With the NBA finals in the books, ABC let loose a bunch of their summer programming. Looking at the numbers, they could probably really go for another basketball game…. Over on cable, the big news was the long awaited return of Futurama.
ABC - New programming kicked off the week, with Scoundrels (5.23m/1.3) and The Gates (4.76m/1.5) premiering to rather modest numbers. Things looked a little better Monday, where The Bachelorette (8.26m/2.7) and True Beauty (5.22m/1.9) were steady. The best news came Tuesday, with Wipeout (9.51m/3.1) proving that the formula still works. Unfortunately, it would seem the formula for Downfall (5.67m/1.9) isn’t quite as good.
Wednesday’s lone new entry was the surprisingly low rated Jimmy Kimmel Twilight Special (2.93m/1.1). Wipeout (7.88m/2.6) again saved the day, arriving to kick off Thursday and lead in to two more new shows, Rookie Blue (7.24m/1.9) and Boston Med (5.06m/1.3). Solid summer numbers for the Rookie Blue premiere. Next week will be very interesting.
NBC - The network got a little bonus with the US Open (9.27m/2.2) being on the best coast this year. That pushed the tournament into prime time. Elsewhere, it was more of the same. Last Comic Standing (4.17m/1.8) was down just a touch, and Persons Unknown (2.87m/1) isn’t long for this world. It seems like Losing It With Jillian (3.72m/1.2) just isn’t finding an audience. America’s Got Talent has no troubles though, with good numbers on Tuesday (11.65m/3.4) and Wednesday (12.37m/3.5). 100 Questions (1.74m/.6) and Friday Night Lights (3.61m/1.1) finished things up.
FOX - Til Death (1.53m/.6) and Sons Of Tuscon (1.37m/.6) continue to be the bright spot that lets the 100 Questions people say, “See… it could be worse.” On Monday, Lie To Me (6.08m/1.8) is holding steady, but unfortunately, so is The Good Guys (4.24m/1.2). In non-scripted programming, steady numbers again this week from Hell’s Kitchen (5.94m/2.8 – 6.38m/3) and So You Think You Can Dance (6.38m/2.5 – 6.43m/2.4).
CBS - The entirety of the CBS week came down to Flashpoint (6.27m/1.2) and Miami Medical (5.99m/1.1).
CABLE – It’s been a long time coming, but the good news (everyone) this week was the return of new episodes of Futurama (2.92m/1.6 – 2.78m/1.5). That puts it just below South Park, which usually comes in around 3.5m/1.9. Still, those demo numbers look pretty good given what much of cable is bringing in. With that in mind … also making a return last week, TNT’s Leverage (3.11m/1 – 2.95m/1).
Basic
Premium
Clacked by Brett Love 
on Jun 28, 2010 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
No love for the stellar ratings that the World Cup is drawing?
“6/12/2010 USA-England ABC/Univision 17.1 million
6/18/2010 USA-Slovenia ESPN/Univision 7.5 million
6/23/2010 USA-Algeria ESPN/Univision 8.6 million”
And finally,
“Saturday’s broadcast of the United States against Ghana game on ABC drew an outstanding 14.8 million viewers… Combined with the Univision viewing audience for the USA versus Ghana game, the total viewing audience was close to 20 million people in the States.”
*POST AUTHOR*
I generally stick to the prime time numbers, but thanks for adding the update. It is very interesting to see how wildly soccer ratings can fluctuate in the US. People always seem to show for the World Cup, but it never really translates to anything else.
I’m loving the fact that “Futurama” is back in a weekly format. Maybe it’s because it’s been off the air for so long, but I’ve been finding it exceptionally funny. Plenty of quotable lines in just the first 2 episodes as Keith showed earlier in the week.
I’m disappointed in the low numbers for “Persons Unknown.” It isn’t a great show, but I find it pretty enjoyable and I’m a sucker for a mystery, especially one that seems to defy all logic. It’s what I loved about LOST and while PU (Hmm, unfortunate initials!) is no LOST, it has similar elements that draw me, and my family, in to the story.
Glad Futurama is doing well again for the first time.
I actually am enjoying The Good Guys a fair bit. Bradley Whitford cracks me up, and Colin Hanks plays the straight man well (with flashes of his dad every so often).