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. Read the rest of this entry »

Wednesday is what I would call the night of opportunities. Ten of the sixteen shows are new, and many of those are dropping into slots that, to be kind, don’t have the highest of expectations. Even better, if you need to make your bones on Wednesday, two of the shows that actually were successful on the night last fall have picked up and headed for Thursday (Bones, Private Practice). It’s about as much as a new show could ask for. Our big questions: Is it scheduling that picks a winner between NBC’s Mercy and Trauma? Is Glee the real deal, or just so much hype? And can ABC finally launch an actual hit sit-com? The short version – Yes, Mercy – real deal – eh, kind of. The more long-winded response, is after the jump.

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It’s all about America in tonight’s repeats. There’s America’s Got Talent, America’s Next Top Model, and America’s Funniest Home Videos. If you aren’t feeling patriotic, there is also the normal lineup of procedurals for you….

• CBS is your rock, folks, featuring the same lineup that they have had all summer. The evening starts with episodes of Old Christine and Gary Unmarried. The sitcoms are followed by Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• ABC is featuring a repeat of Wipeout. Somehow I think watching people fall on their faces is just as funny the second time around.
• NBC has a repeat of America’s Got Talent before a new episode at 9.
• The CW has a full night of America’s Next Top Model (which is apparently great to watch while sick).
• If Wipeout doesn’t have enough people falling down for you, you can tune into ABC family, where there are three full hours of America’s Funniest Home Videos.
• USA has a full night of NCIS repeats.

And just like that, finale season is upon us. Over the next few weeks, all of our favorite shows will be pulling out all the stops and heading off into the summer break, with hopes of returning for another go in the fall. Some of them, no doubt, will be disappointed in that regard. Aside from the marriages, pregnancies, and lives left hanging in the balance, finales are interesting from a ratings perspective because they provide the possibilities of a numbers boost. One last data point to point to as you make the case that this show shouldn’t be canceled. NBC got the ball rolling last week as Chuck and Heroes both fired off their finale salvos. The results were something less than stellar. The news was better for Fringe, the NCIS spinoff, and the CW Thursday. Read the rest of this entry »

ABC

Boston Legal, Season Four. This show continues to be solid year after year, and this is one of the best seasons, in my view. They make great use of the amazing guy-chemistry between Denny Crane (William Shatner) and Alan Shore (James Spader). Season 4 also boasts the episode where they go before the Supreme Court. All rise! Five discs, 926 minutes.

Brothers & Sisters, The Complete Second Season. This family drama grew on me over time, but by last season, I was hooked. I know it’s Hollywood-ized to some extent, but the Walker clan seem like they could be your next-door neighbors (well, with way more problems than most families). And you couldn’t ask for a better cast. Top-notch all the way. Stand-out episode: When the family stands up to Justin and his addiction, and refuses to let him leave the house. 5 discs, 671 minutes.

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