) still easily won the night.

NBC - Sunday Night Football (19.21m/7.7) delivered as expected to kick things off. The party ended quickly though, as Monday was, as usual, rather disappointing. Despite the absence of DWTS and CBS being in repeats, Heroes (5.39m/2.3) and Trauma (5.36m/1.6) couldn’t gain any real ground. The best news of the week was the shifted Biggest Loser (9.99m/3.7) on Tuesday. The bump to 9-11 because of the Obama address gave a huge boost to the usual 10PM numbers from Leno.

The network didn’t see the same success with Christmas specials that ABC and CBS did, but Christmas In Rockefeller Center (8.69m/1.8) was just above the usual viewer number for Mercy on Wednesday. Thursday, Community (5.42m/2.2) and Parks & Recreation (4.8m/2.1) continued to struggle. And for those of you playing along with the home game, Parks & Rec remains below the Kath & Kim line (12/4 4.91m/2.2). The Office (8.05m/4.1) and 30 Rock (6.08m/3) were around the normal marks. The Muppets Christmas Letters (4.27m/1.1) closed things out on Friday.

As for Leno, it was not a good week. The big story when the whole thing was announced was that Leno would really pay off when the other networks had to go to repeats. Jay got his shot in a big way this week, and came up severely lacking. Leno was beaten by repeats from CSI: Miami, Castle, Criminal Minds, and The Mentalist. In fact, the only show Leno beat all week was Eastwick, which has already been canceled.

FOX – The Simpsons (8.88m/4.2), Cleveland (7.17m/3.5), Family Guy (8.5m/4.4), and American Dad (6.38m/3.3) started the week with their usual performance. House (13.25m/4.8) kept things going on Monday, finishing #1 in viewers and demo for the night. Lie To Me (7.48m/2.7) continues to be just okay following Dr. House. So You Think You Can Dance was at normal levels on Tuesday (5.84m/2.2) and up just a bit on Wednesday (6.27m/2.3). That led to Glee (8.15m/3.6) which won the hour in both measures.

Thursday, Bones (9.92m/2.9) had another solid second place outing, and Fringe (6.94m/2.5) took advantage of no Grey’s and a CSI repeat. Friday, Dollhouse (2.17m/.8 – 1.94m/.8) returned to the expected dismal numbers. The 1.94 million viewers for the 9PM episode is notable, as it was beaten by Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer on CW.

CW - It was another rather sparse schedule for the little network. One Tree Hill (2.4m/1.1) and Gossip Girl (2.23m/1.1) had fairly typical outings, as did 90210 (2.15m/1.1). And I suppose you could say Melrose Place (1.41m/.7) was typical as well, although that’s not a good typical. With Wednesday and Thursday in repeats, the only other new entry was Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer (2.22m/.7) on Friday, which has the distinction of finishing 4th in viewers.

CABLE - The big story on cable this week was the finale for Sons Of Anarchy (4.33m/2.3), which has now become the #1 series on FX. The week also saw the premiere of Steven Seagal: Lawman (3.44m/1.4 – 3.57m/1.6), to a surprisingly large audience. It will be interesting to see if that holds up. Some other cable numbers to consider:

Dexter (1.8m/.8)
Nip/Tuck (2.41m/1.1)
Californication (.89m/.4)
Rita Rocks (.57m/.2)
Sherri (.78m/.3)
It’s Always Sunny (1.89m/1.1)
The League (1.05m/.7)
Monday Night Football (21.4m/8.5)
Soul Train Awards (4.05m/1.7)
Iron Chef America (2m/.8)
25th Anniversary Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame Concert (1.22m/.4)
Pawn Stars (2.88m/1.1 – 2.94m/1.2)
WWE RAW (4.82m/1.7 – 4.55m/1.6)
The Hills (1.72m/1)
Top Chef (3m/1.5)
Mythbusters (2.1m/1)
Ultimate Fighter (2.53m/1.5)
Ghost Hunters (2.44m/1.1)
Ghost Hunters Academy (1.64m/.7)
Jersey Shore (1.38m/.8)

Photo Credit: ABC

Medium – The biohazard boogeyman

Brett Love — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:55:42 +0000

This episode was strangely well timed for me. I spent the last week battling a particularly nasty bug, and practicing my cough just like Joe. That all served to make the biohazard angle all the more creepy. It was helped along by the fact that the story behind it was rather clever, even if the real bad guy was obvious from jump street. And if all of that wasn’t enough, the writers delivered a really good Lee & Lynn scene as a bonus, complete with an adorable baby. It was a good way to head into the holiday break.

Starting with the biohazard story, I really liked the setup. I didn’t think much of it when Allison turned down the invitation to go to the briefing on FV39, but that carried a lot of weight as it muddled her reaction to the dream and prolonged the suspense. We all knew what she saw, but she had no frame of reference. Had she been to the briefing, the story would have taken a decidedly different path.

Matt Letscher, as Erik Westphal, was a fun bit of casting. I couldn’t help thinking of him as the evil Nathan Stone. And it was obvious from the beginning that he was evil, right? If he didn’t give you the wiggins at the briefing, then the long shot down the DuBois hallway looking at him in his hazmat suit had to throw up a few flags. I assumed that he was just cashing out and retiring by selling the FV39 to those unsavory customers. Using it as a scare to get government funding for his company was a nice twist.

The one bit of the story that gave me pause was Allison’s confrontation with Westphal. I get so nervous for her when she goes off on her own like that. She knows this guy is a murderer. I’m of the belief that putting your head in the lion’s mouth is better left to the experts. Is it such a wild thought to think someone capable of murdering their lover/coworker might also keep a handgun handy? Still, crazy as that was, the wrap-up to the story was very good as things ‘worked out’ just like Joe said they would.

Elsewhere, I really liked the Lee & Lynn story. Bridgette’s dream set it up very well, and the phone call that caught Lynn in a lie made the situation really look dire. The eventual confrontation, with the dueling engagement rings, was very well done, and made for a very sweet moment. If I could change one thing about Medium it would be to give more screen time to Lee. At this point, the character has really earned it. That’ll do it for Medium in 2009. See you back here in 2010.

Photo Credit: CBS

Ratings Clack – The Prisoner, it’s no Mad Men

Brett Love — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:04:26 +0000

The biggest premiere last week came from cable, as AMC finally released their modern take on The Prisoner. I had been planning for months to make a comparison between that and media-darling Mad Men. I always find the amount of coverage that Mad Men is able to generate, despite the fact that its latest season hovered around 1.7 million viewers for most of its run, fascinating. We can still make that comparison, of course, but it didn’t work out the way that I expected. The initial sampling was good, with (2.22m/.8) checking out the two hour Prisoner premiere. Unfortunately, those people were clearly not impressed. The following nights were both a forgettable (.95m/.3). That’s really not good.

Back on the networks, it was a tough week for genre. Heroes found a new low, V dropped again, there is cause for concern at FlashForward, and the must-see Fringe managed to lose two-tenths in the demo. The news was better for Dancing With The Stars, The Mentalist, and Melrose Place. Although, “better” where Melrose is concerned is a very relative term.

ABC - The week started on a positive as Sunday was up across the board with Extreme Makeover (11.71m/3.7), Desperate Housewives (14.72m/5), and Brothers & Sisters (10.09m/3.2). The good news continued Monday as Dancing With The Stars (18.84m/3.9) continued to grow as they head for the finale. That was good for Castle (10.53m/2.5). It will be very interesting to see what happens to those Castle numbers after DWTS finishes.

Tuesday took a step back with V (9.32m/3.1) continuing to drop. DWTS Results (16.02m/3.2) and the returning The Forgotten (7.53m/1.8) were off pace as well. Wednesday, the network found an improvement for Hank with a Modern Family repeat (6.13m/1.9). The Middle (7.06m/2.4), Modern Family (9.16m/3.7), Cougar Town (7.92m/3.2) and Robin Roberts: Janet Jackson (6.62m/2.3) were all solid following.

FlashForward (7.98m/2.4) continued to slip on Thursday. That’s a far cry from the (12.47m/4) of the premiere. Survivor and Bones have long since moved on, leaving the show in third place in both measures. More troubling though is the increasingly poor comparison to Ugly Betty at this time last year. For example: 11/20/08 Ugly Betty (8.3m/2.6). It’s certainly not doomed, but it’s also not a hit by any stretch. The night was finished by Grey’s Anatomy (14.07m/5.1) and Private Practice (8.93m/3.1).

CBS - It was a mostly uneventful week, as most things were in-line with expectations. Sunday started with steady performances from Amazing Race (11.39m/3.4) and Three Rivers (8.19m/1.8). Cold Case (9.59m/2.1) was up, prompting the network to call for a swap with Three Rivers on the next go. Monday was, oddly, off in the 8 o’clock hour with How I Met Your Mother (8.16m/3.4) and Accidentally On Purpose (7.28m/2.8), while gaining at 9 with 2 ½ Men (13.69m/4.7) and Big Bang Theory (13.23m/5). CSI: Miami (13.26m/3.7) came back down after the big crossover.

Tuesday and Wednesday both had solid numbers across the night with NCIS (20.34m/4.1), NCIS: LA (14.87m/3.4), The Good Wife (12.7m/2.6), Old Christine (7.27m/2.2), Gary Unmarried (7m/2.4), Criminal Minds (13.7m/3.7), and CSI: NY (13.62m/3.2). Survivor (12.33m/3.8) remains #1 in its hour on Thursday. And it is worth noting that The Mentalist (15.85m/3.7) again was above CSI (14.91m/3.5). The week finished with a typical Friday, featuring Ghost Whisperer (8.43m/2), Medium (7.8m/1.9), and Numb3rs (7.84m/1.7).

FOX - The return to the regular animation schedule brought expected results for The Simpsons (9.13m/4.3), Cleveland (7.13m/3.4), Family Guy (8.49m/4.2), and American Dad (6.18m/3). House (12.67m/5) and Lie To Me (7.23m/2.7) were off, but within reason on Monday. So You Think You Can Dance continues to soldier along on Tuesday (5.99m/2.4) and Wednesday (5.65m/2.1), along with their pals on Glee (7.36m/3.3).

Thursday brought another solid performance from Bones (9.88m/2.7), and more questions where the Fringe (5.9m/2) experiment is concerned. Despite the extra promotion for the episode, and the fact that ABC, NBC, and CBS were all down week-to-week, the show suffered another two-tenths drop in the demo.

NBC – Sunday Night Football (22.39m/8.6) was as strong as usual to start the week. And then things went a bit off the rails on Monday as Heroes (5.08m/2.2) found a new low. Could we really see Heroes fall below 5 million viewers, or a 2 demo this season? Trauma (5.18m/1.8) wasn’t helped by that. The Biggest Loser (9.56m/3.7) gave up a half hour on Tuesday for Merry Madagascar (8.97m/2.9), which did rather well.

Wednesday found Mercy (7.76m/2) climbing out of 1 point demo territory, while L&O: SVU (8.44m/2.4) continued to struggle to find its year-ago levels. Thursday night was down across the board with Community (4.87m/2), Parks & Recreation (4.55m/2), The Office (7.39m/3.7), and 30 Rock (5.72m/2.8). For those playing along at home, the 11/20/08 Kath & Kim was (5.47m/2.3). Law & Order (7.52m/1.5) finished things off on Friday.

Leno continues to trip along, making no notable waves. The real story, if there is anything more to this then what we have already seen, will come as we enter the long stretch of holiday repeats. If Leno is going to make any gains, it should happen then. The numbers for the week:

Monday 4.45m/1.4
Tuesday 5.99m/1.9
Wednesday 4.79m/1.4
Thursday 4.77m/1.6
Friday 4.75m/1.3

CW - One Tree Hill (2.63m/1.2) and Gossip Girl (2.25m/1.2) got the week off to an uneventful start. The exciting bit was to come on Tuesday though. The struggles of Melrose Place are well known, and this was the week that was all to change. The return of Heather Locklear was set to put the show back on The CW map. Yeah … it didn’t quite work out like that. After a typical 90210 (2.1m/1.1) outing, the Locklear fueled Melrose (1.57m/.8) still landed in a distant last place on the network. Next Top Model (3.69m/1.8) had a strong finale on Wednesday, while Vampire Diaries (3.57m/1.6) and Supernatural (2.51m/1.2) continued to hold down Thursday night. Smallville (2.45m/1.1) finished off the week on Friday.

CABLE – Looking back at the 11/13 numbers, things seem to be stabilizing for White Collar (4.28m/1.1) and Stargate Universe (1.8m/.7). Sanctuary (1.67m/.6) seems to have found its audience as well. The other cable numbers for the week:

Dexter (1.7m/.8)
Sons Of Anarchy (3.48m/1.9)
Nip/Tuck (1.89m/1)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (1.26m/.5)
Californication (.83m/.4)
South Park (2.87m/1.5)
Secret Girlfriend (1.27m/.7)
It’s Always Sunny (1.49m/.9)
The League (.86m/.5)
Next Iron Chef (2.59m/1.1)
Top Chef (2.81m/1.5)
Mythbusters (2m/.9)
Ghost Hunters (2.6m/1.1)
Project Runway (4.28m/1.9)
The Hills (2.25m/1.4)

Photo Credit: AMC

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